[Raising this thread from the dead because it's the only one I found in this forum searching "Peru"]
Hola del DF.
So I have the green light from my wife to do a Peru trip. I have two friends (separate friend groups) that live in Lima and want to do the Cuzco/Machu Picchu side quest, too. Would appreciate any advice you have. Here's some questions I have for now:
Most of the advice on the internet seems to say to do the Cuzco/MP thing first. Coming from an elevation of almost 2k feet where I live, the difference would be less than if I reestablished myself essentially at sea level if I did Lima the first part of the trip. Mexico City at 7300ft hasn't been an issue this past week, but 11000+ feet in Cuzco seems like a different animal, so I'd rather not lose my 2k feet from home. Does this track?
Timing: I'm trying to thread the needle and go late enough that it's less cloudy/rainy to the east, but also still nice and "summery" in Lima. Seems like March would be best, but what I can't find is the percentages that I get no visibility at MP. Like, the guidance I've found online is "generally during the rainy season, you have a window from 10am to about 12/1pm where you'll have visibility." Is this "generally" like 51% or 90%. Kind of a big difference because I don't want to have one of those "I went to MP but it was only in the clouds the whole time."
My Spanish is solid but not perfect (passed my DELE B2 pretty easily on the October test and have continued with 10+ hours a week of study since), but is Quechua kind of dominant once you get to the east?
How many days should I be looking at? I think 6-7 is NBD -- I'd be leaving my wife with a 6yo and 4yo at home -- but once I start getting to 8+ I'd be pushing it, and I think double digits would be sort of a "c'mon man" point for her. Does something like the following make sense for a 7-day itinerary:
Day 1: After overnight flight from US to Lima, transfer and land in Cuzco late morning. Explore Cuzco a bit until check-in and drop my stuff off, take a nap, then explore at night a bit
Day 2: Wake up early for one of those one-day trips to MP, get back late and crash
Day 3: Sleep in till near check-out time and hop a flight back to Lima OR if MP didn't work the day before, try again
Day 4: Either already be in Lima or fly back to Lima
Days 5-6: Explore Lima
Day 7 - Back to the States
Related to the day 3-4 thing, does anyone have experience booking LATAM/LAN same-day between Cusco and Lima? Checking google flights now, looks like I'd be good to book today no problem, and hope/imagine the experience would be the same later.
Is 3-4 days enough time to hit the highlights of Lima during the day and hang with my guys in the evening?
Thanks for anything y'all can offer in response to my questions or as general advice.