2 Indians in Peru

When to go?

Scenic Peru

According to guidebooks and internet, the best time to go is the dry season between April to October (April and October being shoulder months). You are asked to avoid rainy season at any cost. Clearly, they never went there in February. We went bang in the middle of rains and loved it. There were rains, sure, but that never hindered our plans one bit. If you are also averse to hoards of tourists everywhere, discover the joy of low season travel.

The Inca trail is shut in Feb but Machupicchu is open throughout the year. The peak season for Cusco and Puno is June to August and a ticket to Machupicchu in this season must be booked at least 6-8 months in advance (no kidding!). The coastal areas such as Lima, Arequipa are dry all the year long. The Amazon is hot, humid and with rains through out the year with extra dose of rains during the months of Jan - March.

Peru has a lot of fun carnivals through out the year. Based on the month of travel, check if you can attend one of those. The link to carnivals in 2016 is here.

What to see?

There are 4 major segments to see in Peru.

1. Amazon rain forest: Always hot and humid. Vastly different from anything you have seen before. Has a wow factor to it. Can be done either from Iquitos (accessible only by flight from Lima) or from Puerto Maldonado (best from Cusco by flight) which has the Manu national park or from Pucallpa

2. Lake Titicaca: World's highest navigable lake spanning Peru and Bolivia. Needs two days to cover the lake. Puno is best visited during its carnival in February. You can also go to Copacabana and Salar de Uyuni (salt plains) on the Bolivia side by taking 2 more days

3. Cusco area: The must visit for Peru - access point for sacred valley, Machupicchu and other fantastic areas. Cuzco in itself deserves 2 days to see local town and the ruins closest to it (Sacsayhuaman, Q'enko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay) all which can be done in a days walk. The sacred valley deserves at least a full day (Chinchero, Pisac and Ollantaytambo shouldn't be missed). Machupicchu can either be combined with a trek (Inca trail - 3D or Salkantay - 4D) or can be done in isolation in 1 day. Read more about Machupicchu on the blog dedicated to the same topic. For the history buffs, Vilcabamba, the last city of Incas is a 5 day trek from Cusco.

4. Nazca area: The world famous Nazca lines are ancient geoglyphs inscribed in the Nazca desert. They can be done through a 45 min flight from the town of Nazca. The town of Ica is close by, which is the start point to visit the source of Pisco, Peru's claim to fame brandy and Huacachina, an arid desert area meant for adventure buffs interested in sand boarding. Finally there is Paracas, a marine reserve and a UNESCO heritage center, the site of a prehistoric geoglyph.

5. Others: There are a few other options based on your interest such as Arequipa (access to world's deepest canyons, thrice as deep as Grand Canyon), Huaraz (best treks in entire Peru, even better than Cusco area and the ancient ruins of Chavin de Huantar). Lima is one of those hubs which doesn't have much to offer apart from good pub culture, beaches and flight connections.

Puno Festival

River Urubamba over sacred valley - Start of Inca trail

How long:

Ideally spend at least 2 weeks in Peru. 4-5 days in Cusco (more if you want to trek Machupicchu), 2 days in Puno (2 more if you want to do Bolivia side), 2-3 days in Amazon or 3-4 days in Arequipa depending on your interest.

Essentials:

• Haggling in Indian style is the rule in Peru.
• Do not exchange money at the airport. Ridiculously expensive. Get $ to Peru. Conversion is easy on the streets. Or every establishment accepts dollars in big towns.
• Taxi from Lima airport to city: 40-50 soles outside the airport. Plan at least an hour for the airport ride in Lima as traffic is bad. Prefer LAN or Star Peru for domestic flights over others. Lima airport has lockers if need be, albeit, expensive
• Lima acts as the hub and has flights to entire Peru
• Get a prepaid sim, preferably Movistar or Claro for 6 soles (1.7$). Recharge on the go as per need. 3days, 3 soles and 200mb was more than enough for our needs
• Carry a mosquito repellent cream or spray, particularly for Amazon and Cusco. Prepare for changes in temperature and altitude between the Peruvian cities ( eg. We had 35 deg In Iquitos and got to 7 deg in Puno the very next day)
• Get rainproof gear (shoes, bag/cover and jacket)

