Good morning everyone, happy Friday! I am about to embark on a week-long trek around Central and South America and I want some trip advice. Here is my itinerary with a 23 hour layover in Panama City (PTY), 2 full days in Lima (LIM), and 3 full days in Cusco (CUZ). If you have been to any of those cities, what do you recommend that I see or do while I am there?
If you are curious, here are all the prices for my economy flights:
- SFO – IAH (overnight layover) – PTY (23 hour layover) – LIM on United Airlines and Copa Airlines for 20,000 United miles + $21.85 in taxes/fees
- LIM – CUZ on LAN using 2,500 British Airways Avios + $50.68 in taxes/fees (other payment options were available)
- CUZ – LIM – IAH – DEN on United Airlines and Avianca for 20,000 United miles + $58.09 in taxes/fees
- DEN – SFO on Virgin America for 7,376 Citi Thank You Points ($98.10 in value)
I will be in Denver next weekend with my friends from the Front Range Travel Hackers meetup group. They are hosting a meetup next Sunday night. If you want to join us for miles, points, MS, and maybe a few beers, join their Meetup Group and RSVP here.
- When: Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 7-9PM
- Where: Kokopelli Beer Company, 8931 Harlan St, Westminster, CO 80031 (Google Map)
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Have a great weekend everyone!
P.S. Time to start packing for my trip, I am a chronic “procrastinator packer”. There is no cure :(
Hi Grant,
Can you post full trip details once you finish this ?
I want to do same exact trip and will be helpful and can visit places you visit .
Sure, I will try to do a mini trip report along the way. Is there anything in particular you are curious about?
Panana City and going to Machu Picchu, both places I want to visit.
Well then, I will do my best to cover both of them :)
Thanks
Panama: A tour of the Miraflores docks and eating at Mercado de Mariscos in Panama City, the freshest and cheapest seafood in AL.
Lima: Jog or walk around the Miraflores neighborhood and taste the local cousine at one of the following restaurants: http://goo.gl/T7uRfK.
If going to Cusco you have to go to Machu Pichu, if not, why going?. In Cuzco, visit the Chicha restaurant by Gaston Acurio, it’s easy to get a reservation than in Lima.
Great advice Luis, walking around the Miraflores docks sounds like a great idea in PTY.
We have a tour set up for Machu Picchu, but the ChiCha restaurant sounds like a fun place to eat.
I agree with Luis about visiting the Miraflores locks and getting cheap seafood at Mercado de Mariscos. Also check out the colonial architecture in the Casco Viejo neighborhood. Casco Viejo, the historic district of Panama city, is very safe, but be careful because it is adjacent to some very rough neighborhoods.
Thanks for the tips, Chris. I will definitely try to visit Casco Viejo while in Panama.
Hit up some Japanese fusion places in Lima. Most of them are in San Isidro and Miraflores. Osaka is one of the better examples.
There is a mall in Miraflores that’s built into a cliff face. I usually have a cab drop me off there and then walk along the coast for a great and pretty walk.
I had a great time in Paracas, which is a four hour bus ride south of Lima. It’s the launching point to see the Nasca Lines, as well as close to the piscina distilleries in Ica. The Hotel Paracas is an Luxury Collection (SPG) hotel that treats elites extremely well.
Great advice Tuan, I definitely want to check out the mall on the cliff, that sounds epic :)
LIMA – Take a tour (approx 3 – 4 hours) of Lima on the red double decked bus…MIRA BUS. Goes from Kennedy Park to downtown Lima city center square. There you will hop off and walk to the church San Francisco where you will go on a guided tour and into the catacombs. Eat at Central Restaurant. Santa Isabel 376 Miraflores Lima, Google it to see why. The Inca Markets near Kennedy Park for Handicrafts.
If brave enough, on the cliff in Miraflores, you can hang glide. They are located at the corner of Venecia & Malecon Cisneros.
I googled the restaurant and it looks like it is one of the best Peruvian restaurants in Lima (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294316-d1798176-Reviews-Central_Restaurante-Lima_Lima_Region.html). That might be a bit outside our price range, but I definitely want to go to the Catacombs.
