Where to go in Sept? Active holiday wanted!
Discussion
So I was supposed to go Canada to see some long lost cousins but due to schedules differing this has now been postponed. I'd already booked time off work for it though...so where should I go? I'm after an adventure/active type of holiday, want to see things, experience things and do it backpacker-style - but can afford things if they're worthwhile 
On my list of places to see/do:
Macchu Picchu - Sept doesn't seem to be too bad a time to go weather wise?
Nepal - apparently cloudy
Galapagos - dry season, sounds ok but will I miss out on wildlife arriving during 'warm season'?
Kilimanjaro?
India?
Trans-Siberian railway from Moscow to Beijing - been wanting to do this for years, but the cost is quite prohibitive
I'm open to other destinations, I was trying to work my way around the Wonders of the World but got distracted. Hopefully the list'll give you an idea of what I'm looking for?
On my list of places to see/do:
Macchu Picchu - Sept doesn't seem to be too bad a time to go weather wise?
Nepal - apparently cloudy
Galapagos - dry season, sounds ok but will I miss out on wildlife arriving during 'warm season'?
Kilimanjaro?
India?
Trans-Siberian railway from Moscow to Beijing - been wanting to do this for years, but the cost is quite prohibitive
I'm open to other destinations, I was trying to work my way around the Wonders of the World but got distracted. Hopefully the list'll give you an idea of what I'm looking for?
In a similar vein, have a look at Torres del Paine in Chile. You can do the whole trip staying in mountain huts. Amazing stuff.
Nepal should be great. I read lots about the Annapurna circuit when researching great walks.
I don't think Trans-Siberian is the same type of adventure. 7 days in sleeper carriage with drunk Russians?
Nepal should be great. I read lots about the Annapurna circuit when researching great walks.
I don't think Trans-Siberian is the same type of adventure. 7 days in sleeper carriage with drunk Russians?
Without wanting to piss on your chips, if you're ruling out Nepal because it's cloudy, then I'd punt the first suggestion of Patagonia in Sept right out the park.
I was down there in November 2008, (their equivalent of May), and there wasn't much sunshine and it was VERY windy. Sept is likely to be even worse.
Think of what the weather can be like in the UK in March, make it much worse and you're about there.
Sept would be fine for Machu Picchu, I was there in Oct last year and although there was a few heavy rain showers in Cusco, it was gorgeous up at the site itself. Bear in mind it is just on the edge of the rain forest, so don't expect perfect weather in Aguas Calientes all the time. (Rained both days we were there).
Would recommend considering going over the mountains from Bolivia to Chile too, that was the most memorable part of my trip there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigalinembra/sets/721...
Some inspiration for you!
Personally I found Angkor Wat a far more impressive wonder of the world than Machu Picchu, but September probably isn't the best time still being the rainy season that part of the world.
I just found the scale of the Angkor complex so much more mind-blowing, and the Asians have a lot more respect for history and their ancestors, so there was a great deal more reverence when telling you about the history, which I liked.
That and some of the Angkor complex is some 400 years older than Machu Picchu! When you see the scale and the detail of Angkor versus Machu, you'll get what I mean.
Machu Picchu is location, location, location!
That said, I didn't do the Inca Trail, and I reckon that it's more impressive if you get at it that way. I'm a bit of a jessie when it comes to heights though, and I felt the 4 days were better spent doing other things.
If you are going solo rather than on a tour, factor in acclimatisation to altitude though. Cusco is 3350m, and Machu Picchu is 2800m.
You will get beating heads and puffing and panting for a while, and do not underestimate the effect it has on you!
I was down there in November 2008, (their equivalent of May), and there wasn't much sunshine and it was VERY windy. Sept is likely to be even worse.
Think of what the weather can be like in the UK in March, make it much worse and you're about there.
