Avalon 21 night Galapagos, Nazca, Manchu picchu, Amazon Rain Forest

[FirstTimeCruiser2002]

We are taking the Avalon 21 day trip that included many sites. We are going in June and will be on the Delfin III and Treasures of Galapagos .

 

What do I need to know?

Has anyone done this trip? Please write a review.

 

What about the airport. We arrive in Lima Peru at 830pm

And leave quito, Ecuador at 5:30am. Eek right. The airline changed the time.

 

Is there any must sees in Lima?

 

We are also going to take a day to see Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley. Any reviews would be awesome!

 

We are on Avalon not Celebrity. Seems everyone on here is writing reviews from the Flora. I wanted to see the Nazca lines and Celebrity doesn't do that (yes, I inquired).

[jpalbny]

12 hours ago, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

Has anyone done this trip?

 

Not this trip but I've been to pretty much every site on your voyage except for the Peruvian Amazon. I looked at your itinerary. It's ambitious! You're going to see a lot, and you'll hit most of the highlights. But WOW you are going to be exhausted.

 

12 hours ago, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

What about the airport. We arrive in Lima Peru at 830pm

 

Any specific question? It's a ways out of town, no matter where you're staying.

 

12 hours ago, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

Is there any must sees in Lima?

 

Looks like you're based in the Miraflores district of Lima which will be at least 30, more like 45, minutes from the airport depending on traffic. Miraflores is beautiful; it's perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, and it's a lovely area to explore on foot. Lots of places to grab a ceviche or other cuisine with a view. Parks, views, etc. It's a fairly high-end part of the city.

 

However it's a ways from there to the Historical Center. That is also worth the trip.

 

If you have time and the means, Huaca Pucllana is a Pre-Incan ruin in the middle of Lima which is worth a visit. It's walkable (but far) from Miraflores; we have done that once.

 

12 hours ago, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

And leave quito, Ecuador at 5:30am. Eek right.

 

That's painful. The "new" Quito airport is much further out of town than the old one. That will be a painfully early hotel departure. Sorry!

 

12 hours ago, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

We are also going to take a day to see Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley. Any reviews would be awesome!

 

Which "Rainbow Mountain" hike are you doing? There is an easy hike (maybe an hour or less) and a longer one. Both are at high altitude, over 15,000 feet.

 

We did the short one (called Palcoyo Mountain) from Cusco, because we'd only had one day to acclimate to the altitude prior to taking that hike. It wasn't bad at all but we are not very susceptible to altitude sickness. The rock formations and the views were absolutely spectacular and I am very glad that we did this.

  

12 hours ago, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

I wanted to see the Nazca lines

 

Good call! They are amazing. Take motion sickness tablets if you're prone, because you're in a small plane (8-10 pax) and they make some tight twists and turns, less than 1000 feet above the ground, to make sure you see the lines. And you do!

 

***

Your tour looks great. It's put together smartly, especially the high-altitude portions. You fly to Cusco but immediately go to Sacred Valley (the lowest elevation in the area), then Machu Picchu (intermediate) and finish in Cusco (highest elevation) which is the best way to do it.

 

12 hours ago, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

Please write a review.

 

I think we're waiting for yours! Enjoy.

Edited May 12 by jpalbny

[franski]

We did the Avalon Peru/Amazon/Nazca lines trip --> we did not do the Galapagos. We actually went in a couple of days earlier and flew down to Araquipa and went to the Colca Canyon. 

 

Lima Airport is open and active 24 hrs/day.  We had a couple of long layovers there.  And lots of flights in and out to do this itinerary!!

 

For the Nazca lines - takes LOTS of meds for motion sickness.  I was quite nauseated - and our friends went that step beyond (full on vomiting).  The flight takes about a half hour to get to the lines - then swoops over a few times before heading back.  We spend the night in Paracas after (great hotel...)  and then did a small tour out to the Ballestas Islands before heading back to Lima. 

 

I LOVED our time on the Amazon...  Such an amazing experience. We actually got to swim in the river, and a pink Dolphin breached right in front of me!! The guides on the Delfin are so knowledgeable - and shared so much information with us.  

 

It is an amazing trip... and I expect the time in the Galapagos will be just as wonderful!!  Am happy to provide more detail if you have questions...

 

Fran