Typically, South America is one of the last continents to be visited by Asians barring Antarctica. Given the distance and the number of days it takes just to get there, South America is feasible when you have about 2 weeks atleast in hand. Mind you, the continent is large, full of natural landscape, beautiful forests, rich wildlife, deep history and wonderful people. It was really difficult to shortlist places to visit in Peru in a short period of time
We had time in August, so decided to start with Peru. Brazil would also have been a good choice. However, I wanted to visit Argentinian side of Igazu falls whenever we go to Brazil, and August was not a good time for other part of Patagonia in Argentina. We also wanted to combine Bolivia visit with Peru. We soon realized the complications involved in Bolivian visa from India, so decided to take a chance and get that from Peru once we reach
Given the uncertainty of getting a Bolivian visa, we had double booked an alternate itinerary in Chile for those days, in the scenario we don’t get a Bolivian visa. I always was more interested in Bolivia since the reviews mentioned it is more rustic, with better landscapes and cheaper cost
We finally did manage to get Bolivian visa, so took the Peru- Bolivia- Chile- Peru route, having major stays at Tambopata, Cusco, La Paz, Uyuni and Lima
Best time to visit
May to October is dry season and recommended for Machu Pichu, Amazon tours. Rainy season during December to April is good for Bolivian salt flats if you are intersted in seeing the mirror effect. Remember this is southern hemisphere with reversed cycle of summer and winters
Visa
We had US B1/B2 visa with more than 6 months validity, so visa is exempted for Peru and it is on arrival for Chile. If you do not have a US Visa, you can apply from the respective embassy websites. We entered twice in a span of a month as you are allowed about 180 days in the year with multiple entries
For latest requirements and exemption details for Indians, see the official site here
The immigration process at the airport was smooth. Our passports were stamped and we were out without any paperwork
Getting In
Connectivity from India to South America typically involves 2 stops. We took an Emirates flight from Mumbai to Lima, with stopovers in Dubai and Miami. We had a US Visa, so the stopover at Miami was not an issue
An alternate would be to take a KLM/ Air France flight with stopover at Amsterdam/ Paris where no transit visa is required
We took the Bolivia Hop bus from Cusco to La Paz which traverses through Lake Titicaca, with stops at Puno and Isla del Sol.It takes 24 hours for overall journey
After our Bolivia salt flats tour, we got out through Chilean border and took a flight to Lima from Calama
Itinerary
Our overall itinerary started and ended at Lima
Day 1- Arrival in Lima
Day 2-5: Flight to Puerto Maldonado and Tambopata 4 day tour. Night bus from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco on day 5
Day 6- Acclimatization in Cusco. Visit to Cochahuasi animal sanctuary and application for Bolivia visa
Day 7: Sacred valley day tour
Day 8: Machu Pichu Day tour
Day 9: Rainbow mountain and red valley day tour. Night bus with Peru Hop
Day 10: Puno, Visit to Uros islands. We had planned evening visit to Isla de Sol in Bolivia, but that was cancelled due to bad weather
Day 11: La paz city tour and visit to Valle das las animas. Night bus to Uyuni
Day 12-14: 3 day Uyuni tour covering salt flats, lagoons and geysers, with drop off at San Pedro Atacama in Chile; Night flight to Lima via Santiago
Day 15: Lima day tour
Day 16: Paracas and Huacachina day tour
Day 17: Departure to Mumbai
Currency
We used our zero fee credit cards to withdraw money from ATMs of Banco de Nacional. The limit was 400 soles per transaction with 2 transactions allowed per day. Other bank ATMs allowed higher withdrawal limit from 700-800 soles per day at a fee of 15-40 soles per transaction
Getting around
We used different modes of transport to get around
- Transfers: Quick Llama and Airport Express for Lima airport to downtown and vice-versa. Quick Llama operates in Miraflores area and offers hotel to airport transfer, while Airport express operates at specific stops only
