Some friends of mine are getting married in Lima the last weekend of August. We are planning on taking ten days to kick around Peru.
Does anyone have any recomendations for must see sights?
We were thinking of doing the Incan trail, anyone else hiked it?
Thanks in advance.
Yes, back in the early 90s when the Sendera Luminosa (Shining Path) was still pretty active. They blew up a KFC in Lima and the town square in Cuzco while we were there. It should be a little quieter for you now.
Spend a couple of days in Cuzco acclimating to the altitude before you start on the trek. It’s a short train and bus ride to the trailhead from there. There’s ruins along most of the way that you can sleep in every night. Highest pass was I believe around 10,000 feet and change.
I think it took us about 3 or 4 days to reach Machu Picchu. You’ll want to spend at the very least a half day there, probably quite a bit more. A little town, Agua Calient (?) is at it’s base and you can get meals and soak in the hot springs, both well deserved after the hike. We found a pizzria that used an adobe beehive oven and had America playing on an 8 track and it was a wonderful return to cililization.
Travel in a group. The trail can be dangerous as drug runners use it too. Safety in numbers, ya know?
Thanks for the advice lieu. I just left Iraq so anything short of kids dancing under my dangling corpse is calm enough for me.
How tough is the trail? I do a lot of backpacking, but will nothing at any altitude higher than 4,000 feet. Would you call it a moderate hike?
thanks again
Pretty easy most of the way. I was in my 20s then but with your background you’ll have no trouble at all. You follow the Urabamba River (often Class 5) much of the way and move back and forth between rain forest and mountainous terrain. Several of the legs were pretty steep but I don’t remember anything being difficult to the point of unpleasant.
Dry food stuffs are available in Cuzco. I think our packs were around 45 to 50 lbs with food and gear. I’m thinking we caught the train and MP’s base back to Cuzco. That’s how the less adventourous touristas arrive sans the hike.
We met a bunch of other hikers along the way from a staggering number of countries. It wasn’t crowded by any stretch of the imagination, just a very international contingent. We’d all share some of our supplies each nite. I remember my American peanut butter being a huge hit, as was the Danish guy’s jelly and something kosher an Israeli had.
Gah, sorry about all the typos… make that “at MP’s base”.
The locals will try and sell you coca leaf and a little brick of “elixir” to chew along the way. It’s suppossed to take the edge off your hunger, aching muscles and blistered feet. I tried it but didn’t get much benefit from it, mainly because I wasn’t used to having a soggy mass of leaves in my mouth. Some of our group swore by it though, for whatever that’s worth.
I’m sure you have some good, well-seasoned hiking boots. That’s an absolute must.
The flora along the trail is pretty awesome. We were often stopping to check something unusual out, like the microuniverse that existed within each and every bromiliad (sp?). The stone work at MP is even more impressive. Even after 500 years you normally can’t wedge a dime between where two blocks fit.
Buy a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide !!
These guides help a lot especially since the local guides have bad english (and many have bad spanish too). Plus the guides give you much more info in some places too. History, background and curiosities.
Cuzco and nearby Machu Picchu are easily the best places to visit in Peru. Cuzco I enjoyed even more than Machu Picchu.
Sleep overnight in Aguas Calientes so that you can enjoy Machu Pichu earlier and for more time, instead of coming in the early train (3-4 hours) from Cuzco. This is my main advice... really makes enjoying this part of the trip much more. Machu Pichu is horribly expensive in terms of food and water... take some to avoid extra expenses.
If you have longer than 10 days you might try going overland to Machu Pichu by the Coast. Some nice places to visit. Paracas, Ica, Oasis and Nazca. I liked Puno and Lake titicaca as well... but more the warmer coast.
Lima sucks overall... except the bigger musuems. So I suggest getting out of Lima. Near Lima there is a nice big archaeological site. Forgot the name now... sand and earth made temples.
I really liked Peru. Be smart and you shouldn't have too many problems. For foreigners its relatively cheap too. The altitude can get to some people... it didn't affect me or the canadians i was going with. Drink Coca Tea as soon as you get to Cuzco it helps... careful for drug testing in the USA when your back though. 72 hours to clean out that coca... :)Darn… forgot about the trail.
Talked to some people who did it… the usually liked it a lot. 2 or 4 day options. Its not my kind of trip choice… they rent the equipment to you too. Still I’ve only heard good things about the inca trail.
Just remember that its winter now down here below the equator. So if you go to Peru take a nice jacket.
I spent a month in Peru in 1999. We camped in the rainforest for ten days (I want to say Boca Manu, but that may not be right), spent several days in Cuzco and Machu Picchu and then went to Arequipa (with a side trip through the Colca canyon), Nazca (to see the Nazca lines) and then up the coast and back to Lima.
