ruby_sage

Hola, we just returned from Peru. It was amazing!
Wanted to provide our trip report to the other fodorites.

Itinerary:
Nov. 6 - SFO to Miami, Miami to Lima. Overnight at Second Home Peru.
Nov. 7 - Fly to Puerto Maldonado. Overnight at Posadas Amazonas.
Nov. 8 - Posadas Amazonas.
Nov. 9 - Flight to Cuzco. Overnight at Kuychi Rumi in Urubamba (Sacred Valley).
Nov. 10 - Sacred Valley
Nov. 11 - Machu Picchu
Nov. 12 - Cuzco. Overnight at Ninos Hotel.
Nov. 13 - Flight to Lima. Overnight at Second Home Peru.
Nov. 14 - Lima to Miami, Miami to San Francisco

Summary:
It was a very quick trip, but we loved it. We got to experience the highlights of the Amazon basin and the Andes...we were able to see so much in 8 days! We budgeted to stay in what I consider "mid-level" accommodations for the trip. We went on our own (not with a tour company), but had our hotels arrange airport transfers, etc. It was very easy (although, I speak Spanish and that definitely helped).

Air Review:
We flew with American Airlines from SFO to Miami and Lima. I found the airfare on travelzoo.com. RT was $580 per person (including all taxes).

Inside Peru we flew with LAN. LAN was great, but watch their prices. I noticed that the prices for flights would change on different dates and times. With a little persistence I was able to scoop up what I think was a good deal. We spent $490 total for all of our internal flights (for two people).

Hotel Reviews:
1. Lima: Second Home Peru (http://www.secondhomeperu.com). I wasn't sure where to stay in Lima (having heard a lot of negative things about the city). I found this 'hotel' on tripadvisor.com. I am so glad that we found it! Second Home Peru is a very small hotel inside of a mansion in the Barranco district of Lima. The location is gorgeous...you are right on the edge of a bluff overlooking the pacific. The staff is incredibly friendly, and the prices are great. The hotel is within 3 minutes (walking) of Parque Municipal (the central hub of Barranco). There was great food, shopping, and nightlife. It was great to stay in a place so quiet, yet so close to so many activities. I would highly recommend. The hotel also arranged for a driver to meet us at the Lima airport. That was very helpful. Our driver, Fermin, was wonderful.

2. Posadas Amazonas, Tambopata River, outside Puerto Maldonado. We decided that since we were in S. America we couldn't pass the opportunity to visit the Amazon Basin. I am SO glad we didn't miss it. We are a very outdoorsy couple, and this place was so fun. From the cruise up the river to the lodge, to the activities (including an awesome night hike) this place was great. We had a fantastic guide (Carol) who spoke near perfect English, and was very fun to be around. I arranged the trip through www.perunature.com. We did the 3 day / 2 night program (and that was enough for me). It was over 90 degrees with 90% humidity

3. K'uychi Rumi, Urubamba. (www.urubamba.com) K'uychi Rumi was my FAVORITE accommodation of the trip. Not only is it beautiful, but Claudia (the owner is fabulous). My husband and I got pretty sick one night, and she was so attentive. With her help, we were better by the next day, and we didn't miss Machu Picchu!! When you are staying with Claudia you truly feel like part of the family. We stayed in Casa # 2, and it was perfect. A little big for two people, but it was so nice to have our own kitchen, living room, fireplace, terrace, etc. It was the perfect place for relaxing.

* A couple quick thoughts about the town of Urubamba. We decided to stay in the Sacred Valley, because it was more central to the ruins, and it is at a lower altitude than Cuzco. I am SO glad we stayed here. I sort of feel like I need to come to the defense of Urubamba. Lonely Plant (the only guide book I bought) called it 'unappealing' or something to that effect. I really enjoyed Urubamba (more than Ollantaytambo - which the book praised). Urubamba had fabulous restaurants (from cheap and delicious, to upscale nuevoandina), a beautiful town square, and really friendly people. It was spread out (so you didn't feel overcrowded, or like you were continually going to get run over by a tour bus). Anyways, bottom line, don't let LP's description turn you away from this town. I'm so glad we chose it for the 'home base' of our trip.

4. Ninos Hotel, Cuzco. www.ninoshotel.com. We stayed at Ninos because of the work that the owners do (helping to feed, clothe, and educate the street children of Cuzco). It was the perfect little place to stay in Cuzco. It was warm and inviting, basic but all of the essentials were there, and we enjoyed it. Ninos is about a 7-10 minute walk from Plaza de Armas.

Restaurant Reviews:
We really like cheap delicious food, and tended to have that for lunch. For dinner, we were steered by our various hotels towards more upscale locations, and they were all excellent.
1. Posadas Amazonas Restaurant - good, filling peruvian food.
2. Crepes and More, Urubamba - We ate here for dinner (because we wanted someplace light) and it was great. It was upscale for Peru (like a trendy US wine bar), and the food was good. We had the tequenos (appetizer), lomo blanco, and a crepe filled with Peruvian staples.
3. El Huacatay, Urubamba - This place was delicious. Small, intimate with nuevoandina cuisine.
4. Inca Grill, Cuzco. Inca Grill is located right on the main square in Cuzco. It is fancy (by Peruvian standards) and the food was very good. We had a large appetizer plate with anticuchos (beef heart), and the cuy (guinea pig) for our main entree. The cuy was delicious! Don't be afraid to try it. We also had some creative desserts (a passion fruit crepe, and poached pears in peruvian wine).
5. Chala, Barranco, Lima. This is a very nice seafood fusion restaurant in the Barranco neighborhood. The food was delicious. We had ceviche mixto, and ahi tuna which were both incredible. The staff was a bit pretentious, and snobby.