- Uber and Yango for Lima and Cusco intra city transport. Yango is typically cheaper, but also has worser cars
- Civa bus from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco. We were charged a 3.5 soles terminal fee at Puerto Maldonado in addition to bus ticket fee. Pay attention to the entry point which is in one corner of the bus stop- the buses are parked behind the bus stop and they don’t arrive in the front
- Day tours from Machu Pichu reservations for Sacred Valley including Chinchero, Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Pisac; and Rainbow Mountains – Red valley tour
- Peru Hop and Bolivia Hop bus from Cusco to La Paz
Places to visit in Peru
Peru has some of the most diverse places with historic ruins, Amazon forests, indigenous groups, old cities- all adding up to the vibe. We covered Lima, Tambopata, Cusco to get a flavour of city, forest and ancient ruins. We cover each region separately
Around Lima: Historic centre, Miraflores, Paracas, Ballestas Islands, Huacachina
Tambopata-The Amazon wonder famous for Macaw clay lick
Around Cusco: Sacred Valley, Machu Pichu, Rainbow Mountain
Lake Titicaca
We were not sure if we would enjoy the lake and didn’t want to go all the way only to see a lake. Once we got to know that we could get to Bolivia and cover this on the way, we were excited to include it in our itinerary. Interesting fact- The Bolivia Hop bus goes over the lake at some point the journey!
We arrived at Puno at 5 AM and took the 6-8 AM tour to Uros islands for USD 15 per person. We were aware of mixed reviews where tourists felt trapped and pressured to buy goods or take a ride at the islands. The reed islands and the demo provided by the locals on how they built them were interesting! he scenery was also pretty good. We managed to avoid buying stuff but couldn’t avoid the reed boat tour for 10 soles per person
We were skeptical about the 24 hour bus journey, but we could manage it without too much of a problem. The seats were comfortable and frequent stops didn’t make it feel like 24 hour journey. We had 3- 4 guides who jumped in and out across the 24 hour schedule- some helpful, others not much. The tours were not coordinated well- we were not informed about when to pay, where to go to start the tour. We had to keep asking and following groups to figure it out. The info they constantly provide on border crossing on whatsapp group was helpful for sure
Things to know
- Be prepared to deal with high altitudes. They are even higher than Leh/ Ladakh in India. Take a day to acclimatize – drink coco leaf tea, take Diamox if you are not on any other medication
- August is busy season for Machu Pichu and early morning tickets get sold weeks in advance. Book atleast 3-6 months ahead of time on official website
- You can go to Machu Pichu on your own. A tour is not necessary. Book train tickets through Peru/ Inca rail along with bus tickets from Cusco and you are good to go
- Get a bug spray with 20-30% DEET while visiting Amazon
- Booking tours on spot is known to be cheaper. You can try if you are not travelling in peak season
Where we stayed
- Lima Fairfield Miraflores: In the best area Miraflores for foreigners in Lima, close to beaches
- Lima: Sheraton Lima: Closer to airport. We stayed here since our transit time for 7 hours and didn’t want to waste another hour in transit
- Cusco: Inca Town Inn Cusco. Allowed 11 AM checkin, had free coco tea, luggage storage, lukewarm showers and good blankets. Worth the money
- Tambopata: Collpas Inn; Collpa means clay lick. One of the best jungle stays we have had
How much does it cost
We spent $3600 per person (INR 3.2 lac) overall
- Flights: $2300. Emirates from Mumbai to Lima return
- Hotel : $150 at $30-50 per night. Some of the stays are included in tours in Tambopata
- Tours: $400 including Tambopata, Rainbow mountains, Sacred Valley, Island Ballestas- Paracas
- Transport: $450, with majority going to Machu Pichu Trains ($190), Civa bus ($40-50) from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco, Peru Hop ($60), Rainbow mountain motorcycle ($20)
- Food: <$100 (We carry our own food/ shop at supermarkets)
- Entry fee: $120
- Insurance: $25