I just returned from spending over a week in Peru with my friend Christina--my first time visiting South America. I had an amazing time there and got to see so many beautiful and historical sites. The people are great, the food is good, and I will definitely return in the future! I definitely improved my Spanish skills.
Day 1: Leaving home
Our flight left on a Satruday from Rochester airport with a 3+hr connection at JFK, then after an 8hr flight another 3+hr connection in Lima. From there we had a 1hr flight to Cusco and we finally landed on a Sunday morning at 11am!
Sunset coming into NYC...
Day 2: Arrival in Peru and 1st hotel in Urubamba/Sacred Valley
"Much to dream about" arriving in Lima, Peru.
Our driver was there ready and waiting for us and we headed out on the 1hr drive to our hotel Andean Wings in the town of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley region.
The staff was kind and greeted us with our first (of many) cups of coca tea while we checked in. Our room was spacious and quiet in the back of the property. By the time we got settled in it was already getting dark with the sun setting sooner behind the Andes mountains. We opted to have dinner in the restaurant at the hotel.
Day 3: Private tour of Sacred Valley sites
This day I had arranged a private tour for us of the best sites within Sacred Valley. Every other group tour leaves from Cusco so this was the only way to have a guide with us. After a hearty breakfast, the driver picked us up right on time at 8am and we headed out for a day of adventure!
Our first stop was the salt mines in Maras. This site is on the list waiting for approval to become an UNESCO world heritage site and consists of almost 5000 pools built to flood with natural mineral water. Then the residual salt and minerals are harvested after letting the water evaporate and the process is repeatd monthly during the dry season.
No machinery is used, and all of the salt is harvested by hand as you can see here. Each of those bags is 50kg! They are then carried by hand to a storage area before being shipped out all over for sale. Each pool is owned by a family, and are passed down by generation. There is evidence of this practice going on here since pre-Incan times.
From here we visited a local family where we got to taste the popular drink "chicha" as well as varieties of the Maras salt. Chicha is a lightly fermented drink (similar to our kombucha) made from corn. They add fruit or spices and sugar for flavor and it is easy to find any where!
They also had some guinea pigs there, however in Peru these are not just pets but also food! There the "cuy" are eaten for special occasions.
Next we headed to the site of the Moray ruins. This archaeological site has several circular terraced depressions that were used for agriculture by the Incans.
Each wall is about 10ft high and you can see the built in steps for access. There was even an integrated irrigation and drainage system.
After that we headed up to the town of Ollantaytambo. This town is where the central train station is that heads to Machu Picchu, where the typical beginning of the Incan trail hike is, as well as where a significant excavated site has been uncovered. This site was the royal estate for the Incan ruler, and during the Spanish conquest it served as the base for the Inca resistance.
Note the amazing quality of masonry to cut these rocks to an exact fit!
At the top of a high hill we reached the religious site of the Sun Temple where the largest rocks and best techniques were used.
Across the valley you can see buildings that were carved into the mountain. These were used for food storage.
A natural spring cut into rock for a water source.
By this time it was after noon and we headed into Urubamba for a delicious buffet lunch with Peruvian music and dancers for entertainment.
We tried almost everything on the line, which included roasted guinea pig (cuy) and alpaca!
Our amazing lunchtime view of the valley.
On our way to the last stop we passed through Lamay which is known for it's many guinea pig eateries, or cuyerias. We enjoyed the fun statues!
Our last stop of the day was the town of Pisac and the archaeological ruins.
This area was developed before the Incans conquered it in the 15th century and developed it further. Unfortunately in the 16th century the Spanish destroyed the Incan complex and began the area where the town currently is.
The terraced hills were once again used for agriculture, and here some walls of stone were built to absorb the sun's heat resulting in a slightly warmer temperature enabling them to grow plants which otherwise would not have survived.
Alpaca grazing.
We made it to the top of the complex (11,500ft) and enjoyed spectacular views of the town and valley.
After a long ride back to our hotel, the driver dropped us off on the main road where we found a small convenience store for snacks. We enjoyed our popsicles on the walk back to our room!
The evening was perfect to enjoy some coca tea and food outside on our patio table. We were surrounded by beautiful and aromatic flowers while the sun set behind the mountains.
A favorite drink of the locals is called Inca Kola. As you can see it's bright yellow, however the flavor was like bubblegum and we were not fans.
Day 4: Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes
On this exciting day we had a pre-sunrise pickup and our lovely hotel had a to go breakfast ready for us when we checked at 5:30am. Our driver was there on time and we hit the road for the train station in Ollantaytambo. The train and bus would have limited room so we opted to store our bags (for free!) at the train station for the 1 night.
The boarding process was easy to follow and before we knew it were were climbing aboard the Voyager car on the Incan Rail train bound for Aguas Calientes--the main town before Machu Picchu.
The 2 hr train ride had beautiful views of the valley and mountains as we winded our way down the tracks. They even had a skit they performed on the way there!
Upon arrival we met our local guide at the station who pointed us toward our hotel for the night, the Susanna Inn. We got settled in our little room and had time to walk around a bit before meeting him for the bus at 10am. Our entrance tickets for Machu Picchu were at 11am and boy was there a ton of people in line for each bus!
