PERU QUESTIONS

[bonniejoy03]

We are really interested in visiting Peru. I have been trying to do my "homework" before I choose a trip. If anyone out there can help with these questions, I would really appreciate it:



1. How BAD is the weather in January / February for Machu Pichu? We have heard it is the height of the rainy season however, has anyone out there actually gone at this time? Is it crazy for ur to visit at this time?



2. How BAD are the mosquitos during this rainy season?



3. How is the altitude situation and what type of actions did you take to stay healthy?



4. What hotels can you recommend for Lima? (prefer some boutique type places.)



5. Have you used the Inkaterra properties or the Orient Express Properties.



Thanks so much for any assistance!!!

[claassenam]

Bonniejoy,

Having been to Peru in October only, I can't comment regarding conditions in January - hopefully somebody else can. However, I can hopefully help with the other questions:

3) Regarding the altitude situation, it's not bad enough to be at all alarmed. Take it easy your first day in Cusco, try not to overdo it. If you look at the other Peru threads there is some sort of medicine that is supposed to help if you have any problems but very few people have anything other than some slight fatigue or a bit of nausea once they hit Cusco. The nicer hotels have oxygen pumped into the rooms as well as oxygen canisters on hand if anyone needs a boost. You can also drink coca tea (it will be offered to you everywhere) or chew coca leaves which is supposed to help.

4) We stayed in the Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima, which was fantastic. This is an Orient Express property and the service was great. It's a relatively small hotel, 82 rooms, although that probably doesn't count as boutique? We honestly didn't find Lima to be the greatest of cities and the Miraflores Park was an excellent retreat from the city's chaos. The food in Lima is wonderful - eat a lot of ceviche if you eat fish! - so you definitely want to get out of the hotel for that, wherever you end up staying!

5) We stayed in only Orient Express properties during our time in Peru. I won't bore you with the details of how much we loved each individual hotels, only that the Monasterio in Cusco is probably my all-time favorite small city hotel and you absolutely cannot beat the location of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.

I'm sure you've seen my other posts regarding our excellent trip to Peru through LL - let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck with your trip planning.

[[email protected]]

Feb. can be pretty rainy in the Mac. Pic. area - we went one year in April which is the end of rainy season and did not even get to MP - mudslides and all trains canceled. the 2nd time we went was in June - great weather. Stayed in Orient Express places - Miraflores in Lima and Monasterio in Cuzco - we were supposed to stay at the Sanctuary Lodge in MP but this time the train operators were on strike so we did not get to stay over night at MP - train strike lasted 1 day so we were able to get to MP for 1 day. We also wanted to see a bit of the Peruvian Amazon so the Orient Express folks found us a great place to stay - flight to Puerto maldonado then a boat trip to the Sandoval lake Lodge - wonderful place - giant river otters - up to 6 feet! Stayed there for 5 nights.. Altitude was not that bad in MP - Cuzco is high - the 1st time we had a bit of altitude sickness so the 2nd time my doctor recommended taking Diamox - it works great - no altitude sickness at all - it is a prescription medicine that mountain climbers us - increases the red blood cell flow so you get more oxygen. Altitude is worse in Quito, Ecuador - defintily need diamox there.
I personally would not go to Peru in February - May - September is really the best time to visit Peru

February is actually a good month to go to Ecuador or Central America - once you get on the other side of the equator which is where Peru is -May - October is really the best time to visit.
We did not have any problems with mosquitos in April or June - not even in the Amazon
Denise

[omegaet]

bonniejoy03....you might want to set you Tivo to record Samanth's upcoming Travel Channel show on Peru.
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Samantha Brown: Passport to Latin America
Machu Picchu, Peru
Aug. 11 12:00PM ET

Join Samantha as she takes us to South America's greatest archeological site - the mystic city of Machu Picchu, Peru! We'll be climbing cobblestone streets, hiking rainforest stone paths, dodging cars, then dining and dancing in them.

[bonniejoy03]

Hi O...No tivo here but will definitely watch. Will probably get it in reruns. (PS On hold with USAIR with another schedule change!! I really need a "hotline" to them directly!!

[mmm2009]

Hello,



I was wondering if someone could tell me what period they would recommend for visiting Machu Picchu from Sept - Nov. I have heard different things regarding weather, crowds, etc. so I was hoping someone might have some advice for me since I am going this fall.



Also, what cities/places in Peru do you recommend as a must see besides MP & Cusco, which I have already included on my itinerary.



Is 2 nights/3 days enough to see MP?



Thanks so much!



- First timer to Peru

[laurenhopson]

hello!

my husband and i are looking into traveling to peru this october. we are a little apprehensive only because of safety concerns. is it safe to travel? do you recommend it? we would be booking through luxury link so would be staying at each of the hotels that they package. thank you!

[kyshel]

what are your safety concerns?

[kapper]

laurenhopson, health or welfare? Maybe both? Can you be specific?

[kapper]

mmm2009, what are the activities that hold the most interest to you? LL is offering a wide variety of locations in Peru and there are lots of new hotels in other areas, not offered here on LL.



How many days do you plan to be in Peru and how much traveling are you willing to do? Your general level of health and fitness could also become a big factor.



Can you provide more information?