re: 9 days in Peru - highlights, pics, etc.

Thanks for posting. Very cool!

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I don't know if it's a common thing in other places, but the plumbing in Peru is pretty bad, and no matter where you are you are asked to not flush paper down the toilet. That's right, you have to throw your shite paper in the trash can.

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It's that way in most of Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador, at least away from the big cities it is. You get used to it and it really doesn't stink like you'd think if you wrap it up well. Most of the places I've stayed had no air conditioning and that is a bigger deal at low elevation.

July will be my first Peru trip - most of it will be spent chasing rare bird species at lodges outside Iquitos. There are a number of species that have only been discovered in the last few years. LSU is heavily involved in that research. A couple of years ago a team of LSU researchers set a new record for the most bird species seen in one day and they did it in northeast Peru. Some friends and I will be chasing some of the same stuff.

I'd love to see condors but we will be on and around the Amazon for most of the trip and condors are only in the high mountains. We will see toucans, parrots, macaws, hummingbirds, owls, antbirds, tanagers, cotingas, ... probably at least 400 species. And very few of them are seen in the US. I'm going to spend more time studying for this trip than most college classes I took. We are also hiring the best birding guide in the Iquitos area.

There will be a lot of other critters as well. Monkeys, sloths, snakes, spiders, frogs, piranhas, lizards... The lodges are mostly in virgin rainforest and accessible only by boat on the Amazon and Napo rivers.

BTW - I just checked on where Condors are seen in Peru. You have a small chance in Cusco but a pretty decent chance at Machu Picchu.

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I'm excited to eat guinea pig though

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Sounds tasty, I guess I must give it try. I'll make the wife look away.

I went to the Amazon in May -- you're going to love it. Everyone should visit at least once in their life. Incredible. Try and set up some visits to visit some tribes.

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Plans are to fly AUS-IAH-LIM-CUZ then get a ride to the valley. Spend all day at the hotel/village getting used to the altitude. MP the next day heading back to Cusco that night. Then spend 2.5 days in Cusco and back to the US.

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Jealous -- you'll have to do a write up when you get back. GF is from Ecuador so we're planning a trip there soon. I want to rent a car and drive to Peru.

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Plans are to fly AUS-IAH-LIM-CUZ then get a ride to the valley. Spend all day at the hotel/village getting used to the altitude. MP the next day heading back to Cusco that night. Then spend 2.5 days in Cusco and back to the US. 

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Just saw this post.

I know you're on a tight schedule, but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend spending the night in Aguas Calientes and doing Machu Picchu for 2 days.

If I understand your itinerary correctly, it looks like you'll be in Cusco for one day, then head out to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu the next day, and to return to Cusco that night?

Considering it's a 4 hour train ride from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, then another hour or 2 to actually get up to Machu Picchu depending on transportation. You'll be getting into Machu Picchu late already. I just don't think that's enough time to really enjoy it. Not to mention, just throw out what I said in my previous post about any of the hikes. You won't have enough time to do that.

We did a half day ticket to Machu Picchu on our first day because of the late arrival, then stayed the night in Aguas Calientes and got up to Machu Picchu the next morning at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise. HIGHLY recommended.

It's the main draw. I wouldn't skimp on the experience. You never know when you'll go back.

Ok thanks for the clarification. Ya, I knew about the tickets, but in your post I didn't quite fully understand if you took the buses or not. Now that will definitely work for us. Bus then hike.

Is the MP mountain you talking about Montana or however its spelled? If it's spelled MP on the site, I'll check again, but I'll know what you mean anyways I suppose. That website sucks. No way we're doing both mountains, my wife would die.

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What do you mean by "the Valley"? The Sacred Valley, like Ollantaytambo?

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Ya, Ollantaytambo or Urubamba. I was thinking Tambo Del Inka in Urubamba because it has its own rail line station and is nice, however, it is kinda far from MP. If we go with the hiking option I might need to stay in Aguas calientes so we save that time.

I researched the hell out of this trip when I thought I was going a couple times over the past few years so I'm pretty knowledgeable about a lot of it outside the on the ground curveballs/realities that always arise.

Thanks again for your input.