The small seaside town of Paracas is just four hours south of Lima and is definitely worth the detour. This small fishing village, now turned tourist destination, is one of Peru’s best wildlife-watching destinations. The Paracas Peninsula is home to the Ballestas Islands and the Paracas National Reserve, both swarming with wildlife such as sea lions, penguins...
Lake Titicaca sits at 3810 metres above sea level, making it the highest navigable lake in the world. With a surface area of 3200 square miles, it’s also the largest freshwater lake in South America. Over the years, Lake Titicaca has become a very popular destination for visitors to the continent and has arguably become somewhat “over touristy”. However, it’s still...
Peru is one of the most visited countries in Latin America. Why’s that? Well, it’s home to many natural treasures and it has such a huge range of things to do that you are unlikely to get bored. You’ll find a beautiful coastline, some stunning mountain scenery, the second deepest canyon in the world, the Amazon jungle and the world’s highest navigable body of water...
The Lost City of Machu Picchu needs no introduction. This pre-Columbian Inca site, located high up in the Andes, is for many people the highlight of Peru. You really can’t visit Peru without spending a day exploring this inspiring site. After looking at pictures of it for years, there is something magic about finally setting foot on Machu Picchu and seeing it with...
We always knew we wanted to visit Machu Picchu while in Peru but there was one thing that we weren’t quite sure about. Should we do it the easy way and take the train, or should we do it the hard way and hike there? When people talked about hiking the Inca Trail, I always thought that it wasn’t for me. For starters, I’m not a fan of camping. I was only 23 years old...
There is no denying that Peru is a culinary paradise. After travelling for three months through Ecuador and Colombia, it was nice to find some food that was a little “different”. But we enjoyed more than just Peruvian style food there. The standard of food, in general, was much higher than in other places we have visited so far in South America. Cusco was no...
In recent years, Cusco has become even more popular than it already was, this time because of Vinicunca, a magnificent geologic wonder. Also known as Rainbow Mountain or La Montana de Siete Colores, Vinicunca has taken Instagram by storm. Photos of Rainbow Mountain are everywhere, complete with shots of people posing with cheeky Alpacas at the top of this colourful...
Arequipa is Peru’s second-largest city and for me, it’s also its prettiest. Nestled at the foot of three dormant volcanoes, Arequipa has the perfect setting. Nicknamed the “White City” due to its historic centre that is packed with chalky white buildings made from volcanic rock, Arequipa is a great city to wander around. It’s also a great place for foodies, there is...
One thing that I’m not fond of when travelling is overland border crossings. They always seem to be a bit stressful, sometimes time consuming and often frustrating, especially the ones in Latin America. After our last Latin America border crossing experience from Ecuador to Colombia which took over two hours, we didn’t know what to expect from the border crossing...
At 3,270 metres (10,730 ft), the Colca Canyon or Cañon de Colca is the second deepest canyon in the world. But somehow, not many people have heard of it. It lives in the shadows of another famous grand canyon in Arizona that is actually only the 4th deepest one in the world! If you’re a keen hiker, Colca Canyon should be on your Peruvian bucket list. It’s a tough...