Day 0: PREPARATIONS
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
We always have some destiny that goes through our head for years and normally, for one reason or another, this destiny ends up resisting us.
This has been the case of our first destination this year. For years we have had it in mind and always, for one reason or another, we have finished elsewhere ... although in our head we have continued to maintain it as a short-term destination.
Several months ago, considering what would be one of the destinations of this year, how could it be otherwise, that traveling dream that has been on our list for so many years came to our minds.
We began to seriously assess that this year was the ideal to meet it and as soon as we started looking at flights and we saw an offer that "relaxed" our budget a lot, we decided that this year did not happen ...
Peru
… let's go to Peru
The dates chosen to travel to Peru will be from April 2 to 22, leaving a 21-day trip, which although we would have liked to extend, this time it has been impossible, for the planning of this year's vacation. It is not as easy as it looks prepare a trip to Peru.
We will start our trip to Peru in Lima, where we will spend the first two nights, to enjoy the capital of the country.
We will continue our trip south, heading to the Paracas Reserve, where we will be one night, to also know the Ballestas Islands.
Red Beach in the Paracas Reserve
From the Ballestas Islands we will go to Ica, where we will make a short stop and then go to its famous oasis of Huacachina, where we will spend the rest of the afternoon between its dunes until sunset, at which time we will take a bus that will take us to one of the "mysteries of Peru”: The famous Nazca Lines, where we will spend the night.
Nazca lines in Peru. Prepare a trip to Peru
In the first hour, when we have been strongly recommended to avoid dizziness, we will fly over this intriguing enigma, and then, in the afternoon, go to visit the Chauchilla Necropolis, Cerro Blanco, Cantalloc Aqueduct and Cahuachi ...
From here we will head to Arequipa, in a night bus, where we will spend the whole day visiting one of the most beautiful cities in Peru.
After this more relaxed day, we will head towards Colca, where we will spend the next two days, touring this area of the country, acclimatizing to the altitude and enjoying the hot springs that will offer us one of the accommodations in which we will spend the night.
From Colca we will go directly to another of the best known points of Peru: Lake Titicaca.
Uros in Lake Titicaca. Preparations for a trip to Peru
Here we will spend a night in Puno, from where the next day, we will make a brief foray into the highest lake in the world.
From Puno we will spend the night in a bus, this time to Cuzco, another of the most famous cities of Peru, in which we will spend the next two nights, enjoying not only the city, but also the impressive sacred Valley.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Peru
- 10 essential places to visit in Peru
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Peru
- 25 things to see and do in Peru
- The best travel insurance for Peru
After these two nights and having left the backpacks at the hotel, we will head to one of the “sour cherries” of Peru: Macchu Picchu.
To get to Macchu Picchu First we will go to Pisac and from there to Ollantaytambo, from where we will take a train that will take us to Aguascalientes, which will be our gateway to Macchu Picchu.
Macchu Picchu. Prepare a trip to Peru
After spending the night in Aguascalientes, the next day we will dedicate it completely to the visit of Macchu Picchu and the possible ascent to the mountain Huayna Picchu.
At this point we can not forget that there is a limited number of tickets to see Machu Picchu and that they sell out quickly, so you have to book as far in advance as possible. In addition, as it happened to us and many travelers have explained to us, buying them through the official website is often problematic, since non-Peruvian cards give payment errors. With this in mind, a good option is to reserve the official Ticket for the Lost Citadel of Machu Picchu here.
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
In the afternoon-night, we will return by train to Ollantaytambo, where we will sleep for the next day to continue visiting the area, with visits as incredible as the Salinas de Maras, Moray, Chinchero and Ollantaytambo itself ...
From here we will return to Cuzco, where we will pick up our backpacks and the next day we will begin the last part of the trip, which will take us by plane to another of our “traveling dreams”: the impressive Amazon.
Muyuna Lodge in the Amazon
We will fly to Iquitos, from where, in a 4-hour boat ride, we will enter one of the most beautiful places in the world ...
Here we will be the next 5 days, before returning to Iquitos, from where we will catch a flight that will take us back to Lima, where we will connect that same afternoon with our flight back home.
Without a doubt, we expect a lot from this trip and perhaps, for the first time, we are very clear that it will exceed our expectations, even before knowing the country.
Peru, here we go!!!
Day 1 BARCELONA - LIMA