Sept would be fine for Machu Picchu, I was there in Oct last year and although there was a few heavy rain showers in Cusco, it was gorgeous up at the site itself. Bear in mind it is just on the edge of the rain forest, so don't expect perfect weather in Aguas Calientes all the time. (Rained both days we were there).
Would recommend considering going over the mountains from Bolivia to Chile too, that was the most memorable part of my trip there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigalinembra/sets/721...
Some inspiration for you!
Personally I found Angkor Wat a far more impressive wonder of the world than Machu Picchu, but September probably isn't the best time still being the rainy season that part of the world.
I just found the scale of the Angkor complex so much more mind-blowing, and the Asians have a lot more respect for history and their ancestors, so there was a great deal more reverence when telling you about the history, which I liked.
That and some of the Angkor complex is some 400 years older than Machu Picchu! When you see the scale and the detail of Angkor versus Machu, you'll get what I mean.
Machu Picchu is location, location, location!
That said, I didn't do the Inca Trail, and I reckon that it's more impressive if you get at it that way. I'm a bit of a jessie when it comes to heights though, and I felt the 4 days were better spent doing other things.
If you are going solo rather than on a tour, factor in acclimatisation to altitude though. Cusco is 3350m, and Machu Picchu is 2800m.
You will get beating heads and puffing and panting for a while, and do not underestimate the effect it has on you!
BigAlinEmbra said:
Sept would be fine for Machu Picchu, I was there in Oct last year and although there was a few heavy rain showers in Cusco, it was gorgeous up at the site itself. Bear in mind it is just on the edge of the rain forest, so don't expect perfect weather in Aguas Calientes all the time. (Rained both days we were there).
Would recommend considering going over the mountains from Bolivia to Chile too, that was the most memorable part of my trip there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigalinembra/sets/721...
Some inspiration for you!
Personally I found Angkor Wat a far more impressive wonder of the world than Machu Picchu, but September probably isn't the best time still being the rainy season that part of the world.
I just found the scale of the Angkor complex so much more mind-blowing, and the Asians have a lot more respect for history and their ancestors, so there was a great deal more reverence when telling you about the history, which I liked.
That and some of the Angkor complex is some 400 years older than Machu Picchu! When you see the scale and the detail of Angkor versus Machu, you'll get what I mean.
Machu Picchu is location, location, location!
That said, I didn't do the Inca Trail, and I reckon that it's more impressive if you get at it that way. I'm a bit of a jessie when it comes to heights though, and I felt the 4 days were better spent doing other things.
If you are going solo rather than on a tour, factor in acclimatisation to altitude though. Cusco is 3350m, and Machu Picchu is 2800m.
You will get beating heads and puffing and panting for a while, and do not underestimate the effect it has on you!
Al, I've already been Angkor Wat actually, and I agree with you its very impressive. Spent a good few days doing the whole temple circuit Would recommend considering going over the mountains from Bolivia to Chile too, that was the most memorable part of my trip there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigalinembra/sets/721...
Some inspiration for you!
Personally I found Angkor Wat a far more impressive wonder of the world than Machu Picchu, but September probably isn't the best time still being the rainy season that part of the world.
I just found the scale of the Angkor complex so much more mind-blowing, and the Asians have a lot more respect for history and their ancestors, so there was a great deal more reverence when telling you about the history, which I liked.
That and some of the Angkor complex is some 400 years older than Machu Picchu! When you see the scale and the detail of Angkor versus Machu, you'll get what I mean.
Machu Picchu is location, location, location!
That said, I didn't do the Inca Trail, and I reckon that it's more impressive if you get at it that way. I'm a bit of a jessie when it comes to heights though, and I felt the 4 days were better spent doing other things.
If you are going solo rather than on a tour, factor in acclimatisation to altitude though. Cusco is 3350m, and Machu Picchu is 2800m.
You will get beating heads and puffing and panting for a while, and do not underestimate the effect it has on you!
