Peru/Chile trip suggestions?

[ClarkeK]

I scored a great flight deal to Lima, Peru for 3 weeks in January 2023. I'm now trying to tailor our trip around our dates.

Machu Picchu is on our list but after that I'm not sure what else is considered a must-see. We may take a week of that time and fly to Santiago, Chile and do the wine country.

Does anyone have any tips and/or suggestions?

 

[qwerty3656]

hijacking thread for follow-up question - Is it safe for an American to be roaming around Peru/Chile?

 

[MichaelB]

hijacking thread for follow-up question - Is it safe for an American to be roaming around Peru/Chile?

I’d go and know of no reason not to. Safety really isn’t an issue.

I scored a great flight deal to Lima, Peru for 3 weeks in January 2023. I'm now trying to tailor our trip around our dates.

Machu Picchu is on our list but after that I'm not sure what else is considered a must-see. We may take a week of that time and fly to Santiago, Chile and do the wine country.

Does anyone have any tips and/or suggestions?

Santiago is a beautiful city, well worth a side visit IMO.

 

[ClarkeK]

hijacking thread for follow-up question - Is it safe for an American to be roaming around Peru/Chile?

I had the same concerns but after researching it seems that it's quite safe to travel as Americans in both countries.

 

[travelover]

.........Machu Picchu is on our list ......

Well worth a visit, but I think Peru is limiting visitors to the site, so check on that in advance. You'll also want to see the Sacred Valley while there.


A visit to the Amazon from Peru is spectacular.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

There's currently some turmoil in Peru, at least in Lima.
Demonstrations over inflation, as well as a curfew a few days ago.
I'd monitor things before boarding a flight there. Hopefully things are calm 7 months from now for your visit.

 

[Gumby]

We went on a 10-day private trip to Peru in 2005 and enjoyed it very much. We spent time in Lima, then flew to Cusco to see the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, then flew back to Lima.

Places to stay:

These are the places we stayed. We enjoyed all of them immensely.

Lima - Country Club Lima Hotel - https://www.countryclublimahotel.com

Cusco - Monasterio Hotel - https://www.belmond.com/hotels/south-america/peru/cusco/belmond-hotel-monasterio/about

Machu Picchu - The Sanctuary Lodge - https://www.belmond.com/hotels/south-america/peru/machu-picchu/belmond-sanctuary-lodge/about

Urumbamba/Sacred Valley - Kuychi Rumi Lodge


The Sanctuary Lodge is expensive, but it is up on the mountain literally right outside the gate of Machu Picchu. All the other hotels are way down in the valley in Aguas Calientes, and you have to take the bus up and down the mountain. As a consequence, if you are one of the lucky few at the lodge, you get the site all to yourself early in the morning and late in the afternoon. It is an entirely different experience when there is no one else there. And it makes the hike out to the Inca Bridge a little easier because you aren't trying to squeeze past people coming the other way on the narrow trail with a vertiginous drop off only inches away. Although it can be terrifying on the way, I definitely recommend a morning hike out to see the bridge.

A spectacular way to get from Cusco to Machu Picchu is to ride the Hiram Bingham train -- https://www.belmond.com/trains/south-america/peru/belmond-hiram-bingham/about Such a pleasant way to travel. The food and wine were excellent and the service first rate.

In the sacred Valley, the places to visit are the ruins and the market at Pisac, the town and ruins of Ollantaytambo, and the town of Chinchero. While in Cusco, we enjoyed visiting the Qorikancha (Inca Temple of the Sun), the Cathedral, and the monumental ruins above the city at Sacsayhuaman.

In Lima, we went to the Iglesia de San Francisco, the Museo Larco and out to Morro Solar to see the planetarium. We also spent time wandering about Miraflores, which is the upscale part of town. For restaurants, we especially enjoyed the Rosa Nautica, which is built on a long pier that stretches out into the Pacific Ocean. Excellent seafood and a great view.

Our tour was put together by a luxury tour company. It was just me and the young wife, a driver and a guide/interpreter pair, one set in Cusco and one set in Lima. They basically took care of us from the minute we arrived until the minute we left. So I actually didn't have to do any of the planning. If you are going it alone, it will be more complicated to link all these things together.

 

[DrRoy]

Best thing in Chile for me was Torres del Paine National Park, which is a good bit further south than Santiago.
.

 

[H2ODude]

Three years ago did Machu Picchu/Cusco/Sacred Valley as an add on to one of my long term desires, see the Amazon. Did a cruise on Amazon followed by MP. All arranged by tour company, had private guides that were excellent. Was one our favorite trips.

