Posts by Ticapi

Thanks so much!

Thanks Joël for the info, but my post and our trip are a bit old now. 😅 We got back at the end of January and for now, we haven’t planned to return to Thailand.

Personally, I'm having issues again when I try to switch discussions. I posted a message in a travel journal, wanted to read another thread, and it kept taking me back to the previous journal every time. So I can't read the messages in "My Followed Discussions."

Hello Jean Claude,

Thanks for your feedback. My travel journal pales in comparison to yours—it’s more informative and academic, and the photos are nowhere near as beautiful.

I think you’re underestimating your journal. Personally, I find it really interesting. Anyway, we all have our own writing style, and that’s what makes it great.

- We were supposed to have Dione as our guide at MP, but she had a last-minute issue. Her replacement was fine but not exactly exciting.

Too bad, but I’m glad you still enjoyed the site so much.

- Actually, there are tons of pre-Inca or Inca sites around Cusco. We only "did" the most famous ones, but there are dozens of others, more or less accessible for history buffs.

True, there really are a lot! We visited fewer than you did because I was a little worried about getting tired of archaeological sites. But in the end, we loved the ones we saw.

Thanks again for your tips.

My pleasure.😊

Hi Jean-Claude,

I just discovered your travel journal. Unfortunately, VF no longer notifies us about new journals. In any case, I haven’t been receiving emails from VF, and I haven’t logged into the forum in a long time.

It’s a lovely, detailed journal. Thank you! Your explanations are really interesting.

In Cusco, you were lucky to attend the Festival of the Sun.

We also loved our day at Machu Picchu. Did you have Dione as a guide?

At Colca Canyon, to see how narrow the canyon is, you have to descend from Cabanaconde or go to the viewpoint just after Cabanaconde.

Did you end up not doing the short hike to the Maras Salt Mines?

It’s too bad you couldn’t enjoy Taquile Island because of altitude sickness. We really liked that island, but to truly appreciate it, you do have to walk. Luckily, you were able to use the scooter to see the viewpoints on Amantani Island.

Thanks to you, I discovered archaeological sites we hadn’t visited. You saw way more than most tourists.

Like you, I can only recommend going through Tout Pérou. Laurent is really great.😊

Thanks Muriel for this lovely travel journal. 🙂

I mixed up the city names.😅 We didn’t visit Orgosolo because we’d already seen quite a few murals in Tinnura.

The ice cream was in Castelsardo, a small town we didn’t particularly like.

Sorry for going off-topic and thanks for all your explanations! 🙂

And Orgosolo is worth a visit ;)

Personally, we didn’t particularly like this little town. Except for the ice cream… the best pistachio ice cream of the trip.

You know, it’s exactly this kind of post that makes people not want to participate in the forum. And always pointing out that you didn’t read someone’s blog… 🤪 It’s true for me, because your way of traveling doesn’t match ours at all.

I’ve exchanged quite a bit with Muriel via PM about Sardinia—I assume she understood my message perfectly.

No one’s talking about Tuscany, it seems…

I really loved wandering through these little towns, all so different.

True, the towns and villages do seem nice.

In Sardinia, the towns aren’t really beautiful. We liked the colorful houses in Bosa, and Alghero is pleasant, but nothing exceptional.

It's true that travel journals help you prepare for trips but also relive your own

Same for me. It's just too bad that a lot of people use travel journals to plan their trips but don't bother to thank the author.

I don’t know if everyone’s swamped or away on vacation right now, but there’s really not much happening on VF lately :unsure:

Not away, just swamped with work.😅 The fact there are so few new discussions and participants on the forum isn’t very motivating.

Puglia after Sardinia feels a bit bland. What do you think?

Puglia, a region of Italy I don’t know yet. So I’m excited to head there! 🙂

just so you know, the countless road signs along the highways and in towns are purely decorative—how sneaky

Unfortunately, that’s par for the course in Italy. Two weeks ago, we found the bypass around Genoa particularly rough.

If I had had a smartphone, I would have missed out on those interactions with the locals.

Not necessarily—one doesn’t rule out the other.

For me, a smartphone is essential, or nearly so. 😉 Some apps are really useful when we travel. I couldn’t do without Organic Maps or my translation app anymore. I also use a hiking app, a weather app, a level app when we travel with our camper, and an app for the northern lights, etc. But that doesn’t stop me from chatting with people or asking for directions.

