Question About Callao/Lima

[TxnAquarian]

I am thisclose to booking the 20-day Mariner segment from Buenos Aires to Callao/Lima next February. However, my mother is a bad traveler when it comes to lengthy car rides. I am wondering if anyone can tell me how far it is from the port at Callao to Lima and if possibly Lima is an unsavory city to fly into/out of. Also, has anyone cruised this region? Is it recommended? Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Michael

[adrenn]

Hi Michael! I'll take a stab at your questions. The port of Callao is about 30 minutes from the Lima airport or from a hotel where you might be staying overnight. Depending on your air travel times, you may wind up getting there very late at night and staying over until the morning when you board the ship. San Isidro and Miraflores are among the nicest sections of Lima; we stayed in Miraflores and liked it a lot. We have been to Peru twice; once on a land tour and the other time as the disembarkation stop on the first leg of the Mariner's South American itinerary. We loved the Mariner cruise, seeing parts of Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama before a stop in northern Peru (Salaverry near Trujillo). We were charmed by Peru and the Peruvians; that said, we see Lima as primarily a way to get into and out of the places we most want to visit in Peru as opposed to a destination we'd go back to over and over again.

 

Peru is a developing country; as such, some of the neighborhoods you may drive through between the airport and either the dock or the hotel are what I would describe as run down. You need to take the usual precautions you would in any large city for pickpockets but I felt physically safe while in Lima on an overnight layover. About 4 million people live in the Lima area. It only gets about 4"/year of rain so may be hazy when you visit. The main plaza is colonial period architecture from the 1920s. There's a marvelous archeology museum that would be worth visiting, especially if you don't have the time to see Machu Picchu in person. They have an exact replica scale model of the ruins at the museum. There's also an Incan market in Miraflores where you can find good buys on sweaters, jewelry and other local crafts at decent prices vs. other areas in Peru.

 

If you can swing it, I'd highly recommend a pre-trip excursion to Machu Picchu with an overnight up at the Sanctuary Lodge just outside the ruins. Cuzco is lovely (only caveat is it's at 11,000 feet if either of you have altitude problems) and is the jumping off point for Machu Picchu.

 

Hope that helps. I am very keen to try the Lima-Buenos Aires segment on Mariner, too. We did a post-trip to Ica and did the flyover for the Nacza lines post-cruise. It is quite remarkable! Those flyover flights are not for those with weak stomachs as the pilots will nearly fly sideways to make sure you can see the drawings in the mountainsides. Cheers, Anne

[JoAnne B]

Hope you will consider taking time for a trip to Machu Pichu. It definitely shouldn't be missed! In order to book the hotel at the ruins, it is necessary to also book a night at the Monasterio in Cuzco. Not a bad idea as you can check your bags there and only take an overnight bag to the ruins. Also, the Monasterio has rooms where oxygen can be pumped in for a daily surcharge. Not a bad idea if you aren't accustomed to the altitude. Even a one-day trip on the new luxury train service to the ruins is well worth it.

 

The Swisshotel in Lima is beautiful and widely used by the cruise lines. Not a great location, but you can safely walk around the neighborhood. The hotel has several adequate restaurants, but may want to choose a hotel closer to the main shopping area. Plan on more-than-customary precautions against pickpockets. Even the locals don't carry credit cards or cash unless absolutely necessary.

 

JoAnne