P.S. Sounds like a really nice trip!

I'm not sure what kind of wildlife you will find at the hotel in Paracas. It looks similar to Zarcillo, which wasn't very good (although I liked their tours and they were conveninetly located next to the bus depot for Cruz del Sur). You need a morning for the boat tour out to the Ballestas, and then take the half day tour out to the Peninsula. I would still think about doing that trip from Lima either at the beginning or end of your trip, if the plane tickets Arequipa to Lima can be had at a reasonable price (maybe they can't?)

If you are staying at Libertador in Puno I think you can afford a nicer hotel in Paracas! You have time to do more hotel research anyways.

I would probably swap out one of your nights in Paracas for another day in Nazca to go to some sites such as Chauchilla Cemetery and Cantalloc Aqueduct. There are tons of travel agencies in town that can arrange a visit to those sights and the Nazca flights as well, which are best done in the morning.

Re tour or no tour in Puno..you will need the transfer from your hotel to the dock so probably would do a tour. Not sure the price is significantly different. When I did it independently we waited for the boat to fil..

I have no experience with Peru Hop as their passes seemed incredibly overpriced and inflexible with only one bus time per day. Is there a reason you are going that way instead of booking the mainline buses?

hi Marigross. Greetings from sunny Bologna!

I can’t really comment on the coastal part of your itinerary as I have usually just passed through, trying to sleep on the overnight Cruz Del Sur night bus. The rest looks fine and at a very relaxed pace.

At first glance 4 nights in Ollantaytambo does seem a tad long but you should be well acclimatised by then and it is a great place just to chill out. You could easily use one of those days to visit other SV sights like Maras, Moray and Chinchero. If into horse riding there are some nice rides from the village and some nice walks too.

We only spent 2 nights in Yanque which was enough at the time because we were only there a couple of days after a serious earthquake and the village had been devastated and a lot of the trails were blocked. Possibly a night too many?

If you could shave a day or two from a couple of places then that would give enough time to spend a few days in Trujillo/Chiclayo as an alternative to more time in Lima. The Moche culture and architecture would be a nice contrast to all the Inca stuff you will have seen in the Sacred Valley.

I did look at the option of doing Paracas out of Lima but by the time we go to the airport in Arequipa, disembark in Lima, go to the bus station and wait for the next bus we might as well suck it up and go by bus from Arequipa.

We (well, I) want to see penguins and sea lions so we might want to take more than one tour of the Paracas peninsula or the islands.

The Libertador had a great rate on Booking! ($145) I figured it could be our one splurge hotel during the trip.

I might just shave a night off Paracas and add it to Nazca.

Hummmm… maybe I look again at the independent buses, the Peru hop seemed convenient (though I agree that it is very limited) and the planned stops look like a good way to break up the trip (though we do not enjoy tourist trap shopping).

Hi! I have not made it to Bologna yet, unbelievable! Hope you have an amazing time. I did get your email and will get back to you on it.

Shhhh…. that Trujillo thing is my secret plan if I rework all the second half of the trip after Arequipa. I thought that IF we loved Lima we could come back for more, and if not we could head out to Trujillo (so far we have had great luck with towns named Trujillo, lol).

I also thought you could do a trip to the north coast by dropping a day here and a day there. I would want 2 nights in Yanque..Killawasi is nice.

I think you'll be happy you changed hotels in Paracas.

One thing to be aware of November is the early rainy season in the Andes. So you may want to stay a little flexible (don't book hotels that can't be cancelled). I did go to Puno, Arequipa, Colca at that time of year and the weather was "changeable". It can be complete socked in, stormy (especially in the afternoon), or bright and sunny.

The coast eg Nazca, Ica, Paracas is a desert so can actually pretty nice in November which is springtime. It can also be very windy.. which is bad for Paracas Peninsula.. blowing stinging sand...

If I recall, Arequipa was pretty nice. Colca Canyon was cold!

A couple of additional thoughts re Puno. The Liberator hotel is a way out of town so you would be limited on food options there. I imagine the views are incredible though. Puno city has improved dramatically in recent years and there are now a lot of good eating options in the streets around the main plaza.

As for tour versus DIY for Lake Titicaca. We did it both ways. It is very easy to DIY, just turn up at the dock and get a boat. The tours are not expensive and do add in a few extras like handicraft exhibitions, demos ( aka sales presentations) , a bit of dancing and lunch. We also did a hike around Taquile island. Went with Allways and they were very good.

I thought the views from the Mirador del Titikaka stunning, and am glad I stayed at that very comfortable hotel while in Puno.

Alpaca Expeditions is owned by a fellow named Raul. He was our guide on the 4D/3N Inca Trail hike when he worked for Llama Path. Very sharp guy who knows how to attract customers through good customer service and positive reviews. I’m sure he won’t be your guide but it will be a well run hike.