Trekking in Peru or Tibet?

March 14, 2008 7:25 AM

[Trekking Filter] So we're planning our Summer trip and we have to decide between two treks: Trekking to Lhamo Lhatso (Visionary Lake) in Tibet or Trekking in Peru (classic Machu Picchu, lodge to lodge.) Any advice on which to chose?
posted by Mr. Ugh to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

When in the summer are you going, and where are you coming from? How long were you planning on being wherever you go?

Getting to Tibet this summer, given the Olympics in Beijing, might be quite a bit more expensive than last year. Additionally, if you're coming from the States, consider that getting to Peru doesn't involve nearly as much jet lag as you aren't crossing as many (if any) time zones, so if you're on a tight timetable of just a few weeks, Peru might be the better option.
posted by mdonley at 7:39 AM on March 14

We'd be going the end of July/early August. Coming from NYC. We have about 2 weeks +- a couple days. I forgot about the Olympics that's a good call. Jet lag doesn't bother me so much. We're just torn between the two and can't seem to make up our mind...they're both so different.

thanks.
posted by Mr. Ugh at 7:44 AM on March 14

If you want to do the 4-day trek in Peru up to Machu Picchu, you probably want to check to see if permits are available for the time that you plan to be traveling. There's a limited number of permits per week for that trek, and evidently they go pretty fast in the summer. You'd want to email a couple of trek sponsors and inquire about what spots they still have open, which may end up deciding for you.
posted by iminurmefi at 7:46 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]

There has been some rioting in Lhasa overnight. Not to say you shouldn't go, just keep your eyes open.
posted by chromatist at 8:15 AM on March 14

Yeah, I'd be careful about making plans until after the olympics. Not to say that it'd be dangerous, but I think it's quite likely the red tape involved in getting a travel permit is going to go up. I live in Beijing, and just in the last two weeks, the police presence here has gone up, and I've been asked to show my papers (passport and residence registration) while walking around my (foreigner friendly) neighborhood twice in the last few days. If the rioting escalates, who knows?

Still, enviable choice you've got there.
posted by bluejayk at 8:19 AM on March 14

Tibet is generally getting iffy at the moment with all the stuff that's going on in the past week or so. It may even be closed when you go - at the moment, the border is being shut down and I hear it's wreaking havoc with travelers (though that's not confirmed and things may change).

if you're doing the Lodge to Lodge trek, then you're NOT on the Inca Trail, you must be doing the Salcantay trek.

Differences? Altitude. Tibet will probably be much higher than Peru. Lhasa's around 11K, in and around Machu Pichu (or MaPi for short) is 7K to 9K. Cusco is actually higher than MaPi. Accommodations. If you are doing the lodge to lodge trek, then you're staying in very high end lodging vs. basic guesthouses.
posted by HeyAllie at 12:33 PM on March 14

Yeah, the more and more I'm reading about Tibet today, it looks like a safer bet to do Peru.

Which actually is a lodge to lodge trek throughout Peru and including MaPi, not just to MaPi...our highest elevation hit is 16k on the way to Huayraccmachay Lodge. So, i think it will be equally as vigorous (Even if we are crashing at the high-end lodges.)

Thanks for your input.
posted by Mr. Ugh at 12:56 PM on March 14

A lot of what we're learning from Tibet is coming from tourists, so if you go and record what you see, you may be able to help the Tibetans tell their story.
posted by homunculus at 1:16 PM on March 14

The Chinese government just prohibited anyone from climbing a popular Everest route during the Olympics out of fear of some sort of human rights protest. If the situation in Tibet were to worsen, I could see the authorities clamping down on many other types of travel there. You might want to have some back-up plans if Tibet is your final choice.
posted by centerweight at 9:07 PM on March 14