Lion's head

We really loved hiking up there, especially the last bit where you have to scramble a little.

Hi Virginie,

Thanks so much for your message. 🙂 It’s always nice to get them when you’ve written a travel journal.

At the other end of the world… Australia or New Zealand? Our daughter went there after her studies.

Thanks, Jean Claude.

Thanks Jean Claude.

Hi Jean Claude,

Maybe we could connect with the guides and drivers you liked.

Looking at their little forum, you’ll see that other travelers have all been happy with their drivers. So don’t worry too much.

Did you only deal with Laurent?

Yes.

I’ll reach out to you again if needed.

With pleasure.

And thanks again for making us dream and confirming our choice of tour operator.

Just a heads-up, TP isn’t really a tour operator. They can handle some bookings and help us on the ground if there’s an issue, but you don’t have a contract like with a TO or a travel agency. As I’ve mentioned before, Laurent was really efficient and super nice. When we were planning our trip, which was supposed to happen in 2020, we had contact with Romain and a young woman whose name I don’t remember—they were also very efficient.

Could you say hi to Laurent for us?

Here’s a little recap of our trip. 🙂

As you’ve probably gathered, we absolutely loved our stay in Peru, especially for the diversity of landscapes, the richness of the culture, and the countless hiking opportunities. It’s tough to rank or pick real favorites—there were so many! Honestly, we loved every stop.

Looking back, if we were to do it again, we’d try to plan a few extra days for a longer trek. The three days we spent at the foot of Ausangate were simply stunning… we’d have clearly loved for it to last longer!

Here are some tips, step by step. They reflect only our experience and our way of traveling, but they might be useful to some of you.

Lima: We wouldn’t necessarily recommend a quick visit to the city between two flights if you only have a few hours. Traffic is heavy, traffic jams are frequent, and getting to neighborhoods like Miraflores, Barranco, or downtown can take a lot of time.

For our part, with a flight the next morning, we still enjoyed a little trip to the city center.

Arequipa: For us, visiting the Santa Catalina Convent is a must.

Colca Canyon: If you like walking, we highly recommend spending one or two nights in the canyon. The ideal way is to hike clockwise: descend from Cabanaconde to Sangalle, then climb back up from San Juan de Chucho to the San Miguel viewpoint. This way, you avoid most of the groups, and the view of Sangalle is truly stunning. However, the descent is the steepest part.

Staying in San Juan de Chucho is a great alternative to Sangalle, especially in the cooler season. The sun disappears early in the canyon, and it gets cold quickly, so you don’t necessarily get to enjoy the pools.

If you don’t want to sleep in the canyon, the hike to the Chimpa fortress is an excellent option: shorter and less demanding, but just as beautiful.

Route between Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca: We’ve read several times that it’s a shame to do this route at night, and we confirm. If you can do it during the day, you won’t regret it. The Andean highlands are gorgeous, and there are several interesting stops along the way.

We particularly loved the Sillustani site. It’s a small detour, but it’s really worth it.

Lake Titicaca: For our part, we’d advise avoiding Puno and the "assembly-line" excursions. Instead, we chose to stay on the Capachica peninsula, which is less touristy. The accommodations are simple but pleasant, and the atmosphere is much quieter. You’ll find small places, like B&Bs run like little hotels with the option to have dinner on-site.

We barely saw any tourists: we were the only ones in the colectivo and on the boat to Amantani. It’s hard to say what it’s like in high season, but since there aren’t many accommodations, it should stay pretty calm. We really enjoyed our visit to the market in Capachica, where we didn’t see a single tourist.

From Capachica, accommodations can easily arrange a boat to Taquile. This lets you avoid the groups coming from Puno. We’d recommend not arriving at the main port and don’t hesitate to climb up to the Mulsina viewpoint: groups usually don’t have time to go there.

Amantani is different but just as beautiful. We spent a night with a family Laurent knows. No folklore on our side: no costumes or "organized" activities, just lodging and meals, like a classic B&B with meals included.

Big plus: staying on the island lets you enjoy the sunset from Pachamama or Pachatata—truly stunning!

We didn’t visit the Uros Islands near Puno; they seemed way too touristy. Instead, we went to the Uros Titinos, which are farther away and less accessible.