I'm pretty good with altitude actually, weird considering I used to be scared of heights! Climbed Mount Kinabalu a couple of years ago at 4095m and had no problems, which cannot be said of my friend accompanying me
I've actually been to a lot of SE Asia already but have had Macchu Picchu on my radar for a long time now, so think I might end up heading there!
Can you tell me more about the journey from Bolivia to Chile? Also how long did you go for in total? I have 3 weeks...
http://www.gapadventures.com/trips/southern-divide...
I went on that trip, which you'd be struggling to squeeze into 3 weeks along with travel there and back as well.
Potosi I thought was generally a bit meh. It's really just a mining town and somewhere to stop on the way to the Salt Flats at Uyuni.
You can go down the mines, which I did, but it wasn't hugely interesting for me. Sure the guide plays with the dynamite, shoves it down his trousers with a lit fuse on it, but that's all for show really.
My sister went and it sounded like it was more interesting, them showing how they use cyanide to extract the silver etc.
If you've seen the Top Gear special from Bolivia to Chile, then you'll have a fair idea the sort of scenery.
It's absolutely mind blowing. You start off on the salt flats, which is kind of surreal as all perspective gets lost, it's just miles of whiteness. (It's the biggest salt lake in the world apparently)
Then you go up into the mountains, and the scenery just becomes ever more spectacular. Even our guide, who was a Peruvian and was normally a bit more scant with praise of places when we left Peru (they're very proud of their own country and get a bit jealous when you compare it to neighbouring countries). He was saying that when we stopped at the Blue Lagoon for lunch, that was about as close to perfect as it gets.
I've tried getting some folk in it for scale.
You sit there, chowing down on lunch, gorgeous blue skies with flamingoes in the water and delicate little vicunas grazing nearby.
As you carry on, the scale just gets more and more epic.
Even on the way to Bolivia across the Altiplano there was some great sights, but this really was something else.
Whilst I've slagged off Potosi, the journey there is impressive. Over the Altiplano with the Andean Cordillera as the background.
Sitting on the bus with good friends you've made on the trip, chilling to some tunes whilst the world offers up stuff like this is what makes it worth the money.
There's bits and bobs you could probably shave off the trip to squeeze it all into 3 weeks.
Lima is worth arriving in, it's a nice city and gives you a flavour of coastal Peru, but a day or two tops would do you.
Fly to Cusco, and give yourself at least a couple of days to acclimatise, then spend a day traversing the Sacred Valley to get to Ollantaytambo, which is where the train sets off for Aguas Calientes.
You can get off at an earlier stop if you want to do the Inca Trail, but then you are looking at 4 days minimum here. Whereas you could train it Aguas Calientes, see Machu Picchu, then train it back to Cusco.
Depends how into your walking you are. I think you'll enjoy Machu Picchu more if you have the trail, but resign yourself to seeing less of other things if you do.
It's worth bussing it round Lake Titicaca, and doing a trip out to an Island if you can factor in a couple of days for that, and at the end of it La Paz is a quirky city, and more South American than many of the other more touristy places. It's got a bad rep for being dangerous, but I didn't find it threatening in the least, even when hurtling home across the city on my own drunk in a random pirate taxi. (My drinking partner had carried on elsewhere, but at 4am with a 10.30 flight I saw sense!)
Sucre is a far wealthier city, and I absolutely loved it here, it was where the sun came out to play for us, and we were given some respite from the early starts and relentless tours. It's a good place to chill out.
Far less shabby than the rest of the places previously, and with some nice chocolate shops too!
I think we were here for 3 days, and that could probably be chopped.
There is no shortcut from here to the treks over the Andes, as far as I know there's no flights, so you just have to bus it via Potosi to Uyuni.
That said, you could save a day by not stopping in Potosi if the bus timetables allow it, and that's worth considering.
It would be a long old bus trip, but fork out for a swanky tourist bus and there's enough space to stretch out and kip.