The city centre of Lima

Uros floating boats

Budget:

• Flights to Peru: Depending on your time of travel, and how much in advance you book, it varies. Broad figure would be at least $1500-2000.
• Domestic travel: A flight to Cusco can be about $80 one way or $100-120 return, while a flight to Puno or the Amazon could be about $150 return or about $120, one way.
• Taking a bus is also an economic option, but is far slower. Eg. Lima to Cuzco takes 18 hrs but will cost 1/3rd. Bus between Puno to cusco is a fantastic option. There aren't any convenient trains in Peru, thanks to the Andes and Amazon.
• Hostel / Hotel: Budget (hostels) - $12-$15 per night, Moderate (hotels)- $25 per night
• Food: $20-25 for all meals, including water bottles and excluding alcohol per day
• Entrances to Machupicchu and Amazon (if you want to stay In a jungle lodge) are quite expensive. Plan at least $125 for Amazon per day and at least $200 per head for Machupicchu. (Read more on MP blog for costs). A usual day trip with a tour guide will set you back by $25-35 in general.

Machupicchu

The enigmatic mp is quite easy to reach. Well at least once you know about it. You either hike up  as part of a trek that ends in Machupicchu or bus it up from this dingy little base town called Aguas Calientes. No bonus for guessing that it has hot water springs (for language nerds alone!)

The toughest part of Machupicchu - getting hold of the bloody entry tickets: There are a total of 4000 tickets reserved for the site of Machupicchu each day. In addition to this there are another 200 tickets each to Waynapichu and Machupicchu mountains from where you get stunning views to Machupicchu on a clear day. If you are anything like us, paranoid about doing all the main bookings in advance, you are better off booking tickets to the site at least 4-5 months in advance and 6-8 months if you also want to hike up one of the peaks during high season. Don't kill yourself even if you do just the site. It is still mind numbingly good (better with peaks, of course). In the low season your planning cycle can be as low as 1-1.5 months in advance. We did just that.

Alpaca in action!

The slopes at Machupicchu

To trek to Machupicchu, the most famous one is the Inca trail (closed on February for maintenance) and is a 3 day trek which ends in MP. There are other alternate treks such as Salkantay and Ausangate which are also popular. Most treks usually start from the town of Ollantaytambo. The Inca trail only has 400 tickets a day and gets booked out quickly (needs booking 5-6 months in advance)

The easiest and hassle free way to do MP is to go through a local travel agency. We chose Golden Treks Peru and were very happy with their service. If you go for a different agency, keep in mind the inclusions and exclusions as they tend to squeeze you there. If you do the math of total costs, what most of them charge is quite reasonable as it is a very competitive market.

Machupicchu in all its glory!

Costs of Machupicchu: stay overnight in AC
and get to mp in the morning
MP entrance ticket: $50
Bus between mp and Aguascalientes (return): $24 (you can also hike up and down but best to save your energy for the top - you are gonna need it)
Overnight stay and dinner in AC: $25-35
Collectivo from Ollantaytambo to AC: $10 (train optional)
Journey back to cusco by local transport: $15

Optionals:

Waynapichu: $10

Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (one way): $50

Guide: $15-20 for a private one and $2 if you manage to find a shared one. Can usually be found at the entrance. You don't need a guide to get into mp but I strongly recommend it.

I would recommend that you don't bother about individual bookings, but just suck it up and book through an agency. Doing each of the individual bookings from outside Peru is a nightmare as Machupicchu's official website and the train websites do not accept non-Peruvian cards. Note that we had seen a day trip to MP from Cusco at as low as $100 or less which are mostly last minute cancellations. But don't bank on it if you are going all the way from India.

Puno - Home to the Candelaria festival and Lake Titicaca

Puno is a major city in Peru on the shores of Lake Titicaca and is at 3810 msl and is higher than Leh, India. The gateway to Puno is the Juliaca airport which is 1 hr away from Puno. It costs 15 Soles ($4.5) to Puno by a Collectivo, which is a shared taxi and need not be booked in advance. Take your time to acclimatize to the altitude if you are coming here directly from Lima.

