Hellobee Boards

Very cool! I've been to Peru twice and liked it a lot! If you visit Lima, the markets there are incredible! They love bartering too haha

I worked more in the slums while I was there, building houses and doing ministry stuff. But my sister went to machu pichu and a lot of the mountains. Her husband is from Peru!

Have fun!

I've been to Peru 4 times! What a fun trip you'll have!! It's one of my favorite places for sure, and you can do so much fun stuff.

You'll fly into Lima, and it might be worth it to stay there for a night or two and take a city tour (if you're into that) or just walk around for a bit (if you prefer to do things on your own). There are some interesting things to see, and while I wouldn't spend tons of time there, it might be nice to stay and see some things.

As for Cusco, there are SO many interesting things to see there. The sacred valley is really neat (though it was 2005 when I went there so my memory is fuzzy), but we took a tour, and had lunch at an old hacienda, and visited churches/museums there as well. I would also take some time to just walk around and get "lost." Walking around, DH & I found a neat old church with an epic view kind of up on a hill. It was really cool!

I'm not sure how you're planning on getting to Machu Picchu (trekking or taking the train--I've done both), but either way is fun! I think the trek I did was 3 days? Again, it was 2005 so my memory is a bit hazy. Either way, I'd recommend spending two days at Machu Picchu--do a tour one day, because you learn lots of interesting things, and the second day do some hiking. There are two mountains you can hike....Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu (the first pic is MP and the second is HP). You get amazing views of the ruins from both...if you do HP, be sure to get there early, as I think there is a daily limit for the hikers (though you can probably bribe a guard into letting you go up). When you do visit the ruins I recommend either going super early in the morning, or staying until sunset, as the crowds are much lighter at those times. Definitely pack snacks and water, too!

Another place I'd recommend visiting (if you have time, of course) is Puno, which is a city on Lake Titicaca & the jumping off point to visit the floating islands of Uros and a few other islands, which are really neat. It is only a 2-3 hour bus ride from Cusco. (3rd pic)

Other tips/recommendations.....public restrooms cost a small fee (50 cents or so) to use, and ALWAYS pack your own toilet paper! At all times! Most places won't provide it OR when you pay your fee they'll give you a measly 3 squares of TP. Also, bring hand sanitizer since most public restrooms won't have soap. Learn some basic Spanish phrases, which will help a lot. I'd go to REI or a similar outdoor store and get some water purifying tablets. You can easily buy bottled water as well, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some of those as a backup. Water is find for brushing your teeth and whatnot, but not to drink. Also, take it easy the first day or two in Cusco to adjust to the altitude.

Finally, EAT SO MUCH FOOD. Oh man, Peruvian food is so good!!!

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Ok... in random order as I flip through my old travel blog entries about when we were there..

Cusco/Area
We walked from where we were staying in Cusco to http://www.machupicchu.org/ruins/sacsayhuaman.htm and it was well worth it!

We took a day trip to Urubamba / Sacred Valley and took a horseback ride on peruvian pasos. I can't find the specific place we went, but it was beautiful and fun. DH wasn't a huge fan (I grew up riding and come from a horsey background) and was sore the next day.

Macchu Picchu
We took the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes and spent the night so we could be on the first bus to Macchu Picchu. WELL WORTH IT! We took our guidebook's advice and booked it up for the scenic overview and were the only ones up there with some llamas for a good half hour before more tour busses started showing up. We didn't hike up Huayna Picchu; but I think if you want to do that, it would be best to spend the night beforehand as well.

The actual hot springs in AC were.. gross. Not worth it. There were some neat hikes in town the night before too... can't remember the names but some amazing views of MP.

General
We joined the South American Explorers club for our trip since we were going to be there so long, they were a great resource and we visited the club house http://www.saexplorers.org/

We used Fertur Travel http://www.fertur-travel.com/ for a few different things and had a great experience with them.

We took travel backpacks (carry on) and washed our clothes in the sink. It was just easier than worrying about rolling stuff up hills or where to leave something safely during the day. I used packing cubes to keep it all organized. Another thing we used a ton was a gorilla pod to take pictures of us out and about since a lot of stuff wasn't crowded with tourists.

