Itinerary help

Hi, I will be in Peru' from 27 Dec to 8 Jan included.
I was thinking of doing the following: Lima-Huancayo-Huancavelica-Ayacucho-Cuzco-Arequipa-Lima.
I would do everything by bus except the Arequipa-Lima leg, and maybe the Cuzco-Arequipa.
Lima-Huancayo is 7 hours
Huancayo-Huancavelica is 3 hours
Huancavelica-Ayacucho is 8 hours via Rumiachaca? Is there a faster route?
Ayacucho-Cuzco is another 15 hours (!), shall I stop anywhere in the between?
Overall it's a lot of time in a bus, are Huancayo and Huancavelica worth it or I am better off flying to Ayacucho and spend the two-three days saved elsewhere.
Please let me know if this itinerary makes any sense or an alternative I should consider.

In the Cuzco area I would like to do the 2 days Inca trail, how much should I pay? What other villages shall I visit in the sacred valley? I am very much into photography (people, cultures, not really landscape).

Thanks!

Lima-Huancayo is 7 hours
Huancayo-Huancavelica is 3 hours
Huancavelica-Ayacucho is 8 hours via Rumiachaca? Is there a faster route?
Ayacucho-Cuzco is another 15 hours (!), shall I stop anywhere in the between?

If you go this way you will see a whole lot of Andes highland areas that most tourists miss. Much of this country is really beautiful, especially I think around Ayacucho and Huancavelica. I have no idea where is Rumiachaca. Between these places in the Andes, generally there is only one road that buses can use, so no faster way. If you use collectivos between places, that's not fast, though they do drive on the dirt roads. Whether the time is worth it, I can't say.

If time is the issue, you could take a quick afternoon bus Lima to Paracas, spend the night and see the Ballestas islands in the morning, then maybe one night at Huacachina desert oasis. Then from Ica, you can take a bus to Ayacucho, and from there to Huancavelica, or skip that and go direct to Cusco.

It will be the rain season, so i think this route is not a good idea.

Thanks both.
Willemspie, not a good idea because dangerous, not beautiful under the rain, slower...? Can you please elaborate? Thanks.
Any alternative itinerary to make the most of my two weeks?

PS I have been asked anything between 1000 and 2000 USD for a two day inca trail?? what is the right price?

Most likely you will see little or nothing of the landscape, only clouds. And yes if it rains heavily the road may become very slow and difficult. It is a better season for the coast, possibly you can visit Trujillo Huanchaco Chiclayo and their archeological sites.. Or an alternative is the Colca or Cotahuasi canyons, they get clouds and rain too, but less so.

I have seen prices around $450 per person for the two day Inca Trail (for example with Alpaca Expeditions) and they would want at least two people but that shouldn't be a problem. I have always thought it is a lot of money as you are really only hiking one day. The second day is for visiting Machu Picchu. The 4 day Inca Trail is only $200 more. We chose to just do a day hike to Aguas Calientes (via Llactapata). Then we visited Machu Picchu the next day and climbed MP Montana.
You will want a day for Cusco, a day for the ruins north of Cusco (don't miss Sacsayhuaman) and Pisac. A day for Chinchero, Moray, the Maras salineras and the Ollantaytambo ruins. The granaries in Ollantaytambo are nice too. You might enjoy a tour and/or homestay with Awamaki:

https://awamaki.org/visit/

I have not been to Huancayo-Huancavelica-Ayacucho and know nothing about that area but I remember reading a post of someone who said it would be great after Ayacucho on the way to Cusco to stop in Andahuaylas and maybe Abancay.

I liked Arequipa but didn't need more than a day there. We enjoyed the Colca Canyon but as you are less into scenery and more into people and cultures the villages (Chivay, Yanque, Cabanaconde) would probably be of more interest to you than the canyon. I would say you need at least 3 days in that area. We took an overnight bus from Cusco to Arequipa.

We were in Peru in January but were lucky as we had hardly any rain. Because of El Nino the rains came later this year.

It looks like a lot of bus travel with only 12 (?) days. A day for Lima, 6 days Cusco-Sacred Valley-MP, 3 days Arequipa and the Colca valley... that would mean you have only 2 days left.

I have traveled a good bit of this part of Peru during December, and it's not true you only get rain and clouds. There can be rain sometimes, but I also got a lot of sunshine in places like Huancayo and Ayacucho. The only place I remember formidable rainfall was passing through La Oraya. The rainy season is not all that rainy in the Andes.

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What about getting from Lima to Ayacucho via Pisco instead of Huancayo? Is the Pisco Area a better place to visit vs Huancayo and Huancavelica?

