• 75% of respondents planned to celebrate Father's Day in 2023.
• The total spending in 2023 reached $22.9B, and per-spending is a record-high of $196.23.
• Online(43%) was the top destination for Father's Day shopping last year.
• Top 3 gift categories in 2023: greeting cards(61%), clothing(55%), and special outings(52%).

1. Golf Bag

2. Running Shoes

3. Leather Slide Sandals

4. Slim Metal Card Holder

5. Dash Cam For Cars

6. Mini Car Vacuum Cleaner

Add Products and Get Ready for Father's Day Selling

• We went on May 12th 2024.
• We don't speak Spanish but learned basic words to come by.
• I suggest you get some Sol currency from your home country before arriving. We took 400 Sol with us.
• I saw some posts suggesting BCP ATM to get cash, I would recommend against it. We used Cajero Banco de la Nacion ATM and we were not charged extra fees (although limit is 400 Sol).
• You can use credit card in most restaurants in Lima, Cusco, Pisac an Machu Picchu.

• We bought SIM card in Lima airport from Peru SIM before leaving the free zone. Only passport required. 80 Sol for 5Gb/1week. I suggest you get more than 5G if you are going to browse the internet during your trip.

1. Install Mi Cuy App
2. Choose "Peru SIM" from multiple choice question in the beginning.
3. Use phone number to login and your passport number as password.
4. Personally, none of my cards worked to recharge the SIM, I tried both Visa & Master Card).
5. There is an option to recharge but texting a WhatsApp number were they send someone to you to recharge it but I didn't explore that option.

• Stayed: 1.5 days (2 days ideal).
• We used Uber in Lima with no issues.
• We stayed in Miraflores, I would have stayed in Barranco but there were more options in Miraflores.
• Explored: Miraflores, Barranco, Centro Histórico.
• Before booking a restaurant check their opening hours. A lot of restaurants allow reservations half an before closing which can be frustrating.
• Tips: Book restaurants in advance, locals dine around noon. Tried: Isolina (100 Sol/person, good vibe, food okay) and Al Toke Pez (30 Sol/person, not worth >30 min wait). Other recommended spots: Jose Antonio, Cerveceria Del Valle Sagrado, Don Fernando Restaurant, La Petite France, Central, La Mar, Maido, Osaka.
• Bars: La Noche De Barranco, Juanito De Barranco.
• Walk/Visit:
  • Miraflores: If the sky is clear, go to Parque Del Amor and walk on Mal. Cisneros.
  • Barranco: Walk on Av. Almte. Miguel towards Parroquia La Santisima Cruz, Bajada De Baños, Bridge of Sighs, C. La Ermita, Biblioteca Municipal, Museo Pedro De Osma.
  • Centro: St. Martin Square, Jiron de la Union, Lima Main Square, Basilica & Convent of San Francisco, Mercado Central & Chinatown, Larco Museum.

• Stayed: 3 days (2 days for altitude acclimation).
• We used Uber in Lima with no issues.
• Some recommend you go directly from Cusco airport to Ollantaytambo (2 hours drive) to acclimate better to altitude, we didn't do that.
• Regardless how many days you are planning to stay, if you are visiting museums in cusco or planning to visit Archaeological sites. Consider buying "Tourist tickets" in cash at some sites entrances or in Cusco from "Boleto Turístico Cusco" Av. El Sol 103, Cusco 08002 ,Peru), I added table below but for more or updated details check here
• YOU CAN NOT get Tourist tickets from "COSITUC CENTRAL OFFICE" outside the Centro area. It's just management office.

• To acclimate to the elevation, consider the following tips: drink coca tea, avoid alcohol, eat light meals, and rest for the first two days.
• I took half a 25mg "Acetazolamide" pill from a pharmacy in Lima twice a day without consulting a doctor, but you should consult a doctor before doing so. Stay hydrated, and expect more frequent visits to the washroom due to the medication.
• Stayed: Airbnb near San Blas Market (east part quieter).
• Walk/Visit:
  • Explore San Blas Market square, walk east until the end of C. Carmen Alto, then walk up and take a right on C. Tandapata, then up on C. Pasñapakana to reach San Blas Viewpoint (great at sunset). LIMBUS RestoBar looks cool.
  • Explore the city center: Plaza Mayor de Cusco, Museo de Arte Religioso, Museo de Sitio Qorikancha, Plazoleta Espinar, Plaza Regocijo, San Pedro Market.
• Best prices for souvenirs I found are on C. Hatunrumiyoc & open market in Plaza Regocijo.
• Shopping: None of the shops have unique merchandise. Compare prices at multiple places, especially shops outside busy zones and away from the Marriott.
• I doubt that any pure Alpaca wool is sold in these shops, so price items based on their quality and softness unless you are certain it's pure Alpaca.

• Pachapapa for dinner (better call and reserve if you're arriving after 7 PM).
• Sepia Cusco for a nice lunch (they have a great courtyard).
• Qura for breakfast or lunch.
  
• I heard Pizza is very good in Cusco, so you should try it.
  
• I liked Alpaca meat more than Cuy.
  