Lastly, if you do fly into Lima or choose to spend time there (I don't think Puerto Maldonado/the jungle is an option with only a week) we found the city to be... like a city but loved our day trips to Pachachamac Ruins, and both the Palomino & Ballestas Islands (one of which you can swim with the sea lions, can't remember which one).

(pictured are llamas, and then me being wigged out as we walked to see the Inka bridge. I didn't realize I didn't like heights until this trip!! And forgive the scuzzy attire!)

Wow! I think it's so great that so many Bee's have been to Peru! My family is from there and I was able to visit Cusco and Machu Picchu in '07. It's wonderful and you'll definitely enjoy yourself!

Everyone else basically covered my usual tips, too. But I will definitely say it again - Eat up LOTS of the food!!

@scg00387: Your pictures are stunning!

Oh my goodness - these photos are amazing! Have a great time - I'm glad you went for it and booked a trip!

Congrats! Peru is awesome! My SO is Peruvian and LO is 1/2 Peruvian. I've been to Peru 3 times.

I agree with everyone that says try to get to Aguascalientes the night before. We left in the morning from Cusco and by the time we got there I was so tired of traveling, I wish I'd been more rested.
Not sure if you are taking an organized tour or not, but if not theres lots of English speaking unofficial guides that you can negotiate a rate with at MP.

Not sure of your dates, but the inti raymi festival is coming up. We went one year and it was awesome. Lots of dancers in the square and so much fun.

Cusco is very tourist friendly. Be aware of pickpockets though like any major tourist destination. Anyone can buy a taxicab sticker so check and make sure the driver doesn't look "sketchy".

If you're adventurous and want to try the traditional guinea pig, Inka Grill is a great tourist friendly restaurant on the plaza.

There are lots of dogs roaming the streets, but they are friendly enough and won't bother you. There are lots of beggars and people selling trinkets....get used to saying "no gracias".

Just about everything is negotiable there, the starting price is just that, a starting price.
The big market near cusco is Pisac, there are also some ruins there. Just about everything can be bought cheaply in Lima too at the Indian market.

Don't discount Lima, the catacombs are really cool, and there are lots of cool bars, restaurants and clubs.
I like the ayahuasca bar, palachinke for pancakes, the buffet at La Bistecca and for high end dining Astrid and Gaston, or Panchita.

Silver is super cheap there, if you are adventurous there is a silver market in downtown Lima but its not in the safest area, I'd go with a Peruvian.
There is a magic water show (think Bellagio in Vegas but better)

There's a lot of counterfeiting in Peru, any DVDs CDs, even books you see are probably counterfeit if sold on the street.

Personally, I didnt have any issues with altitude sickness (which was a surprise -I'm super European and never been to those altitudes before)
3 Peruvians in our party got really sick though, so I guess there's no telling who will get it. They bought scopolamine patches at the drugstore, and still got sick, I chose not to and was fine.

The national drink is Pisco Sour which uses raw egg, so only drink these at reputable places, but make sure you try one!

Other than that, make sure you get a window seat on the flight to cusco, the views are amazing!

If you have any other questions just ask!

@spaniellove: Thats great! Sounds like a good way to spend a 2ww

@wahine08: Thanks, we had an amazing time!! I loved the jungle best to be honest... I'm having a hard time not posting those pictures even though they're irrelevant haha!

@shopaholic so cool! I think I would've been freaking out that close to the edge, you're brave!

loved Peru! we went a few years ago for a family wedding and it was amazing!

I'm pretty sure we stayed here in the Sacred Valley, and it was unbelievable: http://www.casa-andina.com/casa-andina-private-collection-valle-sagrado/

I went to Peru last summer to visit a friend when I was three months pregnant. Machu Picchu was out because there was no way I could do intense hikes at the end of my 1st trimester and I was worried about going to Cusco because of the altitude. Nevertheless, I stayed in Lima and had a blast! Lima is a wonderful city that's often overlooked by travelers to Peru. I spent days walking around the neighborhoods of Miraflores and Barranco.

There is a fantastic pre-Columbian art museum, Museo Larco, that has a gallery of erotic sculptures. The architecture and shopping are wonderful. So many neat bookstores and cafes! And amazing vistas. El Malecon is a six-mile walkway of parks perched on cliffs along the ocean.

You're going to have such a great time! Bon voyage!