We had a couple of days in San Pedro de Atacama, and to be honest after the scenery that went before, you could miss it out. The valley of the moon is impressive if you've just come North from Santiago, it's less so when you've set off from a mountain hut at 15,000ft, watched the sun rise and it colours the rocks red like Mars, and just as the sun is peeking over the horizon you arrive at a geyser field.
I've not actually got any photos of the Mars section, mainly because we'd been up since pre dawn, and we were just utterly blown away by it all.
Sun just peeking over the horizon at dawn on the geyser field.
Valley of the moon.
More valley of the moon.
Sunset over the Valley of the Moon.
Looking back to the Andes from the Valley of the moon at dusk. See the cone shaped Volcano at the right hand side?
Well you were the other side of it yesterday morning!
I don't want to do Machu Picchu down, but for me it was very much "well it looks just like it does in the photos". It is spectacular, no doubt, but for me the Andean scenery just totally blew it away.
I think it was a mixture of lack lustre guides at Machu Picchu, and the fact that everywhere you go you get the same spiel about the Inca empire.
So by the time you've been to Cusco, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, you know what's coming when they tell the story of Machu Picchu. Also, none of the tours seem to bother with the museum at the bottom of the hill, which is fascinating. It tells you about how folk lived up there, what its purpose was, etc.
I also found that in construction terms, Ollantaytambo was more impressive.
The obelisk in the foreground here was quarried up near the top of the hills in the background, and then transported back up the hill.
Which is no mean feat seeing it's up at the top of this now!
Machu Picchu is comparatively simple, they just smashed the top of the mountain flat and used the spare rock to make the buildings.
Compared to the scale and intricacy of Angkor, Machu seems very simple indeed!
I hope I've not done it too much of a disservice, it's just that because it's one of those iconic images of South America, everyone seems to reckon it's the bees knees. The place has so much more to offer, and I had some far more memorable days elsewhere.
It's probably not helped by the fact that Aguas Calientes itself is a bit of a hole, and everything has a hefty tourist tax of about 12% loaded on. All the food ect was the most expensive there, yet not the nicest we had.
It might be that the tax is to help the rebuilding after the floods from the start of last year, but even if they'd justified it then it would have been easier to swallow!
I'm not saying miss it out by any means, but plan the trip carefully and there are things you'll enjoy more imo.
Doesn't help that I like to know as much as I can about history and culture, and it's not something that Latin Americans present very well. Their attitude seems to be a lot more about the here and now and the future, and because the Incas were wiped out then they don't get the respect that I think they are probably due.
I found the way history was preserved and presented in Asia much more appealing.
But then that's part of travel, isn't it? To experience the people as well as the places!
I suppose you could contrast it that Latin Americans are more extroverted and warm and welcoming (not that Asians aren't), but you're made to feel part of their family almost immediately, whereas in Asia you're always more of an outsider.
I've rambled on a fair bit now eh? Sorry.
I went on that trip, which you'd be struggling to squeeze into 3 weeks along with travel there and back as well.
Potosi I thought was generally a bit meh. It's really just a mining town and somewhere to stop on the way to the Salt Flats at Uyuni.
You can go down the mines, which I did, but it wasn't hugely interesting for me. Sure the guide plays with the dynamite, shoves it down his trousers with a lit fuse on it, but that's all for show really.
My sister went and it sounded like it was more interesting, them showing how they use cyanide to extract the silver etc.
If you've seen the Top Gear special from Bolivia to Chile, then you'll have a fair idea the sort of scenery.
It's absolutely mind blowing. You start off on the salt flats, which is kind of surreal as all perspective gets lost, it's just miles of whiteness. (It's the biggest salt lake in the world apparently)
Then you go up into the mountains, and the scenery just becomes ever more spectacular. Even our guide, who was a Peruvian and was normally a bit more scant with praise of places when we left Peru (they're very proud of their own country and get a bit jealous when you compare it to neighbouring countries). He was saying that when we stopped at the Blue Lagoon for lunch, that was about as close to perfect as it gets.
