Comments on:

By: Tiago Schaffrath

Tiago Schaffrath — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:41:39 +0000

Hello,
I really like your website and would like suggestion on logistics for a month trip with my girlfriend. We will arrive from Brasil (Sao Paulo) to Lima. Arriving on the 23 of January, and coming back to Brazil on the 26 of February from Quito (Equador).
So the question really is; is it better to start south and then start going up to reach Equador and travel there for a week to 10 days? Orthere is not enough time to go south and go up north againg and have a pleasant slow paced trip?
Total we have 34 days. It is not much. What would you suggest to do in the south, since Machu Pichu is closed in February.
- On the North, is Iquitos a place to visit?
- What major activities would you suggest in the north?

Thanks,

Tiago

By: Jessie Kwak

Jessie Kwak — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:05:15 +0000

Thanks Chris, I’m really glad that you found this helpful. You’re right in that trying to fit too much into 10 days can be overwhelming. If you fly into Lima without booking lodging, take one of the Green taxis from the airport to Parque Kennedy in Miraflores. The Green Taxis are safe, with a set rate (should be S/.40 [$14ish] to Miraflores, if I remember correctly). Most of the hostels are clustered around that area. If you’re looking for a bit more stability, I love to recommend Tambopacaya Backpackers in Magdalena del Mar (which we profiled here). Scott was one of the best people we met in Peru. It’s a bit less the backpacker scene than you’ll find in Miraflores, though, so take your pick.

Honestly, if you’ve only got 10 days it’d be worth your time to fly from Lima to Cusco (if you’re still into Machu Picchu). From Cusco you can either bus (18 hours-ish) or fly (30 minutes-ish) to Puerto Maldonado, which is the gateway to Peru’s southern jungle. I haven’t been, so I can’t give you any firsthand advice about that, but it looks interesting.

Alternately, if you don’t care about M.P., you could skip Cusco and fly to Iquitos. It sounds like this might by more your style–the north of Peru is much less touristy than the south, and so the people tend to be friendlier. Again, we didn’t go to Iquitos, either, but I’ve met people who loved it.

Hope that helps–please let us know what your experience is! I’m really curious about Peru’s jungle.

Cheers,
Jessie

By: Chris Dale

Chris Dale — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:03:54 +0000

I’ve googled and googled Peru expenses, tours, living, traveling…list goes on and on and to be honest this was the most honest and informative article I’ve found. Shorter than a lot but the quality of info was great. Me and my mother are planning a getaway together to reconnect a bit so am super excited. Was planning on going for 10 days and doing a bit of rushing. Wanted to see machu pichu, the rainforest, a bit of lima, and go into bulivia. After reading up though I’m thinking we are trying to fit too much in. My idea is to fly into Lima without booking lodging. Pack light and hit the streets, find a cheaper place to stay then go swimming with the sea lions the next morning. After that just hit the road. Explore Lima a bit on our own and then pack to leave for the rainforest the next morning. Any opinions as to where the best place to go after Lima would be if we wanted a deep look at the rainforest. I prefer the nontouristy, more local feel. Don’t care about luxury but don’t want to find myself somewhere I don’t belong if you know what I mean.

By: Jessie Kwak

Jessie Kwak — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:42:01 +0000

Thanks Polly! We’re thrilled to hear that you’re going to be spending so much time in northern Peru–it has so much to offer!

And thanks for the encouraging words–it’s our goal to be helpful. :)

Have a great time in Peru, and don’t forget to check back in and let us know how everything went. Maybe you’ll have your own story to add here.

Cheers!

By: Polly

Polly — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:43:38 +0000

I can’t tell you how helpful your website has been for planning our family trip to Peru! We are traveling with our kids, age 7 and 10, for 3.5 weeks in June/July to Cajamarca, Leymebamba, Chachapoyas, and Chiclayo. Your site and others have inspired us to enjoy the sights and lack of tourist crowds (and prices!) in Northern Peru.

Thank you so much!

By: dinda

dinda — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 05:10:53 +0000

Still a long way to go, but I hope I have the chance to visit Peru someday soon.

By: Jessie Kwak

Jessie Kwak — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:31:10 +0000

Taxis in Lima can indeed be pricey. We ended up taking the bus a lot, which was super fun–check back on Friday when we’ll have the first part of our Lima bus guide up on Unpaved.

By: Cornelius Aesop

Cornelius Aesop — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:13:43 +0000

I lucked out and had a place to stay for my two weeks there and was with a friend who was visiting family and took care of us for most of the time so I couldn’t assess how much we spent. The only time we had to fend for ourselves was in Paracas and we got a nicer place to stay and ate well. Luckily the food in Paracas is inexpensive and delicious and I was able to bargain down at store for our liters of water. Did you make it to Lima? I never used the bus in Lima only taxis which I found to be more than I wanted to spend.