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So, I'm planning to go on my first solo backpacking trip as soon as i finished my master's degree (beginning of april).
My plan is to fly to lima and return from la paz or the other way round.
I have like 4-5 weeks, and want to do the standard tourist checklist (machu picchu, sacred valley, colca canyon, lake titicaca).
Now, is lima or la paz a better starting point? I feel travelling from lima might be better for getting accustomed to the altitude (lima->ica->cusco->arequipa->puno->la paz).
However, if I'm near the end of my route and have still several days left, I'm not sure if la paz or lima are better suited to spend the rest of the time.
Any idea if I'm able to fit some (touristy) rain forest experience into my travels? Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado seem interesting, but I'm afraid they are too far off my route thus costing too much time and money.
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This would be my planned route.
If I have still like a week left in La Paz I'd probably book a tour to las salinas to uyuni.
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>>1222113
Puerto Maldonado is out of the way for your route, especially if you're pressed for time.
There are plenty of tours down to the rainforest that start from Cuzco though. They don't spend as much time in the lowlands, obviously, but you do get to see how it changes as you drop in elevation, and the scenery on the way down is spectacular.
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>>1222226
ah, so should I plan a major part of my itinerary around cusco? (Like over 10 days)
Then I can make daytrips to machu picchu, sacred valley and the rain forest from there?
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I spent a couple months in Peru and would strongly recommend ending it in Lima. From Lima you can get to Iquitos or Huaraz easily/cheaply by plane, and Lima itself can be a fun place to hang out if you're into fucking locals and can speak Spanish decently well. But if budget is a concern I've heard that La Paz is dramatically cheaper.
The rain forest itself isn't that exciting, IMO. I went to Iquitos to do Ayahuasca for a week and would very highly recommend doing that if you have the money, but the rainforest itself was not that great.
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>>1222113
>>1222250
Actually there are not many flights to Huaraz (Mountains), and Lima is pretty close to several cultural destinations.
La Paz is really cheaper, I haven't gone there but I've got mixed references on that place, from beautiful to chaotic.
Now if you want to see the rainforest, go to Iquitos, is bigger, it's actually in the Amazon and have a more authentic culture (including the real Ayahuasca, if that's your thing).
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>>1222229
From Cuzco the Sacred Valley would be a day trip, Machu Picchu generally requires two days (with an overnight in Aguas Calientes), down to the rainforest is 4-day minimum.
Of course, if you go to Iquitos any good rainforest experience would be multiple days as well, plus travel days to and from Iquitos.
>>1222250
>>1222737
Didn't take long for the Ayahuasca fans to show up in this thread. To each his own, but I prefer experiencing the rainforest when I'm not blasted out of my mind on powerful hallucinogens. You tend to see more that way.
Also, everything east of the Andes is the Amazon rainforest. Iquitos just happens to be on the Amazon River.
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>>1222250
From what I've read, lima seems to be kind of dull, so I'd probably make further trips instead of chillin there
>>1222750
Yeah, I think I'd need at least a week left to visit Iquitos, as I have to return for my flight nonetheless
I think I'll save a rain forest experience for later if I still feel like traveling to south america again after my trip
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