Just got back to US soil after an amazing 10 day trip to Peru including a four day hike to Macchu Pichu. I've travelled a lot and this trip is up their as a trip of a lifetime. I will try to post pics when I get time and a good Internet connection.
Awesome, very jealous. My old boss went there a while back. The guide had them chew some leaves from the trees that cocaine is derived from in order to help with the altitude... have any of that?
Sounds awesome. My brother's wife is from Peru, and they've gone to Macchu Pichu before. It's definitely on my to-do list.
I have one word to describe your trip... Jealous! As in "I'm jealous!" I'm looking forward to seeing your pics.
That's great, I went in 2011 and loved it. The Inkaterra hotel complex is one of the best places I've ever stayed.
Drinking the mate de coca is much better than chewing the coca leaves. They sell the leaves in most major food stores in Peru and every hotel in southern Peru offers the tea.
I was there a couple of years ago great surroundings. Just beautiful. Have you been to arequipa? We liked that town a lot.
Oh, you punk. :grin: I'm hoping to go there next year. Now that Egypt and Kenya scare me, I think this is next on my list. Maybe Patagonia/Galapagos is up there. Did you go with a tour? I'm thinking about going with one of the Smithsonian tours.
I took the easy way there, the Hiram Bingham train. Not cheap, but a nice experience. And the people I saw who had done the Inca trail were FULL of mosquito bites...
Arequipa is probably the best city to use as a hub for travelling. It's a beautiful city and more laid back than Lima and Cusco and it's not as crowded with tourists and tour groups trying to rush everyone to the next attraction. The traffic still sucks though. Unfortunately almost everything goes through Lima, but if you don't mind travelling by bus or train and you're on a budget, you can make Arequipa your hub and be able to travel to the Sacred Valley to the northwest (8 hrs) , Puno and Lake Titicaca to the northeast (6 hrs), Colca canyon to the west (3 hrs) and the Pacific coast to the south (2-3 hrs). If you travel by bus use Cruz del Sur whenever possible, they're by far the best bus line. And if you decide to travel by rail, make sure to book as far in advance as possible. Also if you visit Arequipa try and stay at Casa Arequipa. That place is by far the best hotel in Peru for the price. The service they provide is above and beyond the standard.
