All Peruvian colours

Peru. Automatically, Machu Picchu comes to mind... and that's pretty much the end of it. But Peru has much, much more to offer. It's only on closer inspection that you realise just how diverse and colourful this country is. Cities, history, mountains, deserts, beaches, thousand-year-old monuments, jungles, rainforest. Just take your pick. And that was a very hard choice! Especially when you only have 14 days to travel around such a big country. 

We threw ourselves into a merry-go-round of concessions, compromises and really made the most of every day. Of course, that's why our rest was zero to nothing, but... Yeah, it was worth it! For all the hours and days of planning, arranging, every move and every mile lost. It's exactly the kind of country where you realize that living in the Czech Republic isn't bad at all. The European standard is similar to maybe some neighborhoods in Lima and hotel resorts, but the rest?

Build-ups that will probably never be finished. Huge packs of stray dogs running everywhere, rummaging through the garbage on the streets. And that's just the first glimpse you get after the first few minutes. On the way from the airport. What's next? Suddenly, running water is no longer commonplace, let alone hot water. You have to be careful not to flush your toilet paper down the toilet. You won't be surprised by a plow pulled by donkeys, or a pig tied up in every yard, chickens running around, and dirty children in between. It's just a whole different world. On the other hand, Peru totally blew me away with its natural richness and at the same time it fulfilled several of my travel dreams. Do you want to know how we conceived our trip, where we went and what we saw? I hope you do, so I don't make a fool of myself here :)

3 things to watch out for when planning

1. Choice of date

The first and very important thing you will need to think about. Really consider the dates you want to fly, because in Peru the seasons don't work like they do here. Thinking cold in winter and hot in summer. There is a huge climatic difference between the coast and the mountains, and the seasons here are rather divided into dry season and rainy season.

The coastal areas have a peak season during the winter (November - March), while in the summer there are lower temperatures and a greater risk of precipitation. The higher altitude areas are a bit more complicated - in winter there is a rainy season and milder temperatures, while in summer it is dry and in theory it should not rain, but you have to take into account that these are the coldest months of the year and temperatures at night fall below zero. Moreover, if, for example, it starts to rain in Cuzco in July, it can snow in some 4,000 metres above sea level. The rainforests are a special chapter, where the climate is humid and warm all year round, but June to August are considered the most bearable months.

The dates must therefore be chosen according to what you want to see... or Pepi's football season. As a result, our date was late June/early July.

2. Altitude sickness

Until 2019, my highest peaks were Slovak Rysy and Kitzsteinhorn in Austria, neither of which exceeded 2,500 m above sea level. But there are interesting places in Peru even at 5,000 metres! How on earth are we going to make it? This was a huge scare for me and I had a lot of respect for it. Altitude sickness is a very individual thing that you can't control. No one can tell you how your body will react to such a high altitude. You can't even console yourself with the fact that you have a physical condition, because it doesn't matter. The most important thing is ACLIMATIZATION, or adding meters of altitude very slowly.

I've read all sorts of stories about people vomiting for X days after arriving in Cuzco and being able to just lie in bed, etc. Obviously we couldn't afford to do that with our limited time, so it was either or. For this reason we also left our schedule very open. In case we couldn't make it in any way, there were a few other alternative plans with acclimatization trips.

3. Time reserves

I admit it, I'm a chronic planner. So this "open schedule" was even more of a mental burden for me than the altitude sickness itself :) Nothing is scheduled by the minute, nor by the hour, nor do we know what the next day will bring. Even on departure we have only one accommodation booked!! The uncertainty depresses me. For one thing, we can't estimate how we'll handle the altitude, plus we have only a vague idea of how, when, where and by what means we'll get to our dream places. Over time, it has become apparent that local buses and transportation in general are fairly reliable and if you know where you want to go, you can always get there. It just can sometimes take longer because time is a very relative concept in Peru.

Yes, yes, it's a country in the "mañana" category, so you might learn a little patience here. If someone tells you they'll be leaving in 10 minutes, it'll be an hour at best. You might as well add a zero to two minutes, etc. etc. Seriously. It will save you a lot of nerves and unnecessary fuss. At first, these situations really annoyed me. I'm the kind of person who prides himself on punctuality and is used to having everything right away, probably a typically European trait. But within a few days I had to change to this Peruvian (no)tempo. Well, I can't say I became a patient person in 14 days... I think I've reached a kind of acceptance phase.

What next?

Flights

Their price will of course depend on the date. For example, in July and August the tickets are absolutely everywhere, so we chose the way we chose. If you don't care about the dates, you can wait for a promotion. But the problem is that there are not many promotions for cheap flights to Peru. I've seen a few lately, even from Prague, but how else but in winter. Usually the standard price of tickets is about €720 - 800, depending on where you fly from, when and with how many changes, or how much the changes are connected.

