I'm currently organizing a trip around Peru, for 11-15 days.
Want to go in a circle, visiting Lima, Cizco, Machu Picchu, Puno and Titicaca, Arequipa and the Colca canyon, Nasca, possibly Paracas or the Balestas if there is time and back to Lima.
Since I like photography, and also prefer to be indipendent of bus schedule, and possibly making a quick detour to some place ineresting off the main stream, I'm considering renting a car. Is this doable? I see the distances are quite big, and lots of the trip will be in the mountain, on unsurfaced roads according to the map I have (Part of Lima - Cuzco and Puno - Arequipa). How much time should I allow for these? Originally I thought to fly Lima-Cuzco and do the rest by car, but it seems the one way taxes are really big.
Also, is there a road from Cuzco to Machu Picchu? Or the only possibilities are the train and walking?
Thanks for any advice

If you want to get off the beaten track in Peru, you need to rent a sturdy 4X4 rather than a car, and preferably one that burns diesel as this is the fuel most widely available in out-of-the-way places. This is doable but costs are generally high. Road conditions are variable in the highlands especially between November and March, the rainy season. Night-time travel is generally risky, not so much due to the potential for violent crime as the risk of running over a pedestrian in the dark, or killing livestock.

Directional signage is marginal on the Panamericana (the main highway connecting Lima with Arequipa, 1,000 km to the south), poor on other highways and non-existent off the beaten track. Locals speak no English so you will be better off if you speak good Spanish (or Quechua, but that's not likely...).

I'm sure you can get from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes (the town below MP) by road. Decent atlases are available in bookshops in Lima (try the "Jockey" mall out on Javier Prado).

I've never driven the routes you mention but my sense of it is that you'd be much better off if you had three weeks or a month to make your destinations by road. You need to be flexible about your itinerary due to the unpredictable nature of road travel in Peru.

Are you really sure about this? During my visit there in Feb our guide told us that there is only rail service, the road being blocked by the last earthquake that also damaged the rail line beyond Aguas Calientes.

mike

First, let me say you've made a great choice on choosing Peru! You will have a great time! I went there a few years ago and can't stop thinking about returning.

Second, I recommend against renting a car. The drive from Lima to Cusco alone might take an entire day or two. Also, as others have said, the roads are very unpredictable outside the major cities.

Third, bus service is frequent, air between Lima and Cusco is fairly cheap, and the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu is truly an experience not to miss.

Good point! I am not sure about this as it has been several years since I have been in that part of Peru. I should have said: I am sure there is a road connection between Cuzco and Aguas Calientes...but you're right, there's always a chance of closure due to weather, earthquake, social protest or whatever, so best to check it out before traveling.

Bag the car. I have worked in Peru as an exploration geologist for years and drive quite a bit in country. However, there are places that as a gringo you just don't want to be and you can't really know those places without a good knowledge of the country. Also, you would not want to try this unless you spoke VERY GOOD Spanish - and up country much of the Spanish is mixed with Quechua. You will find that no one will speak English outside of the touristy areas.

Driving would add considerable time and aggravation to the trip. Roads in the high country follow contours of the topography and take much longer to cover any distance than one would expect. They are also rather narrow and often marginally maintained. If you do want to rent and get off the beaten path, you can rent locally in most larger towns - Arequipa, etc. Rent-Andina is probably the best choice for cars/trucks outside of Lima (www.andinarentacar.com.ar).

Thanks a lot. Well, when I said something off the main stream, I meant that it is in the books and maps, but not so much visited (and probably public transport is rare), I do not know where the hidden places are and don't intend to search in the first short trip to the country.
As for the language, I do not speak Spanish, but do speak Portuguese, so expect to be able to make myself understood...

I did not mean to imply the trip was not possible. You just need to plan accordingly. Driving will add considerable time and aggravation to the trip. In addition to the winding and slow roads, you will often be stuck behind busses and trucks that will slow down the entire process as places to pass are not always available even on roads like the Panamericana.

Regarding public transport, I have seen scheduled bus service in some of the most remote parts of the high country. Bus travel is a lifeline to the outside world for many small towns and villages in Peru.

Regarding safety, you need to carefully check conditions in various areas. Even places that have hard surfaced roads pass through areas that require care. I have been stopped and detained by the Policia at various roadblocks over the years for no other reason that I was a gringo. Peruvians were allowed to pass, as was I (eventually) after paying the required "fees." I have friends who have been held at gun point for hours at make shift road blocks (remnants of the Sendero who are now just thugs) in areas thought to be relatively safe. You just need to plan carefully and things should go well.

If you do end up driving, I really doubt that the itinerary you have laid out is possible in anything under 15 days. Even that would be a stretch if you wanted to spend any time at all in any of the places you mention. Also realize that for a large part of the year fog is a huge problem along the Panamerica between Arequipa-Nazca-Lima making the trip extremely slow - you can creep along at 10-20 kmp for hours at a time.

Is this fog seasonal or pretty random? How about October?
I suppose if the fog is there, the busses are delayed too, and more importantly, I will not be able to see the Nasca lines, so better skip this part of the trip at all and fly from Arequipa to Lima.

Fog along the southern coast of Peru can be present at any time of the year. However, I have found the least fog problems in the Peruvian summer of Jan/Feb/March/April. I have encountered the worst fog in November and December - scary, pull off the road type of fog. Other times of the year it just depends, but chances are fog could be a problem in October. I have never made the entire drive from Arequipa to Lima, nor would I want to - long, slow and a lot of truck/bus traffic.

neuromancer,

It occurred to me that if photography is one of the reasons for your visit, you should think about a visit to Huaraz in north-central Peru. Huaraz is the gateway to the Cordillera Blanca and is full of absolutely spectacular scenery. The second highest peak in the Andes (Nevado Huascaran -6768 meters) looms just outside of town and there is easy access via roads into parts of the national park that encompasses a large part of the cordillera.

I think you would need to take a bus or drive as there is not scheduled air service to the small airfield in Anta. However, you might be able to arrange an air charter. I typically got there via company plane or a charter service (ATSA).

Thanks for all the replies.
One more idea: I've seen puctures of salt plains in Bolivia, and lakes with flamingos. Are there such places in Peru, near Titicaca?