Peru Trip Report
Aug 19th, 2008, 05:42 PM
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Peru Trip Report
Hi everybody,
This is my first time writing a trip report but I have received so much good help on these forums over the years, that I wanted to give it a try. My husband and I just got back from a 2 week trip to Peru and we had a great time. The only bad thing was that I got sick from the altitude but more on that later. We left Chicago on a Saturday night and flew via Miami to Lima. Although the American Airlines agent in Chicago swore that our luggage would be checked all the way through, it did not make it to Lima. We took Lan Peru from Miami to Lima and their agent in Lima said that American does not put luggage onto Lan flights. It was pretty upsetting because we had plenty of time in Miami to take our luggage to the next flight but we didn't because we were told that it would be checked all the way through. There were many people with the same problem in Lima so I think there may be a problem with AA getting luggage onto LAN. This doesn't seem like such a big deal a few weeks later but it is worth mentioning if anyone is taking the same airlines. At the very least, pack a change of underwear in your carryon.
We spent the day and night in Lima and then got back to the airport early the next day for a flight on Star Peru to Cusco. We waited at the LAN baggage office to speak to an agent but they still had no record of our luggage so we had to take off to Cusco without it. When we arrived there, I asked again and my bag had arrived in Lima but my husband's had not. Our hotel had arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport. He met us, we stopped off at the train station to pick up our train tickets to MP and we headed to our hotel in Yucay in the Sacred Valley, stopping at Moray and the Maray Salineras on the way. Both were very interesting and well worth seeing. We arrived at our hotel, the Casona de Yucay (we really liked this place) at around 2:30 or 3. It was still early so I asked the hotel if there was still time to go to the Ollantataymbo ruins. They said yes and some other travelers also wanted to go so we shared a taxi to Ollanta from our hotel. It only cost us 20 soles per couple so it didn't cost too much to get there. We loved Ollantaytambo. The ruins were amazing. We came back to the hotel, had dinner and when we finished, got the wonderful news that not only were our bags found but they had been flown to Cusco and driven to our hotel. We were very happy about that! The next day, we had planned to take local transportation to Pisaq but since we would have had to take several different buses and we wouldn't have had anywhere to put our bags (we checked out of the hotel in the morning), we decided to hire a taxi driver to take us. It was well worth it. For $40 he drove us there, waited for more than 2 hours, then drove us to Ollantaytambo to catch the train to MP. We really enjoyed Pisaq. This was the most difficult site so far as far as me being out of breath. I really felt the altitude here but it was worth the effort to climb up the ruins.
That night, we took the train to Augas Calientes, and spent the rest of the evening getting our tickets for the bus and for MP the next morning. The next morning, we got to the bus at 5:10 and there were about 200 people in line in front of us. We were pretty surprised because the first bus is at 5:30 and we didn't know it would be that crowded. There are plenty of buses that come to drive up to MP but we wanted to get there as soon as possible because we wanted to climb Huayna Picchu and only the first 400 people are allowed to do it. When we got to MP, we took a few quick photos and headed right over to the area where you wait in line for the tickets for the climb. We got to see the sun coming up as we stood there. and it was beautiful. We were lucky and got in the second group of 200 people who get to climb the mountain at 10am. If you want to climb HP (and I strongly recommend that you do it), you have to get there right at opening and go to the line for the tickets right away. I think that this is not the case outside of the high season but in early August, many people who were on the first buses were disappointed and could not get tickets to climb it.
After getting our tickets, we had several hours to explore the site and take photos. MP met all our expectations. It was wonderful. We were so lucky to have perfect, clear weather and we got some great photos. At 10, we did our climb up HP and it was amazing. It was pretty hard but well worth. The views are outstanding. When we got back down, all the daytrippers from Cusco had arrived. MP was very different in the early afternoon. The guards would only let you walk one way around the site and would blow whistles to make people conform to this rule. It is well worth it to get there early and enjoy the site. My other advice is to bring lots of water with you. There are signs when you buy the tickets that you can't bring food and water into the site but this is not enforced. We brought 2 water bottles with us but we desperately needed more water. We had to go buy water outside the entrance and it was 10 soles for 375ml. Compare that to 2 soles for 2.5 liters in town.
I will have to finish the rest of this later.