When I said you could go via Paracas, that is Pisco area. I'm not aware of a lot to do in Pisco; it's a flat coastal city that is still recovering from an earthquake a few years ago. But a few hours from there is Ica, and the Huacachina desert oasis, and that is interesting, and you can go to Ayacucho from Ica.

We liked Paracas (not far from Pisco). The Ballestas Islands boat tour is great and so is the Paracas Reserve which we explored by bike.

In Huacachina (close to Ica) we liked the oasis and the dunes. You can go on a dune buggy/sandboarding tour.

The weather on the coastal part of Peru is definitely better in that season. It is the season when Peruvians go to the beaches for their holidays.

Yes, I wrote Pisco Area but meant all the locations you mentioned. Would you recommend this area over Huancayo?
On the way from the coast to Ayacucho is it possible to drop off half way, at Rumichaca, and take another bus to Huancavelica? It should save time.
Thanks

PS Was La Oroya interesting to visit? I know about environmental issue there

Ahhh wait I'm late to this discussion. We have visited different parts of Peru 3x over the last 5 years over Christmas break, and I can honestly say the ONLY time I remember rain was at Machu Picchu. And that was torrential. Your dates are very similar to what we travel (school break?). Last year we traveled the central Andes to some of the places you mention. We went South to North, from Ayachucho to Huaraz. Sorry I can't help with the leg to Cuzco. From Lima to Huancayo the views are spectacular and you could break the trip in Tarma (not La Oroya), which is a wonderful place that foreign tourists seem to skip. The climate is pretty perfect there. The drive from the main road down into Tarma is really beautiful. La Oroya is a cross roads kind of place. After Tarma you could stop in Huancayo, but it is not a tourist sort of town. It is a city. The attraction lies outside the city, so if you don't have time to get into the hills, then it's really not worth a stop. Sorry Huancayo. If you do have a second night, find Incas del Peru and do a full day trip to the glacier nearby. It is spectacular. You can walk right up to the glacier…with a bit of effort. Incas del Peru has a good website so you can see photos. Huancavelica, on the other hand, is a lovely town and you can walk right out of the center square up into the hills. The setting is fantastic. Since you will be there over the holidays you will see dancing in the streets which is really fun. You might be the only tourists in town. Huancavelica to Ayuchucho is quite far, but very possible to make in a day and there are multiple routes. The LP does NOT give clear directions. If you take a bus, you will go out of your way through Izcuchaca (but it might be an easier trip). We traveled on Christmas day, and there were no busses, so we took shared taxis. Huancavelica>Lircay>Julcamarca>Ayachucho. It is the most direct route and has some unpaved bits (Huancavelica to Lircay), and lots of great views with alpaca. One note on Julcamarca: not a place to spend the night. It is very high altitude and I don't think there were any hostels. So set out early. Ayachucho is really a nice town. There are very decent restaurants and accommodation and interesting walks to take out of town.

As you can tell I love the central Andes. There really are not "sights". Its about wandering around and talking to people (how is your Spanish?). People loved coming up to us to say hi and have themselves photographed with us. Even the police wanted to be photographed with us. It was nutty. You could decide about the route to the south from Ayachucho once you are there. Through Pisco and the coast will be much faster. Once you are on those Andes roads for a bit you might be ready for some asphalt. We met a German girl who had biked from Cuzco to Ayachucho and she said it was pretty rough…but she was on a bike. :-0. Have fun!

One more note..sorry to be long winded. If you do the coastal route and then up to Huacavelica, you can probably take collectivos or shared taxis in stages. Look at the route through Santa Ines. We took many shared taxis in the central Andes because sometimes the bus only goes once a day and very early. Also consider getting the Footprint guide. It is much better for the less touristed areas of Peru.

Thank you schnecken, this is very helpful. I will skip Huancayo then and go to Huancavelica via coastal route.

Anyone knows if the buses between Ayacucho and Cusco will be running the night between 1 st and 2nd of January?...and if it is advisable (hangover drivers?)..

