Peru must be on most peoples dream places to visit list. Amazing historical sites and iconic hikes. From glacier covered peaks to dense jungle, Peru has it all. Most visitors only see the south but as we were coming down from Ecuador we had a wonderful opportunity to see the full length of this stunningly beautiful, and a times, desolate country. Night buses are an amazing way to travel. The ones in Peru are very comfortable and you can actually get a decent nights sleep. The big disadvantage is that you don’t see anything of the landscape you’re travelling through. The change is quite dramatic as you cross the border from Ecuador to Mancora in Peru. You are travelling into the Sechura Desert a vast dusty barren stretch of sand.
We had drawn up a rough plan of the things and places we wanted to visit as we traversed the country north to south. Unfortunately these plans had to change as mother nature had intervened. Kuelap, near the city of Chachapoyas had been closed as some of the sites walls collapsed due to extreme weather. This mean’t that from Mancora we would travel to Chiclayo to visit the archaeological sites of Sipan then straight to Trujillo to explore Chan Chan and the Temple of the moon.
From Trujillo another night bus would bring us back up into the mountains of the Cordillera Blanca for a stay in Huaraz. Here we will spent our time hiking & exploring the local area doing three day hikes. Firstly Laguna Wilcacocha, a good hike to get things started. Then the more difficult but beautiful Laguna Churup. Then Laguna Llaca before taking in the four day Santa Cruz trek.
Anthony Bourdain
We have booked to do the Inca trail at the end of September so from Huaraz we will travel down to Lima on the coast for a quick visit then make our way back into the highlands via the seaside resort of Paracas. We will then spend a week exploring Cusco before we head off to Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Then we will explore the wider region spending time in the Scared Valley of the Incas visiting Ollantaytambo and Pisac before heading back to Cusco to explore the Archeological sites around the city and the Southern valley. Then it’s all aboard the Andean Explorer for a train journey to Puno and Lake Titicaca before crossing the land border into Boliva to begin the exploration of the forth country on our South American adventure.
Tipon & Pikillaqta are two archeological sites that are located in Cusco’s less visited southern valley. Tipon is a large Incan site believed to be from the early fifteenth century, while Pikillaqta was built by the Wari culture that predates the Incans.
The Sacred Valley sits in Peru’s Andean highlands, with Cusco and the ancient city of Machu Picchu, it formed the heart of the Inca Empire. Stretching roughly 60 kilometers, it’s an area of fertile farmland and Spanish colonial villages like Pisac and Ollantaytambo
Machu Picchu must be on everyone’s to do list, the Inca Trail is the most exhilarating way to get there.
Cusco has a number of museums covering all different aspects from Chocolate making to the history of the Inca civilisation.
These four archeological sites, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enco, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay sit above Cusco and are included on the Cusco Tourist Ticket.
There is literally so much to do and see in Cusco you’d need weeks to see it all. As well as the paid activities we found loads to do for free and being on a travellers budget we were amazed at how much we could see and do for free.
Cusco has a wide variety of Churches and Monasteries ranging from small local churches to the main Cusco Cathedral which dominates the Plaza de Armas in the centre of town.
The Cusco tourist ticket is an essential buy when visiting the city as you will need this to enter most of the more famous archeological sites and attractions.
If you shut your eyes and try and imagine what Peru looks like then you are probably conjuring up in your mine something that looks very similar to Cusco.
Paracas is a coastal resort just a few hours south of Lima in Peru. Its known for its beaches, its national park and it is the gateway to the Ballestas Islands which are home to many species of wildlife including the Humbolt Penguin.
So you’ve just landed in Lima for a short stay and you’re wondering what to do until you move on, we were in the same situation.
The Santa Cruz trek is one of the best multi day treks in Peru if not the world. With stunning views that take your breath away.
Laguna Llaca is a beautiful hike, It’s a little more difficult to get to as there’s no public transport and no tours but this adds to the attraction
Laguna Churup is a great day hike from Huaraz, the trail head can be reached by public transport. It’s within the national park so you will have the fees to pay but it still works out to be a cheap day out.
Laguna Wilcacocha makes the perfect acclimatisation hike in Huaraz. It’s not to high and not to difficult
Often called the gateway to the Cordellia Blanca or the White Mountains in English, Huaraz is the trekking capital of Peru.
Trujillo is Peru’s third largest populous city and lies on the North Western coast of the country. Its said to be rich in culture and the ancient archeological sites of Chan Chan and the Temple of the Moon which lie just outside the city are testament to that.
The undisturbed tombs of Lord of Sipan were unearthed at Huaca Rajada, in Lambayeque, just north of Chiclayo. This is said to be the greatest archaeological discovery in Peruvian history.
Land border crossing are always a worry especially post covid as things seem to change by the day, this one however could really be simpler.
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