Peru: 1 month honeymoon... suggestions?

Heading to Peru for the month of June for a honeymoon with my future wife. Would love to hear some input from anyone else who has been there (on any sort of trip, not just a honeymoon). We are aiming to structure this trip at about 65% trekking, 25% climbing, and 10% (maybe 2-3 days max) doing "honeymoon" stuff as tourists.

Trekking: Any recommended routes or circuits? Ideally in the Cordillera Blanca.

Climbing: At this point, the plan is to just bring harnesses, shoes, & chalk and do some sport cragging (or maybe some long moderate multi-pitch sport - does such a thing exist?). Is it possible to rent a good condition rope and draws down there? If not, I'd consider bringing a 60M rope and some draws, do the climbing as the first part of the trip, and then sell (or donate) the rope and draws so we don't have to trek around with them for the rest of the trip. Or maybe find a place to store them and pick them up before flying home?

I climb up to 5.12, the wife up to 5.10. We'd also be theoretically open to attempting a 16k'-20k' non-technical peak, especially if the whole thing (including gear) could be arranged through a guiding company. Any input?

Honeymoon: 2-3 days in a nice(ish) resort with a pool, spa, and drinks with umbrellas in them.

Would love to hear any of your past experiences, links to stuff you've read, or horror stories your sketchy uncle Phil told you about the time he went on a sex tourism circuit around South America.

Peru is my favorite place in the world. Please feel free to email me with questions.

If you are at all interested in the Amazon, this was one of my favorite travel experiences ever.

perunature.com/refugio-amaz…

We stayed at this particular lodge, and I would go back again and again. Completely worth the money and time to get there. Type 1 fun! I would't count this as the honeymoon section however, as there are only 3 walls in the rooms. wink wink. Where the 4th wall would be is a hand rail to keep you from falling in to the frickin jungle. SO RAD. Hurrah for bug nets!

We did the Inca Trail on the 4-day standard route, and it was definitely a conga line, as expected. Next time we are doing the Salkantay route which is a smidge longer (5 days) and you will have the place to yourself apparently. It still results in seeing the most magical thing you will ever see. Do not under any circumstances miss Machu Picchu. Also check out Huyuana Picchu, which is situated above Machu Picchu. You will wonder the whole time why you aren't roped up :)

I enjoyed spending 2-3 days chilling in Cusco. Do the city tour for a quick and fun guided tour of some fantastic architecture and historical sites. Spend your pennies at the market in Pisac. It's the biggest one in the area and has fun knicknacks including Llama wool accoutrements.

Eat the cuy. Just eat it. When in Rome, and all that nonsense. Pisco sours are delicious, and coca tea is magic for the uncomfortable altitude adjustment period. Ceviche and lomo saltado are staples you can find anywhere and are always delicious.

No offense limñeos, but Lima is smoggy, clogged with traffic, and boring. Your time will be much better spent doing anything but wasting it in a city that feels remarkably like early 90's LA.

I'm sure this goes without saying, but no one really speaks English there except the guides. Peruvian Spanish is astonishingly easy to understand and even a smattering of Spanish knowledge will get you a long way.

Our next trip will be more focused on climbing, so let me know what else you discover and perhaps we'll take that info with us when we go in August :)

Buen Viaje!

Been there twice. Yes, it is very scenic. You'll probably take thousands of pictures. Machu Picchu is magical. Other, not so well known, Inca ruin sites in the Sacred Valley were the highlight of my travels there.

Now here's the negatives: people are poor, some will beg on an obnoxious level. Some may try and steal your shit or pull some scams on you. Sanitation is a real problem so be careful where and what you eat. You may want to get some vaccinations for your gut if you're the type that likes trying food other than the touristy stuff. Watch out for those Quechua Indians. Some are pretty awesome but others may try to scam the fuck out of you.

I did enjoy Pisac and Paru Paru. Canon de Colca was nice. The ruins at Olaytatambo were awesome. Kind people and loads of culture. Cusco is a zoo. It was cool the first three days but then I couldn't wait to get out.

