DH and I are in the early planning for travel to Peru and Ecuador October 2025. I have a few questions to begin with…
1) is it best to book transport to Galapagos from Canada or wait till getting to Ecuador? Any recommendations for either? I think we would like to go via water opposed to air
2) same question for transportation to Nazca Lines, while in Peru, and recommendations for flight over Lines tours
3) are busses the recommended means of getting from one area to another in either country?
4) we would love to experience a two or three night kayak trip in the amazon, (we are avid kayakers), but I cannot find any trips that do not include jungle walks or ‘touristy’ visits to villages.
Any advice, experiences or kind words are appreciated

1. Getting to the Galapagos by water will involve a 2-3 day sailing from Guayaquil. Probably on a cargo ship so not to comfortable. I would fly. It is an expensive business getting to the Galapagos so I would most definitely do your research and book in advance to avoid disappointment. We were in Quito for a couple of months on one trip and did look at booking a Galapagos trip and it was cheaper by around 50% but we had the luxury of time (in the end we decided not to bother)
2. Nazca lines you can arrange on arrival but flights are weather dependent. It is time consuming to get there so you need to think very carefully about your overall itinerary.
3. Buses in Peru are a great way to get around the country as long as you stick with the first line companies. I recommend booking VIP/Ejecutivo class for any overnight trips - think business class on a decent airline, lie flatbeds etc. In Ecuador, buses are a necessary evil. Avoid night buses! In both countries be vary cautious in and around bus stations and assume everyone is there to pick your pocket or rip you off. Only take official taxis from the official desks /ranks . NEVER venture outside to get a taxi even if it is way cheaper.
4. Can't help with kayaking except to say you will first need to decide where in the Amazon you want to visit. In Peru that will usually mean Iquitos or Puerto Madonado. In Ecuador there are several also several options . Once that has been decided I would just approach individual lodges and ask. Over on the Tripadvisor Peru forum there is a travel agent that posts as "Mike in Cusco" who is pretty knowledgeable on all things Amazon and organises tours. if anyone know it will be him. Alternatively, not the amazon but the Sacred Valley, there is white water rafting and I think kayaking on the Urumbama river. KB Tambo, based in Ollantaytambo might be good starting point

This can be arranged in Nasca, Peru Hop’s website has an $85 link. There is a website that allows time slot selection at $120 with larger planes. Mostly this process, especially the timing, seems to be in other people’s hands and can be a whole day affair. I believe there are flights from Ica also, a couple hours closer to Lima.

The Amazon itself has bigger boats and would be a little unsafe for kayaks. Not sure what you are thinking but the part of Amazonia I saw was not thick forest, even never cleared or logged forest was surprisingly open canopy. And it didn’t have unclaimed land for casual camping, really any camping. Maybe you can find some remote tributary, but this is perhaps too unusual a request to make.

Crellston- what a wealth of information, for which I thank you! We are retired so time factor is not an issue; I generally decide what all we want to see and do, then we allow time around that. However, we have decided to fly to the Galapagos and spend a few days on two different areas Nazca lines are a definate destination so we will explore busing to a nearby place, and get an early flight for that, plus that may allow some flexibility for weather. Thankyou for the recommendation of the bus line for overnighter, as well as warning of public transit. I have marked “Mike in Cusco’ to follow up with him as soon as I have some more free time (retirement is busy!!!)
Do you have any ‘out of the norm’ places that we should be aware of and consider?

Tom_mm. Thank you for your input…I will have a look at Peru Hop’s website, altho we are considering staying closer to Nazca than Lima, so that we can be flexible with whatever weather may come our way. Regarding the Amazon; years ago we had some friends that did a 4 day kayak excursion from one point to another, with accommodation enroute. The company they went with is no longer, and that is more what we are looking for….but doesn’t seem to exist anymore. What we are not interested in is staying in a lodge that takes groups for an afternoon river trip followed by walks into villages that have adapted to tourism and commercialism. Will probably need to look at adventuring to a different river to experience wildlife and wilderness.

Not sure What you mean. You have to either overnight in Nasca or arrive there on an overnight bus to get on the local plane seat distribution system organized by others (it’s opaque what is going on), unless doing something from Ica. I don’t think the weather is usually a factor, it’s a desert, but the planes don’t start until 9am regardless of the weather.

Something like this may be available. The lodges tend to be self-contained though.

Keep in mind the season also, high water March-June might allow more opportunities. Right now there are a lot of sand bars in the main rivers and creeks are not navigable.

I wouldn’t find this kind of activity appealing in the Iquitos area.

Note: Nasca and Cusco are not spelled with a Z in Peru.

This is a loaded comment. The tourism and commercialism is how a lot of these places maintain some of their traditions which would be lost otherwise. The villages are paid by the tour companies and the lodges for the visits, and they sell crafts and stuff. Only some of the villagers participate in tourist activities. A lot of the villagers do not and pursue more modern employment and dress.

I felt the same way before, but came around to seeing the value of these visits afterwards.

Years ago I did a tour in a canoe for eight days in the Nature reserve Pacaya Samiria alone with a private guide from the Estypel Agency in Lagunas. The agency is still around but have changed their name to Acatupel. Their web site Acatupel.com is in Spanish only. It is not exactly what you are looking for but an Agency that I can reccomend if you are looking for a more ”rustic” experience in the Amazon.