Trek the famous Machu Picchu, explore cities, go surfing or check out the sand dunes. There's something for everybody in this magnificent country. I was limited on time here so I've only seen Lima and Cusco but I'll go back one day to see the rest.
Lima:
I'm going to be honest, I wish I didn't spend as much time here as I did, we stayed for 3 nights and it was more than enough.
I stayed at the Flying Dog hostel which is in the area of the hot spot of things to do. It was $15 a night to stay here and it had free breakfast. Behind the hostel is a cat park where stray cats just hang out, hundreds of them, that's either your worst nightmare or a single person's dream. I ended up having a cat follow me back to the hostel and he stayed in my bed for the night, sweet little tabby.
We spent one the days walking to all the Mercados (markets) and those were just hectic but fun to experience. I felt tall walking around and I'm 5'3 so I can only imagine how normal normal people would feel. We caught a taxi to Gamarra market which is known for being one of the craziest markets in Peru and that it is. We got bombarded by people, tried some picarones (donuts) and saw how a Peruvian lives their day to day life. We took a cab to Museo Larco which ended up being a sex museum.
Local food here is cheap, our average meal cost was $3 with a drink. Pisco sour is there delicacy cocktail and you can find that anywhere, as well you have to try some local ceviche!
They offer a free walking tour where we met in the park and they brought us to a pub to start the day off with a free beer. We took buses and explored downtown Lima, learnt some facts about the buildings and history, had some empanadas , churros and a Pisco sour. It was a fun experience and probably the best part of Lima. Although the tour is free the guides survive off tips so bring some small bills to tip them.
Cusco:
Altitude is crazy here, bring medicine to avoid sickness and drink tons of water.
We stayed at Ukukus hostel which was about a 10 minute walk into central Cusco. The hostel was nice and quiet, probably had the comfiest bed and the largest kitchen I've seen in a hostel. We paid $12 a night and just stayed a couple nights before beginning our Machu Picchu trek to get used to the altitude.
San Pedro market is a well known market, full of colours, food, souvenirs and basically anything you can think of. We did lunch quite a bit here and paid around $3-5 per meal. Polleria is a great place to grab food, costs about $4 for a huge plate of chicken, rice, french fries and an Inca Cola.
Being in Peru you will see alpacas, everywhere. We went to an alpaca farm called "Awana Kancha" which was free but they accept donations. To get here we took a shared cambi to Pisac which dropped us off right at the entrance.
Everywhere in and anywhere in Cusco you can find a massage, we went to a place by the central square and paid $30 for an hour and it was so relaxing and worth every penny.
Machu Picchu:
Can't go to Peru without seeing Machu Picchu. This is what brought our trip price up but completely worth it. You have to book in advance especially if you want the Inca Trail. Unfortunately we booked a little to late (3 months in advance) and it was sold out so we went with the Lares trek and booked through Kanoo Tours. We paid $600 each for our 4 day trek including: Transportation for start of the trek and train back to Cusco, entrance to Machu Picchu, tour guide, all of our food while on the trek, camping equipment (you can rent sleeping bags if you didn't bring one), porters to carry camping equipment and 1 night stay at the hostel in Aguas Calientes.
*You must bring your passport to get into Machu Picchu*
The Lares trek begins with hot springs for about an hour then you begin the hike from there. We hiked for 3 full days for 11 hours a day. We spent the night in tents in locals backyards but it was absolutely freezing so pack warm. The hike was a decent difficulty and the altitude made it hard to breathe but the views were gorgeous. The food during the trek was unbelievably delicious, the portions were huge and there was such an assortment for every meal.
The day you go up to Machu Picchu you'll wake up at 3:30AM eat a quick breakfast and head to the entrance, the line up was huge but you go over the bridge and begin going up stairs. After 1735 steps you get to the top and experience the sunrise over Machu Picchu and you explore for the day and leave whenever you are ready, we stayed for most of the day and trained back to Cusco after dinner time.
I recommend doing the trek whether it's the 2 day or 5 day it's an experience you'll never forget.
Overall summary for Peru:
- Even when it's cloudy the sun in Peru is intense
- Uses soles or US dollars for currency
- Keep a close eye on your belongings
- Try guinea pig, it's a Peruvian delicacy and you can find it at the markets
- When buying souvenirs always bargain