Our favorite part by far was Cuzco and Machu Picchu. We didn’t hike the Inca trail, but just took the train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientas. Machu Picchu was amazing.
Advice:
Buy the Lonely Planet travel book.
Be very wary of theft. When we were there, they had a lot of “strangle muggings” where someone chokes you unconcious and then robs you. If you’re careful about not walking alone after dark, it’s not hard to stay safe. We took cabs a lot, which are very cheap (less than $1 U.S. for most local trips).
Don’t take any of those organized bus tours. We took one, and it totally sucked. You spend most of your time at markets and restaurants where the tour operators get kickbacks, and which aren’t very good. In Arequipa, four of us were able to hire a private English-speaking guide and driver to take us through the Colca canyon for the day and it was infinitely better.
I highly recommend the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera in Lima, especially if you are interested in Precolombian ceramics. It is a large house and every room is filled with glass cases wall to ceiling with Chimu and Mochica pots. Wonderful. There is also the “adult” room with sexual dipictions. These are very mild compared to what they’ll sell you on the street.
Go to Miraflores and eat ceviche. When I was there Cristal (a piss-poor american style beer was taking over) – avoid it. Drink pilsner.
If you go to Cuzco, you might want to go overland to Puno on Lake Titicaca. Be sure to get warm clothes. The buses overnight at high altitude can be rough. I was well acclimated (living in Quito), so no sorroche problems.
Oh, work on your spanish beforehand.
Heed this advice if at all possible.
I’ve spent many a year on the border and am passable in my skills but for the four Brits travelling with us, my fluent friend from Van Horn was an absolute godsend.
Aside from the obvious benefits of being able to communicate, just demonstrating the effort to speak in their language does wonders for the attitudes you’ll encounter.
I’m attempting to revive this thread as I’m thinking of going to Peru this summer. Does anyone know how strenuous the Inca Trail is? In the guidebook it looks like a 6000 foot vertical climb in one or two days! That sounds like more than my 40-something body could handle. Yet, people seem to say it’s not too bad. modmonk, did you go? How was it?
In addition to learning Spanish, try to acclimate to high altitude for a couple of weeks before you try physical activity at high altitude. Soroche can be bad.
By the time I hit Cuzco and La Paz (3000m), I had had several months in Quito to acclimate. A 60 pound pack on the near vertical streets of La Paz was still pretty strenuous.
I had a lot of friends who went up it who said it was pretty difficult. I also climbed it, but I don’t remember most of it because I had a seizure on the way up (which was completely unrelated to where I was and what I was doing, so don’t let that scare you). But that’s beside the point. I do remember that the top of Macchu Picchu is spectactular. It’s definitely worth hanging around as long as you can. And I’m really glad we climbed instead of taking the bus. I have some gorgeous pictures that I wish I remembered taking.
I’d recommend you get plenty of bottled water and dry food (energy bars, etc.) before climbing. And another thing: unless you recognize the food, you might not want to eat it. And if you DO eat it, if you’ve got a weak stomach don’t ask what it is. I had some capybara while I was there. It’s basically a giant hamster. It tasted fine - a bit gamey. But a lot of people were totally grossed out when they learned they had eaten a giant rodent. Fortunately I’ll eat almost anything so I didn’t have a problem.
As mentioned earlier, Aguas Calients is a great place to relax after you get down. Your quad muscles will thank you. The pizzeria’s pretty good and will probably taste even better if all you’ve been eating is hiking food for a few days, and there’s also a little place in Cuzco near a group of hostels that has some fabulous mulled wine.
I hiked it when I was well over 35 and a smoker. It was hard, but I did it.
4 nights, 5 days out of Cuzco, with a trek co called Tambo Lodge. It was brilliant and the guide was an archeology student from the university. They get you up before dawn, the last day, so you can get to the sun gate and see the sun rise over the mountain and you get access to the ruins before the buses or trains arrive. Really brilliant.
In Cuzco have drinks at the Crossed Keys pub, and afternoon cappucino at the Writer’s Cafe.
Where ever you go, make sure you go in every Gold Museum you see.
On the streets of Cuzco, in the evening, after dark you may come across a collection of street vendors selling eats. Look for fist sized mashed potato thingy’s, they are stuffed with what could be peas, chillies, onions, or not. It will be very dark, conditions will seem unsanitary, these will be served wrapped in the local newspaper, burning hot from the dark grease and come with a side of chillie. Yeah, you want to eat these. Especially if you’ve been out drinking. Not that you would, I’m just saying.
Have a great time !