Part 1, Lima,Cuzco, Sacred Valley
Oct 20th, 2010 | 05:41 AM
#1
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Part 1, Lima,Cuzco, Sacred Valley
We've been back from wonderful Peru for a few weeks now. It was a fantastic trip of course..... how could it be anything else? There were 5 of us-me, hubby, daughter and son in law and a friend.
We had 2+ weeks of beautiful weather. Hot and sunny for the most part. No rain
I did not use a Travel agent, planned it all myself. I researched anally as usual. Fodors and TripAdvisor were both so much help, And 2 cyber pals Cam and Rose.
Books used : Fodors Peru , Lonely Planet Peru , Cuzco and the Inca Heartland(great), Ruth Wright's Machu Picchu and Nat'l Geo's Peru.
Started out in Lima, we stayed at San Antonio Abad. Nice hotel in Miraflores. We enjoyed walking to the Malecon. Had a good lunch at Mango Cafe overlooking the ocean.
We liked the hotel but we definitely got the dump room I called it (rm207) . The staff was great, cheerful, helpful, airport transfers right on time. Very nice breakfast provided, they don't have lunch or dinner but they do have beer, water, wine etc if you want a drink.
There is no internet at the hotel, but in an adjacent blg. there is a very fast, cheap! Internet cafe. Our daughter and son in law's room at the hotel was very nice, we just happened to get a very small, old room with a mildewy bath. Hindsight we should have asked for a room change, but arriving late and knowing it was just for a day, and we were in it to sleep only. We left luggage with clean clothes etc at the hotel for the 2 weeks we would be gone.
Off via StarPeru to Cuzco. The flight was spectacular, over the amazing Andes, it was just beautiful. Hotel Rumi Punku was waiting for us at the airport . Great hotel in a great location. Easy check in, they seat you in the lobby , serve you coca tea and bring all of the forms to you. We enjoyed the hotel a lot. We immediately took off to explore the city. The Plaza is a wonderful spot. The days were warm with cool nights. They are working on some of the streets near the plaza, all by hand of course. We trekked to Colcampata, it was a fun walk and there were some good views of the city. We loved Cuzco. We did buy the Boleto Turistico for the ruins and surrounding areas (Moray/Salineras/Sacsayhauman/Ollantaytambo etc.) The next AM we went to Ollantaytambo for 2 days to acclimate. We took Diamox 250mg ½ tab in the AM and PM for 4 days, none of us had issues w/the altitude, I occasionally had a few tingly fingers. We did drink coca tea but not as much as I thought we would.
We booked Inkantura for the 2 day MP trek and Manu Wildlife Center, I have to say they were above fantastic, just great. From Claudia Romero who answered every anal email query I had ….to the other staff we had interaction with. There was a small error in our plans and Inkanatura offered to arrange at their cost our land transfers to and from Cuzco. The driver was a jewel, a very safe driver!, stopped whenever we wanted for fotos etc. Spotless van.... Again we all highly recommend Inkanatura. They set up mtgs w/us to go over pertinent info... Inca trek and the Amazon segment, they arrived on time for the mtgs and were concise and informative. We were given written info, phone numbers , vouchers etc Again great!
We loved driving thru the Sacred Valley, seeing mountain peaks everywhere ,some covered with snow, others had glaciers... We truly do live in an amazing world.
We all loved Hotel Pakaritampu, it is a wonderful spot,lush grounds, very quiet, great beds, good hearty breakfast, highly recommended. Plus the small town of Ollantaytambo is so special, we loved it. It is much warmer in the Sacred Valley, shorts were appropriate, it did get hot.
We spent a full day enjoying the Ollan.ruins. Very spectacular, you see other much smaller ruins across the way from the fortress, the next AM we trekked to them, such a neat spot. If you go, be sure and climb to those also. There is a small market at the base and we had fun buying our first touristy items.
2 nights at Hotel Pakaritampu was perfect, the place is surrounded by beautiful mountains, the hotel is a group of individual buildings, they had us all in the same bldg, we did not ask for it but it made planning and talking easier. In the evening it was nice sitting outside ( there are several tables and chairs on the property to enjoy day or night having Happy Hour. We found a place on the square that sold Argentinian wine for a good price, so we bought our water and wine and sat out and enjoyed stargazing.
