tips if u visit Peru!!

Hey, i'm a new member in this forum,..i was reading all the comments about people who wants to visit Peru.. well let me introduce myself ..i'm Lyseet from Lima, Peru.. i had been living in Lima for 21 years..now i'm residing at Ohio, US.. my country is wonderful, and have amazing sigthseeings.. i did lots of tourism in Peru. I visited Chiclayo,Huancayo, Trujillo, Cajamarca, Lambayeque, Huaraz,Apurimac, Cuzco, Iquitos and Tacna. There r many options you can take,, if u want to visit the Andes, i'd recommend Cuzco, Huancayo and Puno. If u like tropical weather then visit the Amazonas, Iquitos,Tarapoto or even Cajamarca.. finally if u enjoy the city or the beaches then visit Ica, Paracas, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Tumbes.
The exchange is 3 soles = 1 dolar ...
I love my country but consider these tips so nobody will take advantage of u:

NEVER EXCHANGE MONEY IN THE STREETS..NEVER... go to "casa de cambios" or exchange houses, they r easy to find anywhere in Peru... Please , listen to me,, there's many tricks those people in the streets know how to cheat on you,,

ALWAYS "REGATEA" the price u r going to pay..it means try always to ask for the lowest price in anything u r goin to buy or take,,..because u look foreign taxi drivers, street vendors and everyone else will try to make you pay more, double or even triple for the service or product u wanna get... say " no, gracias, es muy caro.. yo solo pago( and then just say the half price they r asking for) 3 soles or 2 soles..etc.

NEVER TRUST IN TAXI DRIVERS OR PEOPLE WHO WANTS TO HELP YOU FOR FREE....DO NOT LEAVE UR LUGGAGE OR BACKPACKS ALONE... it's easy for them to take off and rob ur stuff..so be aware,,

IF UR BUDGET IS LOW,TOURS ARE WAY TOO EXPENSIVE FOR U.. there are some places u can visit without guides. YOU BETTER TAKE TOURS IN THE CITY U R VISITING,NOT IN LIMA BECAUSE IS MORE EXPENSIVE..For example, if u go to CUZCO,,as soon as u get there go to EL SOL avenue, and there is many travel agencies that have tours for convenient prices.. but not in CUZCO PLAZA, where is double price for the same tour..If u want to spend less money then follow these simple steps: arrive in Cuzco airport, take a taxi and pay no more than 5 soles to the taxi driver.. ask him( Por favor Lleveme a un hotel que no este tan cerca de la Plaza y que no sea caro,pero que cuente con todos los servicios)" Please take me to a hotel that is not expensive but that include all services ,nearby the city but not in Cuzco Plaza." Then as soon as u get in the hotel unpack ur things, and take a taxi to the train station( just pay 3 soles) get a ticket for the bus to Aguas calientes and the train to macchupicchu. or if u want a guide tour,go to EL SOL avenue, u will find travel agencies over there ( actually if u go there then they will get the ticket to macchupicchu for u)Go to the front desk in your hotel and ask them if they can wake u up the next morning bacause u r going to take the train to macchupicchu..they all know at what time the train leaves,but make sure if u don't have an alarm clock to let them know. TAKE SOME FRUITS OR LIGTH FOOD if u go to macchupicchu,,it's more expensive to buy food in aguas calientes ...the total trip is about 4 hours, buy some coca leaves or CARAMELOS DE MENTA for 0.50 centimos, just in case u feel dizzy.

I got tired to write hehe ... WELL if u have any doubts, or questions just send me an email : ..i will be glad to answer any concerns about ur trip to Peru ... ciao

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Climate: April will be late spring pushing summer 62 to 78 degrees in Lima ... Clothes, just some tennis shoes , jeans,,spring clothes but always take a jacket.. if it rains it'll be just a shower rain ,,nothin to worry about. For the most part people dress casually. Parties in Miraflores and Barranco districts..lots of bars and clubs ,that's where global tourists go..look for "hostales" or small hotels where u can stay ..i'd suggest for less than 30 soles a nigth in Barranco.. the cheaper hostals are around 10 to 20 soles in bad area,so be aware.. Tourist agents in Barranco offers city tours for affordable prices, if u go by yourself be alert where u r goin specially in Lima center.. people will offer help if u r lost, just ask 😉 ..make sure ur LIma tour includes visiting "Museo de la Nacion"(7 soles ticket),"Casa de la Moneda", if u have time go to "Palomino island" or " el fronton island in Callao ..take ur camera because there is lots of spanish influence architecture, andean culture, ..if someone offer u CUY is guinea pig.. CEVICHE, kinda Sushi,,raw fish... always carry bottled water... Lima is quite cheap, menues are around U$ 1.50 ... if u want to buy souvenirs go to " Centro comercial Santo Domingo" in Lima center,,lots of cool artisans handicrafts.,etc.. post another message if u have more questions !! 😉

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Hey! I am hoping to plan a trip to Peru in the following year, probably end up going in May 2009, could you please tell me about places to go, lodging, and the climate in Ica? Thanks so much! Reply to this

Hi Jvav,

It much depends on your budget. Definitely you should visit Machu Picchu, Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, but remember that Peru has much more to offer, its mega diversity gives the possibility of experiencing many different climates and geographical areas within a relatively short period of time.

