Lima - Callao port info

[Toots]

Are taxis and tours to Lima available at the port of Callao when we arrive? We´ve become somewhat disenchanted with ship excursions and would like to go on our own. We´ll be there next week. Thanks for any info.

 

Brigitte

[woody14h]

Are taxis and tours to Lima available at the port of Callao when we arrive? We´ve become somewhat disenchanted with ship excursions and would like to go on our own. We´ll be there next week. Thanks for any info.

 

Brigitte

 

There are taxis outside the port waiting anxiously for your arrival. You have to be bussed to the port exit where you exit into their arms. We generally do not use ship excursions and research our ports to book a reputable guide in advance for each area. We were in Lima in April, had a wonderful guide for the sites; articulate and reasonable. Downtown Lima is beautiful. Don't miss the catacombs. Also try to sample the cervice (marinated fish) Peru is world renowned for this.

[Jujuju2]

We were in Callao on the Ms. Amsterdam (Holland America) in April 2009 and can definitely say you do NOT want to go to the gate and try to get a taxi. BUT, there were a ton of taxi drivers right at the ship. I have no idea how they get the permission to get in, but those are the ones you want to take.

 

We had booked a private tour that was to meet us outside the gate, and we almost couldn't get there. HAL said they would have shuttles to the gate, but there were none, and port regulations prohibited walking. I think finally one of the private tour operators took pity on us and drove about ten of us to the gate and dropped us off inside the gate. The uniformed, armed officers at the gate were VERY concerned about letting us outside the gate, and I could see why. There were dozens of rough looking men outside the gates, and I don't think they were taxi drivers, not sure who they were. So we convinced the guards in my 40 year old high school spanish that we were meeting a tour guide, and then I spotted him outside the gate with a sign. The guards then formed a sort of flying wedge dispersing the men and clearing a passage for us to get to our guide. And then they watched until we were safely in the car.

 

Sheesh. When you read that things are rough in Callao, believe them.

 

To avoid more of the same on the way back, we had our tour guy drop us off in Miraflores at the H. Stern jewelry company, who had free shuttle buses to and from the ship. And that worked out quite nicely, except the bus took about an hour to return to the ship. But we had no hassle getting through the gate or getting to the ship. I had an idea they were not going to let our private guide and driver through the gate, just as they did not in the morning.

[greatam]

Jujuju2 is correct.

 

Callao is the WORST part of Lima. Shanty towns, druggies-you get the picture. Callao is also very close to the airport. One big reason I ALWAYS post-DO NOT GO WANDERING around outside the Lima airport.

 

I spend quite a bit of time yearly in Peru for business. Even when we arrived via ship in Dec. 2006, I pre made arrangements to get us out of the port. Yes, I could have walked outside and gotten in a taxi (I speak pretty good Spanish). BUT I don't take street hailed taxis ANYPLACE in Peru. Just too much chance of ending up in the wrong taxi. There have been numerous reports of people walking out of the Lima airport, hailing a cab and ending up in a back alley robbed and beaten up. A couple of reports of tourists being killed when they have gotten into street hailed taxis at the airport.

 

There are plenty of independent tour operators. You do need to check to make sure they can come inside the port OR if they can make arrangements to meet you outside the fence. Access inside the port fence is heavily restricted and it costs an absolute fortune to get permits for the few cruises that stop in Lima.

 

I depend heavily on Luis at San Antonio Abad hotel to make all of my transport arrangements in Lima (when I am there for business). He actually arranged a van with wheelchair access in December 2006, as other passengers on our cruise wanted a tour. We had a great day. This was not an organized "tour" (although he has those). I know my way around Lima, so I took everyone to the Gold Museum, the Larco Mar shopping center (great Japanese restaurant) and souvenir shopping at the Indian market. Cost $20.00pp (there were 6 of us) and we had use of the van to go anyplace we wanted for the entire port day.

 

http://www.hotelsanantonioabad.com/

[Elcruzer]

There are taxis outside the port waiting anxiously for your arrival. You have to be bussed to the port exit where you exit into their arms. We generally do not use ship excursions and research our ports to book a reputable guide in advance for each area. We were in Lima in April, had a wonderful guide for the sites; articulate and reasonable. Downtown Lima is beautiful. Don't miss the catacombs. Also try to sample the cervice (marinated fish) Peru is world renowned for this.

Could you give us a link to your tourguide website or email address? You seem to be happy with his tour?

[renata102]

my husband is peruvian .... love the peruvian culture and food. have the ceviche... sooo yummy... i only like peruvian style ceviche... lomo saltado and the poor mans meal... have the potatoes and peruvian cream.. yummy.... while u are there have a pisco sour... done the true peruvian way... I have yet to visit peru (via plane or otherwise)... but I plan too...

 

In fact my husband is going to Peru for two weeks in the Spring with his family... (he has not been there for 10 years). He is actually from CALLAO (he actually lived there from birth to 8 years old) and visited several times after he arrived here in the states. WHAT YOU READ ABOUT CALLAO is true. VERY ROUGH!... in fact he was so against our two small children and I going with him, until he figures out where its safe to take us. He has lived there.. has a great deal of family there... and is travelign with his parents and brother who lived most of their lives in CALLAO. its the innercity of Lima... and is dangerous as any inner city...

 

that being said... enjoy LIMA... enjoy the food and culture...