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Whitefish posted:I've never been to Cuzco or Nazca, but I have spent a lot of time in Peru and the buses are not safe. Every single week there are a number of accidents, often times involving many dead. If you don't have any worries about the bus crashing, robberies are also somewhat common, though moreso it seems in the jungle/mountains than on the coast. The roads in Peru are pretty bad in spots, but they're doing a lot of work these days on getting them up to snuff. I'd personally stick to air travel, it's really not that expensive if you buy your tickets in Peru. Round trip from Lima to Cuzco run between $115 - $130 through LAN, but you have to buy them at the LAN offices in Lima. As for the train thing, you should be able to check bags, and it should be safe. If you can't you can always leave some of your luggage at your hotel in Cuzco. billy cuts fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Aug 14, 2008 |
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Aug 13, 2008 23:10
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Even the high-class bus lines have problems. They are very, very bad about upkeep on their vehicles -- i.e. brake replacement and there is little to no governmental oversight. But yeah, you're right, they do crash less often, although I'm pretty sure they are robbed at about the same rate, at least in the upper Amazon. I've spent a little over 9 months in Peru, however I don't do the tourist thing (doing research in the Amazon) so I don't have personal experience with any of the buses, just from what I've heard and read in newspapers there. When I do need to travel on the roads I usually just get a private car and driver, but that gets pretty expensive. Anyway, good luck with your trip. If you have any other questions about Peru, ask away. billy cuts fucked around with this message at 22:15 on Aug 14, 2008 |
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Aug 14, 2008 22:12
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Savahontas posted:Do you all have any advice about Amazonian cities? I've traveled throughout the Peruvian Amazon, spending a little over a year there in total since 2005. The population is very sparse, but there are many great spots. I recommend you check out the following: Tarapoto -- You can fly from Lima to Tarapoto for around $120 on LAN Peru. This is the largest city in the province of San Martin, with around 120,000 people. There are a number of discotekas and the nightlife is great. There are lots of tourist spots around the city -- waterfalls, indigenous communities, etc -- and everything is fairly cheap. From here, you can take a private car ($30) and go to Yurimaguas. Yurimaguas -- Awesome small town on the Huallaga river. From here you can travel up the Paranapura river in a peki-peki (long boat with a small 15hp motor) and visit Chayahuita indigenous communities (i.e. Balsa Puerto), or hop in a lancha (large boat with 3 floors, like a river cruise ship...) and head down the Huallaga, visiting other communities along the way. Lagunas -- The next "city" down the Huallaga from Yurimaguas. Lots of interesting things here, one of the centers of shamanism in the region. It's about 13 hours in boat from Yurimaguas. Nauta -- Another city, closer to Iquitos, on the Maranon river. Small town vibe, but lots of fun. It's about 3 days on a lancha from Yurimaguas. You can then take a private car from Nauta to Iquitos. Iquitos -- The largest city in the Peruvian Amazon, with about 500,000 people. There is a ton to do there, lots of discotekas and tourist spots. There are also quite a few indigenous communities surrounding the city that you can travel to. However, compared to the other cities above, it's quite costly to stay in and there's a lot of crime. Still, I recommend it if you're traveling through the region.
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Jan 21, 2009 19:42
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DustingDuvet posted:Indigenous Cholita women wrestling Just a note. Cholo/chola is a pretty racist term unless you're an indigenous person living in the city.
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Jul 21, 2009 21:16
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Absolute Zero posted:Surprised nobody has talked about the weather here in this thread, but the mist is driving me insane.. coming from Arizona I don't think I've ever gone this long without seeing the Sun in my life. This is why I loathe Lima. It's so gray and depressing, every day. The only decent time of year is in December/January... quote:Does anybody have any other good ideas for other weekend trips I can make from Lima? Fly to Tarapoto or Iquitos and spend the weekend in the jungle. Round trip tickets on LAN run around $115. quote:Also... I'm here by myself, so if any other goons are traveling through feel free to hit me up. My coworkers mostly don't speak English, so it would be nice to have some other gringos to speak English with. I won't be there until December, but there is a huge expat community in Lima. Check out http://www.expatperu.com
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Aug 1, 2009 18:04
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Hadlock posted:Any goons going to be in SA December-January? It looks like CatchrNdRy will be in Equador, but that's going to be near the end of my trip (January). I'll be in Peru from Dec. 14th until Jan. 13th. We should meet up and have some chelas if you're in the area.