Alice
This is my first time writing a trip report but I have received so much good help on these forums over the years, that I wanted to give it a try. My husband and I just got back from a 2 week trip to Peru and we had a great time. The only bad thing was that I got sick from the altitude but more on that later. We left Chicago on a Saturday night and flew via Miami to Lima. Although the American Airlines agent in Chicago swore that our luggage would be checked all the way through, it did not make it to Lima. We took Lan Peru from Miami to Lima and their agent in Lima said that American does not put luggage onto Lan flights. It was pretty upsetting because we had plenty of time in Miami to take our luggage to the next flight but we didn't because we were told that it would be checked all the way through. There were many people with the same problem in Lima so I think there may be a problem with AA getting luggage onto LAN. This doesn't seem like such a big deal a few weeks later but it is worth mentioning if anyone is taking the same airlines. At the very least, pack a change of underwear in your carryon.
We spent the day and night in Lima and then got back to the airport early the next day for a flight on Star Peru to Cusco. We waited at the LAN baggage office to speak to an agent but they still had no record of our luggage so we had to take off to Cusco without it. When we arrived there, I asked again and my bag had arrived in Lima but my husband's had not. Our hotel had arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport. He met us, we stopped off at the train station to pick up our train tickets to MP and we headed to our hotel in Yucay in the Sacred Valley, stopping at Moray and the Maray Salineras on the way. Both were very interesting and well worth seeing. We arrived at our hotel, the Casona de Yucay (we really liked this place) at around 2:30 or 3. It was still early so I asked the hotel if there was still time to go to the Ollantataymbo ruins. They said yes and some other travelers also wanted to go so we shared a taxi to Ollanta from our hotel. It only cost us 20 soles per couple so it didn't cost too much to get there. We loved Ollantaytambo. The ruins were amazing. We came back to the hotel, had dinner and when we finished, got the wonderful news that not only were our bags found but they had been flown to Cusco and driven to our hotel. We were very happy about that! The next day, we had planned to take local transportation to Pisaq but since we would have had to take several different buses and we wouldn't have had anywhere to put our bags (we checked out of the hotel in the morning), we decided to hire a taxi driver to take us. It was well worth it. For $40 he drove us there, waited for more than 2 hours, then drove us to Ollantaytambo to catch the train to MP. We really enjoyed Pisaq. This was the most difficult site so far as far as me being out of breath. I really felt the altitude here but it was worth the effort to climb up the ruins.
That night, we took the train to Augas Calientes, and spent the rest of the evening getting our tickets for the bus and for MP the next morning. The next morning, we got to the bus at 5:10 and there were about 200 people in line in front of us. We were pretty surprised because the first bus is at 5:30 and we didn't know it would be that crowded. There are plenty of buses that come to drive up to MP but we wanted to get there as soon as possible because we wanted to climb Huayna Picchu and only the first 400 people are allowed to do it. When we got to MP, we took a few quick photos and headed right over to the area where you wait in line for the tickets for the climb. We got to see the sun coming up as we stood there. and it was beautiful. We were lucky and got in the second group of 200 people who get to climb the mountain at 10am. If you want to climb HP (and I strongly recommend that you do it), you have to get there right at opening and go to the line for the tickets right away. I think that this is not the case outside of the high season but in early August, many people who were on the first buses were disappointed and could not get tickets to climb it.
After getting our tickets, we had several hours to explore the site and take photos. MP met all our expectations. It was wonderful. We were so lucky to have perfect, clear weather and we got some great photos. At 10, we did our climb up HP and it was amazing. It was pretty hard but well worth. The views are outstanding. When we got back down, all the daytrippers from Cusco had arrived. MP was very different in the early afternoon. The guards would only let you walk one way around the site and would blow whistles to make people conform to this rule. It is well worth it to get there early and enjoy the site. My other advice is to bring lots of water with you. There are signs when you buy the tickets that you can't bring food and water into the site but this is not enforced. We brought 2 water bottles with us but we desperately needed more water. We had to go buy water outside the entrance and it was 10 soles for 375ml. Compare that to 2 soles for 2.5 liters in town.
I will have to finish the rest of this later.