The hotel arranged for us to have a driver take us to Salineras and Moray, again a spotless van and a very nice driver. Our drivers throughout the trip spoke very little English, but with our basic Spanish we did fine communicating. The trip as usual was beautiful scenery with a lot of stops for fotos. The salt pans at Salineras were huge. Still being worked all of these many years later. The Boleto Touristico is asked for at both sites to enter. We left there and went on to Moray , another amazing spot. Circular and terraced ...it made for different temperatures from the top to the bottom for different crops, again we were amazed at the Inca's knowledge and ability.
We were met early the next AM at the hotel by our Inkanatura Guide for the 2 day trek. We were extremely lucky to get Juan Carlos, he was so knowledgeable. Highly recommended. We had booked the Vistadome Peru Rail, what a fun ride that was. Due to an unforeseen acute illness, only our daughter, son in law and friend made the trek. Sad to say hubby and I stayed on the train and did not attempt to hike.
Juan Carlos brought hiking sticks for us but since we all had them (with the required rubber tips) he left them at the hotel until he returned. We traveled on the train with only backpacks and small duffles, we left out larger luggage at Pakaritampu until we returned from MP. Thoroughly enjoyed the train. The train stopped at KM 104 and the 2 day trekkers get off. Adios to our younger crew, off they go as do we on the train. They had quite a trip, their pictures are beautiful. They were impressed by Juan Carlos expertise and knowledge. They made good time and could not say enough how great it was, but they also said it was very hard. There are over 4000 actual steps along the way. They saw ruins that are inaccessible unless you are walking. They loved it, but it was hard work and they are all quite fit and active.
Meanwhile we arrive at Aguas Caliente, there is always some one there from Inkaterra Hotel, they quickly get our packs and we walk to the hotel, they greet you with cool wet towels and cool on site brewed tea (I loved the tea), of course it is early.... only 9AM and we can't check in until 1PM. So we find a nice quiet area and get settled and wait to check in.
Here is a link to my first set of fotos, there are quite a few.
http://tinyurl.com/29bsarz
Next up, Machu Picchu amd more.
We had 2+ weeks of beautiful weather. Hot and sunny for the most part. No rain
I did not use a Travel agent, planned it all myself. I researched anally as usual. Fodors and TripAdvisor were both so much help, And 2 cyber pals Cam and Rose.
Books used : Fodors Peru , Lonely Planet Peru , Cuzco and the Inca Heartland(great), Ruth Wright's Machu Picchu and Nat'l Geo's Peru.
Started out in Lima, we stayed at San Antonio Abad. Nice hotel in Miraflores. We enjoyed walking to the Malecon. Had a good lunch at Mango Cafe overlooking the ocean.
We liked the hotel but we definitely got the dump room I called it (rm207) . The staff was great, cheerful, helpful, airport transfers right on time. Very nice breakfast provided, they don't have lunch or dinner but they do have beer, water, wine etc if you want a drink.
There is no internet at the hotel, but in an adjacent blg. there is a very fast, cheap! Internet cafe. Our daughter and son in law's room at the hotel was very nice, we just happened to get a very small, old room with a mildewy bath. Hindsight we should have asked for a room change, but arriving late and knowing it was just for a day, and we were in it to sleep only. We left luggage with clean clothes etc at the hotel for the 2 weeks we would be gone.
Off via StarPeru to Cuzco. The flight was spectacular, over the amazing Andes, it was just beautiful. Hotel Rumi Punku was waiting for us at the airport . Great hotel in a great location. Easy check in, they seat you in the lobby , serve you coca tea and bring all of the forms to you. We enjoyed the hotel a lot. We immediately took off to explore the city. The Plaza is a wonderful spot. The days were warm with cool nights. They are working on some of the streets near the plaza, all by hand of course. We trekked to Colcampata, it was a fun walk and there were some good views of the city. We loved Cuzco. We did buy the Boleto Turistico for the ruins and surrounding areas (Moray/Salineras/Sacsayhauman/Ollantaytambo etc.) The next AM we went to Ollantaytambo for 2 days to acclimate. We took Diamox 250mg ½ tab in the AM and PM for 4 days, none of us had issues w/the altitude, I occasionally had a few tingly fingers. We did drink coca tea but not as much as I thought we would.
