Peru/Bolivia advice

[wim]

Hello,
From August 1 tot 31, we are going to Peru and if possible Bolivia. First plan was to spend one month in Bolivia, but as the political situation may become worse there, we decided to play it safe and book flights to and from Lima, and see Peru instead. But as time passes by and the situation in Bolivia doesn't seem to worsen dramatically (?), we are wondering if it would be a good idea to see a little bit of Bolivia as well (La Paz and Uyuni).

So as a backup plan, we were thinking of the following:

Lima to Cuzco by plane (despite the altitude sickness), Cuzco + Machu Picchu, Puno + floating islands, La Paz, Uyuni + 4 or 5 day tour, then to Arequipa (fastest way by Uyuni-La Paz-Puno-Arequipa, or perhaps through Chile?), Nazca, Pisco, Lima.


Would this be a good idea or not? We would like to do it more or less in the order as stated above, because it would mean that we're getting closer to Lima near the end of our stay, and also we wouldn't miss out on Cuzco and Bolivia.

We do not wish to hike, and would rather see the salt flats in Bolivia than for example the Colca canyon or the Amazon. Of course if this route is barely doable, and we literally would have to rush *all* the time, then we would prefer to stay in Peru and do the normal Southern tour plus maybe get a taste of the Amazon or do a small hike in Huaraz.

Thanks for any tips!
Wim

[nizzuz]

Come and visit Cusco , everything is safe here with no politics problem i can say that necause i live in this fantastic city

[Señor Nick]

[xhalmers_860]

These things always sound more dramatic than they are.

When I went there the government was overthrown twice and we barely noticed, apart from the buses sometimes didn't run for a couple of days as they were off blockading and overthrowing.



Go!
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[BCN Dave]

Hi Wim. I'm curious - did you get an itinerary sorted out? I can't comment on the whole journey, but Cuzco and macchu picchu are unmissable if you're going to be in the country. Bear in mind if you want to go to Huarras, it'd be a bus journey, as there's no plane there. The journey is ok, much better now than it used to be and if you get a "bus-cama" it's totally worth it, cos they are sooooo comfortable!!
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[wim]

Hi,

thanks for the many replies -- and sorry for not checking this forum more often! We decided that we'll stay in Peru because
- we don't want to be in a time-rush
- after reading more about excursions to the Amazon forest, we don't want to miss out on that
- it's our first trip to South America, and we want to keep things easy :-)

So the tour we will be doing is the classic one:
- lima
- pisco/ica, Islas Ballestas, Paracas, dunes ride
- Nasca lines, Chauchilla
- Arequipa, Colca Canyon
- Puno, lake Titicaca
- Cuzco, sacred valley, Machu Picchu, Manú (much preferred) or Puerto Maldonado (if Manú can't be arranged in time, or if it's too expensive)
- Lima, Huaraz, Lima (depending on the time we have left)

Actually I'm wondering about the second part... We definitely want to make a boat ride to the Ballestas islands, to see the scenery at Paracas, and to have a "dunes experience" (a ride or do sandboarding or so). But I really wonder if it would be best to stay in Ica or in Pisco? Normally, Pisco should be the best option to stay, as it's closest to Paracas and the islands. But since the earthquake it might be better to stay in a hotel in Ica? Any opinions?

Anyway thanks again for all the great help!

Wim

[kellecarvalho]

can i give you a suggestion? go to visit Brazil, one mouth in Peru and Bolivia is a lot of time. i am sure you will enjoy.

check whl travel e get good ideias to your trip.

[emiliosc22]

[LukasVollny]

You will manage to see all of that beatifull places.. Salar de Uyuni is the absolutely must see! Its like different planet.. I would like to come back there one day. !
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[Dan]

It sounds like your flights are fixed by now (itinerary firmed up) but as Brits who spent a few weeks in Peru and Bolivia (Bol is great!) in 1999, I'd say that anyone up for some sand boarding can see plenty of both in a month, but there's much more you'd have to stay 6 months to see all of!