Our departure fell in the end from Munich thanks to the fact that the flights were beautifully connected and we didn't have to sacrifice precious vacation days for unnecessary running around airports. The final route Munich - Madrid - Lima with very short connections cost us €680/person with Air Europa. But our flights did not end there. In Peru we still used the domestic flight Lima - Cuzco to save time. This was just a few hours after our arrival in Lima. It was rough, I'm not going to lie: 2.5 hrs to Madrid, 11.5 hrs to Lima... set my watch back seven hours, start working again + take the last 1.5 hr flight to Cuzco.

As for those domestic flights, there are several companies that provide them - Peruvian, Viva Air, Latam, Star Peru, Sky Airline, Avianca. The most common destinations are Cuzco, Arequipa, Trujillo or Iquitos due to the easy accessibility to the Amazon rainforest. The prices of these local airlines vary quite a lot, so it is definitely worth comparing them with each other. Some even offer double-price flights - the price for Peruvians is often much lower than for tourists (this principle doesn't just apply to flights). And for the resourceful Czechs: no, you won't get ripped off, your documents are of course checked at the airport and if you don't have them, you'll be charged a hefty surcharge. The second thing to watch out for is the size of your luggage. You can be sure that local lowcosts check and measure absolutely every backpack or suitcase. As a matter of fact! European Ryanair is a really weak concoction in comparison, because here every inch is dealt with. Hence - buy oversize immediately.

I recommend that these surcharges be dealt with online in advance, as they're already quite a lot of money at the gate. We flew the Lima - Cuzco route with Viva Air, and I will point out one more thing about this company - they require PRINTED boarding passes, i.e. it's not enough to have them on your cell phone. Count on it in advance so you're not surprised, because they charge a ridiculous $16 to print out a boarding pass at the counter.

Budget in place

The official currency is the Peruvian nuevo sol, abbreviated PEN (1 sol = approx. € 0.30). We took dollars with us, which we then gradually exchanged for sol. The exchange rate of the sol against the dollar was usually around 3.2 sol. We got our first Peruvian money at the airport in Cuzco when we needed change for a taxi. We then exchanged more at smaller money changers around town, and later in Huaraz. But there are also official street money changers called cambistas who probably have the best rates. You can recognize them by their dark red vests, but don't expect to run into them at every turn.

In some places you can pay in dollars - for example, at accommodation or travel agencies. You can also withdraw from ATMs, but they're not everywhere, withdrawals are often limited and banks still charge fees. But depending on what you're used to when you travel, something different suits everyone.

You really can't pay by card anywhere in Peru. Maybe at the airport or in a better restaurant. Some places charge extra for paying by card. Other places only take VISA cards, so you'll be out of luck with Mastercard. Just always have cash ready, a sure thing.

Now how much to prepare, right? Like everywhere else, it will depend on your comfort requirements, so let's take it more generally. Maybe in time I'll draw up our overall budget too, we'll see...

• Transport - The most common and cheapest transport is by bus or shared taxis, called collectivos, which leave only when they are full. Quite an experience. The problem is the lack of marked bus stops and timetables, you just have to ask or listen on the street to what towns/cities who is shouting about. Overall, we tried just about every mode of transportation from plane, to bus, to taxi, to tuk tuk. Taxis are cheaper than ours, but you have to agree on a price when you get in - they don't keep meters here. Uber works quite reliably too, just beware of driver tricks with route changes and therefore higher charges. For longer journeys, I recommend booking better and more comfortable buses online. Choose not only by price, but also by reviews. This includes reliability, safety, driver rotation, speed compliance, but also, for example, seat inclination, snacks or a blanket for night crossings. We have found a simple comparator Redbus and from specific companies Oltursa, Movilor Perubus.

• Food - For a normal daily menu at a local restaurant, which includes a starter, main course, drink and sometimes dessert, you will usually pay 7-10 soles. It should be noted that these are huge portions, so for less than €3 you can eat really royally. In European restaurants the prices are comparable to ours. Except for pizza, it's overpriced everywhere and we haven't figured out why :) By the way, street food is quite popular in Peru, so you can relieve your wallet a little. But beware! When buying food on the street, always ask for the price, because usually you won't see it written anywhere. If you don't, you may be unpleasantly surprised when you pay. You can save money on street food, but café food in Peru is not cheap. Coffee is expensive by local standards and not particularly good either. Peruvians are rather tea drinkers. If you would like to buy food in shops or markets, be prepared for the fact that local products are cheap, but for world brands such as Snickers, Pringles, etc. count on a big surcharge compared to the Czech Republic.

• Water - it is not recommended to drink tap water, so you have to calculate the cost of constantly buying bottled water. No more plastic! A two and a half litre bottle usually costs 3 soles. In mountainous areas, where there is one stand for X kilometres, the same bottle will cost you 10 soles. Otherwise, the Peruvian national treasure is Inca Kola - a lime yellow as piss and tasting like children's chewing gum... 

