BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello,
From August 1 tot 31, we are going to Peru and if possible Bolivia. First plan was to spend one month in Bolivia, but as the political situation may become worse there, we decided to play it safe and book flights to and from Lima, and see Peru instead. But as time passes by and the situation in Bolivia doesn't seem to worsen dramatically (?), we are wondering if it would be a good idea to see a little bit of Bolivia as well (La Paz and Uyuni).

So as a backup plan, we were thinking of the following:

Lima to Cuzco by plane (despite the altitude sickness), Cuzco + Machu Picchu, Puno + floating islands, La Paz, Uyuni + 4 or 5 day tour, then to Arequipa (fastest way by Uyuni-La Paz-Puno-Arequipa, or perhaps through Chile?), Nazca, Pisco, Lima.


Would this be a good idea or not? We would like to do it more or less in the order as stated above, because it would mean that we're getting closer to Lima near the end of our stay, and also we wouldn't miss out on Cuzco and Bolivia.

We do not wish to hike, and would rather see the salt flats in Bolivia than for example the Colca canyon or the Amazon. Of course if this route is barely doable, and we literally would have to rush *all* the time, then we would prefer to stay in Peru and do the normal Southern tour plus maybe get a taste of the Amazon or do a small hike in Huaraz.

Thanks for any tips!
Wim

Uyuni is mindblowingly gorgeous, and Bolivia in general is amazing, and definitely worth a visit. However, I'm not sure whether I would try to squeeze that much into a month. Don't underestimate the altitude for slowing you down :-)

Have a nice trip!!
Kath

quote:

Originally posted by Wim:
Lima to Cuzco by plane (despite the altitude sickness), Cuzco + Machu Picchu, Puno + floating islands, La Paz, Uyuni + 4 or 5 day tour, then to Arequipa (fastest way by Uyuni-La Paz-Puno-Arequipa, or perhaps through Chile?), Nazca, Pisco, Lima.
Wim

That's more or less the same itinerary I did last year. I didn't fly though, but used busses only (plus one small bit on train). The cama (sleeper) busses are really a comfortable way to travel.

Some suggestions:

Machu Picchu - if you want to do Inca trail you have to book it now, because it's more popular than the other trails to MP, and has a limited quota of tourists. I went Salkantay trail which I didn't have to book in advance.

Puno - tours to floating islands (Uros) are usually combined with two "real" islands Amantani and Taquile, with a overnight stay, which is quite an experience.
Alternatively, you can choose to visit Isla del Sol, from the Bolivian side (Copacabana).

Salar de Uyuni - 3 day tour is enough. You'll see it all, including the Altiplano and lagunas. Finish after Laguna Verde which is close to Chilean border, that is w/o returning to Uyuni. From the border proceed to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile (45 km). From there you can go directly to Arica (or make a short stop in Iquique), and there cross the border to Peru.

Colca Canyon - usually a two day tour. It's not really hiking. You're being taken there by bus, and there are only short bits to walk.

Bolivia is a beautiful country, so I can't miss it.
Three weeks ago I came back from my second trip to Bolivia - I had to go back to see more.

As an alternative to your itinerary you can look at the one I did:
Lima -Pisco (plus Paracas/Islas Ballestas)-Nazca-Cuzco-Puno(Titicaca islands)-Copacabana-LaPaz-Uyuni(Salar)-San Pedro de Atacama-Arica-Tacna-Arequipa(Colca Canyon)-Lima

Hope you have a nice trip.

Re time.
You have one month, which should be just enough for that itenerary, without rushing.
I had 5 weeks, which is about the same. I stayed in Lima 3+3 days, and walked the Salkantay trail 5 days. If you're not going to do the latter, your time will def be sufficient.

I was told not to venture into Bolivia and boy howdy am I glad I ignored that advice. It is one of the most gorgeous countries I have ever been to. Don't miss the world's Most Dangerous Road to Coroico. Bike down with a company called gravity. This was one of the highlights of my trip.

Hey, thank you very much for the valuable information! Also the tips for San Pedro de Atacama and Coroico seem very interesting, wish we had some more time!

I guess the question for us now rather is, do we want to see the highlights of Peru & Bolivia while we're in area (and miss out on a lot of things that need more time), or see Peru thoroughly and postpone our Bolivia plans for some years... We'll have to think it over

Anyway, thanks again ey, bye!
Wim

Your plan is very doable. Keep in mind to see the floating islands in puno it only takes a couple hours. You do not need to stay there more than one night.