One of the 5 highlights of our 20 country, RTW (June '99 to June 2000) was spending three days in the Pamps from Rurrenabaque (Bolivia). We were there in early November, just before the rains and the wildlife is amazing. Everything from Cayman and dolphins in the river, to hundreds of bird species, turtles, Capybara (google that), seven, species of primates and anaconda.

In August next year I would certainly head for Rurre (by plane is fastest, but the 24 hours trip from La Paz down the most dangerous road in the world (one way 20 miles, alternate running to reduce the number of lorries falling off of the cliffs) is a great journey. Better still, get on the mountain bike run down the road (quicker than the bus) and then bus to Rurre from the bottom.

If you can see yourselves enjoying more than the tourist trail in Southern Peru, head for Bolivia, but beware of drinking anything you aren't certain of. We got Dysentry that made for an uncomfortable ride from Uyuni to Chile (spectacular salt pan) after allowing someone else to cook for us without access to clean water.

Have an amazing time and brush up on your Spanish to avoid being ripped off for being an ignorant English speaker!

Dan.

[cuzcoresident]

That's a do-able, sensible tour and your time frame is right if you don't get caught up in problems in Bolivia. You might want to consider flying from La Paz to the salt flats, or close to them (Sucre). And be careful not to spend too much time in Cuzco. It's easy to do! Also it's quickest to come back via Chile after you cross over to the Chilean side of the salt flats (San Pedro). Arequipa is a little bit off the track back to Lima - map makes it look close but it's all through mountains. Then another day to the Colca Canyon. Most skippable part of the trip, I think. It's not really a canyon like the Grand Canyon - just a really, really big valley. Lots of condors and good hiking, but that's about it. Good luck, have a great trip.

[mclaudia]

Hi, I was in Peru a few months ago and it was an amazing experience. I went to Piura, Tumbes, Cajamarca, Trujillo and Chiclayo up in the north, visited the andes in Huaras and went donw south to Cuzco, Puno and Arequipa. Hands down the place I liked the best was Arequipa. I stayed there 4 days, 2 days in the Colca Canyon. I hired a Colca Canyon Tour agency called [deleted] eps, their website is [deleted].com that was really great, the tour I took was awesome, I did the 1 night 2 days trek. Cusco was nice, but Macchu Picchu was too touristy for my taste. I highly recommend Peru if you want to have an amazing time.

[Red Tape]

You were in Peru a few months ago, yet your posting traces to Peru. Please tell us how you've perfected travel in two places at once. It seems most efficient! Perhaps at the same time you can read the rules on advertising, and within that follow the link for persons with travel-related web sites.

Given that you're in Peru, I'm going to assume that you have a vested interest in this terrific tour company. And I'll get on my soap box (regular readers of my moderating posts can go to a different thread now, you know what I'm going to say)...

Why would you say your location is USA when you're really posting from Peru? If you have to deceive to advertise a web site or tour company, its really going to make me think twice about using that tour agency. I mean, if they lie when they try to get some cheap advertising, how honest can I expect them to be with me or any other customer of theirs??

Honestly, you'd have been better off just saying that you're in Peru, disclose any affiliation with the web site and left it at that. And by the way, did you see that the original poster took their trip a year ago?

wim: How did the trip go? What did you end up doing, and what would you give as advice to someone asking the same question today???
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[patrick123]

Both are beutiful countries. Peru however has a significantly higher homicide rate then Bolivia. Bolivia is extremely safe, but pit pockers are everywhere, as they are through out Latin America.

Both are very nice.

[andrewandlj]

Hi-take it easy when you arrive in a place of significant altitude. For the first day or two its best not to venture far and avoid alcohol at this time. After that you should be fine. La Paz is a wonderful city and the markets are full of interesting food. Macchu Pichu is astounding!
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