Enjoy your time in Lima. Where are you staying? We go often ( 2 – 4 time yr) for family and business. So if you need any additional info, please let me know. Thanks, Art
We are staying at the Sheraton Lima Hotel & Convention Center, using SPG points :)
Close to capital buildings and the Church. You still might want to catch the Mira Bus, for the tours are all guided and spoken in English. We usually stay at the Crown Plaza in Miraflores using IHG Points, or last week at an airbnb apartment. When wife goes alone, stays with family. For a great casual light breakfast or lunch sandwich, check out Sangucheria la Lucha. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294316-d2708680-Reviews-Sangucheria_la_Lucha-Lima_Lima_Region.html
If you want, contact me via email and Wife’s brother who is a teachers & actor and his girlfriend, lawyer, can help you out when in Lima. They speak English. Also, we have a private driver (only speaks Spanish) who can drive you around all day if needed.
Hi Art, my friend knows someone in Lima that is giving us a tour of the city, but thank you for the offer.
Lima: La Mar Cebichería (FANTASTIC food!)
Machu Picchu – all I can say is go EARLY. The sunrise is incredible.
We will go to MP as early as possible :)
In PTY – agree with Miraflores locks. I thought I’d spend about 30 minutes there and spent about 90 (get a gelato while you’re there). Spend some time walking around Casco Viejo. In general, it is pretty safe, there are plenty of food options, and the architecture and history is great.
I will definitely get a gelato, that is one of my favorite desserts.
There is an excellent place for gelato in Casco Viejo as well, called Granclement.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294480-d2515109-Reviews-Granclement_Gourmet_Ice_Creams_and_Sorbets-Panama_City_Panama_Province.html
Thanks Chris :)
I’m currently in the middle of planning a trip to Peru in November so I’m loving all the info and advice from ur readers. Keep it comming. I’m planning on spending a day or two in Lima and a couple days in Cusco. Main purpose of trip is visiting Machu Picchu. I will likely use avios to book Lima to Cusco flight but would like info on booking train ride to Machu Picchu from Cusco and some info on where to get tickets for Machu Picchu. still haven’t decided where we will be staying so any info on what hotels to stay in would also be useful. Good luck on ur trip Grant, can’t wait to read all about it. Again thanks to all the folks who shared ideas on here.
In Panama City, I’ve always liked the former Canal Zone — peaceful, green, safe — and the rest of the city not so much. But then, other than Buenos Aires, how many “great” Latin cities are there? The locks are certainly a must see.
I haven’t spent a lot of time in Lima — really just quick sightseeing waiting for my flights elsewhere in Peru. And I think the less time you spend in Lima the better off you probably are. Cusco is fine, but I’d highly recommend limiting your time there to one day and spending the rest of it in the nearby and very peaceful Sacred Valley (which is the gateway to Machu Picchu). The Peruvians have properly gamed the system to extract the maximum revenue from every foreign visitor to Machu Picchu (it’s probably the most over-priced tourist attraction in South America), but it is truly spectacular, and a must-see at least once. It’s very each to “do” Machu Picchu by yourself, just get yourself to Ollantaytambo (each and cheap) and then be prepared for all the foreigner fees incurred in actually getting to Machu Picchu.
I’m definitely not looking forward to paying all the fees but I agree that MP is very expensive for how accessible and popular it is.
I will be able to answer most of your questions. We booked out hotel and transportation to MP through a tour agency, so I will let you know how that goes.
Just did Panama in February. It will be wet when you go but Oanama City is fabulous. Make sure you get to Casco Viejo. It’s a colonial town. Las Valentina’s USA wonderful restaurant but a little pricey. Walk along the Costura at night. A lot of people out. Very safe. You don’t have enough time to see the Canal
I am writing from the Colonial town now. The canal is closed for today :(
How was it?
Colonial town is relatively small, with a long strip of vendors selling souvenirs and snacks. We walked along the boardwalk for about an hour which was nice.