Arrive Santiago - Leave 10 days later ... Where should we go?

[opusman]

There's quite a steep climb required to access the site from the main entrance. Once you come in you're at a certain level, and from there some things are up and some are down (it's built on the side of a hill after all). And then the various optional walks you can do all require quite a bit of climbing.

 

[amaroo]

Looking forward to your trio report on this, as we are scheduling something similar for 2018 - gorillas in 2017 and next year is an R&R year (Port Douglas and Langkawi probably).

A friend ate recently at Astrid y Gaston in Lima and really enjoyed it - probably need to book in advance.

Thanks for the food tips.

Can highly recommend "The Datai" The Datai | Luxury Beach Resort | Langkawi | Malaysia

c1997 ... terrific memories!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Thanks for the food tips.

Can highly recommend "The Datai" The Datai | Luxury Beach Resort | Langkawi | Malaysia

c1997 ... terrific memories!

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Looks beautiful - thanks. I will have a look at it - we are also looking at the Four Seasons property there - bit of a four seasons fan as you know

 

[amaroo]

Looks beautiful - thanks. I will have a look at it - we are also looking at the Four Seasons property there - bit of a four seasons fan as you know

We were 8 years too early. IIRC FS didn't open until 2005 ... TBH if it was open we would've stayed there too.

 

[JohnM]

Your post has motivated me in trying to get another night released at Belmond MP. Our offer to change our 2 night stay at Tambo del Inka and move over to their Belmond Rio Sagrado property seems to have done the trick

Itinerary for the 12 day trip is now;
arrive SCL and transfer to Lima ... 1 night Lima
arrive Cusco and immediately depart for Sacred Valley x 2 nights at Belmond RS. Arrange guide to see the sights
arrive MP x 2 nights at Belmond MP ... plan on two/three visits to MP/HP and a trip down to checkout Aguas Calientes
Take the BHB train to Cusco .... 2 nights in Cusco at Belmond PN
fly to Titilaka ... 2 nights at Titilaka Lodge ... this place looks special! The Lodge | Titilaka - Lago Titicaca - Perú
fly to Lima ... 1 night
fly to Santiago ... 1 night
fly home

Yes, I'm still trying to see it all However, the flight times are not conducive for connections i.e, we can't get to Cusco on the first day and we need to get back to Santiago the night before departure.

We don't plan on returning to this part of Peru ... so we want to tick off the priorities in the one trip.

Looks a good itinerary.

Have you had experience of altitude before? If not, just take it very slowly when you first arrive. I think most people would feel at least some mild dizziness at Cuzco. You'll get to find your 'threshold' where altitude sickness cuts in and adapt your pace of movement accordingly. It's a phenomenon that affects different people in very different ways.

Cuzco is quite a bit higher than Machu Picchu, so walking up and down the steps at MP is unlikely to present an altitude sickness/exertion problem after you've been around Cuzco for a couple of days.

Allow several hours to climb Huayna Picchu - so best set out in the morning. It's a solid gig - but don't give up!

 

[Mattg]

just what level of fitness is required to visit Machu Picchu ? I have some knee problems but would love to visit one day preferably before the pension card kicks in

There is a fair amount of climbing stairs involved with a MP visit. But I think most people should be able to manage. The various walks (especially Huayna Picchu - the mountain in the background of that photo) are a different story.

When I visited there was a lady in her 80s in our tour group who managed to get around okay. I reckon that if she can do it, then anyone can!

 

[amaroo]

Are you going to climb Huanya Picchu?? If you are prone to altitude sickness, consider taking Diamox (a diuretic)...needs to be started a couple days prior, and you will be flying, so you will going to the loo often....that's why I didn't take them (to my downfall) but had brought them. Once you get altitude sickness, it is too late to take them....Lake Titicaca is even higher than Cusco . Make sure you visit Pisac in the Sacred Valley for the market and to visit the Pisac ruins. There are also the Ollantaytambo ruins to visit as well...we had great alpaca steak at Uchu Peruvian steakhouse in Cusco...

We only spent 1 night in Lima, and that was to catch up with a couple we had met previously in the Galapagos. Lima has some excellent restaurants, but the city is a bit of a dump IMHO....Lima airport is one of the worse airports I have been to.

You are not spending much time in Santiago but if you like wine, visit https://translate.google.com.au/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.wain.cl/&prev=search which is a large wine shop selling Chilean wine, and you can taste ANY of the wine before buying ...I brought a few bottles back to Sydney but alas they are now all gone!

Yes, I'm planning on climbing HP ... the other half has zero interest and will probably keep herself busy by having a sleep in.