• Accommodation - All of them were arranged through Booking and most of them even the day before. There are plenty of options and you don't have to worry about not getting anything. The price ranged from €12-18 for a room with private bathroom per night for two.

Language

The main language in Peru is Spanish, and the official languages are Quechua and Aymara. Long story short - neither of these languages are spoken. A few months before my flight, I tried at least the Duolingo app to keep me a bit up to date, but... my highlight was when I managed to order café con leche, or coffee with milk.

English is only spoken by the guides here, and then we were lucky enough to find it at about every fifth accommodation. So if you don't understand Spanish, you'll have a problem. We had it too. But you know what? You'll manage anyway, you'll just be gringos :) Just don't let that discourage you, you're not going to sit at home on your ass just because you don't speak every language in the world. At least you'll have some fun, for example ordering from a Peruvian menu takes on a whole new dimension when you're waiting anxiously to see what they're going to bring you.

Security

A much talked about topic throughout South America, but basically the same as anywhere else. Be cautious, stay alert, don't go into dangerous neighbourhoods and don't wander the streets alone after dark. Even at home in Pilsen, I keep an eye on my purse and try not to walk around strange parts of the city at night.

A big problem in Peru, however, are pickpockets, who can very cleverly take advantage of your inattention. It can happen on the street and often on bus transfers when you don't have 100% control of your belongings. Fortunately, nothing like that happened to us, but we didn't leave it completely to chance and instead got a few extra things.

• kidney bag (Dakine) - Yay, I went back to my childhood years and got it again! :) I was so happy with it because it fit my wallet, passport, cell phone and camera, so I had everything important close at hand and under control at all times.
• money belt (Lifeventure) - classic trouser belt with a secret pocket for keeping money
• neck pocket (Tatonka) - very flat and soft on the other side, so it can be worn hidden right under your shirt without it bothering you. Perfect for your passport and money. 
• tiny wallet (Osprey) - when travelling, you don't need a card for the supermarket, cafe, library etc... What you need is money and a credit card, nothing else.

Our itinerary

It was particularly difficult to choose just a few places. There are many attractions in Peru. Pepa was not very helpful, and I quote:

• "Honey, what would you like to see there?"
• "Well, Machu Picchu and I want to try the guinea pig..."

So there you go. It was just me, nothing special. I decided to spend most of my time outdoors, in the mountains, hiking. We skipped the typical tourist attractions like the Nazca plain, Colca canyon, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa. But of course the most touristic place was on the itinerary - Cuzco. An ideal starting point for beautiful and unforgettable trips. We moved here right after we arrived in Lima. It's not really recommended, as Cuzco is at an altitude of around 3,400 m above sea level, which is not exactly low. As part of the gradual acclimatization process, most people choose to take the bus route through the aforementioned tourist must-sees (e.g. a tour with the popular company PeruHop). However, this option takes much more time. Compared to an hour and a half flight, everything is just too long, let's face it.

Anyway, with the best constellation of stars, we wanted to spend a week in the Cuzco area and a few days in the hiker's paradise - Huaraz. Plus some extra days as a backup if we got stuck somewhere we liked better or couldn't handle the altitude. But in the end, everything ran like clockwork and we stuck to the original set plan, which looked like this:

DAY1

Lima arrival, flight to Cuzco

Sacsayhuaman

noc v Cuzcu

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DAY2 

Ollaytaytambo, Maras, Moray

noc v Cuzcu

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DAY3

Salkantay trek

Humantay Lake
noc Quiswarniyuc

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DAY4

Salkantay trek

sedlo Salkantay
noc Chaullay

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DAY5 

Salkantay trek

noc Aguas Calientes

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DAY6

Machu Picchu

noc zpět v Cuzcu

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DAY7

Duhové hory, Red Valley

poslední noc v Cuzcu

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DAY8

flight to Lima, prohlídka Limy

night bus to Huaraz

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DAY9

ledovec Pastoruri

noc Huaraz

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DAY10 

Laguna 69

noc Huaraz

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DAY11

Laguna Churup

noc Huaraz

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DAY12

Caral

noc v Limě

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DAY13

Ica, Huacachina

noc v Ica

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DAY14

Paracas, Ballestas Islands

noc v Limě

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DAY15

Lima departure
-> DAY16 Munich arrival

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A complete list of all the articles in Peru is below, but if the information contained in them is not enough for you, feel free to write to me on FB or in the mail. I will do my best to help and advise :)

1. part - Cuzco a aklimatizační výlety
2. part - Duhové hory & Red Valley
3. part - Jak jsme šli Salkantay trek
4. part - Machu Picchu od A do Z
5. part - 3 nejlepší výlety z Huarazu
6. part - Posvátné město Caral & Lima
7. part - Huacachina & Ballestas Islands

If this information has helped you to save some time or money or both, you can "invite me for a coffee" and contribute to the running of Travel with Donuts :) account number / QR code: 1257951017/3030