Peru in November assistance

[along]

Hi there,

My wife and I had a sudden change of plans, deciding to make Peru the first coutry to visit, intead of the last one in the previous plans.

This has left us with very little time to plan, and therefore your help is highly appreciated 🙂

we’re arriving october 28th, and will travel in Peru in November, and possibly early to mid December as well.

Our main concern is weather, as we understand that November early enoguh into the wet season, but not late enough for rafting 🙂

We would like to travel at least in the following destinations (while we will more than welcome any other superb ideas 🙂 – Huaraz and area, Cuzco and area, Iquitos and area, Lake Titicaca and area.

Do you think any of this destinations is problematic weatherwise, or should be visited as early as possible to try to avoid weather conditions ? do you think other destination are more attractive in this time of year ? are some of the destinations problematic as out-of-season? also, if you have any idea regarding how to make a route out of those points, that will also be great (especially where from/to and how to arrive to Iquitos).

Thank you so much for your (future) help! Alon…

[Dave]

Alon,

Sounds like you have some of the main highlights picked out for yourself in Peru – all those places you mentioned are well worth visiting. I was in Huaraz last November for several weeks and hit fantastic weather. Even at 2800 meters it was surprisingly warm during the day. There can be some rain that time of year but I don’t think its generally that bad.

Iquitos is warm all year round but never too hot and definetely not too cold even at night. I would expect some rain, but not as much as you would see during May through August. I don’t remember too much rain when I was there – maybe brief but heavy showers.

Since Iquitos is landlocked you will have to fly out of Lima on a non stop flight – I think it takes about 90 minutes or slightly less. LAN Peru is the best option.

So you will have to take a bus to Huaras as there is no commercial air service and then you will have to come back to Lima. Then you might want to go to either Iquitos and return to Lima or start the other part of your trip and then come back to Lima and do Iquitos towards the end.

You can take a bus to Cuzco from Lima but its incredibly long and becomes very windy when in the Andes. Depending on your budget, I would recommend flying to Cuzco from Lima and then taking a bus down to Titicaca and then down to Arequipa and flying back from Arequipa. Or if you don’t mind taking buses – try for overnight sleepers (saves hotel room and day time hours) – I’ve taken a bus from Ilo (a few hours from Arequipa in the south) back to Lima – it was like 18 hours. Long bus rides are crazy, but doable depending on how well you travel, budget and timeline.

I’ll pass by your comments/questions to some of my Peruvian friends.

Have a great trip!!

Regards,

Dave

[Dave]

My friend who lives in Lima recommended:

“First go to Huaraz, may get some rain but not too much and then go to Arequipa, Cuzco, Puno… and at the end of your trip to Iquitos.

They could go to huaraz to acclimatize and look around, but they should go to cordillera huayahuash, you can choose 4 days, 8 day, 10 days for trekking there… they can get information in huaraz… they can contact our guide in huaraz

And if they have time, they can go mancora beach, and manglares de tumbes, even they can across the border peru-ecuador, and they can continue to Guayaquil, Quito”

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If you do go trekking in Huaraz let me know – I’ve used several good guides over the last 5 years or so, including most recently this June…. Dave

[Dave]

Nanditha – Thanks 🙂 if its ok, I will post your questions and comments on my message boards as a number of people have written me about this. I assume you also saw the main Huaraz article here:
http://www.davestravelcorner.com/articles/huaraz/index.htm

and a recent post here also: http://www.davestravelcorner.com/messages/showthread.php?t=3178

I’ve been to Huaraz a numer of times both in October and November. During my latest trip to Huaraz I was there this past November and we had fantastic weather, I don’t remember much rain at all. However be prepared for maybe some showers as this is typically the start of the rainy season – but from talking to my friends who live in the area, Novembers are typically not that bad.

Ive been to Lago69 several times, once in November. It was surprisingly warm and I had shorts and a tshirt on for most of the hike – it did get windy as I got close to the Laguna and needed a light sweatshirt. Bring some warmth, thicker close and a rain jacket, umbrella just to be safe. We had great weather in the town of Huaraz for 2 weeks in November.
Do you have any history of hiking at altitude – keep in mind the heights and be aware of any altitude symptoms – some people have no problems, others have shortness of breath, and others develop headaches and nausea – when these latter symptoms develop its time to go to a lower elevation. The bus ride takes about 8 hours from Lima to Huaraz and can be done during the day or over night.

Allow about 4-5 days for a reasonable Santa Cruz trek and when making your arrangements be sure they bring enough food. It is always easier and typically much cheaper to make your reservations for a trek like this when you are in Huaraz. November is not the high season and there will be a number of trekking agencies willing to have your business. I list a few that I’ve used in my Huaraz article.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to help.

Regards,

Dave

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Original Message

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From :
Cc :
Subject : RE: question about huaraz trip?
Hi Dave,
Thank you for posting the pictures from your Huaraz trip online. They are amazing pictures. My husband and I are visiting Peru this November over thanksgiving for 2 weeks. Would that be a good time to visit Huaraz, since the rainy season would have started? Would you suggest the Santa Cruz trek? Almost everyone online says May-September is the best time. Would you suggest doing it only during those months?. Would doing the day trips to Lago69 and lake churup be ok during that time or is that also not recommended? Could you please advise us?

Thank you so much for your time.
Nanditha

[Author]

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