Thanks for the tip on Diamox - have no idea how altitude will affect us. Hopefully, the 4 nights at SV and MP will get us ready for Cusco + another two nights at Cusco will have us acclimatised for Lake Titicaca. Titicaca Lodge measures your oxygen levels throughout your stay and recommends when you should have a hit - sounds groovy

Hoping our two days in the Valley will allow sufficeint time for Pisac

Planning on making Santiago our gateway for more SA adventures, so it's a focus on Peru this time.

 

[JohnM]

Yes, I'm planning on climbing HP ... the other half has zero interest and will probably keep herself busy by having a sleep in.

Thanks for the tip on Diamox - have no idea how altitude will affect us. Hopefully, the 4 nights at SV and MP will get us ready for Cusco + another two nights at Cusco will have us acclimatised for Lake Titicaca. Titicaca Lodge measures your oxygen levels throughout your stay and recommends when you should have a hit - sounds groovy

Hoping our two days in the Valley will allow sufficeint time for Pisac

Planning on making Santiago our gateway for more SA adventures, so it's a focus on Peru this time.

My view on altitude sickness - and sea sickness - is to not take a prophylactic on first outing because you will never find out whether you need it or not. Of course, the downside is that if you turn out to be prone to suffering either badly, then starting the medication mid-stream is said to be ineffectual.

When I went to Antarctica, it seemed like most pax were using patches or taking tablets without really knowing whether they needed to. I didn't and handled a pretty rough outbound crossing just fine.

Similarly, with altitude sickness, in my view it is good to find your personal 'threshold' altitude at which you start feeling effects - and just what those effects are. I find a bit of light-headedness starts at about 3300 m (which just happens to be Cuzco's altitude). One then just learns to move slowly and not get up and down too quickly once above the 'threshold'. I've handled up to at least 5200 m with nothing more than a bit of dizziness. But in the Atacama last year I did see someone about half my age totally debilitated by altitude sickness - migraine-like headaches, unable to eat and needing oxygen.

It seems to be a condition that is very difficult to generalise about.

 

[amaroo]

Looks a good itinerary.

Have you had experience of altitude before? If not, just take it very slowly when you first arrive. I think most people would feel at least some mild dizziness at Cuzco. You'll get to find your 'threshold' where altitude sickness cuts in and adapt your pace of movement accordingly. It's a phenomenon that affects different people in very different ways.

Cuzco is quite a bit higher than Machu Picchu, so walking up and down the steps at MP is unlikely to present an altitude sickness/exertion problem after you've been around Cuzco for a couple of days.

Allow several hours to climb Huayna Picchu - so best set out in the morning. It's a solid gig - but don't give up!

Cheers. The itinerary has been formed with the best advice one can find on the internet. We're not attempting Cuzco until we've had 4 nights in the region.

Quite keen to see HP notch on the belt ... will book two tickets, and work on the cheese and kisses

 

[RooFlyer]

I've been sorting pics, so I've posted a few bonus pics relevant to your trip here.

Re altitude sickness, your itinerary is the best one to insulate you as much as possible against its effects. I started on Diamox the day before I flew into Cusco, and after landing there, it was only after zooming about the terminal finding my guide, getting currency etc that I remembered that it could have been a problem

On the day, I was quite satisfied with my decision not to climb HP. Only downside is that I've had to put up with JohnM bagging me about it ... :mrgreen:

As long as you are not squeamish about flying through mountains (or rather, along valleys), possibly with cloud, then obviously window seats on the flight into Cusco are 'musts'. Others may wish to comment, but I think left side is best, I won't say why, but they'll know.

 

[opusman]

It is said that you have to start taking diamox before you get to altitude for it to have any effect, but we didn't - we only started taking it after a couple of days in the Sacred Valley made it clear we had an issue. It seemed to kick in pretty quickly and by the time we got to Cusco and then Titicaca we felt fine.

 

[juddles]

amaroo, that will be a very nice trip!

My comments:

1.- Macchu

When I went to Macchu Pichu in 2010 I stayed down in Aguascalientes - which required a pre-dawn queue to ensure getting on one of the first buses so that I could get registered at the top to gain entry to Huayna - they strictly control numbers for access there - you shouldn't have that problem, but make sure you enquire

Watching dawn break from the Sun Gate (?) is pretty special - it is a high point overlooking Macchu (opposite direction than Huayna)

I got my passport stamped with both Macchu and Huayna stamps - the Huayna one IIRC I obtained just before exiting the controlled separate Huayna area. I enjoyed the two quite pretty stamps - but in later years I washed that passport

Huayna is a climb, not a walk - there are steps but they are steep and there are lots and lots - but it is worth it.

