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Just Returned from Peru/Bolivia Trip
I had so many questions before we left, I thought I would post what the trip was like and the answers to my own worries/questions.
As everyone on this forum has said, this trip is an adventure, not a vacation. Keep that in mind when you pack. A typical Tauck trip for me means taking some nice clothes for the occasional dressy evening. The only dress-up anyone did was our last night.
Our guide was Marcos Soto. He is an exemplary leader and a remarkable man. He handles everything from luggage, illness, weather- all with wonderful humor and good spirit. I suspect any tour leader for this trip is similar.
The trip starts in Lima. Unlike other Tauck trips where we have arrived a day early and gone out and explored pretty far afield, Peru didn't seem to be a place where I wanted to go very far. Some ppl did fly to the Nazca lines since it is no longer a part of the tour. No matter what the weather says, it never rains in Lima. But there is always a fine mist coming from the ocean. The hotel is beautiful and modern.
Once you leave Lima, you leave the modern world. The weather varies from place to place. Don't even bother to look at weather.com. It has no clue.
All of the hotels we stayed at were very nice. All of them had wireless internet available. The food was good everywhere we went. But, be aware, it consists heavily in potatoes.
Clothes- When they say layers, that is exactly what they mean. That's because you never know what the weather will be. When we started climbing Machu Pichu I had on 4 layers- a short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt, pull-over sweater and rain jacket. By the time I got to the top I was down to one layer. If it rains, you will be cold but it only rained on us once. I almost always wore long sleeves/sweater. Some hotel rooms were stuffy, some cold. I wore the same clothes repeatedly because I brought too many short sleeves.
I brought 2 pairs of shoes- one good pair of athletic shoes and one pair of hiking shoes. I would have been fine with just the athletic shoes. Others had a nice pair of shoes for the last night. I didn't.
Bring medicines- stomach, nausea, headache. Also bring saline gel for your nose, it is so dry. My husband and I took Diamox for altitude sickness and had NO TROUBLE at all with that. But, he tried every weird thing they offered to eat and suffered the consequences stomach-wise. If you take Diamox you might have tingling in your hands and/or feet. We both did, but we did not get sick from the altitude. Small price to pay.
You are told to eat less and drink lots of water. That is excellent advice. Many people had stomach problems because they didn't heed that advice.
Be aware that you have lots of time in vehicles. You ride the bus a lot of hours and a train one day for 10 hours. It is a killer. Be sure to bring something to read.
We had a great time and it was the adventure of a lifetime.
As everyone on this forum has said, this trip is an adventure, not a vacation. Keep that in mind when you pack. A typical Tauck trip for me means taking some nice clothes for the occasional dressy evening. The only dress-up anyone did was our last night.
Our guide was Marcos Soto. He is an exemplary leader and a remarkable man. He handles everything from luggage, illness, weather- all with wonderful humor and good spirit. I suspect any tour leader for this trip is similar.
The trip starts in Lima. Unlike other Tauck trips where we have arrived a day early and gone out and explored pretty far afield, Peru didn't seem to be a place where I wanted to go very far. Some ppl did fly to the Nazca lines since it is no longer a part of the tour. No matter what the weather says, it never rains in Lima. But there is always a fine mist coming from the ocean. The hotel is beautiful and modern.
Once you leave Lima, you leave the modern world. The weather varies from place to place. Don't even bother to look at weather.com. It has no clue.
All of the hotels we stayed at were very nice. All of them had wireless internet available. The food was good everywhere we went. But, be aware, it consists heavily in potatoes.
Clothes- When they say layers, that is exactly what they mean. That's because you never know what the weather will be. When we started climbing Machu Pichu I had on 4 layers- a short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt, pull-over sweater and rain jacket. By the time I got to the top I was down to one layer. If it rains, you will be cold but it only rained on us once. I almost always wore long sleeves/sweater. Some hotel rooms were stuffy, some cold. I wore the same clothes repeatedly because I brought too many short sleeves.
I brought 2 pairs of shoes- one good pair of athletic shoes and one pair of hiking shoes. I would have been fine with just the athletic shoes. Others had a nice pair of shoes for the last night. I didn't.
Bring medicines- stomach, nausea, headache. Also bring saline gel for your nose, it is so dry. My husband and I took Diamox for altitude sickness and had NO TROUBLE at all with that. But, he tried every weird thing they offered to eat and suffered the consequences stomach-wise. If you take Diamox you might have tingling in your hands and/or feet. We both did, but we did not get sick from the altitude. Small price to pay.
You are told to eat less and drink lots of water. That is excellent advice. Many people had stomach problems because they didn't heed that advice.
Be aware that you have lots of time in vehicles. You ride the bus a lot of hours and a train one day for 10 hours. It is a killer. Be sure to bring something to read.
We had a great time and it was the adventure of a lifetime.
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Comments
I have to ask. What was it your DH did eat? (Do I really want to know?) :-0
Glad you had a great time regardless!
Cheers,
Jan
Glad you had a wonderful time and thank you for sharing your experience on the Travel Forums.
Best,
Emily
We are taking this trip in June and I was already wondering about what kind of layers to pack. We are getting into Lima a day early and as I was somewhat disappointed that the Nazca Lines are no longer part of the trip the idea of using the first day for that flight is a good one.
It sounds like you had a great time. I'm really looking forward to marking one more adventure off my bucket list! We did the Tanzania/Kenya safari last year and it was spectacular as well. Tauck really does know how to make each trip a real experience.
Monica
I repeatedly wore the two pairs of jeans, 3 light weight long sleeve shirts with light sweater. In the first part of the trip, you will always take your rain coat never knowing when it might rain.
If I had the opportunity to repack for the trip, I would take some of those nice looking athletic outfits women wear with the zip jackets. You could wear a long or short sleeve shirt under it.
One more thing- our guide told us if we saw something we wanted to buy, get it. Don't think you will see it somewhere else.
BUT, the very best cloth items are available Day 10 when you are in Bolivia at Sun Island. The Quecha people have the most beautiful (and inexpensive) woven and knitted items on the whole trip. You will need Bolivianos for those items. And, if you want Bolivinita, a pretty purple gem that everyone wants, the airport in La Paz (if you have a layover there) has a shop with inexpensive, beautiful items.
The local guides were fluent in English and easy to understand.
Although it was winter there (our July), wearing layers worked out very well. I was affected by Altitude Sickness (headache and stomachache) however it didn't stop me from participating. I followed the suggestions of eating protein and carbs. The countries are big on beans, rice, and potatoes. All of which were delicious. Drink a lot and if you can, drink Gatorade (or any drink with electrolytes) that will help. Most people on the trip were not bothered. The sites were amazing and I'm very happy I went on this trip.
I was harassed and searched for cocaine when we landed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for refueling. No coca tea, no dogs at airport. I was treated like a 'mule.' Finally realized I was searched, because my passport showed I visited Israel. The president hates Israel and USA. Israel and USA are the only 2 countries that must pay $135.00 for a Visa. Why?
Peru is cool, but skip Bolivia!!!