Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Titicaca from Lima?

[Linda_and_Bob]

Our cruise will be stopping in Lima for 3 days in January. We've been to Lima and Machu Picchu very recently and are investigating other excursions to be taken from there. I'm about to abandon the idea of flying through Arequipa to Colca Canyon or Titicaca because of the huge change in altitude in such a short time but wanted to check if it was really a bad idea - has anyone here done this?

Alternatively, we might just fly into Arequipa and stay there for a night. Has anyone flying to Arequipa encountered the weather problems sometimes found in Cusco in January?

Thanks for any insights!

Linda

[greatam]

Our cruise will be stopping in Lima for 3 days in January. We've been to Lima and Machu Picchu very recently and are investigating other excursions to be taken from there. I'm about to abandon the idea of flying through Arequipa to Colca Canyon or Titicaca because of the huge change in altitude in such a short time but wanted to check if it was really a bad idea - has anyone here done this?

Alternatively, we might just fly into Arequipa and stay there for a night. Has anyone flying to Arequipa encountered the weather problems sometimes found in Cusco in January?

Thanks for any insights!

Linda

 

1. You have to drive to Colca Canyon. You fly into Juliaca for Lake Titicaca (12,000 feet-higher than Cusco). A couple of nonstops into AQP-LAN and Taca. A couple of nonstops to JUL as well as the connecting flights through CUZ or AQP.

 

2. How many days did you spend in Cusco/MP? Did the altitude bother you (about the same altitude in AQP as in MP)? Colca Canyon road at the highest point is almost 15,000 feet (the same as the hill leaving Cusco before you drop into the Valley) but where the condors are is about 10,000 feet.

 

3. You may want to go to the Amazon (Iquitos). There are a couple of short (3 day) cruise packages which may get you in and out to match your ship schedule.

 

4. AQP doesn't have the weather problems CUZ does because it is not in a bowl as much.

[Linda_and_Bob]

Thanks for the info, greatam. I followed the route to Colca canyon on Google Earth and saw the elevation hit 15K ft; that worried me enough to ask the question (that, and some harrowing descriptions of some of the roads...). I'm also reading discouraging information about the weather there in January - very rainy. Is that your experience?

 

When we went to Machu Picchu, we spent 2 nights in Urubamba outside of Cusco (about 10K feet), then one in Agua Calientes, then 2 in Cusco. I had taken Diamox for a few days but it made me sick and I stopped it. The elevation didn't bother me, but I don't know how much to attribute to the Diamox I had taken.

 

I WOULD like to go to the Amazon, but the ship's trip there returns to Pisco in the afternoon, not Lima; I'm taking the ship's trip to the Nazca lines from Pisco in the morning and don't want to miss it. I didn't find any independent excursions that were short enough - I couldn't get to Iquitos until afternoon the first day.

 

Very glad to hear the AQP doesn't have Cusco's weather cancellation problems; we'll probably just go to Arequipa for a night and day. There are convenient flights from Peruvian airlines and TACA, both of which have there supporters and detractors. Do you think one is likelier to get us there in one piece and in a timely manner than the other?

 

Thanks for your help,

Linda

[Jade13]

 

I WOULD like to go to the Amazon, but the ship's trip there returns to Pisco in the afternoon, not Lima; I'm taking the ship's trip to the Nazca lines from Pisco in the morning and don't want to miss it. I didn't find any independent excursions that were short enough - I couldn't get to Iquitos until afternoon the first day.

 

Linda

 

Linda,

 

What ship are you on that offers this flight tour over the Nazca Lines from Pisco, and how much are they charging?

 

We are on HAL in April and they are not offering it (at least not yet), but we have booked privately.

[Linda_and_Bob]

What ship are you on that offers this flight tour over the Nazca Lines from Pisco, and how much are they charging?

We're on the Regent Mariner in January; they're charging $399/person.