I am travelling to Peru with a friend at the end of May. We've been following threads in the forum and have made up a rough itinerary. Just wanted to get some advice before we booked local flights in Peru.

We have 9 days and we've booked flights to/from Lima for the 21st of May. We've done a lot of travelling and a moderate amount of hiking here in the US, but never outside.

Here is the rest of our plan:

May 20, Friday
Reach Miami.

May21, Saturday
Depart from Miami at 8:45am.
Reach Lima on the same day at 3:15pm.
Looks like there are no flights out to Cuzco after this. Stay the night in Lima.

May 22, Sunday
Depart from Lima and reach Cuzco.
Go to Aguas Calientes same day by train. Stay overnight at Aguas Calientes. We are doing this because we hear tickets to Huayna Beach are limited and go out early. Also, Aguas Calientes is lower, so it might be easier to get acclimatized? Is staying in Aguas Calientes too expensive? I don't want to underestimate the altitude - are we pushing it? Is there an easier way to do this?

May 23, Monday
Machu Pichu, Huayna Beach, Inca Bridge, Hike down to Aguas Calientes.
Return to Cuzco/Ollantaytambo.
We want to see the sacred valley on Tuesday, does it make sense to return to Cuzco? How expensive is it to stay in Ollantaytambo?

May 24, Tuesday
Go to Sacred Valley.
Return to Cuzco

May 25, Wednesday (Buffer day in Cuzco)
Spend time in Cuzco - Local sights.
Should we spend more time here?


May 26, Thursday
Fly out to Puerto Maldonado. Reach there noon-ish.
Start tour into Amazon.
Do you recommend any good tours/agents?

Thu-Sat - Amazon tour.

May 29, Sunday
Fly to Lima from Puerto Maldonado - 11 am flight.

May 30, Monday
Fly out of Lima to Miami - 10.30 am.


Does this look like the best use of our time in Peru?
Any pointers will be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

I think you need to pick up a good guidebook to Peru. You're leaving in less than three weeks and it seems you have a lot of questions unanswered (and a few misconceptions). A guidebook could clear up a lot of this.

Your May 22 day is not possible as you've written it. Your LIM-CUZ flight will not get you to Cusco in time to catch transportation from there to Machu Picchu. Those trains leave very early in the morning. You could catch a train later in the day from Ollantaytambo. That would be your only option if you still want to get to MP that same day, and you'd have to get yourself out there. Check Peru Rail's website for schedules:

www.perurail.com

Through the end of May, the Peru Rail service between Cusco and Ollanta is by bus because of repairs being made to the tracks on that sector. Trains run only between Ollanta and MP for now.

Altitudes:

Cusco = 11,000 ft
Sacred Valley = 9,000 ft
Machu Picchu = 8,000 ft
Aguas Calientes = 6,700 ft

Sure. If you're concerned about altitude, it makes sense to go right to AC/MP or at least out to the Sacred Valley rather than trying to tackle Cusco's lofty heights right away. There are a lot of amazing things to see and do in Cusco, though, so do give it some time toward the end of your trip.

A shuttle bus takes you between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. You could do that by foot as you've indicated, but I think there are better uses of your time.

It's Huayna Picchu, not Huayna Beach.

As for lodging, once again, a guidebook will help you. AC/MP has four VERY expensive hotels in $200-$800 range, and several that are less than $100. Ollanta has a handful of accommodation at a range of prices. There are several lodges around Puerto Maldonado with different prices and comfort levels.

Late May is starting to get into a busy time for tourism in Peru. I'd make some arrangements very soon.

SJOGuy,

Thanks for the response! I'll do more research and get things rolling. Boy, we still have a lot to do. Do you have any advice for the Amazon leg? What is the best way to book tours?

Bharath

The Amazon tour is connected to the lodge where you stay. There are a few hotels in Puerto Maldonado itself, but if you're going all that way, I think you'd want to stay at one of the river lodges. They're all-inclusive, usually minus the cost of alcoholic beverages. You'll land at Puerto Maldonado airport, and a lodge representative will greet you with a sign. You'll be taken to the river docks in town and off you go on the river to your lodge, a boat ride of anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. You'll stay at your lodge however many days you've booked. The stay will include meals and guided tours. When you leave, they bring you back via river to town and to the airport.

So, obviously, this has to all be arranged in advance. There's no way logistically to simply show up at these places. Several lodges, different comfort levels, ... A guidebook will help you sort through the choices.

Remember, you're not going to see the Amazon River itself. These are tributaries of the Amazon river, the Madre de Dios or Tambopata rivers. You'll be able to say you've seen the Amazon basin. It's still beautiful and impressive.

I agree with SJOGuy about the river lodge. I've never been in Puerto Maldonado, but I've been in Iquitos (near Amazon river) and hotels within the city are not the best option if you want to live a real jungle experience, though the fun of a tropic town, nightlife, etc. is another story. But if you want an "adventure" experience, look for river lodge within the jungle.

However beware of the touristic tours visiting jungle tribes. Most of them are fake. The jungle trekkings are more authentic. I think a good guidebook will tell you about it

PM is pretty sleepy compared to Iquitos, so you're not even going to get that by staying in town.

IQUITOS, little bird....@:-)

It makes sense to start your trip in altitude in the sacred valley, either in Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes. There is a hotel in Olla just beside the train station, not really cheap, but good value for money (at least 2 years ago), but should find in both places rooms at a wide range of prices.

As for tickets to the Huayna Picchu, it might be best to get them the day before, they usually reach the limit before 7am.

To visit sacred valley/Cuzco, 2 days is rather short, there are many many sights to see, try to be on a Sunday in Pisac to visit the market (as well as the archeological site, if you have time).

Thanks a lot folks. We've come much further along in planning the trip.
I've read we have 3 options to get the Amazon experience:

1) Iquitos
2) Puerto Maldonado
3) Manu

Looks like there are tours to Manu from Cusco. How would you rate this experience? Travelling out of Cusco will same us some $ on flight tickets and keep our schedule a little more flexible.