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Peru Travel Ideas
Before you choose your Peru travel experience or start putting together your perfect itinerary with our various modules, you might want to take a look closer at the destinations on the map and find out more about the travel routes. It will help you get a better idea of the various transport options and how best to plan your trip.
The planning of your Peru travel route completely depends on your personal preferences, what kind of activities you had in mind and by which means you want to get there. The climate and weather during the time of year you want to travel, as well as altitude are also an important factor. The Peru travel ideas we’ve outlined on this page should help you in planning your trip, either by using our Peru tours or by choosing from one of our Peru holidays.
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Peru travel ideas: Logical travel routes
You’ll probably begin your trip in Lima, Peru. After spending a night or two in the capital city, recovering from your jetlag and adjusting to the climate you can take the scheduled bus along the coast to the Islas Ballestas, Nazca lines and Huacachina oasis. Another bus ride will take you to Arequipa, the base from which to discover the Colca Canyon. From Arequipa you can travel further inland to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Finally, take the bus north to Cuzco and the highlight of your trip: Machu Picchu. From Cuzco it’s a short flight back to Lima where you can catch your connecting flight back home, or head further west to explore the Amazonian jungle at Puerto Maldonado or Manu.
If you want to combine Peru with Bolivia then the most logical route is from Lima to Arequipa as described above, then on to Cuzco and Machu Picchu before heading south to Puno and Lake Titicaca. From Titicaca you can travel further into Bolivia. At the end of your Bolivia trip you can fly back from La Paz, or if you want to see more of the country, further south from Santa Cruz.
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Alternatively you could start your trip in Bolivia, in which case we recommend starting in Santa Cruz rather than La Paz. That way your body can slowly adjust to the altitude and thin air, before travelling across the mountain plateaus to La Paz and Lake Titicaca and crossing the border into Peru to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. If you have the time, you could also include northern Chile in your itinerary.
These are just a couple of Peru travel ideas but if you have your own ideas then feel free to discuss them with us. We’ll help you put together your ideal itinerary based on your own preferences.
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Peru travel ideas: How to travel across Peru and Bolivia
Peru and Bolivia are typical overland travel destinations. Driving across spectacular ever-changing landscapes and chatting to the locals as you trundle along are a fundamental part of your travel experience. A large chunk of your local transfers will be by scheduled bus; comfortable long-distances buses with reserved seating. We’ll book the seats for you in advance and you’ll get the tickets from our local agent.
The infrastructure in Bolivia is a less developed than in Peru. The buses are old and basic and particularly compared to the luxury coaches on some of the routes in Peru, so don’t expect too much comfort. We’ll try to arrange the best possible transport for you. Some routes are fun to do by train so if it makes sense, we’ll plan it into your itinerary. It’s better to cover the longer distances by domestic flight, for example Santa Cruz to Sucre in Bolivia. For more information check out our transport page.
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Peru travel ideas: Transfers in your Peru and Bolivia trip
Most of your small transfers (from the airport to your hotel, hotel to bus station) are included in your itinerary. If it makes senses to arrange the transfers ahead we’ll do so for you, but if its easier (and cheaper) to arrange locally yourself, for example a short taxi ride in large city we’ll leave it up to you. It will give you the chance to experience the typical local transport like rickshaws or motor taxis, and it gives you more flexibility on your trip. Of course we’ll give you all the details on costs and how you best to arrange your local transfers yourself.
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Peru travel ideas: Accommodation
We've selected the hotels for our tours to Peru based on central location, comfort and atmopshere. You'll mostly be staying in small-scale accommodation, with en-suite rooms and usually small bar or restaurant a patio and lounge. Breakfast is included in the price. We go out of our way to find authentic accommodation that really reflects the local surroundings. This could be a traditional posada, a colonial villa, a converted monastery, a finca (farm) or jungle lodge. The variety of accommodation really adds a special touch to your Peru trip. They're not just a place to spend the night, but we like to think of it as part of your travel experience and a way to experience the local cutlure. If you'd like to spoil yourself with a bit more luxury, no problem. We offer several types of accommodation in our 'luxury' category, for example our eco-lodge at Cuzco. For more information, check out our accommodation page.
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Peru travel ideas: Seeing the sights
On your Peru and Bolivia trip you can easily make your own plans for exploring the local sights. Taxis (usually small Daewoo’s) and rickshaws are very affordable. Trips to Machu Picchu (limited number of permits), boat trips on Lake Titicaca and trips into the Amazonian jungle are booked ahead by us. These excursions are usually in small groups of maximum 10-15 people. Click here for more information on outdoor activities in Peru and Bolivia.
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Peru travel ideas: Language
We’re assuming the majority of our travellers aren’t exactly fluent in Spanish, which is why most of our excursions are accompanied by an English-speaking guide. But not always; for a short transfer booking an English speaking guide just adds to the cost so expect to have a Spanish speaking driver / guide. They usually speak a couple of words of English and will get you to where you need to go. On our longer excursions we’ve arranged an English speaking guide to help you get the most out of your holiday. We’ve mentioned in the modules where a guide is included. Still, it helps to carry a small Spanish travel dictionary with you!
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Peru travel ideas: Our local agent
We work with reliable local partners in Peru and Bolivia. Because the infrastructure is limited in places and the political situation can be unpredictable at times, we think it’s vital to have a reliable partner on site. It’s reassuring to know that our local partners are available 24 hours a day in case of an emergency so you’ll always have someone to turn to for assistance. Our travel specialists have travelled extensively through Peru and Bolivia so we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. Click on our team page to meet the team. Feel free to give us a call or drop us an email.
We hope you enjoy your Peru and Bolivia travel adventure!
