Sixteen Days in Peru
I spent sixteen days in Peru. I did not, however, visit the Amazon. I rushed to many of the places and spent far too much time in transit.
Lima is must-see. A morning in Miraflores and then a quick look at some the cathedrals and catacombs should give you a nice feel.
Nazca offers really nothing more than the Nazca Lines, which I found less than compelling. I loved the history of it all, but seeing them in person wasn’t worth the day trip. Instead of Nazca, take a trip to Pisco and then a boat tour to the Islas Ballestas. This was fun and charming place. The amounts of wildlife on the Islas were tremendous, with birds, penguins, and sea lions literally all over.
Arequipa is a great, clean little city with great restaurants. It’s also a necessary stop to acclimatize before heading to Cuzco, Titicaca, or Colca Canyon.
Colca Canyon offered a treacherous, annoying eight hour bus ride from Arequipa. They overcrowded the broken-clutch bus with peasants. We were stopped and the Gringo tax was enforced at a certain point of the ride. They neglected to charge the Vietnamese-American sitting across from me. Once at the canyon, we began our descent. The descent wasn’t easy. Once at the bottom, there was a lovely, rustic village we stayed at that offered a tremendous view of the sky. I was captivated for hours. It wasn’t very accommodating though. No shower and lousy beds, but it is Peru. The hike to an oasis was nice, and the reward of the oasis’s pool was worth the hike. The ascent out of the canyon was incredibly difficult; be prepared for that. Three days is plenty for this part of the tour.
Lake Titicaca was my favorite part of Peru. There’s nothing to describe the feeling when you set foot on a man-made island of reeds. Visit Isla Amantani and get adopted by a family there. My family had a tiny baby donkey to play with. They held a fiest for us and showed us how to dance to Andean music. It was a tremendous time. They hardly have electricity out there, which adds to the charm of the island.
Cuzco is also amazing. Most of the buildings in the town square contain Inca stones. Plenty of great restaurants, hotels, and clubs to visit.
Machu Picchu is amazing. The tours are great, and the surrounding scenery is breath-taking. It’s easy to see how the Amazon-overgrowth caused this city to be lost for centuries. From Machu Picchu, I recommend climbing Wayna Picchu. It looks possible, at first, but takes less than an hour. It offers a bird’s eye view of MP. The air is so fresh, you’ll want to spend at least an hour up there. The ascent is moderately difficult, but well worth it. The train ride to MP takes about four or so hours from MP Pueblo.
Machu Picchu Pueblo (the city at the base of the mountain of MP) is quite charming and offers thermal baths, which felt great after hiking Wayna Picchu.
Hope I helped.
Tags: Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cuzco, Lima, Machu Picchu, Nazca, Peru Vacation
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