I've tried getting some folk in it for scale.
You sit there, chowing down on lunch, gorgeous blue skies with flamingoes in the water and delicate little vicunas grazing nearby.
As you carry on, the scale just gets more and more epic.
Even on the way to Bolivia across the Altiplano there was some great sights, but this really was something else.
Whilst I've slagged off Potosi, the journey there is impressive. Over the Altiplano with the Andean Cordillera as the background.
Sitting on the bus with good friends you've made on the trip, chilling to some tunes whilst the world offers up stuff like this is what makes it worth the money.
There's bits and bobs you could probably shave off the trip to squeeze it all into 3 weeks.
Lima is worth arriving in, it's a nice city and gives you a flavour of coastal Peru, but a day or two tops would do you.
Fly to Cusco, and give yourself at least a couple of days to acclimatise, then spend a day traversing the Sacred Valley to get to Ollantaytambo, which is where the train sets off for Aguas Calientes.
You can get off at an earlier stop if you want to do the Inca Trail, but then you are looking at 4 days minimum here. Whereas you could train it Aguas Calientes, see Machu Picchu, then train it back to Cusco.
Depends how into your walking you are. I think you'll enjoy Machu Picchu more if you have the trail, but resign yourself to seeing less of other things if you do.
It's worth bussing it round Lake Titicaca, and doing a trip out to an Island if you can factor in a couple of days for that, and at the end of it La Paz is a quirky city, and more South American than many of the other more touristy places. It's got a bad rep for being dangerous, but I didn't find it threatening in the least, even when hurtling home across the city on my own drunk in a random pirate taxi. (My drinking partner had carried on elsewhere, but at 4am with a 10.30 flight I saw sense!)
Sucre is a far wealthier city, and I absolutely loved it here, it was where the sun came out to play for us, and we were given some respite from the early starts and relentless tours. It's a good place to chill out.
Far less shabby than the rest of the places previously, and with some nice chocolate shops too!
I think we were here for 3 days, and that could probably be chopped.
There is no shortcut from here to the treks over the Andes, as far as I know there's no flights, so you just have to bus it via Potosi to Uyuni.
That said, you could save a day by not stopping in Potosi if the bus timetables allow it, and that's worth considering.
It would be a long old bus trip, but fork out for a swanky tourist bus and there's enough space to stretch out and kip.
We had a couple of days in San Pedro de Atacama, and to be honest after the scenery that went before, you could miss it out. The valley of the moon is impressive if you've just come North from Santiago, it's less so when you've set off from a mountain hut at 15,000ft, watched the sun rise and it colours the rocks red like Mars, and just as the sun is peeking over the horizon you arrive at a geyser field.
I've not actually got any photos of the Mars section, mainly because we'd been up since pre dawn, and we were just utterly blown away by it all.
Sun just peeking over the horizon at dawn on the geyser field.
Valley of the moon.
More valley of the moon.
Sunset over the Valley of the Moon.
Looking back to the Andes from the Valley of the moon at dusk. See the cone shaped Volcano at the right hand side?
Well you were the other side of it yesterday morning!
I don't want to do Machu Picchu down, but for me it was very much "well it looks just like it does in the photos". It is spectacular, no doubt, but for me the Andean scenery just totally blew it away.
I think it was a mixture of lack lustre guides at Machu Picchu, and the fact that everywhere you go you get the same spiel about the Inca empire.
So by the time you've been to Cusco, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, you know what's coming when they tell the story of Machu Picchu. Also, none of the tours seem to bother with the museum at the bottom of the hill, which is fascinating. It tells you about how folk lived up there, what its purpose was, etc.
I also found that in construction terms, Ollantaytambo was more impressive.
The obelisk in the foreground here was quarried up near the top of the hills in the background, and then transported back up the hill.
Which is no mean feat seeing it's up at the top of this now!
Machu Picchu is comparatively simple, they just smashed the top of the mountain flat and used the spare rock to make the buildings.