Personally, I liked Bolivia a whole lot better. Super easy access from La Paz to the high mountains. Close to Cusco if your down south. Never made it to Huraz Peru but that looks pretty sweet. You two ever consider Argentina and Chile (Patagonia)? Beautiful!!! I'll never go back to Peru, but I'd winter in Patagonia every year if I could.

Have fun!

Edit to add: if you don't know Spanish, learn it. You'll be glad you did.

Second for Patagonia. Beautiful place, great food, good people, and more great climbing than you can shake a stick at (including single and multi-pitch sport). Terrible in June though.

Yeah 'the schmuck' is correct. June is not the season for Patagonia but it is the season in the northern Andes of Peru/Bolivia.

Amazing place to visit. I've spent a bit of time in Cusco and the surrounding area, and in Huaraz (town in the north that is a great portal into the Cordillera Blanca) and the Cordillera Blanca.

You could fly in to Cusco, then ake a day to walk around and enjoy town. You'll want a bit of time to acclimatize to being at 11,000+ ft. The big white cross above town has a trail leading up to it (many, many stairs), which gives a great view of town. There is also Moray, an interesting archaeological site above the city.

If you want a cool climbing experience, when I was there a few years ago at least there is a small bouldering gym in an abandoned-ish stadium. I think the name in Spanish was the literal translation of Empty/Abandoned stadium- Estadio Vacio or Estadio Abandonado. Locals were very welcoming, fun time.

For your bit of touristy honeymooning, you've got a couple options, I'd say:
1. Cusco >> the Sacred Valley for 2 days, check out the markets (cheap high-quality gold jewelry, alpaca wool everything) and stay at a nice resort of some sort, maybe the condor sactuary.

2. Cusco >> Aguas Calientes to see Macchu Picchu. If you want to do the guided trek to Macchu Picchu, it is a lot of fun, but as others have mentioned, total conga line. You have to do it in a guided group with porters, cooks, the whole deal- big job creator. Otherwise, you can go up, walk around Macchu Picchu proper for a day. Be sure to check out Huayna Picchu- its a part of the site up a steep mountainside. Beautiful view of the whole Macchu Picchu site- I believe you need a separate ticket up there.

I would also recommend doing the Ausungate Circuit (info here: apus-peru.com/treks/ausanga…)) if you are interested- definitely doable with a map/compass and no guide. Possible to take a bus from Cusco in the morning and then start Day 1 (easy, acclimatizing day) of the circuit on the same day.

Anyways, after all that, you could then head up to Huaraz in the north, likely via a flight to Lima and then a bus to Huaraz. I've heard Hatun Machay has a ton of sport climbing- we didn't end up going while we were there, as we were interested in the mountains, but check it out: thecrag.com/climbing/peru/h…

Laguna Churup is a gorgeous (and high-altitude) non-technical day hike that you can do from Huaraz.

As for guides, we climbed alone, but sought out a bit of logistical support, renting a sat phone, etc. from a guiding company, the name of which escapes me at the moment. The Casa de Guias huaraz.com/casadeguias/ is a good source of reputable info and guide recommendations.

Just re-read your post regarding doing the climbing as part one- you could easily go to Huaraz first from Lima (nice comfy bus ride for 8 hours or so- be prepared to go sea level to 10000 ft), and then sell or donate your gear in Huaraz (its a nice idea as gear is tough to import and very expensive.

That was a bunch of random thoughts- you're in for an exciting trip and an awesome time. shoot me a message if you want more info.

For something different, go surfing up north around Trujillo. It isn't the most scenic coastline in the world since it is a desert with a persistent marine layer, but Huanchaco is one of the best easy and uncrowded places to learn to surf i've ever been. If it is working, Puerto Chicama may be the longest wave in the world and is very beginner friendly - you can get rides long enough to want to hitchhike back. There is a really unusual ruin up there too called Chan Chan that is worth a visit.

