I am traveling to Peru in May 2010 to do an internship for three weeks. After the internship I am hiking the Inca Trail. Following the Inca Trail I have approximately 2 weeks to travel and have no idea where to go! Suggestions?
I am traveling to Peru in May 2010 to do an internship for three weeks. After the internship I am hiking the Inca Trail. Following the Inca Trail I have approximately 2 weeks to travel and have no idea where to go! I am also a little nervous about traveling alone as a female and was wondering if people would suggest I join a tour group?
I am open to any location but do not want to try to fit too much in. I was thinking of maybe heading up to Ecuador. Do people have suggestions of where to go there? I have heard whispers of a beach community called Montanitas...has anyone else heard about this place and if so, advice on getting there? How long and where to stay? what to do? etc...
Also anyone know if it is possible to get an open water certificate in that short time and if so a good location to do it? Obviously I am leaning towards getting some beach time in (although I realize it won't be that warm during early June) but I am also open to other things if there are some must see things. In sum any suggestions of how to fill the time or where to go would be great!
Are their other places I should try to go besides or in addition to Ecuador in those two weeks?
Lastly, if I choose to keep my plans rather lose but want to buy my plane ticket asap where would people recommend I fly in and out of that would be convenient to an open travel schedule but not require going too far out of my way if I don't make it that far from Peru?
Thanks in advance!
Reply to this If you only have 2 weeks - why wont you see more of Peru? there is plenty to see and do around Cosco (where you will be anyway for the Inca trail). If you are into water sports - there is some great rafting out of Cosco and its prices are very low compared to the rest of the world. You could also go to the jungle - we have done a great tour of 8 days into Manoo National Park. Though I am not as young as you and not traveling alone - You could see some of what we have done in Peru in these blogs
Adrenaline In Our Veins... and
Nature and Culture in Southern Peru. ENJOY!!!
Reply to this Montañita is on the coast just 4 and a half hours north of guayaquil, lovely spot for relaxing and also for surfing, i think it is very warm all year round , though its worth noting that its cloudy most of the year except the summer months. mancora is a similar sort of beach town in northern peru which in contrast, has sun all of the year however the social aspect of montañita is better.
i would tend to agree with sapir in saying that there is a lot you can do without going far from cusco. you would certainly be able to spend a few days in cusco, its also worth noting , if you dont already know that you can buy tours in cusco which involve a few days of seeing the many historical sights around cusco then simply take a bus to machu picchu in half an hour from the town of aguas calientes, the lazy mans option perhaps, but i did that and still got plenty of culture and a full day in machu picchu. if you go at around 5,30 you will arrive before most people and have the place virtually to yourself.
with regard to travelling on your own, i cannot comment on a tour group, but i can say that if you travel on your own staying in hostels etc.. you will most likely meet lots of people and have a great time. just be an early bird when travelling around and mind your things when on buses, and you should not be in any danger.
there is a place in peru called Ica, i have not been there but it is a desert oasis where you can do sand boarding, i would say you should check that out as it is not too far from Lima. also keep in mind, Titicaca lake is about 7 hours bus from cusco, this is another place where you can get to see some of the beautiful culture of the andes.
if your focusing on peru you could fly in and out of LIMA, and if you decide to go to ecuador you could fly back to lima and to guayaqui. then bus it to montañita and fly out from guayaquil. this wil cost a bit, but with only two weeks , i would do it that way. accomodation in montañita can be as low as 5 dollars a night. heaven!
enjoy!
Reply to this Hey guys thanks for the advice. So here is the thing I will be in Cusco for 3 weeks interning. I assume I will go see Nasca, Lake Titicaca and maybe do some white water rafting on the weekends. Now that you mentioned Ica I will have to check that out too!
After my three weeks in Cusco, I am hiking the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu with a group SAS Peru. That is already scheduled. So around June 2nd I will be back in Cusco and looking to venture out and see some more of SA for about 2 weeks before I return to the US sometime between the 13-15th of June.
Are you suggesting that I fly from SF into Lima and then out of Guayaqui back to SF? or that I fly roundtrip to Lima and fly back to Lima from Guayaqui? If it is only $40 more to fly roudtrip to Cusco should I do that since I need to be in Cusco May 9?
What does anyone think about trying to go to the Galapagos? How much time would I need to spend? Would you recommend that over spending some time in Mancora? or Montanita? Could I fit in all three?
What would be the best way to get from Cusco to Mancora?
If I am going to try to some time in the Amazon, where would you suggest I go and how should I do it?
Getting Excited!
Reply to this One more thing. It is cheaper for me to fly round trip from SFO to Cuzco than to Fly round trip to Lima and then buy a one way ticket to Lima but is it going to be an hassle or expensive to try to get back to Cuzco to fly back to SFO? Am I better off spending a little more to fly out of Lima at the end of my time in SA?
Reply to this yes i was suggesting that you may be able to fly home from guayaquil if you go to ecuador but it all depends on what flight deals you find.
so you will be in cusco from may 9 to june second right? then you have two weeks free before going home..
so if your going home from cusco , than you will have to fly back to cusco from where ever you happen to go during those two weeks. i would be looking for a flight home from guayaquil or lima as chances are you would have to go through Lima anyway.
if you go to the Galapagos you could fit in some of Montañita because Guayaquil is a stop over point for both. and you might be able to fly form Lima to Guayaquil then pop over to Montañita for a couple of days before or after your Galapagos trip.
Mancora is a little more out of the way, going to Mancora from guayaquil is a 12 hour bus, from Lima is 16 hours by bus. the nearest airport is Piura (i think) and i believe its still a few hours away by bus.
you might get in 2 of the three, i would find it a bit hectic trying to fit in all three in such short time , but im sure there are people who have done it.
Reply to this check "star peru" website for flights between lima and cusco, could be from 100 to 150 dollars
Reply to this There's so much to see in and around Cusco besides Macchu Pichu and the Inca Trail. I recommend heading to Puno on Lake Titticaca (approx 8 hours by bus from Cusco), where you can go on tours to visit the islands. You will experience some great Andean culture and amazing scenery. Also, if you've time, the trek to the bottom of Canyon del Colca near Arequipa is awesome, you can bathe in the Oasis at the bottom and hire a horse to help you back up.
Reply to this Awesome advice everyone. I am starting to think that I might just stay in Peru after all. There does seem to be soo much to see and I don't want to miss out.
I think that instead of trying to do Lake Titicaca or Nasca on the weekends during my internship in Cuzco, I will make them part of my two weeks afterwards so I can really take in everything that Cuzco and the surrounding areas have to offer in my three weeks there. After the Inca Trail I'm thinking I will head to the Southern Amazon, then go to Puno and see Lake Titicaca etc..,then go to Arequipa and see Colca Canyon, from there head north and hit the Nasca Lines, Ica SandBoarding, Pisca and the Islas Balletas and then up to Lima and then back to California.
Does that seem doable in two weeks time?
Reply to this Hi! I am going to be there right around the same time as you. I will be there May thru August but in Peru for May. although nothing is set in stone. Email me on this site- I think you can do it privately? I am new so not sure but I'd rather not give my exact travel details publicly...
Reply to this 