Compared to the scale and intricacy of Angkor, Machu seems very simple indeed!
I hope I've not done it too much of a disservice, it's just that because it's one of those iconic images of South America, everyone seems to reckon it's the bees knees. The place has so much more to offer, and I had some far more memorable days elsewhere.
It's probably not helped by the fact that Aguas Calientes itself is a bit of a hole, and everything has a hefty tourist tax of about 12% loaded on. All the food ect was the most expensive there, yet not the nicest we had.
It might be that the tax is to help the rebuilding after the floods from the start of last year, but even if they'd justified it then it would have been easier to swallow!
I'm not saying miss it out by any means, but plan the trip carefully and there are things you'll enjoy more imo.
Doesn't help that I like to know as much as I can about history and culture, and it's not something that Latin Americans present very well. Their attitude seems to be a lot more about the here and now and the future, and because the Incas were wiped out then they don't get the respect that I think they are probably due.
I found the way history was preserved and presented in Asia much more appealing.
But then that's part of travel, isn't it? To experience the people as well as the places!
I suppose you could contrast it that Latin Americans are more extroverted and warm and welcoming (not that Asians aren't), but you're made to feel part of their family almost immediately, whereas in Asia you're always more of an outsider.
I've rambled on a fair bit now eh? Sorry.
Amateurish said:
In a similar vein, have a look at Torres del Paine in Chile. You can do the whole trip staying in mountain huts. Amazing stuff.
Not in September. We were snowed on in mid-December there and had to turn back because the pass was, er, impassable. In early spring the weather will be more than a little challenging.
I will get researching and be back with more questions! Bill said:
Amateurish said:
In a similar vein, have a look at Torres del Paine in Chile. You can do the whole trip staying in mountain huts. Amazing stuff.
Not in September. We were snowed on in mid-December there and had to turn back because the pass was, er, impassable. In early spring the weather will be more than a little challenging.Ah plans have been scuppered slightly, my inconsiderate friends have decided to get married slap bang in the middle of this, so I've only got 2 weeks now. I really want to do the Inca Trail and Macchu Picchu despite luke-warm reviews as its been on my mind for a long time and I actually studied the Incas at school so want to get it ticked and done
Do you think 2 weeks will be enough there? I'm guessing I won't have time to do Bolivia to Chile now
Do you think 2 weeks will be enough there? I'm guessing I won't have time to do Bolivia to Chile now
Apparently the port at Puno (Peru side of Titicaca) has been closed due to protests in the area since the start of June, so maybe best avoided anyway.
2 weeks is plenty for the trail and getting there, in fact possibly a bit too much time!
You probably want to get to Cusco ASAP on the way out, and have a few days there to get used to the altitude. Then you've got 4 days to do the trail, and you'll probably want a day or so in Aguas Calientes to chill out after.
That's what, 8-9 days done? You could check out rafting on the Urubamba or something to fill a few more days before heading home? We were told not to bother because it was right at the tail end of the dry season so not enough water to be worthwhile, but that was a bit later in the season.
Lima is a nice enough city, and you could probably fill 2-3 days there, especially if you're not seeing many other cities in the region. It's a pretty standard colonial city imo, but they are nice.
It's just that I've seen a lot of them now!
2 weeks is plenty for the trail and getting there, in fact possibly a bit too much time!
You probably want to get to Cusco ASAP on the way out, and have a few days there to get used to the altitude. Then you've got 4 days to do the trail, and you'll probably want a day or so in Aguas Calientes to chill out after.
That's what, 8-9 days done? You could check out rafting on the Urubamba or something to fill a few more days before heading home? We were told not to bother because it was right at the tail end of the dry season so not enough water to be worthwhile, but that was a bit later in the season.
Lima is a nice enough city, and you could probably fill 2-3 days there, especially if you're not seeing many other cities in the region. It's a pretty standard colonial city imo, but they are nice.