Super colorful dancers at the Candeleria

All sizes, All shapes

We were here during the best days of their carnival - Fiesta de Virgin de Candelaria. Around 10000 dancers decend into this town to celebrate from all over Peru and even Bolivia. The festival is a tribute to their local guardian and is celebrated in the form of different local dances. You will see Quechua, Aymara and even Spanish influences in their dance styles. In 2016, 83 different dance groups paraded around the city streets in revelry, with beer in one hand and props in the other. It's all about drunken fervor and keeping up their centuries old traditions alive. The dancers are so full of life that come rain, hail or sun, nothing stops their fun. Some costumes weigh almost 10kgs and they dance in those all day. Pretty girls are seen everywhere in their 5-inch heels. Even kids take part wearing costumes which is simply adorable. It is advisable to check the carnivals itinerary and be there in Puno for the parade day.

Whoever said February is a bad time to come to Peru, clearly never saw Puno's carnival.

They say about 70,000 people (including dancers and tourists) come into the city to be a part of this carnival so make sure you make hotel reservations in advance.

Uros floating islands:

The Uros islands on Lake Titicaca

From Puno you can book a couple of day trips or even half day trips to Uros, Taquile and Amantani islands. Uros is the most touristy of them all but still worth a visit to see their floating reed islands. Myth is that Uros descendants are either of Japanese or Egyptian origin. Taquile and Amantani provide a much better view of the island. The best way to experience Titicaca is from Bolivia side either through Copacabana or on the island of sun (Isla del Sol). Reservations not needed in advance. If you have the luxury of time, stay in a home stay on one of these islands which can easily be booked online or from Puno. Another half day trip can be to Silustani which is a ruin site not far off from Puno.

Time needed in Puno: Atleast 3 full days during the Carnival. Else 2 days is enough. If you want to cover Bolivia (Copacabana, Salar de Uyuni), add 2-3 days

Cusco, the jewel of Peru

Cusco is literally in the heart of Puno and is closer to the Amazon rain forests than to Lima. This is the city that attracts most tourists in a year in Peru. It is the gateway to the rich Incan past and surrounded by a mind blowing set of ruins covering the entire area. A taxi from Cusco airport to the city center should set you back by $3 (10 Soles).

Sacsayhuaman - A walk from Cusco

The ruins of Chichero had a lot to offer

Depending upon what you want to see in Cusco, you have 2 options to pick an overall entrance ticket:

• 3 partial tickets covering different areas - 1 for entrances to musuems and selected sights within Cusco, 1 for ruins close to Cusco and 1 for ruins within sacred valley. Each partial ticket costs $20 (70 Soles) and is valid for 1 or 2 days
• 1 full ticket for everything mentioned above, valid for 10 days and costs $40 (130 Soles). Our recommendation is obviously to go for this

The things to do in Cusco can be split into 4 major segments:

The Ruins of Raqchi

1. South of Cusco: ruins like Tipon, Raqchi and a boring church of andahulliyas. The best way to do this is either as a day tour from cusco or even better in a bus from Puno to Cusco. 3 companies (Turismo Mer, Inca express) offer a bus on the route of sun, covering these key Areas and costs $55 per person for the one way journey. It starts at 7 am and reaches at 5 pm either ways. We did the ride from Puno to Cusco with Turismo Mer and found the entire experience to be quite interesting. They provide lunch, English speaking guide and entrance tickets on the way). Tipon however is not a part of the ride as it needs a Boleto Touristico.

2. Town of Cusco and Ruins nearby: dedicate a half day to a full day for Cusco itself depending on your interests. A multitude of museums on Incan history and art exist in Cusco. We did the museo del Inca and found it to be quite the fun. Qorikancha temple is another site that can be visited within cusco town. Both these sights have their own entrance tickets costing 10 soles each. Plaza de Armas and plaza de San Francisco are good places to hang out in the evenings. Grab a coffee around the plaza de Armas to experience to get the real feel for Peruvian life.

