Do
- check
up to date travel advice. Peru is an amazing country but
not always that
-
safe. We never experienced any kind of trouble but it's
still wise to keep yourself
-
informed (www.minbuza.nl
or www.fco.gov.uk);
- check every bill you receive. There is a lot of fake money
around (we received
-
fake money at the entrance
of Chan Chan). Pay attention at the size, numbers on
-
the bill and the watermark. Buy
a small blacklight torch (very cheap) to check for
-
hidden marks. Be aware of switching
tricks! For instance, a waiter takes your bill
-
and comes back to say the bill is false, but in fact he
switched it for a fake
one;
- book your buses at the busstation, preferable the day
you arrive at the station, it
-
is cheaper. Peru has a good
bus system with different companies;
- visit the Chimu capitol of Chan Chan and the Moche pyramids
of the Temples of
-
the Sun and Moon (Huaca del Sol y Huaca de la Luna) near
Trujillo. Go by
-
yourself, it is easily done;
- take the scenic route through the Cañon del Pato
to Huaraz from Trujillo, when
-
you are not afraid of heights and amaze yourself at the
many snowcapped
peaks;
- experience Huascaran National Park and stay in Huaraz
at Olaza's Guest House,
-
with rooftop terrace (www.andeanexplorer.com/olaza)
and eat, drink or read at
-
cafe Andino, it is very good (Lucary
Torre 530, 3rd floor);
- see Lima and its cultural highlights. If you're in desperate
need for some luxury,
-
see a movie and eat fastfood
at Jockey Plaza mall. We stayed in the city center
-
of Lima and never had any
problems (as stated in many guidebooks) but
-
Miraflores is a nicer area;
- fly to Iquitos if you want to see the Amazon. We stayed
for 3 days at Muyuna
-
Amazon Lodge, 130 km / 80 miles south from Iquitos (www.muyuna.com).
-
Alternatively go the Manu area or Puerto Maldonado;
- visit beautiful Cusco and its surrounding highlights,
such as the Sacred Valley and
-
the ruins nearby. Cusco is a great place to adjust to the
height (drink lots of coca
-
tea) before hiking the Inca Trail.
- stay in Cusco at one of the Niños hotels (fantastic
food, clean and friendly) and
-
visit one
of
their childrens restaurants, part
of the project (www.ninoshotel.com).
-
Another
foundation doing lots of good work, in and around Cusco,
is Stichting
-
Hope / Hope Foundation (www.stichtinghope.org).
The nice Hostal Marani
-
(www.hostalmarani.com)
is also connected with this
foundation;
- absolutely hike the Inca Trail but book at least 2 months
ahead if you go in the
-
high season. And remember that in February the Trail is
closed for clean up. We
-
had an amazing trip and can recommend SAS Travel Peru for
their high quality
-
(www.sastravelperu.com);
- take a trip to one of the floating reet islands in the
Titicaca lake. It is a bit
-
touristy, but still makes a nice and interesting excursion.
If you go in the
-
morning, you still have time to visit Sillustani in the
afternoon;
- spend some time in the charming Arequipa and visit the
enormous Monastery of
-
Santa Catalina (www.santacatalina.org.pe)
and go see the Ice Princess, Juanita,
-
at the Santuarios Andinos museum (www.ucsm.edu.pe/santury).
Restaurant El
-
Turko has good food;
- make a trip to the famous Cruz del Cóndor and wait untill
'el cóndor pasa'... We
-
booked a trip at Giardino Tours (www.giardinotours.com);
- fly above the Nazca Lines, even when you get sick very
quickly: it's worth it!
-
Bring a bag, many people need it (like us);
- wax your board (or rent one) and go sandboarding in the
dunes around
-
Huacachina. We can recommend the very new Hotel El Huacachinero
-
(www.elhuacachinero.com).
Don't
- step in a cab with only 2 doors, already one passenger,
no signs or when the cab
-
driver approaches you. Ask around in your hotel which ones
are safe;
- expect to find many alternatives for night buses, you
might have to take one;
- stay at Hostelling International La Posada in Mancora,
it is a fake. The Lonely
-
Planet states it is HI-affiliated,
but it is not, we checked. Rooms are dirty and
-
people are unfriendly. Spend some
more money and stay at one of the beachfront
-
hotels;
- skip Chachapoyas if you have time. We weren't able to
go because of time and
-
heard it's a pain to get there
but very worthwile;
- be surprised to see high prices in Huaraz, it has become
expensive (20$ for a
-
room is minimum);
- expect low prices in Cusco. If you want to see most of
the hightlights you have
-
to buy a 'boleto turistico' and this ticket is very expensive
(used to be $10, in
-
2006 $23). For seeing the churches you have to buy another
one ($12);
- stay in Hostal Los Pinos in Puno. The owner was very unfriendly
and there's no
-
hot water 24 hours a day, regardless what they say;
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