Amy

Before the main portion of my trip (to Chile) I'm stopping off in the rainforest for a long weekend. (I'll be flying into and out of Lima.) I didn't get the flight for this as LAN was asking--still is--about $500 or so for an hour and a half long flight.

So, I decided to go with Peruvian airlines--two flights a day, $99 round trip. Problem is that my Visa card issuer isn't part of "Verified by Visa", so couldn't use my card directly on the site. (And my bank seemed to have no clue what Verified by Visa was about, sigh.)

I ended up getting my ticket through www.traficoperu.com; good email communications, but when I went to fax them, the fax couldn't get through. When I finally got ahold of them today via email, the price had gone up but at least I got it for $140--considerably less than LAN. (I could have gotten the LAN one on the Peruvian LAN site--the "base plus" fare is available for foreigners, it looks like--for $238....IF I had a Verified by VIsa card.) By the way, I ended up paying trafico via Western Union online.

So, in sum, you can save a fair amount by booking with the domestic carriers in Peru--but be sure that you're "Verified by Visa" (and that your bank knows about it. )

mlgb

Be sure to try some of the unusual ice cream flavors available in Iquitos. There is a store at the Plaza Mayor (the one that sells only ice cream). My favorite was Camu Camu but Aguaje was also good.

qwovadis

www.starperu.com my fav

usually last minutes

from $44.50 each way

qwovadis

some recent reports of credit card fraud with

www.traficoperu.com careful there...

Direct verified by visa transactions direct best

AVOID tourist rip off LAN if possible.

Amy

Thanks, qwovadis! I did look into Star Peru, but they were not only a little more expensive, but also needed Verified by Visa...which my Visa issuing bank doesn't have. I only use Visa debit--don't have any credit cards--but it's not a problem with it being a debit, just that my bank doesn't participate in the program.

I've paid TraficoPeru via Western Union, so...hopefully it's okay!

I'll be on LAN in Chile, as, of course, they've got the monopoly on Easter Island. I've got a fair amount of cash tied up in LAN tickets at the moment. It really, really hurts that they've got that huge tourist discrepancy, but my time is so limited and Easter Island was such a big factor in my travels that I decided to go with the South American Airpass. (I'm flying into Lima for the weekend in Iquitos, of course,)

Can't wait--just five weeks away now!