Ica is dry, hot and with plenty of sunshine during daytime, but temperatures tend to drop a little bit at nights. If you visit Ica don't miss Paracas, Islas Ballestas National Reserve and of course overflight the Nasca Lines. By the way, May is a very good time to visit Peru as the rainy season is over by then and the high season won't have started yet. And don't forget the Amazon rainforest... Reply to this

1 posts moved to this new topic: Please help with my itinery Reply to this

amazon tours,
the only international flights into Peru are through Lima, so plan on visiting "Iquitos" or other northern cities then talk to locals about touring the Amazon river and its surroundings. Stay away from travel agencies and people promoting tours, they always charge tourists far more money. Locals can fix you up with cheaper day tours or more extensive jungle explorations. If in Iquitos ask about short trips to see "Belen city" or the Yagua tribe. these are short tours to really experience jungle wildlife an scenary if you are not able to go all out with inner jungle tours..... if you are able to visit health clinics in the USA get shots for Yellow fever and anything else they may recommend.
Have a nice and pleasant trip.keep asking,i'm here to help.
Lyseet Reply to this

Fot the person travelling to Ica... I used to live in Peru and thought I knew all the robbery tricks but some sneaky taxi drivers got one over on me in Ica. Just a wee heads up! If you're getting a bus there and have luggage stored below the bus in the 'bodega' make sure you retrieve it asap and don't let any taxi drivers unload your things off the bus. Wait for a while and then get a taxi.

Anyway, don't let that put you off, the Huacachina oasis is a great place to go to when you're in Ica. Bring comfy,light clothes for sandboarding! 😊
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Hey Clinton

To be honest, it would really be a rather expensive and rushed trip. There are flights from Lima to Cuzco several times daily that could get you there, but you'd be looking at about $200 per person, just for the flights to Cuzco.

If you got the 12:00 flight on the day you arrived in Lima and went straight to Cuzco, you would arrive at 13:15.

Unfortunately the only train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes leaves in the morning at 07:42, so you could spend the day looking round Cuzco and catch it in the morning. The journey takes just over three hours and costs $48 for an economy seat. There are two train stations in Cusco. Trains from Machu Picchu leave from San Pedro station, at Calle Cascaparo (at intersection of Cascapara and Santa Clara).

Currently the train service is suspended due to the repair work needed after the devastating storms earlier this year. PeruRail have said they expect the service to reopen on 29th March.

Once in Aguas Calientes, you need to get a bus to Machu Picchu. If you are visiting Machu Picchu just for one day, you should get off the train at Puente Ruinas Train Station. Puente Ruinas is located at the end of the town and closer to Machu Picchu. The bus station is located opposite the station. If you are a day visitor, then you don't need to go to Aguas Calientes town. Just get off the train, join line for the bus tickets, and take the bus to the ruin. Tickets cost about $6 return.

Once you have spent the day up at Machu Picchu, there are a few nice hostals to stay at in Aguas Calientes, and you can enjoy the natural hot springs that give the town its name. Return to Cuzco the next afternoon via the train - it leaves at 16:45 and arrives back in Cuzco just before 9pm. You'd have to spend another night in Cusco and get an early flight out to catch your flight home.

As I said, it's very rushed and expensive, but it is doable. I personally would recommend taking more time over it and coming back at another point to see it properly.

Hope that helps

Danielle
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Stay at the Miraflores house. It is the best hostel in town.

Eric Fieland

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Hello, I am new here and tried posting my question on the South America thread, but it's saying it's a private forum, so I apologize ahead of time for posting in this thread.

My question: I will be traveling from Houston to Lima, Peru mid-June and will be traveling for 10 weeks through Bolivia, Argentina and maybe Brazil. Should I book my flight back to Houston from Lima or from Rio de Janeiro? Maybe even out of Buenos Aires? The flight out of Rio or BA is only $100-$150 more than a roundtrip in and out of Lima.

Possible routes? Peru>Bolivia>Argentina>Brazil>Houston or Peru>Bolivia>Argentina>Houston or Peru>Bolivia>Argentina>Brazil>Peru or Peru>Bolivia>Argentina>Peru or Peru>Bolivia>Peru

I will be on a relatively small budget as I'm covering myself and my brother. It's his first time backpacking and he'll only be there for the first 2 weeks, but this affects my plans after he's gone in terms of finances. Is it cheaper to use buses/trains back to Peru or more expensive? Is it worth it paying for a visa to Brazil or should I just plan a different trip at a different time to Brazil?

Lastly, how do I post my own questions on a new thread?

Thanks so much in advance. Reply to this