I arrive in Lima, Peru on the 3rd of July and have until Aug 1st... what is a great itinerary for that area?

Question

The answer can include any location around Peru...Bolivia for example..

Also, include activities, locations, tour companies, etc.

As someone said, "the more the better"

Answer 1

What a wonderful trip!  I would recommend:

1) Fly into Lima, stay there the least.  Miraflores (a neighborhood of Lima) is very beautiful and hip.

2) Travel to Arequipa, a beautiful city where it is sunny 360 days a year.  Gorgeous monasteries and other historic sites overlooked by two volcanoes.  Colca Canyon to see the condor is a nice side trip.

3) Travel from Arequipa to Cuzco.  Spend time exploring the old city, view from Sacsayhuaman, and consider a side trip to the Sacred Valley of the Inca.

4) Take the train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes.  Explore Machu Picchu for a few days, which is accessible by bus or the Inca trail (the latter of which requires pre-trip reservations).  Enjoy the town of AC, which has some interesting mineral bath hot springs.

5) Travel back to Cuzco and then to Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca.  If you have time, take the 10 hour train from Cuzco -- incredible scenery.

6) From Puno, after seeing the reed islands, travel to Bolivia by taking the bus or a guide from Puno to Copacabana, the Bolivian shore of the lake.

7) Explore the Isla del Sol and its Inca ruins, accessible from Copacabana.

8) Travel from Copacabana to La Paz by bus or guide (3-4 hour trip).

9) Explore the historic sites of La Paz and consider taking a day trip to the mountains, such as Chacaltaya.  Mountain biking the beginning of the "Death Trail" is also very popular (it is considered the most dangerous road in the world).

This plan highlights the higher altitude areas of both Peru and Bolivia.  If you choose to enter the Amazon/rainforest regions of either country, plan on obtaining malaria pills and possibly other vaccinations.  The rainforest regions of Bolivia have also experienced violent protests recently, which could be of concern.

Be sure to get altitude sickness medicine from your doctor as it helps with the acclimatization, which can otherwise be very intense.  Travel safely by keeping an eye on your belongings at all times and documents/wallets well concealed.  Consider attaching your digital camera to yourself with some sort of clip or tie (otherwise it could be easy for a pick-pocketer to snatch).

Answer 2

there is a famous travel company in Peru. it calls domiruth. I'd recommend you travel to Cuzco, machu picchu is amazing, minimum you have to stay in Cuzco 1 week, because there are a lot of beautiful cathedral, churches and archeological places (sacsauhuaman, tampomachay, pisac, valle sagrado tour, tipon, etc). then you can go to the north of peru, cajamarca, tumbes, piura, lambayeque, they have beautiful beaches and there are many touristic places, (huaca de la luna, huaca del sol, señor de sipan's museum, chan chan)...

peru has 24 departments, and all has beautiful places. if you have money and time, visit all peru.

Answer 3

I think you have enought time to go to the south of lima (trujillo) then maybe to the jungle (iquitos, chachapoyas) and then go to Cuzco where machu pichu or you can do it the other way, depends on what kind of tourism are you planning on having....

Answer 4

Lima is a nice city, and Cuzco is great!

I would recommend 2 weeks in the area including Machu Picchu, try also the north close of the Ecuador border, there is ca place call Mancora which is superb for swimming and surfing and is not expensive, go to google and write Mancora

also the jungle is OK

but try bed and breakfast and be patient with tranportation because is not the best

Answer 5

Let's see, this is a looooooong one.

In Lima, you have to go downtown to the "Plaza Mayor" or "Plaza de Armas". There, check out the palace of government (guards change at around 11:00 am to midday), the cathedral, Casa Osambela, Iglesia de San Francisco, Inquisición, Congreso de la República. See if you can have lunch at T'anta at Paseo de los Escribanos (behind the Municipality at the "Plaza de Armas") or at L'eau Vive, run by French nuns.

Check out Larcomar at the Miraflores district. it has a nice view and places to hang out, have a drink and party at night.

Must eat restaurants:

José Antonio for local cuisine

If you are feeling epicurean and don't mind high prices, try Astrid & Gaston, two Cordon Blue chefs with an amazing taste for the local cuisine in a fussion with French and german cuisine.

