Peru

tinkerbell

I so want to go to Peru!

Usit seem to have a good deal going for Peru / Amazon (~16 nights) - about €1,400 incl. flights & accom. Has anyone gone on this? If so, what's the accom. like?

Then I saw Slattery's and they had one for 16 nights for like €3,300 :eek:

Anyhoo, I reeeally wanna go to Peru, I think it'd be sooo amazing Can't go yet though coz I'm in my final year so will have to work for a few months when I finish college to gather up the large cash sum I will need - so it'll probably be 2006 by the time I get there.

Has anyone here gone over there (Machu Picchu, Amazon rain forest, gone into Ecuador / Bolivia?) - what's it like? Is it safe, etc.

Considering I recently replied to a thread in PI about phobias in which I said what my phobia was - spiders, bugs, etc. - I'm assuming that there is all sorts of crazy shiznit bugs in the jungle, right? If so, will I need a radioactive suit of some sort to protect me from these crazy massive eight-legged yukkies? And no, I have never been to anywhere tropical so I wouldn't be used to tarrantulas / snakes running around the place!

Anyhoo, all information would be appreciated on the subject. Oooh and also, what are the other S. American countries like - e.g. Brazil, Chile, Argentina, etc.?

Thanks everyone

NikNik

Are you going on your own ?? Either way, I suggest Brazil. There are loads of places to choose from depending on what your interests are....

1st there's Rio, of course, but skip Copacabana & stick to a safer Ipanema or Buzios(www.buziosonline.com.br). Visit the Sugarloaf, Christ Redeemer statue, or the Maracana if you like football. Best time to visit is during carnival(in 2006 it'll be the 25-28feb) http://www.therioguide.com/index1.htm

For history Salvador de Bahia is the cultural capital of Brazil where Brazil was discovered & slaves where brought from Africa. There are old churches, cathedrals and museums: http://www.bahia-online.net/

If you like nature you could go to Iguacu Falls which is lovely. There's also the Amazon area and the Pantanal. The Pantanal is an area of wetland 1/2 the size of france on the boarder with Bolivia & Paraguay. It's quite remote but better to see wildlife with loads of different species like otters, jaguars, iguanas & anteaters(google for more info.)

Lastly, if you want to see the best beaches in the world, go to the Northeast of Brazil where it's summer all year round. Fernando de Noronha is an sland off the east coast where you can go snorkeling, scuba diving and see dolphins & sharks.
http://www.viagensmaneiras.com/viagens/fernandodenoronhaING.htm
http://www.ladatco.com/FEN-About.HTM

tinkerbell

Wow, Brazil sounds class Thanks for your very informative post, it's much appreciated

I'm still leaning towards Peru though, coz I really really really want to go on the Inca trail!

I wouldn't be going alone, my bf would be coming with me

D!ve^Bomb!

http://www.charitychallenge.com/expedition_details.php?id=1826

i'm doing the grand canyon trek next year but this is on my to do list.. it works out at about 2200 for 10 days, it includes flights accom, food, water etc etc.. i haven't really looked at the intinerary but i'd expect you'd be camping in the wilderness which is all part of the adventure:)

douglasman

tinkerbell wrote:

Wow, Brazil sounds class Thanks for your very informative post, it's much appreciated

I'm still leaning towards Peru though, coz I really really really want to go on the Inca trail!

I wouldn't be going alone, my bf would be coming with me

I did the following trip with Dragoman which included Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile including Inca trail and jungle trip. It was absolutely fantastic, very much recommend it.

http://www.dragoman.com/destinations/single.php?tripCat=INC

D!ve^Bomb!

douglasman wrote:

I did the following trip with Dragoman which included Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile including Inca trail and jungle trip. It was absolutely fantastic, very much recommend it.

http://www.dragoman.com/destinations/single.php?tripCat=INC

that looks excellent.. how much did it set you back?

douglasman

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

that looks excellent.. how much did it set you back?