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Nov 19, 2009 16:01
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DustingDuvet posted:Are you still doing your research work there? Yep, I have a few different research projects I'll be working on while I'm down there. Unfortunately I can only stay a month this trip, but it's looking like I'll be able to make it back down in May or June if all goes as planned.
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Nov 30, 2009 18:28
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roflcopter thief posted:In terms of nightlife I didn't explore that, but from what I hear, it's lacking. I haven't been to Manaus, but every sizable city in the Peruvian Amazon that I have visited has had an amazing nightlife, with Sunday usually being the day that everyone goes out to rage it. I personally prefer partying in the jungle to partying in Lima, or anywhere in the States for that matter.
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Dec 3, 2009 21:22
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Hoping to hang out with some goons in South America this summer as I'm heading to Peru like always. I'll be back in Lima from the 26th to 30th of May and then in the Peruvian Amazon until August 17th. If anyone is going to be in the region, send me a PM and we'll grab some beers.
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Mar 8, 2010 17:20
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masterfly posted:Thanks for the reply. I've literally planned the Brazil part more than anything. The amount of work involved in getting the visa is pretty ridiuclous. I'm going down for too long and missing it now wouldn't make any sense, I don't think I'll be able to afford this for years after this trip. When are you getting into Lima? I'm flying down later this afternoon and will be there the next few days. After that I'll be heading to the jungle for the next 3 months. If you're going to be around we should grab a beer or something.
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May 26, 2010 05:55
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masterfly posted:I'm arriving on June 11th. Who knows where you'll be at that point. Are you traveling or staying in one general location? I just got into Tarapoto, which is in the western upper Peruvian Amazon. I'll be here for a couple weeks, then off to Yurimaguas for the rest of the time I'm in Peru. Give me a call if you're in the region -- 042-942-61-0220.
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May 30, 2010 01:05
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masterfly posted:If I land and find myself alone I'll definitely give you a call. I've got a meetup with a buddy in La Paz shortly after I land but he hasn't answered my email for over a week now so he's either having a good time or kidnapped and ground up for harvest. If I don't end up seeing him right away then I'll lounge around in Peru for a few weeks. Tarapoto is an amazing little town. I've never taken the bus out here because it's around a 20 hour ride and I'm usually pretty antsy to get into the jungle. Also, there are a lot of accidents/assaults on the highway between the coast and the jungle. It's much easier (and a billion times faster) to fly. You can get a round trip ticket to Tarapoto from Lima for around $100 on Star Peru. Hope to see you out here.
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Jun 1, 2010 21:32
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I don't understand how you guys can deal with the buses in South America. While they're decent, there are always crashes and it's usually not that much more expensive to fly. Anyway, as usual, I'm getting ready to head down to the jungle in a couple weeks. I'll be in the Yurimaguas, Peru and the surrounding region from December 8th through January 24th. If anyone is going to be traveling in that area (Alto Amazonas/San Martin) wants to meet up and grab a beer or something, hit me up with a PM.
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Nov 24, 2010 18:47
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Macunaima posted:Cuzco is nowhere near Amazonas. Iquitos is, and a good place to start. You'll need to fly there. Cuzco is nowhere near the Amazon river but it is just west of Madre de Dios. You can easily fly to Puerto Maldonado, the capital of Madre de Dios, from Cuzco on a number of airlines in around half an hour. Likewise you can take a bus though it's a somewhat lengthy trip (14 hours). From Puerto Maldonado you can go to Tambopata or Manu, which are both massive nature reserves. I actually think that Manu is closer to Cuzco than Puerto Maldonado but I could be wrong.
