SkyDelta

Flying into Lima the week of Dec 12 for about 7 days. Unfortunately, the flight from US lands in 1155 so a day is gone,
This is our first trip back to Peru after the pandemic and looking forward to the best food destination in South America. Have fond memories of Punta Azul, La Mar and Chez Wong and many others. Having said that, there must be other restaurants that have come up in the last few years and would love some feed back on the latest and greatest. My impression of Lima on my previous trip was that not much to do besides food.

Unfortunately, dont have time to go North or South of Peru. Planning to rent a car and drive to Paracas and maybe Ica. I am sure there must be a lot of roadside stops and cevecerias on the drive. Any recommendations welcome.

crellston

Loads to do in Lima. Several times we have spent a mothe in Lima at the end of a longer trip around South America. Punta Azul is one of our favourite places. Others include Canta Rana in Barranco which is very popular with locals, La Cuadra de Salvador for grills and a great bar serving a wide variety of Pisco. Besides the ubiquitous Pisco Sours check out their Chilcano. For high end food, Astrid y Gaston and Central are worthy of consideration. Gaston Acurio also has a mid range option Chicha por Gaston Acurio.

i wouldn’t advise renting a car in Peru for all sorts of reasons. Indeed , I probably wouldn’t bother with Paracas. With a week, I would consider splitting your time between Lima and Arequipa. The latter is one of my favourite cities in Peru and also has some great food options. Some photos on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/2016/08...s-and-fiestas/

Landing at 11:55 you would almost certainly be able to get a flight a couple of hours after arrival. Maybe three nights there and then back to Lima.

if you haven’t seen the news from Peru recently, you should be aware that the country has been suffering a lot of political and civil unrest recently. Demonstrations, strikes etc which culminated this week with the impeachment of the President. This week saw t( announcement of a strike by air traffic controllers. I would check with your airline to see whether your flights are affected.

SkyDelta

Thanks Crellston. It makes sense to just hang around the airport and take an early morning flight. I have been agonizing over this as the counter is that I probably wouldn't be able to go to the Cola Canyon if I have only three days in Arequipia.

crellston

You are welcome SkyDelta. Colca really needs a couple of nights to make the best of it. There are day trips but it would be a very long day, starting at something like 3:00am. Arequipa warrants two full days as you could spend half a day visiting Monasteria de Santa Catalina alone. Shame to miss Colca butit took us three visits to Arequipa before we actually go to the Canyons. Earthquakes and landslides scuppered our first two attempts and even when we did get there , there had been a major quake a couple of days before which wrecked the town where we were staying.m

mlgb

It's unlikely that the OP will be able to go anywhere given the current state of affairs in Peru.

I would be interested to hear how they got on, if they went.

crellston

Me too mlgb. The situation there seems to be deteriorating rapidly. Road blockades along the Panamerican Highway, airports taken over by demonstrators, demonstrations everywhere, many targeting public and gov buildings. Trains to Machu Picchu cancelled until further notice. The new President is trying to get the army out to restore order but whether she is successful in restoring order remains to be seen.

having been in numerous such situations myself over the years, it can often sound a lot worse in the press than it is on the ground. Would be great to hear how SkyDelta is getting on, if indeed they made it there.

mlgb

I just checked in on TA and see that the DEs have changed, although the longtime one seems to be MIA.
Thanks crellston. I also always trusted Mayflower's advice.

It sounds dodgy at the moment for the typical tourists who want to venture beyond their hotels in Lima.


Six presidents since 2016. Yikes!

SkyDelta

Reluctanly but sensibly I decided to cancel my flights to Lima. Instead I changed to Santiago. I guess I have a craving for pisco carmenere and south american food but unfortunately will have much less time now, so just going to santiago for a few days now. Havent been there in a while. Welcome recommendations for lodging and restuarants.

crellston

Probably a wise decision SD. Can’t help with Santiago as have only been there briefly. I would however suggest a trip to Valparaiso. Loved that town and I recall some great food there.

mlgb

Also no updated knowledge on Santiago but sounds as if options have improved

https://www.eater.com/maps/best-rest...santiago-chile