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.