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Jun 19, 2011 19:56
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Brian Fellows posted:I'm heading to Peru in a couple of days myself. I'm finding some conflicting reports, maybe someone here knows: The prepaid SIMs do have data, but you have to set it up yourself. First, you'll need to get a Movistar profile installed on your phone to use the data services. Then buy a SIM from a Movistar store in Miraflores or wherever you're staying in Lima. You should be able to get one using your passport. While you're there get a recarga virtual for at least 10 soles. Once you have the credit on your phone, you can then buy whatever amount of bandwidth you need. Check out this page for data prices and this page for voice/sms prices
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May 6, 2013 23:17
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Tight Booty Shorts posted:If you want everyone to accept you and treat you nicely in South America, learn how to use male and female pronouns accurately I don't know where you're hanging out, but in Peru I've never heard anyone criticize the way a gringo speaks Spanish--especially in regard to something like gender agreement. I consider myself more or less fluent in Spanish and still mess up on occasion. I can't imagine what kind of crazy world you live in where people don't accept you or "treat you nicely" for simple issues with gender agreement... EDIT: Also, I'm in the Peruvian Amazon for the next 18 months. If any goons make their way down here, shoot me a PM and we'll grab a chela or something. billy cuts fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Apr 6, 2014 |
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Apr 6, 2014 04:02
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Tight Booty Shorts posted:E; billy cuts- where are you going to stay? Iquitos? I'll mainly be staying in a small community on a tributary of the Pastaza river. Every couple of months, however, I will be in either Iquitos, San Lorenzo, or Yurimaguas for a few weeks to get supplies.
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Apr 16, 2014 06:38
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Tight Booty Shorts posted:I have. There's no more animals anywhere (except certain species of monkeys, which have adapted to eat and steal human food). I took a boat ride like this more than a decade ago, and the only animals we saw were in captivity. Also, the amount of pollution, oil spills, and deforestation you will see is astounding. Perhaps that is the case in the Ecuadorian Amazon along the main rivers such as the Napo and upper Pastaza near Puyo, but this is certainly not the case in the Peruvian Amazon. As I said before, I work in the Pastaza basin and there are tons of animals--but you have to know where to look for them. If you're on a main river, you're not going to see too much unless you are near a colpa or clay lick. Even then, however, it's super rare. To really see animals you need to trek into the forest or move along small tributaries. Luckily the Peruvian Amazon is one of the most intact stretches of rainforest in South America so there is a great chance to see lots of amazing animals. Where I am at right now is close to one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet (the Abanico de Pastaza), and it's only roughly 60km away. I have also worked with major museums on numerous projects, mainly looking at relations between humans and the environment, and we have seen so many rare animals it's insane. I've never heard of anyone mistaking a river otter for a monster-- for example, in the headwaters of the Paranapura, where otters are super rare, even children readily identify them.
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Apr 18, 2014 15:19
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Tight Booty Shorts posted:Yea, I was referring to seeing animals along the rivers. When I was young, huge river porpoises would folow my father's boat for many miles. They're all gone now. By the way, would you mind if I pay you a visit with my wife in Peru? I've been dying to go to the Amazon since last year. Come on down! I'm getting ready to head out to the bush tomorrow, but will be back in Yurimaguas for most of June--at least through San Juan (the 24th). Shoot me a PM and we'll coordinate. khysanth posted:In light of not being able to afford the lodges in the Ecuadorian Amazon, my wife and I are looking at options in Peru. We'll be in Cuzco for 3 full days after our Machu Picchu trek and would love to take a day or two to visit the Amazon and see some wildlife. Any recommendations? What would the cost be, etc.? I was going to suggest Puerto Maldonado as well. Hope you have an awesome time there!
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Apr 23, 2014 16:38
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Mortley posted:Have any of y'all South America enthusiasts ever learned any Quechua? PM me if so, or I can provide an email if needed. Sent you a PM. If anyone else has any questions relating to Quechua, let me know.
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Nov 26, 2014 04:13
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