From Cuzco, we decided to take a tourist bus to Puno. Along the way we visited a few ruin sites, a market, a scenic overlook and stopped for a nice buffet lunch. It seemed like a good idea initially, but it wound up taking all day and we didn’t really have much time at each [...]
After four exhausting days of nonstop trekking through the Salkantay Pass, we finally made it to Aguas Calientes, the small town which is the launching point for tourists visiting Machu Picchu. We celebrated the end of this difficult accomplishment over dinner and drinks, but still hit the hay early; we faced yet another early start [...]
It’s the iconic Peruvian attraction, gracing the cover of countless guidebooks and drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. For many, it’s the first image that comes to mind when they think of South America and it’s the reason to visit Peru. We knew visiting Machu Picchu would be one of the major highlights [...]
We sprang for the upscale seats on the overnight bus to Cuzco, but boy – was it ever not worth it. No food, as was advertised, and our pricy seats, which were in the back row, did not recline as far as they should. But, the short man sitting in front of Erik was as [...]
After our hike through Colca Canyon, we decided to check out a couple of the highlights in Arequipa. The famous Santa Catalina Convent was quite a sight. After being a private convent for 450 nuns (and their servants) living in total seclusion for over four centuries, this convent was opened to the public in 1970. [...]
Measuring more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, the Colca Canyon in Southern Peru is a magnificent natural wonder. While in nearby Arequipa, we laced up our hiking boots and booked a 3-day trek into this world-famous attraction. We were picked up at 3:30am and made our way toward the canyon’s rim. After [...]
Our last day in Huacachina, we booked two tours – one in the morning to the Ballestas Islands and an afternoon tour to some vineyards to taste Peru’s famous Pisco. We were picked up at 6:30am and taken to the port in Paracas National Park. These islands are supposed to be full of wildlife – [...]
After our trip to the Amazon, we hopped a bus to the popular tourist town of Huacachina. This oasis is quite unique – huge sand dunes for miles surround a small lagoon. I had never seen anything like it before in my life. Since we checked into our hostel at night, we weren’t aware of [...]
We spent 5 days and 4 nights on the Amazon river at Cumaceba Lodge, near Iquitos, Peru. After some amazing jungle and wildlife encounters earlier in our trip, such as Tortuguero in Costa Rica, we had high expectations and were looking forward to exploring the largest rainforest on Earth. Just getting to the lodge was [...]
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Peru by the Numbers
With everything from the lush Amazon jungle, to snow-capped Andean mountain ranges, to scorching hot sand dunes, to the world’s deepest canyons, and mystical lost cities, we knew there would be a lot to see in Peru. In the end, we spent more than six weeks in the country, where we were able to discover [...]