So, the Uros Titinos… yes, it’s also touristy, but less so than the Uros near Puno. At least, it’s acknowledged: they clearly explained that no one lives there permanently anymore.

We probably wouldn’t go back, but we don’t regret it either. The explanations were interesting. Let’s just say it’s something to do once, kind of like a mini open-air museum.

On the other hand, we’d go back to Taquile in a heartbeat (big favorite) and happily to Amantani. Would we have enjoyed these islands as much during the dry season? I don’t know.

Route between Lake Titicaca and Cusco: We loved the Puya Raimondii forest: these plants are really impressive.

If you’re not taking a direct bus, why not take the opportunity to visit Palcoyo Mountain, either as a very long day trip or, even better, by spending a night in San Pedro before or after Palcoyo, depending on the visits planned along the way.

Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain): Vinicunca is very, even too touristy, but if you plan well, you can avoid the big groups coming from Cusco. Either by going very early in the morning (like we did, since we were staying nearby at the end of the trek) or in the afternoon when the tourists have already left.

For us, the real highlight is the Red Valley. We’d recommend at least hiking up to the pass to enjoy the view: there were hardly any people, we were alone at the top.

Cusco: We especially loved strolling around the San Blas neighborhood. We also enjoyed the Sacsayhuamán archaeological site.

Pisac: Very beautiful archaeological site. We’d recommend driving up and then walking back down to the village.

Ollantaytambo: Lovely village and very beautiful archaeological site. Best visited early in the morning to avoid the groups.

The Pinkuylluna site, just across, is also worth the detour. We visited it in the morning, but the lighting is better in the afternoon.

Machu Picchu: Yes, the train to get there is expensive, and yes, it’s crowded… but the many visitors disperse pretty quickly. Going to Peru without visiting Machu Picchu would be a real shame.

We’d advise against walking up from Aguas Calientes to the archaeological site unless you don’t want to pay for the bus (which is indeed quite expensive). Several people advised us against it: you climb through the forest without any real view, so it’s up to you.

Climbing Huayna Picchu was a real dream for me, and I really wanted to do it. This mythical mountain attracted me even more than the Machu Picchu site itself. But be careful: if you’re afraid of heights, it’s best to avoid it.

We had two tickets: one for the Huayna Picchu ascent and a visit to the lower part of the site in the morning, and another to visit the upper part in the afternoon. For the latter, we had a guide. And honestly, visiting with a guide really adds value—it helps you understand the site and gives you access to places that are off-limits to visitors without a guide. It’s a real advantage for taking photos.

Moray, Maras, Chinchero: Chinchero doesn’t seem like a must-see to us, but it’s more or less on the way.

Moray is interesting to visit, and we were lucky to have our driver’s explanations. Without that, we might not have appreciated the site as much.

Maras, on the other hand, we really loved: the colors are gorgeous. If you like walking, we’d recommend asking your driver to drop you off at the village of Maras and walk to the salt mines. It’s flat, pretty, lets you stretch your legs, and you might meet people working in the fields, see alpacas and llamas… In short, a really nice walk.

Our trek: As you’ve gathered, we loved our three-day trek. We can’t really give precise advice, except to choose your agency well and make sure the rented sleeping bags are warm enough. For our part, we preferred to bring our own, with a comfort temperature down to -15 °C.

The three young French women who were at Rainbow Mountain at the same time as us really suffered from the cold at night, which clearly impacted their experience.

Restaurants: You eat very well in Peru, and the quality-to-price ratio of slightly "upscale" restaurants is really good. We took full advantage of that in Arequipa, Cusco, and Ollantaytambo.

Hotels: There’s something for every budget. For my part, I struggled a bit in Cusco to find what I wanted: many hotels offer rooms without windows or with a window opening onto the hallway, so no fresh air. I really wanted to avoid that, and it wasn’t that simple.

In Colca Canyon, the Colibri Lodge was perfect. We’d also heard to be careful with some accommodations at the Sangalle oasis. But as always, tastes vary.

We were happy with our hotel choices.

Conclusion: This trip to Peru will remain a very beautiful memory for us. The diversity of landscapes, the cultural richness, and the variety of experiences make it a truly exceptional destination.

We’ve tried to share our feelings and some tips from our own experience here. Of course, everyone travels differently, and what we liked might not appeal to everyone.

If this information can help some of you prepare for your trip or refine your itinerary, that’s great. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate. 🙂