 

[2017ish]

What type of trip/experiences are you interested in, and at what level of pricing? There are so many things to do/see in Peru. We did 8 weeks there in 2017 as our first big retirement trip, and thought we didn't devote quite enough time. We found most of the country very amenable to travel by scheduled bus lines...

Here is DW's blog archive if you are interested in a lot of photos by destination within the country. https://www.lisajtravels.com/archive (a bit over 30 posts, no ads/revenue)

As noted by several people, the Amazon Basin is really neat. We enjoyed the upper reaches of the tributaries in the Manu Biosphere Reserve more than the "big river" near Iquitos. We did about a week on small boat and unelectrified lodges to hike and photograph wildlife. We loved it--but definitely would qualify as roughing it in most folks' minds.

Highly recommend Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu if you are up for high altitude, multi-day hiking (We did it "lodge to lodge," instead of Inca Trail; opposite of roughing it.) As an alternative or an addition to Machu Picchu, consider Sacsayhuamán, in the heart of Cusco; due to overcrowding at the former, we may have preferred the latter. Although the climb up (and view from) Huayna Picchu was amazing.

Multi-colored (seven-color) mountain outside of Cusco gives you a neat, short hike to almost 17,000 feet with great views/topography.

Explore Colcha Canyon via a multi-day hike, along with the high plains getting there (Andean Condors are easy to see on this side-trip).

Museums, museums, Cathedrals, etc.....

Lake Titicaca was a worthy side trip. One of our favorite cities was Arequipa, where we stayed for several days (it was our hopping off point for Colca Canyon).

if you are into "blow that dough" food experiences, make your reservations early for Central and Maido (our favorite of the two) in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima. No matter what though, enjoy the food at all price points throughout the country.

Oh--we also spent about a month in Northern Chile and Argentina in early 2020, and are planning another 2 months in those countries later this year. For us, no way would we try to combine Chile and Peru in a short three-week trip. But, YMMV.

 

[jcfradio]

I did 3 weeks in Peru in 2018 and have been to Chile a couple of times. For me, Lima and Santiago are big cosmopolitan cities, probably worth a day each but not much more.

We spent most of our time in Peru in the northern part of the country. There are lots of interesting pre-Inca sites near Trujillo (Chan Chan) and near Chiclayo (Sipan). There is a lot of archaeological sites throughout the country where the government has been funding excavation and development. We also spent time in the highlands around Cajamarca where Atahualpa the last Inca emperor was killed and around Chota.

I found that the best way (for me at least) to see Machu Picchu was to book a 2 day/1 night tour of the Sacred Valley and MP through Machu Picchu Viajes Peru in Cuzco. The only downside was getting up at 4 am to line up for the bus to get to the site for sunrise but even in May, it wasn't what I would call crowded. A little anecdote, the tour group of 4 that I was with had 3 young Brazilians who wandered off in MP before our guide arrived, so I had a 4 hour personal tour of site - sweet!

In Chile, I enjoyed San Pedro de Atacama in northern desert. The scenery there is nothing like anything that I have seen on earth. The town itself is only a couple of thousand people and looks like it was the scene of an old western movie complete with dirt streets. If you are into Astronomy , it has very clear desert skies and great observatory tours. If you want to know more, please PM me.

 

[friar1610]

I won’t repeat any of the Peru/Cusco/Machu Picchu recommendations as they have been well covered above. But regarding Chile I will add that we debarked a cruise in Valparaiso once. We spent about half a day there before boarding a bus to Santiago, via wine country and a delightful lunch at a winery, for our flight home. Valparaiso seemed to be a delightful coastal/resort location that I would love to revisit for a longer stay. It’s also the HQ for the Chilean Navy and, as a USN vet, I enjoyed seeing their buildings - much more attractive than the Pentagon!

 

[Gumby]

I second the recommendation for Valparaiso. In 1983, I was a young naval officer and my submarine went all around South America as part of the UNITAS joint military exercises. Chile was my very favorite country, and Valparaiso was my favorite part of Chile. It is lovely, and the Chileans are very nice people. I also liked Santiago, Concepcion and the far South (we transited the Strait of Magellan, which reminded me of Alaska).

 

[flyingaway]

I scored a great flight deal to Lima, Peru for 3 weeks in January 2023. I'm now trying to tailor our trip around our dates.

Machu Picchu is on our list but after that I'm not sure what else is considered a must-see. We may take a week of that time and fly to Santiago, Chile and do the wine country.

Does anyone have any tips and/or suggestions?

