Anyone here ever travelled to Peru?

[glenn1]

I'm considering destinations for my next vacation, and Peru is coming up as one of the potential choices. Time to call in the collective wisdom of Anandtech as I'm sure someone here has been there before and can give me their opinion on the trip.

 

[gotsmack]

isn't there some civil unrest there at this moment or in the very recent past?

 

[Armitage]

I've been to Peru several times. Machu Picchu is very cool . You also want to see Cuzco - in fact you'll likely get to Aguas Calientes (the town at the foot of Machu Picchu) by train from Cuzco. Something else you should try is a jungle excursion on one of the tributaries of the amazon. We did one on the Tambopata (sp?) and it was very cool - nothing like swimming in pirhanna & cayman infested waters There are lots of travel agencies in Cuzco that you can book this kind of trip with, though I think our reservations were made earlier. I'll see if I can find anything more specific about the place we went - it'll cost you a few extra immunizations, and anti-malarials though. If you're going to do that, start taking the anti-malarials before your trip. They don't agree well with some people (iincluding me) for the first few days. Better at home then on vacation.

I've also been to the Nazca lines, and was somewhat underwhelmed. If you're short on time, that's one that I wouldn't feel to bad about dropping off the itinerary.

I've never had any trouble there. The first few times I was with a native, but the last time I wasn't. I don't speak much spanish at all, but a good number speak english and you can wing it beyond that. Pay attention to where you are and what's going on around you. Try to travel with other people. Don't draw attention to yourself or show/carry alot of money. Normal stuff.

 

[Krk3561]

My dad's been there a few times (Lima) on business. In fact he was there the past 3 days and just got back tonight.

His company provided him with a bodyguard the times hes been there as its not very safe.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: Krk3561
My dad's been there a few times (Lima) on business. In fact he was there the past 3 days and just got back tonight.

His company provided him with a bodyguard the times hes been there as its not very safe.

I guess it depends where you are/what you're doing. I had no problem walking or taking buses around Lima, or even around the Mira Flores area at night. I'm sure there are some places to stay away from, but stick to the main streets etc. and you should be fine. There are ALOT of police/military security there. I'll admit, It's somewhat disconcerting to see these guys on the corner of a residential neighborhood carrying a submachine gun, though the last time I was there (Jan 2004) it seemed to have toned down a bit in that regard.

They've been living with terrorism (Shining Path) alot longer then we have, and the people there are generally glad to see so many police around.

 

[csyberblue]

I had a friend go there just a few weeks ago on a month long stay to volunteer in the country. He traveled to Machu Picchu as well. Took a hike there as a group on the way there and then took a train back. He said it was an amazing experience. But he also reminded me that if I ever do go there, don't forget to bring bug spray.