Update on driving in Peru & Chile?
 

Ola!
We're experienced in driving through most of Europe...Croatia, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Paris and so on. We've encountered lots of traffic, bumper to bumper on 12 lanes in the city of Naples, for example, and not felt daunted in the least.
That said, and reading the few posts here, I am interested in renting a car for tour the area of Cusco.
I'm seeking recommendations for small villages that offer some quiet and beautiful scenery. I'd like to take the paints along and enjoy a few days of just that.
Thank you, any help appreciated.

I'm a big fan of driving ourselves wherever we travel too. However for Peru we decided to use a guide which worked out great. I think the roads would be quite easy to drive where we were in the SV. They seemed well maintained and there was some signage. We were there in April and perhaps in the rainy season the roads might be challenging in terms of them getting washed out. I think u might want to avoid driving in the "city proper" of Cusco. Its a very walkable city and u wouldnt really need a car for your stay in Cusco. There was poster on this board asking about driving themselves and I don't know what was decided. You could try and do a search for those threads. Hopefully they will report back after their trip which I think was this month or next. I would defintely drive yourself if that's what you like doing.

In terms of places to visit, the SV is chocked full of small villages that are fascinating. We especially loved Ollantaytambo and I always recommend staying there for a few days. It's lovely and the surrounding area beautiful. Pisac is well known for its market which reallly is everyday, but Sunday is the big day. It's a charming village also and has fantastic ruins.
Of course Machu Picchu is breathtaking and shouldn't be missed.
Have a great trip

Hello,

We are actually in Lima right now waiting to board our flight home from our amazing week in Peru!!

I was one of the posters asking about renting a car and driving ourselves, as we are very independent travelers and did not want to hire a driver.

We did indeed rent a car and are glad we did.
However, do make note, that you do NOT need, nor want a car while you are in Cusco. It is very easy to get around on foot or by taxi.
But once you are out of Cusco, touring the Sacred Valley, it is very easy.

We stayed two nights in Cusco before renting the car. When we were ready to leave Cusco we rented from Hertz and picked it up at their location on Avenida del Sol in Cusco and immediately left for our tour of the Sacred Valley.

Let me say that the first 10-15 minutes of driving, getting out of the city center and on our way to Pisac were a bit stressful. Lots of one way streets without signs to let you know that they ARE one way.
But once we managed to get on the main road out of town we had no problems whatsoever.

There really is only one main road around the Sacred Valley. It is very hard to get lost.
The roads are in pretty good shape, with the exception of some large pot holes, here and there. Take your time, go slowly and enjoy the surroundings.

As for the actual driving, we decided that we actually felt safer in the nice Hyundai Sonata we had (with seatbelts!) than in many of the taxis we saw around the area.
While in Cusco, when we took taxis, it seemed rare to get a car with seatbelts.
And also, you are responsible for you, not someone you don't even know.

As with driving anywhere in the world, you need to use common sense and be extra cautious of other drivers.

Only you can decide if driving yourself is right for you, but after just completing our trip, we are very glad we did!

Just FYI, we drove from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, stopping in Pisac and Urubamba along the way. Then we spent 3 nights in Ollantaytambo (which we loved...trip report soon to follow once we are settled back home:) )
Did a day at Machu Picchu...words cannot describe that amazing experience!!!!
Then we drove back to Cusco, via the road thru Chinchero with stops at Moray and the salt pans at Maras.

We returned the car to the Hertz location at the airport in Cusco at no extra charge.

Hope this helps.

I will be posting more in the coming week.

Good luck and happy, safe travels:)

Keep in mind, you can't drive to MP. The only way is to take the train, either from Cusco or Ollantaytambo.

We like to drive ourselves, but did not do so in Peru...but would next time.
In your headline you also mentioned Chile. We spent a month there this year and driving was very, very easy...even in Santiago.