• To enter Pisac Archaeological site you need to buy a Tourist ticket circuit 3 which cost 70 Sol/Person. You can buy it in cash at the site entrance or in Cusco from "Boleto Turístico Cusco" at Av. El Sol 103, Cusco 08002 ,Peru more details here here
• We only visited Pisac from towns around Cusco to hike down from the Archaeological site, which takes about 2 hours. Our trip was short, and we wanted to focus on this hike.
• If I had another day, I would have also done the Rainbow Mountain hike. For Rainbow Mountain, consider staying in Tinki the night before to start the hike early, as it gets cloudy later. Tinki is 2.5 hours from Cusco.
• Most agencies offer group trips for around $50 USD/person and private trips for $120/person. We didn't want to visit multiple towns, so we hired an Uber driver (outside Uber) with a good car for 200 Sol for the whole trip (Cusco-Pisac and back), which was cheaper than any agency. We left at 7:30 am and returned by 2 pm. We took food and water to avoid stops on the way to Pisac except for view points of the sacred valley.
• A cheaper alternative is taking a public colectivo from 28 Puputi St in Cusco to Pisac, then a taxi from Pisac town to the top of the Archaeological site (25 Sol one way). Some posts said taking Collective can be dangerous so avoid this if you are not an experienced traveler.
• The hike itself is great. Although the car takes you to the top, you still need to climb for about 15 minutes before heading down. The altitude can be challenging, so take your time.

• Which ticket to buy for Machu Picchu? If you just want to visit the site choose " Circuit 1,2 + Inca bridge" or "Circuit 1,2".
• Circuit 1 is half circuit 2. Take circuit 2 unless you physically can't take around 50 stairs.
• You have to provide passport number when you book the ticket. They will check your passport when you arrive at the site.
• We bought Circuit 1,2 + Inca bridge ticket two months before the trip. You can try to book it directly from the government website Gov website but we couldn't find available tickets "Cerrado" there so we bought it from the Joinn us site which worked the same for the same price
• Don't believe posts that say Joinn Us is a scam. They say that because they have not received the tickets in the email. This is because tickets are not sent to you by email. It would be available on the site on side menu under "tickets" or "Mis entradas". You can download the tickets from Joinnus site.
• If you are not able to buy Machu Picchu tickets online, you have to be in Agaus Calientes the morning before your visit to buy the tickets.
• You don't need to print your tickets.

1. Take a bus from Cusco to the train station as no trains leave from Cusco center (Except one, see below).
2. Take train a to Aguas Calientes.
3. Take a Bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu site OR hike up dusty mountain road for 2 hours swarmed by buses with no much room.

• The main difference between Inca Rail and Peru Rail is step 1. Inca Rail provides a bus ride from Cusco to Ollantaytambo (2 hours + traffic), then a train to Aguas Calientes (1h 40min). They ensure you reach Aguas Calientes, so no need to worry about connections.

• Peru Rail offers a bus ride from Cusco to Poroy station (30 min) and then a train to Machu Picchu or from San Pedro (5 min) in Cusco center.

• We chose Inca Rail's "The Voyager Bimodal - light" option, which includes a bus ride from Cusco to Ollantaytambo and then a train to Aguas Calientes in the lowest-cost cabin. The 2-hour bus ride was pleasant, and the cabin quality was good. Paying extra for the 1h 40min train ride isn’t necessary. If I had known about Peru Rail's San Pedro departure, I would have chosen that.
• Arrive at the station half an hour before boarding. Our Inca Rail bus left early to beat traffic as everyone was present.

• Only one bus service runs frequently, about every 5 minutes.
• Tickets can be bought in person, where you'll need to stand in line, or online at Consettur.
• We bought tickets online to avoid lines, which weren't bad during our visit on May 16th.
• The round trip costs $24. I don’t recommend hiking up the mountain.

• If you are doing circuit 2 (which you should as it's the longest hike in Machu Picchu) Temple of the Sun is only open between 1PM-4PM. Temple of the Condor 10am-1PM, Pyramid del Intiwatana 7am -10am.
• We didn't have a preference, but because we left Cusco at 8:30 am, we arrived Machu Picchu at 1PM. We took the 2PM time slot as we wanted to leave the next morning. No regrets.
• We didn't hire a guide (you don't need to hire a guide regardless of what other posts say). There are three things you need to know: 1) Follow signs for Circuito 2. 2) Make sure you don’t take the “platforma inferior” turning that happens 250m into the walk. Take "Platforma Superior". 3) If you bought the Inca Bridge ticket, know where to turn to see it. I found this travel blog helpful blog.
• I used google to read about the different sites.

• We stayed at Gringo Bill's Hotel. It was decent, but I’d avoid hotels on the main streets due to noise. I didn’t like Aguas Calientes much (we stayed one night). If I had more time, I would have planned a same-day return trip to Ollantaytambo.
• Some posts mention the hot springs in Aguas Calientes, "Baños Termales (Machu Picchu)." It's more like a public bath and not really worth it, but the hike there is nice.
• Be cautious with food in Aguas. Many highly-rated restaurants are actually bad. I met a cook who worked there and got the inside scoop. Stick to safe food—avoid raw food and fish, and ask for well-cooked meat, especially burgers. Check the lowest and most recent reviews on Google.
• We ate at Ponchos, and it tasted good without making us sick. However, we had pizza at Pueblo Viejo, and I’ve had better frozen pizza.