On Saturday night we hopped on our direct flight from LAX to Lima, where we landed around 8AM. This was our first guided trip and it was so nice and easy to get off the plane. There was a clear customs line and see the Adventure Life sign waiting for us at the airport. We got into the van with our guide and driver and headed to the Miraflores district, which was about a 30 minute drive from the airport.
Since we arrived so early, we were unable to check into our hotel, so we dropped our luggage off and walked around town. Lima is a fascinating city that was easy to navigate independently. There are archaeological sites right in town, amazing restaurants at every block with Peruvian staple dishes, local markets every few blocks and lots of gray (at least during the winter months). Lima is sometimes referred to as "Lima the Gray", but we were lucky and during our four day stay we saw the sunshine for 1.5 days.
The archaeological site of Huaca Pucllana is a ceremonial center, built between 600 - 700 A.D. by the Lima people. This was a society that was developed in the Central Coast between 200 - 700 A.D. This was located right in town and was easy to walk to from the Miraflores district. There was an entrance fee included a one hour guided tour of the site.
There are so many restaurants to recommend in Lima - Maido, El Mercado, Panchita, Amaz, Rafael, Isolina Taberna, Canta Rana, Punto Azul - just to name a few. Lima is known for their food, and we found that many South Americans travel to Lima just to eat. I highly recommend trying to make reservations online for restaurants that have that option available.
On one of our days we did a gastronomy bike tour with a local guide and it's a must-do for anyone stopping in Lima. Our guide, Manuel, met us at our hotel with the cruiser bikes and we biked along the coastline down to the Barranco district. Throughout the four-hour tour, we visited four restaurants and ended with one brewery.
Uber, taxis, electric scooters and your very own feet are the best ways to get around the city.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend Lima to anyone who enjoys city life, eating great food, and walking.
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
1 month ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
2 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.