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Old Nov 9, 2012 | 7:02 am
  #9  
miikkak
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Helsinki
Programs: A3 Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 1,014
Originally Posted by zitozac
A couple of other questions...

1) Regarding visa costs and reciprocity fees- Ive read that in Chile, for instance, if flying to IPC from LIM you are not subjected to the same entrance fee as if you flew into SCL. If you then chose to go IPC-SCL it would be treated as a domestic flight and you wouldn't have to pay. Does this hold true for Argentina/Brazil as well (meaning if you fly into a smaller/domestic airport instead of GIG, GRU, EZE, etc. are there ways around these fees?) I'm specifically interested in IGR or IGU if I plan a trip to Igaussu Falls.

2) How many days (at a minimum) would I need for Machu Picchu from Lima? It looks to me like a minimum of 4-5. Is that correct? I'm thinking:
Day 1: Lima-Cusco
Day 2: Cusco-AC
Day 3: Machu Picchu
Day 4: Machu Picchu- Cusco (is this possible in one day with train schedules, and is it possible to get all the way back to Lima in one day)

Thanks for the continued advice and tips. Im hoping to take this trip in March so I've begun looking at flight options and intra-SA flights don't seem too bad. I found RT flights from Lima-Cusco for $125 and flights from Lima-IPC for $400 RT both of those seem much cheaper than the LAN Airpass I was trying to construct.
1) You have to get Brazilian visa before arrival (unless crossing illegally the border) and you pay it to the consulate in US. Argentina for now has the same logic as Chile but it has to be prepaid. Argentinian rules can change with little notice, check it 1 month before departure and again 1 week before departure.

2) At least 3-4 days are recommended for Cuzco. If you depart early (wake-up at 4 am) you can do a day trip to MP (return at 11pm) from Cuzco. By the way, Titicaca lake in Puno is very beautiful, only 5-6 hours by bus from Cuzco. If travelling to Lake Titicaca, you can fly easily to Lima from Juliaca (45 minutes from the town of Puno).

3) LIM-CUZ 125 USD, which carrier (some fares do have residency restrictions)? If planning in advance, there are better options than the airpass.
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