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re: 2+ weeks in Peru and 7-10 days Galapagos Islands
Posted on 6/30/24 at 6:32 pm to Sho Nuff
Posted on 6/30/24 at 6:32 pm to Sho Nuff
Near Machu Picchu we stayed at the Inkaterra eco lodge: LINK
Effectively a hotel with cottages in a forested park, it gives you some of the feel of the jungle.
Note: I hesitate to recommend it without reservation since Covid years changed many travel businesses.
Effectively a hotel with cottages in a forested park, it gives you some of the feel of the jungle.
Note: I hesitate to recommend it without reservation since Covid years changed many travel businesses.
1
Posted on 6/30/24 at 7:10 pm to Tree_Fall
Some of the places we stayed at on our trip were inexpensive and unremarkable, but the Tambo del Inka in Urubamba was really nice. And it's great to be able to right from there to Aguas, since the hotel basically has its own train station.
Posted on 7/1/24 at 3:29 pm to Sho Nuff
quote:
I noticed a lot of these tour companies only seem to do one day in Machu Picchu. Is that really all you need?
I would say one day is plenty. The first view is pretty stunning, but that fades fairly quickly.
We stayed at Inkaterra Machu Picchu which is spectacular. In another thread I listed it as the nicest hotel I've stayed at. It now lists at $650 a night which I would never walk up and pay. This was on a tour as covid was ending and my memory is that it was around $250 a night as list price then since people still weren't traveling much and costs were more reasonable. Fantastic place with amazing grounds.
At Ollantaytambo we stayed at Hotel Pakaritampu which was super nice with good grounds.
If you have extra time see if you can hire a driver to take you up Abra Malaga from Ollantaytambo. It's a mountain pass that tops out at over 15,000 feet. Stunning views, especially of Mount Veronica which is one of the most striking mountains I've seen. There are short views of it from the train to Machu Picchu. We did a short hike at 15,300 feet and I really didn't have a problem with it. I was also loaded up with coca leaves so there may be something to it. The coca leaves were part of the breakfast buffet. There was a hut at the top of the pass where women were grilling Cuy (Guinea Pig). I tried a little Cuy at a restaurant where we had a buffet and really didn't care for it. Someone in our group ordered it as their main course one night and really wished they had not. Get acquainted with Pisco Sours, the national drink of Peru and Chile and both claim it.
Lima has the worst traffic I've ever seen, and I've been around. Lots of dust in the air from the brown mountains, and fog coming in from the ocean which is chilly. Miraflores is the nice area of the city and safe, with a lot of good restaurants and shopping. Outside of Miraflores be careful.
I think you'll like the Amazon basin around Puerto Maldonado. It's possibly the most biodiverse place on Earth. Lex Fridman did a recent podcast from that area that you may want to watch.
I've not been to Puerto Maldonado though I've heard good things about the area. I did spend 2 weeks hunting for rare birds in the Amazon Basin around Iquitos, also in Peru. It helps tremendously if you have a local guide. If your lodges provide them, and they probably will, you should stick with them. It's not necessarily easy to see wildife in any jungle. A lot of it is up high in the canopy of the trees. Local guides will do a lot better job of finding the wildlife and probably have a few secret spots.
Posted on 7/2/24 at 1:27 am to Tigris
quote:
Tigris
Inkaterra mentioned twice now. Checked in April when we're going and it says nothing available. Oh well. The Sanctuary Lodge is $1,800 a night
Thanks very much for the other recs. We land at 5:40am in Lima so I'm thinking we'll spend that whole day and night and then head on out to all the other great places the next afternoon.
Posted on 7/3/24 at 12:35 am to Sho Nuff
It’s been years since I was there, so I am sure it’s changed, but my experience was:
Stayed at the Monasterio in Cuzco…a late 1500s monastery made into a rather unique hotel. We were advised to take the FIRST train to Macchu Picchu (then bus up,the mountain to the ruins)and that was great advice.it felt like we almost had the place to ourselves when we got there, but by the time we left buses were belching out tons of people and it was far more crowded.( There is probably a system in place that limits or controls that now?) When somewhere like Macchu Picchu I like to find a spot and sit and absorb the feeling, imagine the place in its prime era, and not just tag along after a guide listening to him spout facts (questionable).
Soroche (altitude sickness) affects some folks really badly. When we got to Cuzco, after having spent 2 weeks in the rain forest, we were fine..somewhat surprisingly because we were lifelong Louisianians at that point. A French lady was in the lobby, being administered oxygen, and she was panicked and in hysterics which surely did not help.i think the best treatment is to descend. For sure don’t push it if you feel bad.
Stayed at the Monasterio in Cuzco…a late 1500s monastery made into a rather unique hotel. We were advised to take the FIRST train to Macchu Picchu (then bus up,the mountain to the ruins)and that was great advice.it felt like we almost had the place to ourselves when we got there, but by the time we left buses were belching out tons of people and it was far more crowded.( There is probably a system in place that limits or controls that now?) When somewhere like Macchu Picchu I like to find a spot and sit and absorb the feeling, imagine the place in its prime era, and not just tag along after a guide listening to him spout facts (questionable).
Soroche (altitude sickness) affects some folks really badly. When we got to Cuzco, after having spent 2 weeks in the rain forest, we were fine..somewhat surprisingly because we were lifelong Louisianians at that point. A French lady was in the lobby, being administered oxygen, and she was panicked and in hysterics which surely did not help.i think the best treatment is to descend. For sure don’t push it if you feel bad.
Posted on 7/4/24 at 12:09 pm to Sho Nuff
quote:
Excellent, I will take any recs you can offer!
Barranco is the best bar/restaurant neighborhood in Lima. Central and Kjolle, obviously, get the most attention in Lima but Mèrito was the best meal we had. Isolina is up there, too, and would highly-recommend for a family-styler dinner. Cala is great vibes if you're looking for an ocean view. After dinner, hit Bird Bar or Garrison for drinks.
Would recommend staying in Miraflores. Definitely more of a tourist area, so you'll get a lot of hotel options. We absolutely loved our stay at Aloft. Great location, service, and clean/modern rooms. It's right next door to this open-air food court with a bunch of vendors and bars.
Ceviche reigns supreme in Lima, so I'd definitely do La Mar or El Mercado.
Posted on 7/4/24 at 3:58 pm to hoopsgalore
quote:
DarlingClementine
quote:
hoopsgalore
This trip is turning into a big one I think. 2 weeks Peru and 7-10 days Galapagos. Trying to piece it all together...
Posted on 7/4/24 at 6:53 pm to Sho Nuff
Added this to OP. I think now we're going to try and possibly do the Inca hike, maybe the shortened one (2 days) to MP. We'll do a full 14-16 days in Peru and then 9-10 days in Galapagos.
UPDATE: We are now flying in from ATL (after visiting NOLA) to LIM in LATAM Biz 3/31/25 and taking the same path home on 4/25/25. We land at 5:40am in Lima on the 1st and leave early enough on the 25th that I'd say we essentially have 24 days for this trip!
TIP: if you have AS miles, you can fly out of JFK or ATL to LIM and back for 35,000 miles each way in J.
UPDATE: We are now flying in from ATL (after visiting NOLA) to LIM in LATAM Biz 3/31/25 and taking the same path home on 4/25/25. We land at 5:40am in Lima on the 1st and leave early enough on the 25th that I'd say we essentially have 24 days for this trip!
TIP: if you have AS miles, you can fly out of JFK or ATL to LIM and back for 35,000 miles each way in J.
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