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Proposed itinerary for active 2+ weeks in Peru

Proposed itinerary for active 2+ weeks in Peru

Old Jul 18th, 2012, 05:25 PM
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Proposed itinerary for active 2+ weeks in Peru

We're a couple in our late-50s / early-60s, in reasonably good condition, and thinking it's about time we took the trip to Peru that we've been talking about for decades. The time would probably be May 2013. We'd be flying from the East Coast of the U.S.

How does this very-preliminary itinerary look? We have three areas of focus - Machu Picchu, the Amazon jungle, and the high alpine landscape of the Cordillera Blanca range, with Peru’s highest mountains (33 peaks over 5,500 meters / 18,000 feet high).

Day 1 – Fly into Lima. Relax at the hotel and do some sightseeing and eating.
Day 2 – Fly to Cusco. Take it easy exploring the town and getting acclimated.
Day 3 – Do some exploration of the Sacred Valley, with either a small group of strangers on a tour or with a private guide.
Days 4 through 6 – Hiking the Inca Trail.
Day 7 - Tour Machu Picchu. Train back to Cusco.
Days 8 through 10 – Fly to The Amazon town of Puerto Maldonado and transfer by boat to a jungle lodge (Sandoval Lake Lodge?). Day trips from the lodge.
Day 11 - Fly back to Lima and spend the night, with more sightseeing and eating.
Day 12 – First-class bus (Movil Tours, 7 hours) to the Cordilla Blanca range of Andes. Check into a mountain lodge hotel (most likely Llanganuco Mountain Lodge near the town of Yungay, north of Huaraz).
Days 13 through 15 or 16 – Take guided hikes – day-hikes or 1-night treks - in the Andean high-country. Or just one 3-night trek called “Llanganuco – St. Cruz”, which sounds appealing. But maybe just day hikes with all nights back in the lodge.
Day 16 or 17 – Back to Lima by bus and flight home. Either get all the traveling done in one marathon slog, or return to the States on Day 17/18 after another night in Lima.

Any comments or suggestions? We'd especially like suggestions for hotels
in Lima and Cusco, and a trek outfitter for Machu Picchu. We're usually happy with mid-price on such things, but not afraid to venture into more expensive if it's worth it.
Balto is offline  
Old Jul 19th, 2012, 08:26 AM
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A couple suggestions...

Add more days in the Sacred Valley. Two reasons: 1) You need more than one and a half days to acclimate. Unless you're coming from a high altitude or have traveled often to high altitudes and know you never have a reaction. 2) There's so much to see in the Sacred Valley. We saw most of the sites over a 4-day period with a private guide.

Trek outfitter - We went with Peru Treks. They are highly recommended here and on TripAdvisor. Pay their porters well, did a fantastic job with our group (16 hikes).

Hotels:
Lima - We stayed at Second Home Peru in Barranco. It's the home of a Peruvian artist. His children run the 5-room hotel. You're more like a house guest than in a hotel. It's right along the cliffs so you can see the ocean. His home is like an art museum.

Cusco - We stayed at Piccola Locanda. Great place with super staff. It does happen to be at the top of a decent hill. It's hard to climb before you do the Inca Trail. After, it's a piece of cake.
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Old Jul 19th, 2012, 09:35 AM
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I was with Shutterbug until the last sentence. We found the climb to the Piccola Locanda hard after the IT as well. But we would stay there again. Our friends who had a room at the front said it was a bit noisy. We didn't hear a thing.
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Old Jul 19th, 2012, 10:00 AM
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1. Most flights from the East Coast US arrive in Lima later at night, and the flights to Cusco depart in the morning (best to take flights in the morning because the possibility of weather-related delays increases as the day goes by). Many people just spend whatever reamins of thier arrival night at an airport hotel - or the airport itself - and then catch their next flight to Cusco in the aerly AM.

2. You will of course have to go thorugh customs once your get to Lima. Then Jorge Chavez airport is about a 40-45 minute drive from parts of Lima where most tourist sights are located

3. It's about a three to four hour flight from Puerto Maldonado to Lima (I think most or all flight stop or make a connection in Cusco), and then of course, there's that drive into town from the airport once you arrive in Lima.

4. There is the issue of giving enough time for the acclimatisation to the altitude in Cusco and also the Cordillera.

5. Since you are planning several domestic flights in Peru, you might consider flying to Peru from the US on LAN or its alliance partner American Airlines (out of Miami). That way, you can take advantage of the LAN South American Air Pass to get lower rates on the domestic flights.

6. There are other domestic airlines in Peru, but LAN has the largest number of daily flights from all your proposed destinations, and thus more options if there are delays or cancellations.

7. If at all possible, adding an extra week to your itinerary will make it not just less hectic but less risky (you are going to a country where transportation delays are common on a schedule that is so tight that almost any delay would be rather ruinous).
resipsaloquitur is offline  
Old Jul 19th, 2012, 01:28 PM
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Okay, so maybe the hike up to Piccola Locanda isn't ever a piece of cake, but it was less daunting after the Inca Trail! The first two days in Cusco, though, it was rough! But well worth the climb! We had one room at the front (before the Trail) with a view of the Plaza de Armas and had no problem with noise. Then we had one at the back which was quieter (because it was by itself).
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Old Jul 22nd, 2012, 09:05 AM
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I like Second Home Peru and it is fairly quiet for a hotel in Lima, if you avoid the room overlooking the coast highway. Another hotel recommendation in Lima is 3B Barranco,a bit noisier than SHP and no views but exceptionally helpful staff. http://www.3bhostal.com/

I would add another night in Cusco before your trek to improve odds of being pro9perly acclimated.

As far as Huaraz, I only did some group trips. It was sort of fun being with bus loads of Peruvians, but may not be the experience you are looking for as very little time was spent in actively hiking! The pool tours go to Chavin de Huantar, Patouri Glacier, and Lake Llanganuco.

Huaraz is a bit of a pit and there are lots of shady operators, so do LOTs of research if you are going trekking. There are car rental options (perhaps with driver) as well as public transport to the other towns.
mlgb is offline  
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