Advice from anyone who has done this route about things to see along the way, would be great. I have about a month. Is Guyaquil worth visiting, and how is the Peru/Ecuador border for crossing?
Thanks.
Reply to this Hi Eden,
I did pretty much the same route but in reverse. As you're travelling north through Peru I'd suggest you stop at Trujillo to see Chan Chan and the surrounding temples and maybe Cajamarca and Chiclayo. If you want to go to the beach, Mancora is easy to reach from Piuara. The best border crossing is at Macara (not the main one) as it's a lot quieter and more straight-forward. You can get buses from Piura that take you right to the border, let you off to deal with the formalities, and then pick you up the other side. There's also less chance of being accosted by fake money changers or other scams than if you went via the main crossing. There's an official money change at the border although you could always just take some dollars with you and then use cashpoints once you're in Ecuador. Personally I'd say Guayaquil isn't worth the visit as you only have a month unless you're using it as a stepping stone to the Ecuadorian beaches or to Galapagos.
If you get the Piura (Peru) to Loja (Ecuador) then you could go to Vilcabamba which is the perfect place to relax for a few days, or continue to Cuenca. Within Ecuador I'd say definitely try to see Cuenca, Quito, maybe Baños or Riobamba if you want to do the devil nose train and Laguna Quilotoa. You could get to Quito a few days early and do trips to the cloud forest at Mindo or Otavalo market as well. Check out my blogs from 2007 if you want some info about places.
Whatever you do, have a great time!
Reply to this That's really helpful, i'll definately check out your blog...any questions i'll get back to you.
Thanks
Reply to this Hello Eden,
if you want to stay in central Lima, I can recommend a wonderful hostel just behind San Francisco church:
http://www.hotelespanaperu.com/ingles/home.html
A single room is about 26 soles, dorm bed 20. I went there 3 times and found it the best place in Peru! Lima's historic center is really worth a visit. I know that most people stay in Miraflores saying that it's safer, but the historic center shows more of real Lima and is very safe since there are policemen everywhere you go looking after you.
Have a wonderful time!
Saskia
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