Lima isn't so bad. The surfing is great though the water is very dirty. The Plaza de Armas is cool, and i've had some great times bar crawling there in barrancos, miraflores, and san ysidro. I spent a lot of time working there and enjoyed it,

Cuzco is horrid - a tourist and beggar infested place, though it is pretty. Macchu Picchu is worth seeing though - i'd recommend getting out of Cuzco instantly and spending the night in Aguas Calientes at end of the train line to the ruins. I loved watching the sunset from the peak above Macchu PIcchu and then hiking back down to the road to the town, and when i was there last about 10 years ago there was an excellent French restaurant of all things. Getting up early to hike up there before the buses are running is also nice so you can spend time there without the tourist hordes. You couldn't pay me to queue up on the Inca Trail. Ollayntambo is very cool too - and a neat way to see a lot of smaller ruins is to do the daily raft trip on the Urubamba river.

A Nazca lines overflight from Lima or better yet Pisco is really cool. They don't look like anything from the ground, but are really something from higher up.

Andrew Gram wrote: recommend getting out of Cuzco instantly and spending the night in Aguas Calientes at end of the train line to the ruins. I loved watching the sunset from the peak above Macchu PIcchu and then hiking back down to the road to the town,Getting up early to hike up there before the buses are running is also nice so you can spend time there without the tourist hordes. You couldn't pay me to queue up on the Inca Trail.

+1 on this. Best way to see it. Buy tickets in advance. Take the first bus up, spend all day up there and walk down the hill (1 hr or less) back to Aguas Calientes. Not the road, there is a trail. Peruvians were on the trail down selling cheap beverages and snacks. Tons of people there in the afternoon. Hike up the peak for that. Explore the ruins early and later in the day.

There is some bouldering and sport climbing up the hill above Cusco. Behind the big white cross.

Following on from others, don't bother with the Inca Trail. It's stupid busy, overpriced and a lot of people get really sick there due to inadequate sanitation. Not what you want on your honeymoon.

Surprised no one has mentioned Hatun Machay. This is easily the best rock climbing in Peru. It's an hour or so away from Huaraz, which is an overnight bus from Lima. I'd take Cruz del Sur on their top of the line buses without any hesitation and did so many times with my wife.
The climbing is excellent and gear can be hired at reasonable rates from several shops in town and detailed route guides are available online for free. There's a rest lodge near the cliffs too, but we didn't stay there as we were starting an amazing hike the next day. Also be aware of the altitude. HM is at 4200m. It's easy to get out of breath just walking to the base of a climb. We were panting and had been in the mountains for some time already.

For hiking, I'd recommend Cordillera Huayhuash (pronounced why-wash). It's around 10 days and one of the best, but most gruelling hikes I've ever done. We had a great guide who took us off route sometimes and added a bit more distance, but the views more than made up for it. I think we ended up with 175km in 9 days (we skipped the rest day) and at times it was more type 2 fun. The mountains are stunning there and you go past Suila Grande of Touching the Void fame. You can hike up to the base if you want, but it was a two pass day for us already and we just didn't have it in our legs.

Also, if you have the time or the inclination, I'd recommend going to Bolivia too. Cheaper, more exciting and less tourists. Mountain bike the death road outside La Paz. Fly to Rurrenabaque and experience amazing Amazon jungles at a fraction of what you pay for the same forest in Peru. Go to the salt flats in Uyuni.

PM me if you want more info.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their recommendations. This has given me a ton of research to do and now I'm afraid that one month won't even begin to cut it!

Happy to get more recommendations though, if anyone new sees this thread.

Also - one small gear question. Not sure which tent to bring. I have:

• BD Firstlight (Freestanding, ultralight single wall tent)
• Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD (Slightly heavier/larger, NON-freestanding, but better ventilation and will actually keep us dry in heavy rain).

We're gonna mostly be cragging/sport climbing and general trekking (i.e. backpacking). I'm tempted to take the BD due to size/weight and the fact that it's actually freestanding, but concerned about the rain. Maybe just bring a silnylon tarp as well and drape over the tent in bad weather? Thoughts?

Either tent will be fine. If you plan to go into the mountains for real mountain work, climbing etc I would take the first light. If you are going to walk the Salkantay or Inca trail as your biggest altitude and weather, than the SD tent would be my preference. The Sil Nylon tarp + BD would give you lots of options, i.e. sleep just under the tarp in nice weather.