They will be running but a bit more modified. We have found that the most difficult day of travel is mid dec 24-mid dec 25, so you will miss that. Things are bit slow morning of jan 1, but then by evening they are fine. The thing to keep in mind is the bus will be very full with locals heading home so book a seat. But New Years is not as huge as we have at home. People buy yellow underwear and have a big family dinner the night before. One thing to consider (and maybe you can't do since you are going to Arequipa) is that Jan 6 is the feast of the Epiphany which is actually a bigger celebration than Christmas in some places. Ollytaytambo has a festival Jan 5-8 that is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, in Peru on that day. People plan their trips around it and it is really pretty incredible. If you can switch your trip order and see it, it is worth it. http://www.apus-peru.com/trip-planning/ollantaytambo_january_events.html

That is good news! I should be in the area on the 5th.
Itinerary looks as follows:
27 dec: Paracas area
28 dec: Paracas area
29 dec: Huancavelica
30 dec: Huancavelica
31 dec: Ayacucho
1 jan: Ayacucho
2 jan: Cuzco area
3 jan: Inca Trail
4 jan: Inca Trail
5 jan: Cuzco area
6 jan: Arequipa
7 jan: Arequipa
8 jan: Lima

Dec 31 will be a good time to be in Ayacucho. There will be other tourists celebrating. In Huancavelica you would be alone. ViaVia is the hangout in Ayachucho although there are less expensive places to stay (we stayed at Hostel Tres Mascaras). Try to visit Quinua and Huari (if you like ruins) but early in day. Rides back are hard to find. If you can spend that night of the 5th in Olly you should (instead of Cuzco). The dancing will start late afternoon and go into the night. Be prepared for an ungodly amount of tourists in Cuzco and MP. It is very, very busy then with the overlap of Northern and Southern holidays. Visit MP in at the afternoon if you can. Everyone knows about that early arrival thing. Chaos. You realize that is a 20 hour bus ride from Ayacucho to Cuzco? Are you stopping in Andahuaylas?

I am not sure what time you will arrive in Cusco but two days for Cusco and the Sacred Valley is not much. There is so much to see and do in that area. Cusco of course. The ruins north of Cusco (don't miss Sacsayhuaman). Ollantaytambo (ruins, granaries...). The Pisac ruins. Chinchero. Moray. The Maras salineras...

Also you only have one day for Arequipa and one day for the Colca Valley. You can take a one day tour but be aware that will be a very long day. Tours leave 2:30-3:30 am.

The itinerary sounds great but I think it might be too much.

@schnecken thanks, you are aa gold mine of info. I know that Ayacucho to Cuzco is long (I thought was more like 15 hrs). Haven't decided yet if I will stop in Andahuaylas, is it an interesting town? At the moment I am inclined to bite the bullet and go all the way to Cuzco.

@soniaberode do you think I should skip the two days Inca trail (well it's really 1 day as the second day it's MP that I want to see anyway) and spend more time in Cuzco?
In Arequipa and surrounding area I have two full days as I fly in early morning from Cuzco and fly to Lima very late the second day.

Thanks both!

Sorry, I have not been to Andahuaylas. I assume it is a very non touristy sort of place with great scenery along the way. Agree with soniaberode (not that you asked!) that it is a lot! If all you want regarding the inca trail is MP, then skip the trail. It's very likely it will be a mud slog in the rain anyway. You could take the overpriced train to Ollytatambo and spend a night there. Much less touristy and lots to see. Sacred Valley is beautiful…all the places soniaberode mentioned. Or fly back to Lima from Cuzco and skip Arequipa…but sounds like flights are booked.

Like I said before I have always found the two day Inca Trail very expensive for what is basically one day of hiking. If you don't do the Inca trail you have 4 days for Cusco, the Sacred Valley and MP. You could go to the Pisac ruins on day 1 and then continue to Ollantaytambo (don't miss the ruins). You have two options for MP. Take an evening train on day 1 from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, day 2 visit MP and take an evening train back to Ollantaytambo. Or take an early morning train to AC on day 2, visit MP and take an evening train back to Ollantaytambo (no overnight in AC). So the morning of day 3 you can go back to Cusco and visit Moray, the Maras salineras and Chinchero on the way. Day 4 would be for Cusco and the ruins north of Cusco (don't miss Sacsayhuaman).

I would consider skipping Arequipa. Yes, one day for Arequipa is enough and the Colca valley tour can be done the next day (although that would be a very long day as I pointed out in my last post). But if you skip Arequipa you would have two extra days for your trip from Paracas to Cusco.
Or you could skip Paracas because you might find Arequipa and the Colca valley more interesting as you are more into people and cultures and less into landscape.

If you do take the train to Aguas Calientes you should buy tickets online (Peru Rail or Inca Rail). You can buy tickets for MP here:

http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/

Tickets for 2017 go on sale late December. You can choose to climb one of the mountains at MP. We climbed MP Montana and loved it. The other one is Huayna Picchu.

Thanks, I am sold, I will skip the indeed very expensive two days Inca Trail and spend more time in the Sacred Valley.
I will see also if I can take a later flight to Arequipa to gain even more time.
Thanks!

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