Hi,
The trip cost about 2234 euro to book and once you arrive, you pay about 900 US dollars into a kitty. The trip was 7.5 weeks long but if starting in Quito like me, you need to arrive 4-5 days in advance to get used to the altitude as you are almost at 3000 metres above sea level in Quito, that takes a bit of getting used to! It does not include flights, I flew with Iberia Cork-London-Madrid-Quito and Santiago-Madrid-London-Cork for about 750 euro, I booked that months in advance though, so I got a good price. Lots of breakfasts, lunches and dinners are cooked by the group in turns (in groups of 3) and all that is covered in the kitty. You only pay for food yourself when eating out and South America is way cheaper than here for eating out so it doesn't cost that much anyway. Dragoman give you tons of advice anyway, you get loads of leaflets well in advance telling you what you need. There are shorter trips of 4 weeks or so that also cover the Inca trail, just start at http://www.dragoman.com and navigate from there. One bit of warning though, Inca Trail trip needs to be booked months in advance, you cannot just turn up and do it, Dragoman do this for you provided you book with them months in advance. You need your passport during the Inca Trail and there are several passport checks along the way, you need to be at each stage of the 4 day trip at the right time, if you get sick because of altitude sickness (and people did on my trip) - tough luck, you cannot do it on a different day, they are very strict!

aviendha

Can anyone recommend a good guidebook to Peru - main ones seem to be Rough Guide/ Lonely Planet and Footprints - is there any particular difference, or does one stand out as being a better buy?

Rcuomo

sorry this is off topic but where did you get your name?
did you take it from the wheel of time series?

aviendha

umm.. yup, blatent stealing from wheel of time

Trotter

I did a version of the Inca trail in Peru through the Simon Community last year. It was the best experience ever!! Basically we all raised 4k each and that entitled us to flights,accomodation and a guide. Because it was a charity trip, we all stayed and hiked together which made it even better. I put a good bit to the 4k we needed so it was good to raise money for the homeless and see a fantastic part of the world.

Im sure theres a few TrekPeru 04 veterans on the boards somewhere.

RustySpoon

Myself and a few friends went to Peru & Bolivia in 2004 for three weeks and i would highly recommend it.
landed in Lima, and spent a few days, took the bus to Nasca and flew over the lines in a small plane, another couple of days chilling. Night bus to Arequipa, meet some locals and went to a big party away from the tourist areas, was amazing a few more days there. Then onto Cuzco, didn't do the inca trail as didn't have too much time but went to see Machu Pichu. Took a boat from Cuzco on lake titicaca over to la paz in bolivia, spent a few more days there and flew back to Lima.
Met hector (from Amu amigos) and his crew on the plane and went on the piss with them in Lima when we got back - craic agus craic.

All in all it was a great trip if going again i would try to get more time over there as three weeks is not enough to take in all that the area has to offer.

i will definitley be going to S A again.

Trotter

RustySpoon wrote:

Took a boat from Cuzco on lake titicaca over to la paz in bolivia, spent a few more days there and flew back to Lima.

Is that a different Cuzco to the one up in the mountains!? I never got to see Lake titicaca, so thats on the to do list!

RustySpoon

Trotter wrote:

Is that a different Cuzco to the one up in the mountains!? I never got to see Lake titicaca, so thats on the to do list!

not sure, it's where you base yourself for seeing Machu Pichu. There could well be two though.

sportbilly

I was there last year, Lonely planet was the best guide. If you use it properly you'll have a great time. Cuzco is a great fun for a few days. We didn't have time to walk the Inca trail so we got the train up.

To get to Tittikaka take the train to Puno. It takes longer than the bus and costs a little more but ask to upgrade to first class. It should cost you about $45, there is a lounge and the ticket includes a meal and takes about 10 hours.

Organise to stay with a family on one of the islands on Titikaka, it's quite an experience to see how these people live. It makes you realise that we take so much for granted, like electricity!