We booked Inkantura for the 2 day MP trek and Manu Wildlife Center, I have to say they were above fantastic, just great. From Claudia Romero who answered every anal email query I had ….to the other staff we had interaction with. There was a small error in our plans and Inkanatura offered to arrange at their cost our land transfers to and from Cuzco. The driver was a jewel, a very safe driver!, stopped whenever we wanted for fotos etc. Spotless van.... Again we all highly recommend Inkanatura. They set up mtgs w/us to go over pertinent info... Inca trek and the Amazon segment, they arrived on time for the mtgs and were concise and informative. We were given written info, phone numbers , vouchers etc Again great!
We loved driving thru the Sacred Valley, seeing mountain peaks everywhere ,some covered with snow, others had glaciers... We truly do live in an amazing world.
We all loved Hotel Pakaritampu, it is a wonderful spot,lush grounds, very quiet, great beds, good hearty breakfast, highly recommended. Plus the small town of Ollantaytambo is so special, we loved it. It is much warmer in the Sacred Valley, shorts were appropriate, it did get hot.
We spent a full day enjoying the Ollan.ruins. Very spectacular, you see other much smaller ruins across the way from the fortress, the next AM we trekked to them, such a neat spot. If you go, be sure and climb to those also. There is a small market at the base and we had fun buying our first touristy items.
2 nights at Hotel Pakaritampu was perfect, the place is surrounded by beautiful mountains, the hotel is a group of individual buildings, they had us all in the same bldg, we did not ask for it but it made planning and talking easier. In the evening it was nice sitting outside ( there are several tables and chairs on the property to enjoy day or night having Happy Hour. We found a place on the square that sold Argentinian wine for a good price, so we bought our water and wine and sat out and enjoyed stargazing.
The hotel arranged for us to have a driver take us to Salineras and Moray, again a spotless van and a very nice driver. Our drivers throughout the trip spoke very little English, but with our basic Spanish we did fine communicating. The trip as usual was beautiful scenery with a lot of stops for fotos. The salt pans at Salineras were huge. Still being worked all of these many years later. The Boleto Touristico is asked for at both sites to enter. We left there and went on to Moray , another amazing spot. Circular and terraced ...it made for different temperatures from the top to the bottom for different crops, again we were amazed at the Inca's knowledge and ability.
We were met early the next AM at the hotel by our Inkanatura Guide for the 2 day trek. We were extremely lucky to get Juan Carlos, he was so knowledgeable. Highly recommended. We had booked the Vistadome Peru Rail, what a fun ride that was. Due to an unforeseen acute illness, only our daughter, son in law and friend made the trek. Sad to say hubby and I stayed on the train and did not attempt to hike.
Juan Carlos brought hiking sticks for us but since we all had them (with the required rubber tips) he left them at the hotel until he returned. We traveled on the train with only backpacks and small duffles, we left out larger luggage at Pakaritampu until we returned from MP. Thoroughly enjoyed the train. The train stopped at KM 104 and the 2 day trekkers get off. Adios to our younger crew, off they go as do we on the train. They had quite a trip, their pictures are beautiful. They were impressed by Juan Carlos expertise and knowledge. They made good time and could not say enough how great it was, but they also said it was very hard. There are over 4000 actual steps along the way. They saw ruins that are inaccessible unless you are walking. They loved it, but it was hard work and they are all quite fit and active.
Meanwhile we arrive at Aguas Caliente, there is always some one there from Inkaterra Hotel, they quickly get our packs and we walk to the hotel, they greet you with cool wet towels and cool on site brewed tea (I loved the tea), of course it is early.... only 9AM and we can't check in until 1PM. So we find a nice quiet area and get settled and wait to check in.
Here is a link to my first set of fotos, there are quite a few.
http://tinyurl.com/29bsarz
Next up, Machu Picchu amd more.
Oct 23rd, 2010 | 10:49 AM
#7
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,266
Likes: 0
So excited to read your report, parrmt! I'm sorry to hear that you and hubby couldn't do the 2 day trek. I hope whatever illness that cropped up didn't have any lingering adverse effect on your trip.
I'm looking forward to reading more. I'm envious that you made it to the Amazon basin. I'm looking forward to hearing about that and finding out how it compares/contrasts with our beloved Costa Rica.
I'm looking forward to reading more. I'm envious that you made it to the Amazon basin. I'm looking forward to hearing about that and finding out how it compares/contrasts with our beloved Costa Rica.
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