Wow! A trip for the next year. I am struggling to decide if I should book a trip to eastern Europe in September. Too many things could change in a few months.

The best thing that I did in Peru was in Cusco, to order a roasted guinea pig. It was the best food that I ate in many years. I travelled to many places in the world and tasted many different local foods. Not many foods could impress me.

 

[ElizabethT]

We've been to both countries, and they were equally-but-differently marvelous.

A suggestion for planning an on-your-own itinerary is to look at a detailed itinerary from any online tour group (Road Scholar, Gate 1, REI, Overseas Adventure Travel, etc.), and consider using it as a guideline. I do this frequently, and find it both fun and helpful in determining what are the must-sees in a country or region, and in what logistical order.

 

[ElizabethT]

The best thing that I did in Peru was in Cusco, to order a roasted guinea pig. It was the best food that I ate in many years. I travelled to many places in the world and tasted many different local foods. Not many foods could impress me.

Ah yes, cuy - nope, couldn't go there.

 

[ClarkeK]

We've been to both countries, and they were equally-but-differently marvelous.

A suggestion for planning an on-your-own itinerary is to look at a detailed itinerary from any online tour group (Road Scholar, Gate 1, REI, Overseas Adventure Travel, etc.), and consider using it as a guideline. I do this frequently, and find it both fun and helpful in determining what are the must-sees in a country or region, and in what logistical order.

I love planning a trip itinerary and have also done this just to get a sanity check on the prices.

 

[grasshopper]

Ah yes, cuy - nope, couldn't go there.

We were lucky in Peru that Ms G didn't see any cuy, except on the menu. The same Ms G was hoping to not see any animal kills on safari, she got her wish.

 

[Souschef]

In Lima we did a culinary tour that we great. We left at noon, and were back around 10 PM. It was not stressful, and we had some great food.
Another thing not to be missed is a flight over the Nazca lines. Planes leave from many different airports.

 

[Ian S]

Ah yes, cuy - nope, couldn't go there.

My only visit to Peru was back in the '80s with my Peruvian partner at the time. We went to a restaurant in Cusco and he enjoyed a meal where the entree was cuy but I opted for something else. Let's just say that the roasted cuy comes pretty much "intact" including head and feet.

I would also warn that Cusco is at an elevation of over 11,000 feet. I missed a day of activity due to altitude sickness which even coca tea did little to alleviate. Our side trip to Iquitos on the Amazon was fascinating and I'd recommend it. Near Lima, I recall really enjoying the Museo Oro del Peru. We did not see the Nazca lines which is one thing I'd try to do if I were ever to go again.

 

[oiseux]

I hope not to duplicate many responses. Another thumbs up for the Monasterio hotel in Cusco. Some great eating in Lima and Cusco, for certain.

We did the more typical 4 day/3 night classic Inca Trail trek. Our friend organized a private group for 10 family and friends that was terrific and quite affordable. This was the type with sherpas, a chef/hot food and everything handled -- just a daypack for each trekker. We did a full two or three days in Cusco in advance to get used to the altitude. Prior to the trip we had done a number of hikes at the highest altitude within reach to get used to the distance and elevation but others didn't and still made it. A completely different experience to go through these peaks and into the city before the rest (although the tours tend to get packed up before the Temple of the Sun, the sunrise of the morning of the entry into the city).

 

[swakyaby]

I visited Peru and toured Machu Picchu in 2019 with a small tour group. At that time, only organized tour groups were allowed to site see that site, and those tickets had to be purchased by the tour group well in advance.

 

[bearkeley]

If you are serious about going to Chile for wine, I’d suggest you also consider going to Mendoza (Argentina) for some Malbec. Reserve the front seats of a double decker bus from Santiago to Mendoza over the Andes Mountain Range. One of the most memorable parts of our 4 month trip pre Covid

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

If you are serious about going to Chile for wine, I’d suggest you also consider going to Mendoza (Argentina) for some Malbec. Reserve the front seats of a double decker bus from Santiago to Mendoza over the Andes Mountain Range. One of the most memorable parts of our 4 month trip pre Covid

I am actually planning to take this bus ride, although I haven't done any research yet. May I ask how you reserved the front seats?

 

[ClarkeK]

I thought I'd post an update. We've decided to stay in Peru only.

I booked an 8 day tour package to take us to Qorikancha, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, towns of Maras & Moray, Humantay Lake and the Inca Bridge of Q'eswachaka.

Then I booked a night at the Sky Lodge. Heights are not my thing but it looks very cool!

I still need to fill in some gaps towards the back end of our schedule but I thought it would be too much to add a jaunt down to Santiago.