The salt lakes, desert and hot springs in Bolivia were the highlight of my trip. We did a four day trip in a jeep. It cost around $50. It was one of the most remote places I'd ever been to. We stayed in one village, and asked a kid where the nearest town was, he said a 4 hour drive away. It's a crazy place!

aviendha

Which is better for a jungle experience? Considering Manu as it is closer to Cuzco and therefore perhaps easier time-wise to fit in, but Iquitos is also an option?

Thomond Pk

Hi all,

I'm just back from another visit to the Andes, where to start; scrap the recommendation to skip the place and go to Brazil. Secondly do not book a package tour through London agencies they are a very expensive and b you will be like an American visiting Ireland on a tour bus.

If I had three weeks in Peru I would break it down as follows, for flights there are 5 options 1. KLM flights circa 18 hours arrives and departs in the evening c800euro; Iberia c750 euro but there is an overnight stopover in Madrid, 3, Air Madrid www.airmadrid.com who are a new ryanair type operation with cheap flights and no food 4. AA who fly via Dallas or Miami and give a free stopover, takes a long time but are cheapest on 3 month tickets, 5, Continental directish via Newark with a free stopover in New York c 950euro.


Lima (Airport) I would advise that anyone travelling would go straight through the airport and ignore all the agencies at the airport who will double the going rate for all services, a taxi to the centre from the rank costs 25 soles or about $8 to central Lima or Miraflores.

Hotels, I would recommend Hostal Espana or Hostal Macchapicchu on Jiron Calloma (opposite the gran hotel savoy) for those on a budget, private rooms 15-20 soles $4-6 per night. Central Lima is fine once you are not alone at night and don't carry too many expensive electronics obviuously.

The guidebooks are full of things to do, but a short list would include, San Francisco, Museo Grau, Aviacion Club, Museo del Oro, La Rosa Nautica Restaurant in Miraflores.

Two days are enough to see Lima, I would recommend flying to Cusco which costs between $65-100 depending on how busy it is. Cusco is a good spott but it must be recommended to take it easy for the first couple of days, there is a really nice hostal at the Top of San Blas called Artesano San Blas who do private rooms for $6-9 per night.

The inca trial/trail is an absolute must do if you go this far, typically you will be paying between $175-200 which is up a lot from the $100 I paid for 4 days in 2002. The key is to shop around, bring plenty of munchies and water, A twix bar costs $3 on the trail and sugar is vital it is quite a tough hike climbing nearly 1400m done over about 2-4 hours.

What to do after Cusco is always the biggest question, there are three options fly back to Lima, go to Titicaca and Bolivia or go to Titicaca and Arequipa before heading back up the Coast to places like Nasca, Ica and Pisco.

If anyone is planning to go to Bolivia that Country is the best place to do the Amazon, either at Cochambama or Rurrenabaque. The other option is the Northern Amazonas Corridor from Chiclayo on the Pacific to Iquitos which has a choice of 7 different Jungles. Manu costs $500-700 for 4 to 7 days, typical prices in the Northern Route would be $30-50 per day.

Thomond Pk

douglasman wrote:

Hi,
One bit of warning though, Inca Trail trip needs to be booked months in advance, you cannot just turn up and do it, Dragoman do this for you provided you book with them months in advance.

Did they tell you that?

It is factually incorrect about 50-70 agencies in Cusco sell the trail on about one to three days notice. Booking the Inca Trail in London costs about $400 for the standard 4 day trip, in Lima it costs $300 and in Cusco $200 including food and equipment. Shop around

Rough prices in Peru (The gringo trail)

Hotels $4-15 per night
Breakfast $1-$3
Lunch $2-$10 (Ask for menu del dia) Generally includes soup, main & a drink
Dinner $3-$25

Ecaudor is about 50% more expensive

Bolivia and Northern Peru are about half the price