In Lima, you can visit some of the Huacas (Huaca is a holly place in the ols inca and pre-inca cultures). there are 2 pretty well kept. One is Huaca Pucllana, were there is a very good international restaurant, and the other is Huaca pan de azúcar.

Close by is the old religious complex (pre-inca and inca) of Pachacamac, in the Lurin valley, overlooking the sea.

To the north, there are the beautiful beaches of Mancora. Although you will be in Peru in the middle of the winter, Mancora is close enough to the equator to still be warm. You'll get nice beaches and a relaxed atmosphere. If you visit Mancora close the end of July (the 28th is independence day) you will probably get an atmosphere very similar to a US Spring Break.

Huaraz is also an amazing place, known usually as the Switzerland of Peru, it is nestles between two mountain ranges with amazing views of the snowpeaks. A must see is the Yanganuco lake, but beware of altitude sickness.

Cuzco is, obviously, the most known place in Peru, and it is definitelly a place to visit. Again, mind the altitude sickness and reserve you train tickets to Macchu Picchu in advance.

The amazon jungle is also amazing, try going to Tarapoto.Try the Puerto Palmeras resort in Tarapoto, I found it comfortable and it has a wonderful pool to relax in after you combe back from the many interesting tours.

these are just a few of the many places you can visit in Peru.

Answer 6

Here are some good sites in Peru

Cusco

Machu Picchu

Sacred Valley of the Inca

Inca Trail

Choquequirau

Vilcabamba

Lake Titicaca

Arequipa

Colca Canyon

Trujillo

Chan Chan

Chiclayo

Huaraz, Santa Cruz trek

Kuelap

Amazon rainforest; Manu or Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo reserve

Nazca Lines

Paracas, Ballestas Island

some good tour information

http://www.peruandes.com

http://www.perujungle.com

Answer 7

there are two peru.ones in italy and ones in south africa .if u are in the italy one that place is itself beautiful.get to know the people ,get the spirit of that place and you will love it.you won't even know when time passes by.

Answer 8

If you want to do something less touristy than Machu Pichu check out Huraz, it's the highest tropical mountain in the world. Plus  it's only about 8 hours from Lima. You shouldn't miss the Peruvian jungle either,  I recommend Iquitos. From the city of Iquitos it's only 20 minutes in a taxi to the rain forest. definitely off the beaten path, but well worth the visit. And while in Lima try to avoid the typical tourist areas like Miraflores, See something different like the  markets Villa Maria. Avoid the district of La Victoria, unless you want to get robbed. If you must see Cuzco, you will probably stop it the city of Arequipa, from there you can catch a bus to Chivi, entry point to one of the deepest canyons in the world, You really shouldn't miss it.

Answer 9

You´re welcome to Peru !!!

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co3Zy0LLW...

Enjoy your time in Peru

Answer 10

Lots of good advice from other answerers - my only  2 recommendations are: 1) spend very little time in Lima.  It is pretty boring from a tourist point of view.  2) try to do some trekking in the Andes, they are spectacular and a lot of what you want to see once you are in the high country.

Answer 11

what on earth is the girl above me saying there is two Peru's one in Italy and one in South Africa?? WTF??? there's only one Lima Peru, and it's in South America.........and to be honest dont stay too long in Lima, head straight to Cusco, thats where the mind blowing areas are, and to be precise, head straight to Machu picchu, its amongst one of the wonders of the world, most amazing place on earth, it really takes your breath away........u can either take a plane to Cusco from Lima on Lan Peru, or catch a train or Bus, but  I recommend flying, then train to the ruins of Machu Picchu, but it's worth it,...and do the 4 day trekking to the top of the mountain, best experience ever............

Answer 12

Being that you are going to be there during Peruvian Independence Day (July 28th) keep in mind that wherever you travel inside the country might be a little more expensive because it is considered a "high" season for tourists and peruvians themselves. Consider planning in advance and make reservations too. The celebrations are everywhere around the country between July 20th and July 31st.

Check this website for general reference: http://www.peru.info/perueng.asp

And this link for the Festivity Calendar:

http://www.peru.info/e_ftoculturaeng.asp...