It's just that I've seen a lot of them now!
Ahh this just hit my inbox as well!
http://gap.statravel.co.uk/trips/andean-discovery/...
Day 1 Lima
Arrive at any time
Day 2-4 Pisco/ Nazca (D)
Travel by bus to Pisco. Optional visit to Ballestas Islands before travelling to Nazca. Stop at a winery en route as well as at the Oasis of Huacachina. Optional sandboarding. In the evening, take part in a traditional Pachamanca meal. Optional flight over the Nazca Lines before the night bus to Arequipa.
Day 5-8 Arequipa /Colca Canyon
Free day in Arequipa. Optional Visit of the Catalina Convent. Guided tour to Colca Canyon to spot condors. Optional visit to local hot springs. Drive back to Arequipa on Day 8 before taking the night bus to Cuzco.
Day 9-16 Cuzco/Ollantaytambo/Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (3B,3L,3D)
Free time to explore Cuzco or take an optional city tour. Active options include whitewater rafting, horseback riding and mountain biking. Travel to Ollantaytambo through the Sacred Valley. 4-day guided Inca Trail hike with visit to Machu Picchu. Optional climb up to Huayna Picchu or a visit to the Inca Bridge before returning to Cuzco.
Day 17-19 Puno/Lake Titicaca
Travel by bus to Puno. Visit the floating Islands of Uros and take a guided tour of Lake Titicaca with a homestay in a small village. Optional visit to Sillustani burial site.
Day 20 La Paz
Travel by bus and cross the border into Bolivia, arriving to La Paz.
Day 21 La Paz
Depart at any time.
Its £1139 though, which I think is quite steep. I was looking to do the trip for a fair bit less (excluding flights). Is that feasible?
http://gap.statravel.co.uk/trips/andean-discovery/...
Day 1 Lima
Arrive at any time
Day 2-4 Pisco/ Nazca (D)
Travel by bus to Pisco. Optional visit to Ballestas Islands before travelling to Nazca. Stop at a winery en route as well as at the Oasis of Huacachina. Optional sandboarding. In the evening, take part in a traditional Pachamanca meal. Optional flight over the Nazca Lines before the night bus to Arequipa.
Day 5-8 Arequipa /Colca Canyon
Free day in Arequipa. Optional Visit of the Catalina Convent. Guided tour to Colca Canyon to spot condors. Optional visit to local hot springs. Drive back to Arequipa on Day 8 before taking the night bus to Cuzco.
Day 9-16 Cuzco/Ollantaytambo/Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (3B,3L,3D)
Free time to explore Cuzco or take an optional city tour. Active options include whitewater rafting, horseback riding and mountain biking. Travel to Ollantaytambo through the Sacred Valley. 4-day guided Inca Trail hike with visit to Machu Picchu. Optional climb up to Huayna Picchu or a visit to the Inca Bridge before returning to Cuzco.
Day 17-19 Puno/Lake Titicaca
Travel by bus to Puno. Visit the floating Islands of Uros and take a guided tour of Lake Titicaca with a homestay in a small village. Optional visit to Sillustani burial site.
Day 20 La Paz
Travel by bus and cross the border into Bolivia, arriving to La Paz.
Day 21 La Paz
Depart at any time.
Its £1139 though, which I think is quite steep. I was looking to do the trip for a fair bit less (excluding flights). Is that feasible?
So its not just me who thinks STA travel trips isn't the bargain its made out to be?
I've always preferred 'winging' it a bit and just turning up somewhere and organising it how I'd like to do it and its only bitten me once when I went to Borneo and didn't pre-book my diving for Sipadan Having said that I'm travelling with a friend who I think prefers a more organised sort of trip...
I've always preferred 'winging' it a bit and just turning up somewhere and organising it how I'd like to do it and its only bitten me once when I went to Borneo and didn't pre-book my diving for Sipadan
Having said that I'm travelling with a friend who I think prefers a more organised sort of trip...Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff