Travel Articles: Peru

We stayed the night at the lovely Hotel Pakaritampu to rest up for our trip to Machu Picchu the next day. The Train to Machu Picchu is an extraordinary experience. In this train ride I got to see the rich culture of the locals through the entertainment the locals prepared for the tourists. It was a fantastic experience.

When you talk about …

The next day is another adventure. We took a two-hour ride from Cusco to the Andes Mountain range, home of Vinicunca Mountain, also known as Rainbow Mountain! The trek can be challenging due to the high altitude and steep inclines. I advise you to take it slowly and acclimatize to the altitude beforehand. It's also essential to bring …

The mountains of Peru offer an absolutely unparalleled combination of natural beauty and heritage.

The Rainbow Mountain has been one of our bucket-list but nnaaahhhhhh... I failed! Sadly, I failed to complete the trek due to altitude sickness. Something that I regret doing but I wouldn't take the risk either.

The hike is difficult for a …

It's time for solo adventure!

Me and Mary Rose parted ways as we were heading back to our home country. We have different connecting flights so I decided to spend a day in Lima and it felt so good. Wanderlust sounds a cliche but that's what it was!

Happy to meet a "kababayan"- she's a tourist police assisting lost …

My recent trip to Peru was truly an experience of a lifetime. From the stunning beauty and rich culture of Cusco City, to the breathtaking landscape of Rainbow Mountain, and of course the iconic Machu Picchu, I felt like I had been transported to another world. I had the opportunity to explore and experience so much of the culture, beauty, and …

Oh wow! The world starts to open its doors and I can’t wait to travel again! COVID may have had hindered our travel plans temporarily but never our desire for it. Took about 3 days to travel from the Philippines to this amazing country- but it was all WORTH every second of it.

Had to travel CEBU- MANILA- DOHA- SAO PAULO- LIMA- CUSCO! With 3 long-haul flights.

I just had the longest sleep in my life since I became a mom. lol..

Our first morning in Lima had us waking up to an amazing breakfast before I wandered out into the streets of Miraflores to find a fabled cup of java. The streets were blanketed in a cool fog that cut visibility down to a block or two and had me wishing that I had brought a warmer jacket. Thankfully, the coffee was as excellent as advertised, and …

After four days in Lima, we hopped on the short flight over to Cusco, where we would spend the next 1.5 days (not long enough!).

Upon arrival, we were met by another Adventure Life guide and driver who took us to our centrally located downtown hotel, Los Portales. Our guide gave us about 20 minutes or so to settle in, change clothes and grab …

The neat thing about this trip we did is that each and every day you get to choose a cultural activity or a hiking activity on top of the group activity that was offered. Prior to our departure, we thought we knew what we wanted to do each and every day, but it turns out that we decided to switch things up along the way based on how we felt. I …

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 …

There are reasonable differences in opinion among travel planners when it comes to Lima. Some folks say to skip it altogether, while others find it fascinating. Let me find a middle ground…

For me, Lima is worth 24 hours of exploration. Your flight home will likely be a late-night affair anyways, so adding a night in Lima when returning …

Part of the boat trip out to Amantani Island for the homestay includes a visit to the Uros Islands – floating villages built on stacks and stacks of reeds. It is an incredible concept, born out of necessity when the Incas from the highlands arrived and sought to subjugate the local people. By moving out onto the lake, the Uros people were …

I am not the most social of people, so I was hesitant about the homestay idea. If not done well, these can seem a little overly voyeuristic to me. But there’s no other way of spending the night actually out on Lake Titicaca, and we wanted to have a bit more immersive experience.

Thankfully, on the section of Amantani Island we visited, the …

One question a lot of Machu Picchu visitors have to consider is whether they want to visit Huaynapicchu. This is the steep, triangular mountain in the background of most Machu Picchu photos. There are a few ruins at the top and incredible views of the main citadel below. This is a specific entrance permit that must be purchased well in advance, as …

The Inca Trail is open all year, with the exception of February. During February, the local authorities arrange for trail improvements and campsite restorations.

The best time of year to hike the Inca Trail is during the dry season – generally April 15th to November. The rainy season comes on slowly in November and December and is at its …

The little-known option of trekking the last part of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in a single day is an excellent option if you aren't up to a multi-day hike or weren't able to reserve a spot on the full-length trek.

Some providers actually build on foreign travelers’ assumptions that the Inca Trail is just a means to an end and try to get folks through as quickly as possible. They sell “sunrise at the sun gate” as a goal, with the knowledge that in actuality this allows them to get their guides and porters home the same day and their …

Besides being pleasantly surprised by the overall state of the trail, I was even more pleased to learn there were literally dozens of other highlights along the four-day hike. I had figured that walking into Machu Picchu by way of the Sun Gate would be a great moment, but I did not realize there would be so many other great moments along the …

In the latter half of the 20th century, the Inca Trail was unregulated and in many ways over-run. You can hear horror stories of the overcrowded campsites, the trash and human waste lining the trail, and the general misuse of the historical resource. Just as with Machu Picchu itself, though, the Peruvian government has recognized the importance of …

If one was to drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, at the far end of the Sacred Valley, it might take 2.5 hours. But this would require putting on blinders to all the amazing spots along the way. In reality, there are probably two full days of exploration to be had along this route. To make the best of one’s time in what is normally one day in …

On the second day of the actual Inca Trail hike, one climbs to nearly 14,000 feet of elevation to reach Warmiwanuska, or “Dead Woman Pass” (named for the outline of the mountain – not for any misfortune befalling an ill-prepared hiker). For folks who have not built in the appropriate acclimatization days in Cusco and the Sacred …

Because Cusco sits at an elevation just above 11,000 feet, many travelers wonder why they shouldn’t move on directly to the Sacred Valley on their first night. The easy answer is that in Cusco you can explore by foot from your hotel – on flat, even ground. You won’t ever be more than a few minutes from your hotel, and a quick …

Early wake up, breakfast, then homeward bound. You will realize Peru was not what you might have imagined it would be. It's much more...

Alex and our driver, Gonzalo (how can I forget Gonzalo?) picked us up at the hotel and took us to the airport at 630am for our long, 18-hour journey home. Alex went in and made sure we …