Dedicate a day for the ruins of sacsayhuaman, qenko, puka pukara and tambomachay. All these 4 sites are covered by Boleto touristico. We took a taxi for 15 soles to sacsayhuaman from city centre. This is a masterpiece so close to the city of cusco which has 3 layers of tall ramparts and a temple of sun within the site. You can then walk to the Christ figure overlooking the entire city and then proceed to the next site of Qenko. All these 3 sites are within 1 km of each other. You can then take a bus to tambomachay just outside the site of Qenko. This is a blue colored bus that plies every 5-10 mins and costs 1 sole to get there. Tambomachay, a temple of water and an Inca bath and Puka Pukara are next to each other. You can take the same bus back to city centre for another sole.

The train journey along the Sacred valley

3. Sacred valley: Contains 4 ruins; Moray, Chinchero, Pisac and Ollantaytambo all of which covered by Boleto touristico. We did a 1-day trip to Sacred Valley. The trip covered Chinchero, large agricultural terraces that dominating an entire hill side, where we spent about 2 hours. The next stop was Ollantaytambo which has a Sun Temple and terraces that can only be rivaled by the ones seen in Chinchero. This ruin has some very interesting history and explains the ways of Incan life. The hill opposite the Ollantaytambo ruin has 2 human faces embedded, one of a grumpy man and other of an Inca warrior. Strongly recommend that you hike the mountain across the ruin if you have time at hand, for which you would at least need 3-4 hours.

Moray is believed to be an agricultural laboratory with layers of terraces where the Incas experimented with different crops in varying temperatures. Adjacent to Moray are the Salinas de Maras where salt is made even today. Pisac is a market town (4 days a week) and ruin spot which comes highly recommended. It is difficult to cover all 4 in one day and might need 2 days to do all extensively.



4. Machupicchu is covered separately here.

The Amazon

View of Amazon from the plane

As mentioned earlier, there are 3 ways to get to Peruvian Amazon: Iquitos from Lima,  Pucallpa from Lima or Puerto Maldonado (Manu national park) from Cuzco. Iquitos and Manu are the best places to experience Amazon. The great Amazon river, however is visible only from Iquitos

We chose Iquitos to experience the rain forests. Iquitos is the world's largest city that is cut off from main land and is accessible purely through air or water. It cost us 4 Soles ($1) to get from Iquitos airport to the city center. The usual fare would be around 15 Soles ($4). First thing you notice is the multitude of motor taxis more common than yellow taxis in Bombay. Bajaj has established itself really well in this ghost city with Pulsar being the pride of everyday commuter.

The measure of authenticity of jungle lodges in distance from Iquitos and the benchmark for a reasonable jungle trip is 200 soles or 60$ per person per day. For those with luxury of time and capacity to handle last minute bookings, should book an Amazon trip directly in Iquitos for the best deals. If you are in Iquitos only for a short period of time, it is better to book the trip to Amazon in advance. We went with Allpahuayo Mishana for a 2D1N outing into the national reserve. The link gives you an estimate of their costs.

Our experience

We saw colorful frogs, butterflies, Tarantula, Snakes

The reserve was 26 Km's from the city and takes an hour by car and then an additional 1 hour trek into the jungle to get to the resort. We came across different species of frogs, snakes, a Tarantula and colorful butterflies. Be prepared to sweat it out as a stay in Amazon comes with almost 100% humidity. We did 2 day treks, one night trek into the Amazon for animal spotting. The reserve provides authentic Peruvian jungle based cuisine including salads made of local ingredients like avocado, Palm fruit shavings (chonta) and main course dishes like Juanes and Picadillo.

The cuisine of Iquitos is very different from rest of Peru owing to the Amazonian influence. Try Juanes, Cecina and the various local juices from tropical fruits like Camu Camu, Lucuma and Cocona (nopes, not the Coconut). Two places we tried and loved in Iquitos were Delirium's cocktails and El Zorrito, famous for their Amazonian cooking.

