Peru??

THEFRIDGE

Hi all,
I am heading to peru now in sept and just looking for feedback and advise on dangers, spending money to bring,nightlife spots and customs in the country
Also if anyone has stayed in nice hotels or hostels that are lively enough for 5 lads could they please recommend them.

Cheers

Sev

For accomodation in Cusco, I'd recommend a place called Los Ninos, its fairly cheap, safe (not particularly lively tho), only about a 5 min walk from the main square (plaza del armas) and you can show up at all hours and there will be somebody to let you in and give you a room (although I found that to be the norm when travelling in south america).

While much of peru is somewhat thrid world.. if you dont get off the beaten tourist trail, you wont see any of that. Prices in the touristy areas (ie. cusco) are actually pretty expensive, and it has a certain flavour of touristy areas like southern spain. For example there are loads of reps around in cusco's main square that try to entire people to go to their bar or nightclub or restaurant.

When you arrive at a bus terminal or airport, and you are greeted by all these guys wanting you to get in their taxi and wanting to bring you to their hostel etc. at discounted prices etc. ignore them, say you already have a hostel. Check the lonely planet/rough guide peru for the recommended places and hail your own taxi... agree on a price before you drive off... getting a taxi to and from anywhere in cusco shouldnt cost more than 3 sol.

The buses in peru are very good and cheap (like 10-20 dollars from la paz to cuzco) and the roads connecting the main cities are pretty good too, so buses are the way to go. Accomodation in hostels usually costs less than 10 dollars.

If your planning on hiking the inca trail to Machu Picchu, you do it from cusco (the main tourist hub of peru). I went with SAS Travel, theyre the most recommended company for it I think, and they looked after us well... although because of restrictions to the number of people allowed hiking in the heritage site at any time, you need to have booked it like 3 months in advance I think, but sometimes you can get away with organising it there I think.. im not so sure on that. Either way you can always get the train to macchu picchu... but thats just not adventurous.

Out of cusco they also run excursions to manu national park in the peruvian amazon rainforest. A number of companies offer trips where they fly you in and out to a jungle airstrip, or you can drive in over land and water (which is awesome). I went on a 9 day trip with a company called pantiacolla.. more expensive than most I think. But if you have time.. you should aim to hit the amazon.

Then theres also the nazca lines, colque canyon, lake titicaca. I havnt been to copacabana, but its apparently the best place to see lake titicaca and the isla del sol (its across the border on the bolivian side).

I dont know how much time you'll have... but since your gonna be in peru, Id definitely recommend visiting bolivia also.. you dont need to organise a visa or anything in advance, you can just get a bus direct from lima/cusco to la paz and get stamped at customs on the border. The altiplano of southern bolivia is amazing, a bizarre lunar looking landscape of desert and volcanoes 4000m above sea level, with the salar de uyuni (salt plains the size of wales) (colque tours). And then from la paz you can bike the infamous death road (gravity bolivia).

The bus from cusco to la paz probably would take like 12-14 hours or so (cant remember), and could be done overnight, then 12-14 hours from la paz to uyuni.

But the long bus rides are worth it, because the landscape is just so fascinating.. desert, jungle and mountains.

Have fun in peru.. its awesome.

Oh and when you first arrive in the airport in peru.. buy a bottle of inca cola.. its this bizarre yellow drink they sell that tastes weird and is extremely popular. Peru is one of only two countries in the world where coca cola is outsold. Then try some coca tea.

THEFRIDGE

Thank You For The Help