Highlights and other thoughts:
1. Amazon: The Amazon was hot, humid, and an incredible experience. We saw a good array of monkeys, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Our favorite activities included: visiting a shaman at the nearby ethnobotanical gardens (try his drinks, they're good!), fishing for pirahanas, and the night walk. We also were able to watch the red and green macaws at the hotels clay lick, and that was really neat experience. Those birds are just so beautiful.

2. Sacred Valley: Our hotel, K'uychi Rumi, arranged for us to have a driver during our stay. Our guide, Victor, was great. He is incredibly friendly, and fun to be around. He drove us everywhere we wanted to go. It was very easy.

We didn't visit any other ruins besides Machu Picchu, and that was by choice. We spent most of our time just walking around the towns soaking up the culture and talking with locals.

Some highlights: One of my favorite stops in the Sacred Valley was visiting the Quechuan village of Huilloc (in the mountains outside Ollantaytambo). There we got to talk with native women, and children. We visited their homes, and watched them cook, and weave (they were making table runners, blankets, dolls, scarves, etc). I purchased a blanket, a table runner, and a doll from a very lovely family. I wish I had bought more there, because I knew that the women actually made them, and the prices were about 1/2 compared to similar items in the larger cities.

Seminario Ceramica, Urubamba - Seminario is a famous peruvian ceramic artist. We visited his studio in Urubamba. It's very touristy, but we enjoyed it. We purchased a neat picture for our wall with a funny little ceramic Incan idol.

3. Machu Picchu - Machu Picchu was an incredible experience, as expected. We only did a day trip (from Ollantaytambo) and that was the perfect amount of time for us. We arrive at the ruins just after 9am, and left the ruins at 3pm. There were a comfortable number of people visiting that day, and it was really only 'crowded' from about 11am to 2pm. Our hotel (K'uychi Rumi) had arranged for us to have a half day guide, and that worked well. He met us at the train station, took us up the ruins, and walked us through the site explaining the history until about noon, and then we had the rest of the day to ourselves. My favorite moment at Machu Picchu was as we were leaving. I was hoping, and wishing that I would get the chance to see an Andean Condor (I am a bird lover), and we did! As we were leaving I noticed the condor majestically soaring in the canyon just north of MP. He did this incredible loop through the valley, and then he was gone. For me, it was spectacular!

4. Cuzco - We spent most of our time in Cuzco strolling the streets. I would highly recommend catching a taxi from Plaza de Armas up to the San Blas plaza. From there we walked downhill back to the Plaza de Armas, shopping along the way. My favorite stores were definitely in San Blas. My other favorite activity in Cuzco was visiting the Museo Inka. That place has some really neat artifacts...including mummies!! I would highly recommend it.

5. Barranco, Parque Municipal is such a neat place to walk around. We walked beneath the bridge down to the point overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We also visited a fair-trade souvenir store (wish I could remember the name) that I really enjoyed.

All in all it was a wonderful trip! I will post a link to pictures when I have them uploaded.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Erica

marthag

Thank you, Erica, for a beautifully written and very helpful trip report. I'm making note of your restaurant and sightseeing recommendations, as we will be doing the same trip next August.

I plan to take the same American Airlines flights from Miami to Lima that you took. Were your flights on time and comfortable? Another person on this forum called her flight from Lima to Miami the "flight from hell". If that proves to be a common experience, I will fly another carrier through Houston.

ruby_sage

Flights down were fine. Both were on time.

Flight home was horrible! Although, it wasn't AA's fault. The air-traffic controllers (sp?) went on strike at Lima, and we were one of the last planes allowed to leave the airport. We were lucky to leave, but the strike resulted in our flight being delayed by over 2 hours. Therefore, we missed our connecting flight in Miami. But, AA was great and got us on the next flight out of there. They also gave us a $20 food coupon for use in the Miami airport.

I would say go with AA if they have the best price. If not, then another carrier would probably be a better bet.

thit_cho

You're braver than I am -- I also ordered cuy in Cuzco, and I ended up with some nice photos of the deep-fried guinea pig (I only choked down one bite). And I've eaten bat in Cambodia and whale in Iceland -- and, still, I couldn't eat the guinea pig.

yestravel

Nice report, thanks! We also flew AA from Miami to Lima and return. Both flights were some of the most uncomfortable flights I've ever flown on. Old equipment and uncomfortable seats caused this on both flights. FA didnt do much of anything on either flight. I would avoid AA unless AA flights are much cheaper.

rickandpat

Dumb question. I've been to Costa Rica 3 times, Belize twice, and count myself lucky to seen - at some distance - a tarantula. Yes, I'm one of those arachniphobes. I hate to admit it, but the only thing holding me back from visiting the Amazon Basin is knowing there are a lot of tarantalas there. Did you see many?

ruby_sage

rickandpat,

You know, we didn't see any tarantulas! The only time we did see spiders was on our night walk out into the jungle. There were some pretty big ones, but no actual tarantulas. We didn't see one spider at the lodge itself (which I was a little nervous about because we stayed in 3-walled units - one wall was completely exposed the jungle).

I think if tarantulas are holding you back...you'd be fine where we went. Maybe we just had luck?

cruzan19

ttt

nokomis

Thanks for the trip report, we leave for Peru in June. Did you get shots before leaving on your trip since you went into the Amazon?