Peru, Machu Pichu, Galapagos CLOTHING
Trying to decide what clothing will be needed for our September trip. Looking at the “Puffer” jackets for warmth and easy packing. Any suggestions, thoughts, etc.
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Trying to decide what clothing will be needed for our September trip. Looking at the “Puffer” jackets for warmth and easy packing. Any suggestions, thoughts, etc.
Comments
We took a similar tour in May of 2014, and a light rain jacket and a few long sleeve shirts were sufficient for the higher elevation portions of the trip, when needed. I do not know if it is the same for September.
Nedda, we went in April. In the Galapagos the weather doesn't vary all that much since it is right on the equator. It was warm during the day, and in the evening we were on the ship. I would check the expected water temperatures as that could help you decide if you only need their "shorty" wet suits or you want to bring your own full ones. My wife gets cool quickly and decided to get a thin full set for her deep water snorkeling. It was definitely cool in Cusco and Machu Picchu (especially in the evening) and can simply advise as in other places to bring layers with something to repel rain when necessary. A misty rainy day can make it feel much cooler than a sunny day at the top of the mountains.
We went in March 2017. Summer lightweight clothes in Lima, light layers for Cusco and Machu Picchu, and tropical attire with sunblock for Galapagos. As far as water temps- the Galapagos is at the confluence of three major ocean currents, so the water temp (and visibility) varied from snorkel location to location by as much as 10°! I wore a full length thin (3 - 4 mm?), "skin suit" and was quite comfortable. The Isabela II had thin shorties and possibly a few full length wetsuits. It looks like it will be cooler in Peru in Sept. and temps in the Galapagos should fall in a narrow range 70° - 73°. For graphical historical (20+ years) weather data (temps, humidity, rainfall, wind, etc.) displayed by month or day for most major cities and places on earth, check out WeatherSpark. It is the best web site for trip planning I've found: https://weatherspark.com/d/25926/9/10/Average-Weather-on-September-10-in-Cusco-Peru
If it is sunny it can be warm:
If cloudy or drizzly it can be quite cool:
Long sleeves, long pants, and hats primary for sun protection. Safari gear works well:
I usually snorkel deep and often experienced a thermocline:
Check out how the panga coxswain is bundled up to protect from the sun:
You folks are so helpful! Now which one are you, Alan S.? Truth be told, I have no idea what the diff is between wet suits... never used one and not sure I want to see myself in one! That paragliding looks a bit scarier than zip lining!!! WE do have ALL our safari clothing...def figuring to use some of it.
That is my wife parasailing (the camera on my rig was set at a very unflattering angle so I used a photo of her.) Their camera shot video of the entire half hour (?) flight from which I extracted stills.), That is my wife and I at Machu Picchu with a friend. Huayna Picchu is in the background. My wife is partially hided in the group receiving a lecture from Dennisb(with arm raised), our head naturalist. I'm taking a video with my GoPro camera (and a large U/W light I built) while cruising deep during a snorkel session and riding near the front of the Panga (wearing my skin suit with chartreuse side stripes).
Truth be told wetsuits can be very unflattering to your figure. Wetsuits can be only a few mm thick to provide "rash protection" more than thermal comfort or thick with a 1/4" or more of thermal neoprene insulation for cold water. I think the ones on Isabela II were around 3/16" thick, 'shorty' style wetsuits- with short sleeves and mid-thigh legs.
I got up close and personal with these two white tip reef sharks:
My wife looked great in the wetsuit and kept her warm. When I tried one on I looked liked the Michelin Man or Pillsbury doughboy, take your pick but it wasn’t flattering, LOL! I did use their shorty but I don’t get as cold as my wife.
Let's just say I won't be posting any pictures of me in a wet suit at this point in time.
The second time we visited the Galapagos, it was in December and in one particular snorkeling spot, it was so cold, even with a wetsuit, I jumped in and then straight out again, I just could not stand the cold. That’s so unusual for me. So I had to watch the turtles from the zodiac but took lots of pictures.