Alice
Aug 20th, 2008, 05:48 PM
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...And I'm back. After seeing MP, we spent one more night in Aguas Calientes and then took the train back to Ollanta. We had a little excitement on the way back because there was a rock slide right before our train went by. A couple of big boulders knocked through the metal barrier on the side of the road and went on to the tracks. Luckily, it didn't hit the train but we couldn't pass by. We had to get off the train and walk down the tracks past the boulders and eventually a bus came and picked us up from Ollanta. We had our hotel in Cusco arrange a taxi to pick us up in Ollanta and he was waiting for us when we finally got there. Once again, we had planned to take a bus back to Cusco but it is so convenient and easy to have someone drive you instead that we changed our minds. We spent two nights at Torre Dorada in Cusco and it is a wonderful hotel. It is a little out of the center but their driver will pick you up and drop you off at the Plaza de Armas whenever you want. The hotel room had the most comfortable and gigantic bed and it was very nice. We spent two nighs in Cusco and enjoyed all the sights. In particular, we enjoyed the cathedral. It is a bit pricy but the included audio guide makes it very interesting. Usually, my husband is bored listeing to audio guides but he enjoyed this one.
We then took the Inca Express bus to Puno. I have to say that it is not worth it. It is way overpriced and the driver drove like a maniac. We later took a normal bus (Cruz del Sur) for a lot less money and it was fine and the driver was a lot better. The upside of taking Inca Express is that there are several stops along the way to see sights. The sights were interesting but after lunch I started to feel very sick to my stomach. I could barely make it to Puno and then I went right to bed. I thought it must have been something I ate but the hotel and several other travelers we met said it must have been the altitude. I hardly felt like doing anything after the night I had but I forced myself to go on a tour to the Uros (floating) islands. I am so glad I did because that is why I went all the way to Lake Titicaca and it was fascinating. Yes, it is a very touristy experience but if I wasn't on a tour that caters to tourists, how else would I meet the people on these islands and be invited into their homes.
We took it easy the rest of the day and then took the bus to Arequipa in the morning. Our original plan was to do a two day tour to the Canyon de Colca. After talking to various people, we decided to skip it. I had been very sick in Puno and it seemed like it was because of the altitude. The place where people stay on the tour is also at a high altitude. We had also just come off a long, hot bus ride from Puno and didn't relish the idea of sitting in a bus all day. From what we heard from talking to other travelers, the two day non-trekking tours to Colca mostly involve sitting on a bus for two days. I heard the trekking tours were great but I didn't feel up to it at that point so we decided to relax at the end of our trip and spend time in Arequipa. Arequipa is a great city. We went on a great rafting trip, saw Juanita, the frozen Inca girl, (very interesting and touching) and ate lots of good food. There are a lot of really great restaurants in Arequipa. We ate at the Creperie at the French Alliance 3 times for dessert and it was really good.
We flew back to Lima for one last night and headed home the next morning. The airline karma must have been with us becuase LAN upgraded us to business class for no reason! That has never happened to us before. I highly recommend getting bumped up if you can arrange it.
We had a great time in Peru. It was too bad I got so sick in Puno but if you can avoid that, there is a lot more to do at Lake Titicaca and at Colca Canyon than we were able to do.
Happy travels!
Alice
We then took the Inca Express bus to Puno. I have to say that it is not worth it. It is way overpriced and the driver drove like a maniac. We later took a normal bus (Cruz del Sur) for a lot less money and it was fine and the driver was a lot better. The upside of taking Inca Express is that there are several stops along the way to see sights. The sights were interesting but after lunch I started to feel very sick to my stomach. I could barely make it to Puno and then I went right to bed. I thought it must have been something I ate but the hotel and several other travelers we met said it must have been the altitude. I hardly felt like doing anything after the night I had but I forced myself to go on a tour to the Uros (floating) islands. I am so glad I did because that is why I went all the way to Lake Titicaca and it was fascinating. Yes, it is a very touristy experience but if I wasn't on a tour that caters to tourists, how else would I meet the people on these islands and be invited into their homes.
