Cusco Peru

[Cusco4Christmas]

Morning everyone

We are hoping to visit a loved one who is going to be spending a few months in Cusco, Peru at the end of the year. We will spend a few days there but that is as far as planning has gone. We would like to see some sights as well as have a bit of downtime and relaxation. Adult children in tow. If you have been to Peru, where have you enjoyed? Thank you in advance :)

I would recommend Mancora or Punta Sal, northern beach resorts, for down time. But also great surfing if anyone wants that.

Iquitos as a good base for the Amazon jungle and river daily tours. If you want to spend time in a lodge you will be passing through.

All easily accessible via flights from Lima. Not sure about direct flights between each or to/ from Cusco but there are now a few airlines back operating domestic flights - Latam/ Sky / Viva/ Star - that you could check

Thank you ! Will check out all those ideas .

Paracas is very beautiful and has a great beach resort.

Try and avoid flying into Cusco - it can cause horrible altitude sickness. Instead maybe arrive in Lima and make your way to Cusco overland - your body will adjust slower to the altitude!

Lake Titicaca is a must - the islands made from reeds. Machu Piccu definitely.

The thing that took me by surprise about Cusco is that I ended up having a 20-day period. I was on the tail end of it just as I arrived and it continued the whole way through my stay. I can only assume that the altitude had some sort of effect on my body. Sanitary products are extremely expensive there so it cost me a fortune! Take a box of Tampax!

On less prosaic matters, the main reason we went there was to visit Macchu Pichu - we hiked for 5 days but you can get the train most of the way. There is an amazing outdoor hot pool that you can visit after the hike. In Cusco I mainly remember drinking lots of pisco sours and eating pizza!

It all sounds amazing (apart from the extended period and altitude sickness 🤔) . Some fantastic ideas to look into . Thanks everyone!

If walking uphill isn't a problem for you, I'd definitely recommend a two day trek up through the cloud forest to Machu Pichu. You get up early on the last day to see the sunrise over it while it's quiet and magical ... well I got drunk in my tent and got off with my friend and missed that bit (don't do that!), but I hear it's extra atmospheric at that time.

Yes to visiting the rainforest and also the beach if you have time. Lake Titicaca is amazing.

@Cusco4Christmas
We did a holiday in Peru a few years ago with DC. A highlight of Peru is not the beaches in my view.

Most people do fly into Lima and work their way up in height above sea level. Arequipa is fantastic and Colca Canyon too. Peru does require some internal flying and working your way up to Cusco is best. It’s around 11,000 ft above sea level. Lake Titicaca is 13,000 ft above. I had no issues in Cusco but did at Lake Titicaca. It’s a great visit but not if you get altitude sickness. Which I only got on day 3??

Surely you want to go to Machu Picchu? What about the other Inca sites around Cusco? You cannot go to Cusco and not plan to see these sites. They are world famous. I would buy the Lonely Planet Guide to Peru and make sure you see the starred places. You won’t regret it. The markets are lovely. The scenery is stunning and so are the historic sites.

Couple of other thoughts - check out bus travel as an option between places. Peru Hop and Cruz del Sur are 2 that people I know have used and would recommend. Some areas of the country are only accessible by road and using the bus is a far better option than hiring a car.

theculturetrip.com/south-america/peru/articles/skylodge-adventure-suites-perus-cliff-hanging-hotel-for-thrill-seekers/

Not something I have done but I passed the site while in the Cusco area and and regretted not at least looking at the possibility. Expensive but what an adventure!

There are also railways. A bit unreliable though.

We were about to go to Peru in 2020 but that did not happen. I was looking at the flights again, BA is not flying directly to Lima anymore. Have a good time, Peru is on my bucket list. Have a good time OP.

@ProfessorLayton1
We have the same issue with Buenos Aires in late October. For some reason prices in the week we must go (getting an expedition ship to Antarctic) are crazy high. We looked months ago. The flights now go via Brazil. I know they have changed schedules. However when we went to Puru, BA didn’t fly direct to Lima at that time either. We did BA to Madrid and then Iberia to Lima.

We are going KLM to Amsterdam and then on with them to Argentina. We have saved a lot of £ but never used their business class before. DH spoke to BA about their ludicrous price. There must be something big going on in late Oct in that part of the world!

BA have lost their alliance with LATAM as well. Flight prices are crazy now. Hope the price comes down soon<< wishful thinking >>

DH and DD went to Cusco as part of a trip that incorporated a couple of nights in the Amazon and trek along the original Inca trail to Machu Picchu. They had an amazing time, but several people in their group were badly affected by altitude sickness when they got to Cusco, and they didn't have enough time to acclimatize before the trek.

By all accounts - and from the photographs - it was an amazing experience, but everything was well planned in advance.

I forgot! We went to the Amazon as well. That was wonderful!

Thanks so much everyone ; some really useful tips . We will get planning .