2.- Lima

Lima taught me a true love of Peruvian food. No ceviche will ever be the same for me now. Lima itself is a very large, traffic-congested, filthy place. A few inches of rain would really clean it. And they truly love their security fences - some houses have things that rival the game fences in Africa! But the food makes up for it. Just pop into a supermarket and look at their vegetables - amazing potatoes, etc.

I enjoy sitting at any of the food places or bars that sit on the cliff above the beach - when you get there you will understand the topography - great to watch the sun go down.

3.- Titicaca

Haven't been there yet but plan to soon from the Bolivian side (only because I have a Bolivian friend and he keeps pestering me to visit his home country)

4.- Chile

I lived in Chile many years. May is a pretty dreary time of year in the central region (Santiago, etc). My recommendations for visits to Chile (time wise) would be:
- far northern Chile / Atacama - anytime
- central to mid-northern (La Serena) - summer Dec-Mar
- southern Lakes Region - summer again, but best in December just before the crowds arrive from Christmas through till end of March

Just a comment - I do the SYD-SCL crossing a fair bit, and for some reason flying east coast Aust to Chile hits me with jetlag more than any other time change on the planet. Don't know why. It is not as bad going the other direction.

Last thing - a question:

..... Both flights over the pacific are 4 class birds, hopefully, they will stick and we remain in 1A/1K....

I haven't seen a 4 class QF bird doing SYD/SCL for about 3 years at least - has that changed? I have quite a few trips back and forth over the next 12 months and would love to know!

 

[RooFlyer]

amaroo, that will be a very nice trip!

My comments:

1.- Macchu

When I went to Macchu Pichu in 2010 I stayed down in Aguascalientes - which required a pre-dawn queue to ensure getting on one of the first buses so that I could get registered at the top to gain entry to Huayna - they strictly control numbers for access there - you shouldn't have that problem, but make sure you enquire
<snip>!

These days you have to buy in advance - there is a web site (of course ). From memory they go on sale 2 or 3 months prior and there are 2 departure commencement times per day; again, from addled memory 7am and 11am (you can't all leave then; people seem to spread out over 60-90 minutes).

 

[amaroo]

amaroo, that will be a very nice trip!

Last thing - a question:

I haven't seen a 4 class QF bird doing SYD/SCL for about 3 years at least - has that changed? I have quite a few trips back and forth over the next 12 months and would love to know!

When I booked we had a 4 class over and a refurb back. I then extended the trip by a couple of days (thanks QFF) and jagged a 4 class for the return flight.

A perfect pair! Hope they stick ... have set up the appropriate alerts in case we have to make the dash upstairs.

 

[amaroo]

These days you have to buy in advance - there is a web site (of course ). From memory they go on sale 2 or 3 months prior and there are 2 departure commencement times per day; again, from addled memory 7am and 11am (you can't all leave then; people seem to spread out over 60-90 minutes).

The Hiram Bingham package includes MP ticket and guide Luxury Train to Machu Picchu - Belmond Hiram Bingham

The hotel (or us) can't source additional MP or HP tickets until 2016 ticks over.

 

[doctau]

Watching dawn break from the Sun Gate (?) is pretty special - it is a high point overlooking Macchu (opposite direction than Huayna)

Can you do that if you're not hiking the Inca Trail? When I went there I was always going to do it, but a few people have told me that it's basically impossible to get entry early enough to be able to get up there by dawn.

 

[opusman]

The main gate definitely doesn't open early enough to get to the Sun Gate for dawn. It's about an hour walk from the entrance and the main gate opens well after sunrise.

 

[juddles]

The main gate definitely doesn't open early enough to get to the Sun Gate for dawn. It's about an hour walk from the entrance and the main gate opens well after sunrise.

Damn! More things have changed then (I did it in 2010 - was on one of the first buses up, and I don't remember what time entry was but I made it to the Sun Gate with almost half an hour to spare. - Time of year may affect a teensy bit too?)

 

[juddles]

Machu Picchu New Entrance Rules - the Only Peru Guide

it appears in 2011 the rules changed - the link mentions ticket procedures but not times

 

[opusman]

it appears in 2011 the rules changed - the link mentions ticket procedures but not times

I've read various sources who talk about being at the Sun Gate for dawn but from our experience this would only be possible if hiking the Inca trail, so yes does seem like this has changed at some point. From memory the main gate opened at 8am or so - certainly after sunrise in any event. Also people started getting kicked out of the site at about 4:30 pm for a 5pm close, so it really seemed like they didn't want anyone in there in the dark.