We took it easy the rest of the day and then took the bus to Arequipa in the morning. Our original plan was to do a two day tour to the Canyon de Colca. After talking to various people, we decided to skip it. I had been very sick in Puno and it seemed like it was because of the altitude. The place where people stay on the tour is also at a high altitude. We had also just come off a long, hot bus ride from Puno and didn't relish the idea of sitting in a bus all day. From what we heard from talking to other travelers, the two day non-trekking tours to Colca mostly involve sitting on a bus for two days. I heard the trekking tours were great but I didn't feel up to it at that point so we decided to relax at the end of our trip and spend time in Arequipa. Arequipa is a great city. We went on a great rafting trip, saw Juanita, the frozen Inca girl, (very interesting and touching) and ate lots of good food. There are a lot of really great restaurants in Arequipa. We ate at the Creperie at the French Alliance 3 times for dessert and it was really good.
We flew back to Lima for one last night and headed home the next morning. The airline karma must have been with us becuase LAN upgraded us to business class for no reason! That has never happened to us before. I highly recommend getting bumped up if you can arrange it.
We had a great time in Peru. It was too bad I got so sick in Puno but if you can avoid that, there is a lot more to do at Lake Titicaca and at Colca Canyon than we were able to do.
Happy travels!
Alice
Aug 22nd, 2008, 08:42 AM
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Alice -
Thanks for the trip report. I have some concerns about our flights down and what you described made me really want to try to take only carry-on luggage. We fly on American from Phila. to Miami then LAN, like you. I also was told by American that they could check the bags all the way through from Phila. to Cusco since they partner with LAN. But now I know that could be a problem.
The other hassle is LAN changed our departure time in Miami so now we only have 2 hours to connect there rather than the original 4. Do you think 2 hours will be enough time to get from the American arrivals terminal to the LAN departure terminal? I guess if not we'll be stuck in Miami for 24 hours and that's another reason to not check our bags in Phila.
How did you do navigating the Miami airport - did you have to go outside and walk around to terminal J or could you stay inside? I guess at midnight when our flight leaves it won't be too crowded (I hope).
Any opinion on that would be appreciated.
I was glad to hear you liked the Torre Dorada - we're staying there, too. I'll ask the hotel about getting us a taxi back from the Ollanta train station -- were you glad you set that up in advance or were there lots of taxis available if you hadn't?
Glad you had a great trip - can't wait to get there myself in October.
Thanks for the trip report. I have some concerns about our flights down and what you described made me really want to try to take only carry-on luggage. We fly on American from Phila. to Miami then LAN, like you. I also was told by American that they could check the bags all the way through from Phila. to Cusco since they partner with LAN. But now I know that could be a problem.
The other hassle is LAN changed our departure time in Miami so now we only have 2 hours to connect there rather than the original 4. Do you think 2 hours will be enough time to get from the American arrivals terminal to the LAN departure terminal? I guess if not we'll be stuck in Miami for 24 hours and that's another reason to not check our bags in Phila.
How did you do navigating the Miami airport - did you have to go outside and walk around to terminal J or could you stay inside? I guess at midnight when our flight leaves it won't be too crowded (I hope).
Any opinion on that would be appreciated.
I was glad to hear you liked the Torre Dorada - we're staying there, too. I'll ask the hotel about getting us a taxi back from the Ollanta train station -- were you glad you set that up in advance or were there lots of taxis available if you hadn't?
Glad you had a great trip - can't wait to get there myself in October.
Aug 22nd, 2008, 10:32 AM
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Thank you syclark - so would you think if our first flight lands on time we can get on the next one with only 2 hours in between?
The LAN ticket says you must check-in 4 hours prior to flight - ha!
The LAN ticket says you must check-in 4 hours prior to flight - ha!
Aug 22nd, 2008, 04:09 PM
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Leslie,
The Miami airport is really big and the international part is far from the American check-in. I couldn't believe how far it was when we landed in Miami after Lima because we were carrying our bags the whole way. That being said, two hours should be fine because on the way to Lima, you won't have to check in with Lan, that will already happen in your first city and you shouldn't have to get your luggage on the way out of the US.
About the luggage, I don't know if they will let you get it and bring it to your Lan flight. They will probably tell you that it will be checked through so it may not show up on the luggage carousel in Miami. Maybe it really will be checked through but it didn't happen for us. Maybe just ask the Lan people in Miami if the luggage will be put on the plane.