2 Indians in Morocco

Morocco is an amalgamation of European culture from the North and African culture. It is a hot destination for most Europeans given that it is located at 2-3 hours from most cities.

When to go?

Ait Ben Haddou in the middle of the desert

November to April is really good weather - Between 25 and 10 throughout most of the country while summers (July, August) tend to be hot at 35 degrees. Casablanca is a tad colder in the summers than the historic cities of Marrakech and Fez. The Sahara areas of Merzouga, Zagora are much hotter in the summers with temperatures reaching up to 40 deg. while winters are colder than the mainland.

For those from India, Morocco can be visited any time of the year. Compared to the Indian summers, this is a cake walk! However avoid the peak summers in July, August as the most places get really hot and you also get to avoid the insane European traffic that the country attracts in those months. We have enough people back in our country anyway

What to see?

There are 4 major segments to see in Morocco.

1. History Buffs - Marrakech, Fez, Casablanca: These are the most commonly visited destinations within Morocco and usually the entry point for most travellers. Needless to say, each of these cities are brimming with tourists all year round and hence has a well developed ecosystem of travel agencies and touts offering day trips, city tours etc. Marrakech in particular has an old world charm with its famous Jemaa El Fnaa square playing home to vendors selling everything from lamps to orange juice, snake charmers, jugglers, beautiful cafes, touts and more

Sunset at Essaouira

High Atlas landscapes

2. Surf Shacks - Agadir, Essaouira: The Moroccan hotspot for beaches and both with excellent avenues for water sports like surfing and beach bumming. Personally, I enjoyed my days in Essaouira and Agadir more than Marrakech. There are enough agencies that teach you surfing for those interested. Fishing is a huge industry for the area and the Fish market of Essaouira is definitely worth a visit.

3. Treks, Hikes and Game of Thrones - Atlas range: The Atlas range is only an hour away from Marrakech and hence acts as the start point for most treks and hikes around the area. Ascents like Mt. Toubkal and Djebel Sirwa take you through some of the most scenic areas within Morocco. Finally, do visit Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate which are home to old fortresses and places where Game of Thrones was also shot. Given their proximity to Marrakech, you can easily do each as a day trip or 2 day trip

4. The Great Sahara: The best place to really experience the Sahara from Morocco is Merzouga. You do get a lot of tours taking you to Zagora, but don't fall for this trap. Merzouga offers you pristine golden sands with the "real" Sahara

The fortress of Ouarzazate

The Great Sahara

How long?

Morocco probably needs 7-10 days depending on your penchant for culture and deserts. 2 days in Marrakech, 3 days on the road from Marrakech towards the fortresses and desert and 2 days around the beaches are a must. The remaining time can be spent in the towns of Fes and Casablanca. Casablanca and Rabat are industrial cities and have very little to offer.

Essentials

• Patience - Streets filled with people, touts trying to sell you anything and everything is not the easiest environment to handle
• Best to withdraw money in the ATMs. Euros are accepted everywhere and hence is the best currency to carry around
• Local transport through taxis is not too expensive and can easily be used in most cities
• Public transport isn't the easiest to figure out
• Buses are the easiest way to travel within Morocco and some places are connected by trains
• Predominantly dry weather and hence dress for free style clothing depending on the month

Budget

• Flights: Return flights from Bombay to Casablanca cost about 40,000 (Emirates) - EUR 530
• Domestic travel through buses could cost you INR 1500 (EUR 20) for a return ticket from Marrakech to Agadir
• Hotels / Riads are cheap, depending on the luxury level you opt for. You can plan an average of INR 2K-3K (EUR 25-35) per night for a couple
• Food is again reasonable and a budget level can easily be planned at an average INR 400-600 per couple (EUR 5-10). Fresh orange juice is available everywhere and can easily be purchased at INR 80-150 (EUR 1-2)
• If you want to grab some beers or wine, its best to go to the nearest Carrefour to stock up

If you are looking for a luxury holiday and if you have Europe-like scenery in mind, stay away. Morocco is a developing country and hence has an India-like feel in most cities.