Peru and Bolivia

[alli]

Has anyone traveled to Peru or Bolivia? What are your thoughts on your favorite places to visit in Peru or Bolivia? Places to avoid? Any other tips?

 

I'm flying to Lima, then taking another flight to a southern area of Peru where we will take a bus to the salt flats in Bolivia. Swing by Cuzco and Machu Picchu when we come back, then see the beaches in Lima when we head back up there for our return flight.

 

I've had a moderate amount of travel experience and two of my other companions have had a lot. We know to be discreet with money or other flashy items. One is a native Spanish speaker. We are avoiding traveling to the restricted places listed on the CIA website and will get necessary vaccinations/preventative medications beforehand. So basically, I'm just looking for any other good ideas of places to visit, or suggestions of things to definitely not do! I predict that not many people have traveled to these places to I'm guessing I won't get many replies but it's worth a shot!

[JulianaF57]

Stay off the mountainsides in the rainy season.

[alli]

That's a good point. We will be there in the rainy season, too.

[petite]

Quite a lot of people do visit SA, perhaps not many regular Ena-ers, but I know a ton of people that have been and had a great time. Sophie is now traveling accross South America, and she will be there for over a year.

My husband and I trekked the Inca trail for almost a week as a part of our honeymoon (we went to Revelstoke, Hawaii, Peru, Dubai & Maldives), and we stayed in Lima for a few days before the trek.

I wrote this in my old journal but anyway, here is a paragraph I wrote after our honeymoon (We were there in January)

"We used a private tour guide and had a friend also come with us who used to work as a tour guide and then of course we had porters. I'd say it was definitely one of the most memorable trips I've ever taken and my husband agrees. We learned a lot about the Peruvian culture, spent most of the time talking to our guide and porters who were very sweet. I would also say if one plans to complete the 43km mountainous trail they really need to be generally fit because it can be quite difficult at times, the guide also told us that it isn't recommended for those with a fear of heights or balance to hike the Inca Trail, and one should also have a good level of fitness. I've read about that before and most people and websites say the same thing but another thing I came accross online were suggestions that people spend a few days in Cusco to give their body time to acclimatize which will help you stop feeling breathless or dizzy during the trek. We only spent a day and night in Cusco, but were completely fine during the trek. It's definitely in our future plan to go back and do it all over again.

 

We took our own hiking shoes and other necessities for the Inca Trail, but you really don't need much. They provide you with camping gear including tents, stove, cooking equipment, sleeping bags, pads, food, utensils and you also have porters that carry all the equipment. All you have to bring is a lamp, clothing and whatever else you think you might want/need, there are plenty of lists online of what one might need. We did leave everything else that we didn't need in Cusco. I know some people are apprehensive about leaving their belongings, but we weren't too fazed, we took whatever we deemed important with us like passports, mobile phones (even though reception is not available until 3rd day and it's really difficult to even get a decent signal) camera etc. We researched beforehand what kind of clothing we would need so we went with that."

 

You probably know already but gold jewelry, watches, earrings, most flashy things like designer clothing, handbags, are what pickpocketers look for, so just take basics and things that aren't expensive. I actually didn't take my engagement ring because I felt it would attract too much attention and our most prized possessions were our weddings bands and camera which we always kept on us, and of corpse passports.

 

If you want a tour guide mountain lodges of Peru have great tour guides and they will save you a lot of time, also can give you tips on which areas to avoid. Just because a neighborhood is buzzing during the day it might not be like that at night.

I've heard of some taxis being a bit sketchy so you could always have the hotel write any number plates of the taxis you take just so there is a record, not everyone does that but it's an extra added step. Supposedly crimes usually take place where there are a lot of tourists.

 

The Miraflores area is pretty safe and nice, you'll find many European and American tourists are around there, most dangerous parts of Lima are the outskirts where the slums are located, avoid back alleys.

 

People always over-exaggerate a bit, some have a good experience and others don't. If you go walking around dangerous parts of course things can happen, but things happen in other countries too.

We found the locals really friendly and helpful, most people we met were super nice and we really enjoyed our trip. I personally can't wait to go back and trek the Inca trail again.

[Foxface]

Do not order guinea pig. The serve it whole and sometimes mold it to make it stand up!!!

[alli]

Thanks for the tips petite. We aren't hiking the trail. One of my travel companions (my mom, actually) is in her late fifties & couldn't handle that, especially with a recent knee injury.

 

I will definitely avoid going out at night, even in places that look ok during the day. I'll leave my ring at home also & get a cheap watch. The most expensive looking thing I will be flashing is my backpacking bag. I've had it for 5 years but I don't backpack a lot so it looks new.

 

That's a good idea to leave the taxi plate number with the hotel. That reminds me that the state department (or whoever the official capacity of the US in Peru is) has a list of taxi companies that their employees are allowed to use; they aren't allowed to take taxis with anyone else. I'll be sure to print off that list.

 

I'll have to look into Miraflores!

 

I agree that it can be dangerous, you just have to figure out what is exaggerated and what is not. I live in a relatively safe place that had 3 shootings & 1 stabbing last weekend. I don't think twice about going almost anywhere, but I don't go places that I don't need to go and I definitely don't go places at night. And I've never thought "omg, it's way too dangerous here!"

 

Do not order guinea pig. The serve it whole and sometimes mold it to make it stand up!!!

 

Oh god. I need to look up "guinea pig" in Spanish.