Amazing 3-week trip to Peru arranged and managed by Peruvian Soul
Peru
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Jan 8 - Jan 28, 2025
Our 3-week trip to Peru in January (rainy season!) was spectacular from beginning to end because of the care and attention from Ann Godoy at Peruvian Soul.
We found Ann on the kimkim.com platform for the complexity of trip planning because we wanted to visit so many places. She worked closely with John to tailor the trip to what we wanted to do. She gathered a lot of info about our choice of a daily schedule, hotel types/levels, and much more.
The itinerary was perfect for us!
-2 days in Lima (met by Ann and Andres) with 1 full day of touring with Blanca who was a great guide.
-Abraham took us back to Lima airport for our flight to Puerto Maldonado.
-Met at the airport by Oscar (guide from River Expeditions) who helped us shift our luggage for the boat trip to Tambopata (Amazon basin) for 4 days at the Posada Amazonas. Oscar was an excellent guide and John, a birder, was thrilled to see so many new bird species. We did have one full day of heavy rainstorms, but other days were short rain showers that didn’t affect our expedition plans. [Note that the lodge’s website isn’t updated to state that it now has electricity 24/7 in the guest rooms, and its internet (in the common area) was quite good but occasionally went off because of storms.]
From Puerto Maldonado airport, we flew to Cusco and were met by Miguel and driver, Ronald who took us to the Sacred Valley and the first of the 3 Casa Andina hotels (excellent) we stayed in. We had very good weather and not much rain. Miguel was an excellent guide and easily sensed what level of activities we could do as we were adjusting to altitude. And gave us history and cultural info on the Inca and Spanish eras in small chunks, which was helpful and made it easier to absorb.
After 3 days in the Sacred Valley, we spent an overnight in Machu Picchu (taking the train with Miguel who was our guide there too) with bright sunshine (despite predictions of rainstorms) for our 1600-step climb up to MP and the tour there. And then back to Cusco (and Casa Andina hotel in an historic building) for 3 days of touring with Miguel. Ronald’s driving was masterful, and he was very attentive to us.
We then flew from Cusco to Arequipa, met by Gerber and driver Diego. Our 3rd Casa Andina hotel was in the old mint (historic) building. Just lovely. We had a walking tour of Arequipa with Gerber, and it gave us so much perspective on why Arequipa is known for its architecture and is considered to be a European city.
Sergio and river Benigno collected us from the hotel for a drive to Colca Canyon with amazing tours stops along the way. (John got to see even more birds and we saw vicuna and guanacos in the wild.) We stayed 2 nights and mostly had no rain and quite a bit of sun. The highlight was driving to the lookout point for the condors – and arriving to see 7 condors soaring over the space of an hour (rare for the rainy season).
From there, we made our return to Lima and back to the US.
Ann gave us individual care and attention before we left the USA. And the in-country service was what we needed. We were met at every location (primarily flights) by the guide (and often, a driver), and they also delivered us to the airports when we were departing
We set up a Whatsapp group before we departed the US connecting us to Ann and Jesus (our emergency contact) who answered our weekend questions. That was invaluable as we needed boarding passes and guide contact info.
The full trip details were on the kimkim platform which was pretty easy to use and had most of the details we needed.
An amazing trip that exceeded our expectations!
Hotel Reviews
Posada Amazonas Lodge offered a truly authentic Amazon experience. Our room had one wall completely open to the jungle, allowing us to hear monkeys and birds while being surrounded by nature. We loved the natural setting, but be careful about water consumption!
Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado was perfect for bird lovers like us. The expansive property offered plenty of space for bird watching and exploring, and we enjoyed the serene environment. It was a great retreat away from the hustle of travel, and the setting was simply beautiful.
Casa Andina Premium Arequipa was conveniently located in the middle of the city but provided a unique rooftop view of snow-capped volcanoes. The city setting was central for sightseeing, and discovering the rooftop views was an unexpected highlight.
Colca Lodge was delightful with its natural surroundings and the rushing river. We really enjoyed the onsite hot springs and the tranquility of having them mostly to ourselves. It was a serene and rejuvenating part of our trip.
Activity Review
The visit to the Parobamba Community for the Andean textiles experience was fantastic. We got to see a demonstration of how textiles are made, and enjoyed interacting with the local community. The villagers even performed a traditional dance for us, which was a delightful surprise. It was a fantastic way to connect with the culture and meet locals.
Hi John & Sue,
It was truly a pleasure helping you craft and organize your trip to Peru! I’m especially glad we had the chance to meet in Lima—it made your visit even more special for us.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your kind words. We truly appreciate it! It was exciting to go through every detail of this journey, and it makes me so happy to know you both had a wonderful experience.
Wishing you the very best on your future travels, and I hope our paths cross again someday! 😊
Best regards,
Anne