Last Updated on December 21, 2023 by PowersToTravel
Summary
For my Peru Travel Blog I’m eager to tell you about a fantastic seventeen day trip to Peru in late August/early September 2015. This trip fulfilled one of my bucket list items – we took an Amazon River cruise. We also stayed in a treetop hut in the Amazon, visited Lima, went to the Andes and Cusco, and last but not least, visited Machu Picchu.
The cruise was organized by Rainforest Cruises. They organized the Andes portion as well, but we later learned that such an operator doesn’t actually organize a land trip – they pass it off to an in-country organization, in this case CatDMC. More info about that, later.
Itinerary
- Day 1 – Flight from Boston to Lima via Panama City on Copa Airlines
- Day 2 – Flight from Lima to Iquitos on LAN (now known as LATAM) airlines, transfer in van to Nauta to join cruise boat Cattleya
- Day 3 – Cruising Amazon River on Cattleya
- Day 4 – Cruising Amazon River on Cattleya
- Day 5 – Cruising Amazon River on Cattleya
- Day 6 – Transfer via small boat to Treehouse Lodge on Amazon River
- Day 7 – Day tours out from Treehouse Lodge on Amazon River
- Day 8 – Day tours out from Treehouse Lodge on Amazon River
- Day 9 – Transfer back to Nauta to Iquitos to flight to Lima, evening culture show at La Dama Juana Restaurante.
- Day 10 – Absolutely fantastic day long tour of Pachacamac, Lima city center and evening light show, with Haku Tours
- Day 11 – Flight to Cusco, car sightseeing to Ollantaytambo via the Maras Salineras and the Moray terraced gardens.
- Day 12 – White water rafting and tour of Ollantaytambo ruins
- Day 13 – Train to Agua Calientes, bus up to Machu Picchu, guided tour of Machu Picchu
- Day 14 – Day in Agua Calientes and afternoon train back to Cusco
- Day 15 – Guided sightseeing in Cusco, evening culture show
- Day 16 – Flight back to Lima
- Day 17 – Flight to Panama City
Reviews
Click here to view my reviews of Rainforest Cruises, CatDMC, and Haku Tours as well as here for my review of the Cattleya cruise ship.
To read about Treetop Lodge, you’ll have to read the second half of Day 5 through Day 8 here.
Diabetic Travel Tips for Peru
Clearly a trip to the Amazon is not taken lightly. We visited a travel clinic, got the usual travel shots up to date, and also had to get a Yellow Fever shot.
It was on this trip that I learned that I am unable to drink “filtered” water which is so often offered at eco-resorts. See my article The Amazon River – Day Two – A Hike among the Wildlife and The Amazon River – Day Three – Recovery, more Catfish and Bird Life
I also learned that I easily suffer from altitude sickness. I was unable to hydrate myself (not happy with CatDMC tour operator about that!) upon our arrival in Cusco, and was dizzy and weak the entire day until we arrived at Ollantaytambo, a lower elevation. I was fine until we returned to Cusco and I was once again weak for our sightseeing in Cusco, although not as sick as when we first arrived. I later learned that the travel doctor should have recommended I take prescription medication to prepare me for the altitude, and then continued it while there. Note: I have since learned that the prescription medication is sometimes not recommended for people with kidney disease, depending on their exact level of creatine and kidney function. So I was wise not to accept any Rx meds from kind strangers who offered it to me!
Then on our final night, in Cusco, I ate something at the buffet at the culture show and threw up the entire next morning with diarrhea (that is to say, I had diarrhea and threw up; I did not throw up diarrhea!!) until we had to leave to catch the plane. Was I ever holding my breath over that transfer. (Luckily fully medicated I was able to be graceful!)
Lesson Learned – no filtered water, ever again, consult the travel doctor for prescription medication for high altitude, and no culture show buffets. We will now splurge and only order freshly cooked meals at restaurants!
Summary and next steps for my Peru Travel Blog
There were a lot of medical ups and downs with this trip (as well as physical altitude ups and downs!), but we just loved Peru. We are anxious to return, to see the Nazca Lines, the Ballestra Islands, Arequipa, and Lake Titicaca. Peru has so much to offer!
I haven’t yet written about the Andes portion of our trip to Peru – I wrote an entire book about the Amazon River, but got too fatigued afterwards to continue on to the Andes adventure. Reading this Peru Travel Blog again has energized me to do more!
