Hi, I am planning a trip and wanted some advise and suggestions.
Lima to Nasca: Take the cruzdelsur bus to Nasca and book the airflight over the Nasca Lines.
Nasca: Nasca Lines trip. Get out of Nasca as I heard nothing there and bus to Arequipa by cruzdelsur.
Arequipa for couple of days.
Take bus to Puno (does anyone know how long? does not say on the site). Overnight.
Go either for a day trip to Lake Titicaca or stay overnight homestay.
Then bus to Cusco from Puno but cruzdelsur does not hv any bus there. Can anyone recommend how we can get to Cusco?
Should we spend more time in Puno or Arequipa? Is the homestay worth it espeically since none of us can speak Spanish and may not be able to converse with the local family there?
We are a group of 6 and none of us speak Spanish.
Thanks!
Reply to this Hi Rachel,
How long are you travelling for?
The bus from Arequipa to Puno is about 5 hours. If you're travelling overnight plan your Lake Titicaca trip for the day you get there, and then get the bus straight out after you have finished on the lake - not much to see there! I would spend more time in Arequipa.
I didn't do a homestay, but the people I know who have weren't very empressed.
Plenty of other companies have busses to Cusco, but check a few days before you plan to travel that the country isn't striking - the roads to Cusco are the ones they block first.
Don't worry about not speaking Spanish, take a small phrase book and you will learn very quickly.
Have a good time.
Reply to this Hi discostew
Thanks for that! I think you are right about the homestay and will probably spend more time in Arequipa. That leg of the trip will be around Dec 1 to 15. Before that I am traveling alone in Bolivia for 3 weeks. Hv you been there? Is it ok for a female traveler with no spanish although I am trying to learn some basic ones.
I am also thinking of hanging out for a week in Trujillo and learn how to surf and explore the sites there. May skip the Amazon as its raining season and I lived in Asia so see quite abit of rainforest here.
Rach
Reply to this Hello Rachel,
I just returned from a trip to Peru where the itinerary was the same as the one you are considering. While in Arequipa, we enjoyed the trip to the Colca Canyon to see the magnificent Andean Condors. Puno itself was not as impressive but the day trip on Lake Titicaca was excellent. Most of the people that we met who experienced a homestay there were not so impressed. Be careful when you book your trip; there are many companies who will tell you one thing and deliver something else. Unfortunately I did not find any negative reviews of the company that I booked with until after I made the booking in February. As it turned out, all of the negative reviews were 100% correct. Good luck! I'm sure that you will have the trip of a lifetime.
Jeff
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