We were happy that we had the taxi driver pick us up. There are other taxis around but you would have to negotiate a price for them to take you to Cusco and that could turn out to be more money. Plus, there could be safety issues involved so it just seemed easier to have a tax pick us up. They charged us $45.
The Miami airport is really big and the international part is far from the American check-in. I couldn't believe how far it was when we landed in Miami after Lima because we were carrying our bags the whole way. That being said, two hours should be fine because on the way to Lima, you won't have to check in with Lan, that will already happen in your first city and you shouldn't have to get your luggage on the way out of the US.
About the luggage, I don't know if they will let you get it and bring it to your Lan flight. They will probably tell you that it will be checked through so it may not show up on the luggage carousel in Miami. Maybe it really will be checked through but it didn't happen for us. Maybe just ask the Lan people in Miami if the luggage will be put on the plane.
We were happy that we had the taxi driver pick us up. There are other taxis around but you would have to negotiate a price for them to take you to Cusco and that could turn out to be more money. Plus, there could be safety issues involved so it just seemed easier to have a tax pick us up. They charged us $45.
Aug 23rd, 2008, 06:45 AM
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Thanks Alice -
I think we'll still try to pack light enough to only have carry-on so we can avoid checking it from Phila to Miami. Then maybe have to check it from Miami to Lima to Cusco but that seems more certain than checking it all the way through from Phila.
I'm not great at packing light so it will be a challenge!
I'll talk to the Torre Dorada about having a taxi meet us in Ollantaytambo where we get off the train.
I think we'll still try to pack light enough to only have carry-on so we can avoid checking it from Phila to Miami. Then maybe have to check it from Miami to Lima to Cusco but that seems more certain than checking it all the way through from Phila.
I'm not great at packing light so it will be a challenge!
I'll talk to the Torre Dorada about having a taxi meet us in Ollantaytambo where we get off the train.
Aug 25th, 2008, 01:34 PM
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Your trip was similar to ours but almost in reverse! One thing we were advised about is don't just drop into a city that is very high, and Puno is, but you had acclimated in Cuzco. Still it's a difference of about 5,000 more feet above sea level, so it IS tougher.
We went to Taquile Island after a severa-hour boat ride and encountered a 500-step walk up the hill.
Re your rock incident. That's awful! The closest we came to it is a rock thrown through our window and the glass landing on the table behind us. That was pretty startling! But we didn't have to change trains and no one was hurt. The window shades went down after that, for awhile.
I'm envious you were able to go up HP. We had the opportunity but not the legs! Just not in shape for it.
And I later saw newspaper reports of even a guide falling off it. I'm not very sure-footed. What a thrill that had to be at the top though. I enjoy it vicariously through others' pics and descriptions. Thanks very much for an interesting trip report.
You didn't miss much in Puno, by the way!
- Andrys
--
http://andrys.com/indox.html
(Peru PhotoDiary)
We went to Taquile Island after a severa-hour boat ride and encountered a 500-step walk up the hill.
Re your rock incident. That's awful! The closest we came to it is a rock thrown through our window and the glass landing on the table behind us. That was pretty startling! But we didn't have to change trains and no one was hurt. The window shades went down after that, for awhile.
I'm envious you were able to go up HP. We had the opportunity but not the legs! Just not in shape for it.
And I later saw newspaper reports of even a guide falling off it. I'm not very sure-footed. What a thrill that had to be at the top though. I enjoy it vicariously through others' pics and descriptions. Thanks very much for an interesting trip report.
You didn't miss much in Puno, by the way!
- Andrys
--
http://andrys.com/indox.html
(Peru PhotoDiary)
Aug 25th, 2008, 01:40 PM
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I forgot to say we spent some time in Colca Canyon which is very high and we HAD to get used to that height but it wasn't easy. It was worth it though!
It isn't for some people. We had a driver and guide and they were great, making a lunch for us in what must be the quietest place in the world. But if you have to go in a crowded van or bus it's a lot of riding, higher and higher, on very rough road.
- Andrys
--
http://andrys.com/indox.html
It isn't for some people. We had a driver and guide and they were great, making a lunch for us in what must be the quietest place in the world. But if you have to go in a crowded van or bus it's a lot of riding, higher and higher, on very rough road.
- Andrys
--
http://andrys.com/indox.html
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