Has anyone been on the Peru trip and give any tips for people who have not been to this part of the world?

I also would like to chat to anyone who is going on this trip on this date

Thanks

Carol

went to Peru last year ( September ) im sure there is a good review somewhere if you look in the reviews section, however take a variety of clothing and I think August may be wet, you'll need a rain mac handy and for the Ballestas Islands as you get lots of spray water but the waters weren't too bad with also some head gear though you will be swarmed there with sellers selling hats etc to catch any bird muck, you may also need your summer wear once you move away from Lima, Paracas and some warm cardigans for the chilly mornings and Cusco could be chilly, the altitude was a problem with many but as long as you take it easy don't rush and drink the cocoa tea that's supplied all should be well, we really enjoyed Peru although we went with Travelsphere, Ariquiba was most people's favourite place and of course machu picchu a wonderful experience

anything else you wish to know please ask

regards

Dave

I went to Peru with Travelsphere in August this year and had a wonderful time. I wrote a review which you will be able to find in the review section, although you will probably find others relating to previous departures in there as well. Travelsphere's tour is more comprehensive than JY's, so I would suggest that you compare the two itineraries and decide which one you would prefer.

Altitude sickness affects different people in different ways; anything from headaches to difficulty in breathing or walking around so, as Dave suggests, take things slowly and easily when you reach the higher altitudes. The Travelsphere tour is designed so that you ascend gradually (I'm sure JY's would be designed along similar lines) and consequently have the opportunity to acclimatize. Coca tea is supposed to help but, not liking tea, I only tried it once and hated it so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness. It is however widely available and many people on the tour did drink it. One thing I can recommend is that you don't drink alcohol at the higher altitudes - I drank nothing but water with my meals for four days and I'm sure that helped me cope reasonably well, although I did feel completely drained for half a day at Lake Titicaca (12,500ft).

In terms of weather, Lima is affected by a grey coastal fog called 'Garua' from May to September so in August the weather there may not be so good, but once you leave the coastal plain, you should get many clear days as their winter is the high (dry) season in Peru. Personally, I think it's worth sacrificing a couple of days of 'iffy' weather in Lima to get the best chance of seeing the majority of the country in better conditions. We had grey clouds in Lima but wonderful weather in Arequipa (which as Dave says is a beautiful city), Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu and less than half a day's rain in Cuzco.

In terms of clothing, you would need to take layers for the higher altitudes where it can be very cold under an azure blue sky. Temperatures in Lima are fairly mild and, if you book the amazon add-on, long-sleeves, long trousers and good walking boots are the order of the day.

Peru is one of the most spectacular countries it has ever been my privilege to visit. Landscapes range from high mountains, snow-capped volcanoes and ancient civilizations to hot, steamy jungle, so I would encourage you to book it.

If you have any further questions please ask and I'll do my best to answer them.

Cheers

Mike

I was on the same trip to Peru as Dave. It was the Travelsphere trip that we did rather than the Just You trip as did Mike.

The Just You trip doesn't include Paracas or the Ballestas Islands so if you do the JY trip there are no worries about getting drenched by ocean spray.

I totally agree with Dave and Mike's comments.

We compared the JY trip with the TS trip. The TS trip was about 3 or 4 days longer than the JY trip but even after paying a single room supplement it was still only approximately £100 more expensive than the JY trip. Obviously the TS trip is mainly couples but we were fortunate to have 8 solo travellers on our departure date. I met Dave on this forum before we went to Peru so although we were solo travellers we were not quite so nervous about travelling with couples.

I do though still prefer travelling with JY rather than TS but in this case I wanted to see much more of the country.

It was well worth it even if we did have a couple of very long days on the coach-Ballestas Islands, Colca Canyon which was awesome even though we didn't see any condors, and Arequipa were extras on the TS trip-if I remember correctly.

When Dave mentioned Hanoi I think he may have suddenly thought about the very recent superb trip to Vietnam that we went on.

If Dave is reading this he will agree that we did enjoy Vietnam more than Peru mainly with it being a JY trip and he will also agree that we are getting excited about Borneo in May

Kind regards

Di

Hope you didn't mind me mentioning Hanoi and Vietnam, my mind still skips quickly from Peru to Vietnam and now it's skipping to Borneo, too.

First chance for ages,Dave, to look on forum as am still based at

Nuneaton with no internet.

Hope to meet up soon

Di

Am I correct thinking you are on the May Borneo trip?

If so look forward to meeting you plus everyone else on the trip.

Regards

Di

Yes, I am on the Borneo trip in May and I'm doing the Singapore add-on as well.

Looking forward to meeting you and everyone else then.

Cheers

Mike

all the best

Dave

All good points thanks everyone for your time x