1

If you surf, Miraflores has some nice waves, but no sand, only shingle beaches.

2

Only takes an hour to fly to Cusco. Flights leave early in morning so you will be in Cusco early. I'd spend the money--cost of fllight will be less than what you would pay for a night at a typical hotel near an airport in the US.

Cusco is similar to New York City in that you can see anything worthwhile in 2 or 3 hours. But so is Lima.. Do it.

3

Or just visit Lima´s historical center (Plaza Mayor, Cathedral, Change of the Guard, Monasterio San Francisco, museums, Circuito Mágico de Aguas, etc. etc.), the coastline of Miraflores, the district of Barranco, the district of Pueblo Libre with museum Larco Herrera, etc. etc. Unless you are allergic to towns, architecture, history and museums there is good reason to consider visiting Lima if you are there anyway for only a few days.

4

If you're into ruins, there's Caral, the oldest city in the America's and doable in a day or 2 from Lima. A whole bunch of pyramids and apparently very few tourists so you get to explore them decently. Admittedly i didnt get round to going but have been recommended it myself.

5

I had thought about going to Cusco, but my concern is that if I fly Friday morning and then back Sunday afternoon, that doesn't give me a lot of time. Does anyone know how reliable flights are in Peru? If I have delays on either end, it wouldn't really make the trip worth it and I could potentially miss my flight back.

6

Flying out of Lima in the evening people usually take the precaution to fly from Cusco to Lima early the same day or the day before. Flying out of Lima during the day, travellers usually travel from Cusco to Lima the day before. There are certainly chances of (somewhat) delayed flights or cancelled flights (passengers having booked for two planes lumped together on one) between Cusco and Lima.

7

Number 5 ---That is plenty of time--Cusco is not that big and it is very easy to see the ruins above Cusco in a taxi in a few hours.

I always fly Star--leaves Llima early in the morning and in an hour or so, you are in Cusco. Taxi's at Cusco airport are out to rip off tourists so don't pay more than 10 soles for a ride to Plaza de Armas.

Possible problem on return flight--I recently flew back to Lima using the Star flight at 13:00. Did not realize that in the wet season this flight coming from Puerto Maldanado is generally late due to storms in Amazon Basin. But the Star staff wenrt around asking people if they MUST return to Lima ASAP--if so, they were put on LAN flights at no extra charge.

Actually you have enuff time to do the Pisec market Sunday morning and the ruins and still get back to Cusco for your flight.

8

hi there,
i am also in lima for work at the moment, and had the same dilemma.
i have decided to go to cusco in the end, and take the risk of flying back on sunday morning, to catch my international flight on sunday afternoon.
i will fly to cusco with peruvian air on thursday afternoon, be in cusco on friday, visit machu picchu on saturday and back to cusco in the eve.
i don't like such fast visits, at all, but did not want to regret having come to peru and not seeing machu picchu. if i come back, i'll hike there, but in the meantime....
let me know if you decide to do the same, and we can meet up!
scolucia at gmail.com
if anyone else is in cusco and wants to meet up as of thursday, would be great too!
bye!
lucia