By 10:30am we were loading onto the bus and marveling over the 20min bus ride up a winding dirt road of switchbacks to the amazing site. Our guide shared so much information and history at each spot and gave us plenty of time for every scenic view. This was for sure a bucketlist dstination and I'm blessed to be able to say I've now been there!
A bit of background on the amazing site of the "Lost City of the Incans"....this UNESCO world heritage site was built in the 15th century atop a mountain by the Incans and there are no written records from it's active period. It was abandoned possibly during the Spanish conquest and after nature took it back over, it was not rediscovered by others again until the 19th century. The site was not brought into international until an American explorer found it in 1911. In the 20th century the government underwent extensive restoration and conservation work during it's excavation and for research. It is thought that the area was built for a royal treat and living quarters for nobility and their support staff.
The city is built on top of one of the lower peaks at around 8000ft elevation, and is surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys. As you can see here, there is a thick haze in the air from the poor air quality as well as the climate of a cloud forest.
Once again the Incans used the terraces for farming and agriculture, as well as for increased stability of the mountainsides from erosion.
This stone was used as a sun dial, and had significance for the Incans during the solstices.
The amazing building quality inside the Sun Temple.
Here llamas keep the grass tidy!
A view of the windy road we took up to the entrance.
In the Temple of the Condor, you will find this amazing depiction of an Andean condor by combining the boulders in the back as the wings, and the stone on the ground as the body and head. This flat rock was most likely used as an altar for sacrifices during religious and ceremonial activities.
We spotted a chinchilla!
Here is the Sacred Rock. It was carved to represent the mountain behind it, and had religious and astronomical importance.
We spent several hours exploring the buildings and sites before taking the bus back down the mountain to Aguas Calientes. Here we enjoyed an included lunch at the Cafe Inkaterra.
I enjoyed an appetizer of chicken and egg salad wrapped in a mashed potato puree, with lomo saltado (beef tenderloin and stir fry) for an entree.
After all of this activity we had some time in the evening to walk around so we checked all of the town and the big market before calling it a day.
Day 5: Cusco
We enjoyed a nice breakfast overlooking the Urubamba River before leaving our hotel at 9am. Our train ticket back wasn't until 2pm so we decided to visit the notorious hot springs in town first.
A short walk up the road from the main town center and market brings you to the popular Hot Springs. Along the way you will find vendors that rent you towels and even swimsuits. These natural mineral baths are a great way to soak in spring water filled with beneficial minerals that will soothe your muscles and aches. Several are heated to varying temperatures, and there is one cold one. They are generally discolored from the high mineral content which can turn a lot of delicate travelers off. We were happy we opted to go in the morning as there was less people and they were mostly all locals.
The entrance for tourists is 20 soles which includes showers and a locker. For 10 soles more you can continue up a steep path to a beautiful waterfall that has tropical plants and butterflies along the way. We did both! We did the waterfall first, then took our time enjoying the thermal baths. We did not have a towel (you can pay to rent one) but after just sitting in the afternoon sun we dried off well enough and it was not an issue.
We still had a bit of time to kill after the baths so we headed back into the main area and found a little cafe with an outdoor table overlooking the river and train station where we shared a veggie pizza. I got a much needed coffee, and the wifi and people watching kept us entertained enough until our 2pm train ticket.
The train took about 2hr to get back to the main station in Ollantaytambo where we retrieved our stored luggage, then met our driver for the next transfer into Cusco. This was a long and slow drive (many of the roads there are dirt and go thru small towns). We finally arrived at our Cusco hotel the Casa Esmeralda around 7pm and were happy to unwind and get freshened up! We were here for 3 nights so we could actually unpack a bit. While sipping some coca tea we looked up what food options we had close to the hotel, and opted to tuck into a tiny little dive where we shared a plate of salchipapas! This local comfort food is a combo of french fries (papas) and fried sausage (salchicha) and it was just what we needed after a long day. With some ketchup and mustard of course!
Day 6: Horseback riding and cooking class
For our first full day in Cusco I booked us on tow half day excursions. The first one picked us up at our hotel around 8am and off we went to the area of the Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park. Here our group was introduced to the horses, and we got to choose which one we wanted based on their personalities and our experience level. I chose "Mil Amores" which means a thousand loves (evidently he was a womanizer). They gave us some carrots to break the ice with the horses, and we became best friends.
We rode to 4 different sacred sites and got to walk around and in each one while our guide told us about the history and significance of the area.
This one is Chuspiyoq (Inka's face). The rock looks like the profile of a face.
Inside a cave at the Temple of the Moon.
Slab where they would lay mummies and offerings.
We also explored Inkilltambo, and Amaru Wasi. We had a great time, and we even got to run the horses several times which is slightly terrifying and fun!
After this was over they dropped us off back at our hotel where we cleaned up and changed clothes then headed to the main market in Cusco before our next evening excursion. We walked up and down each aisle while we snacked on empanadas and looked at all the different foods and trinkets for sale.
Salt from the salt mines we had already visited in Maras.
They grow over 300 kinds of potatoes here!
Our last adventure of the day was a cooking class! We met the chef at the entrance to the market, then after introductions we followed him thru the market to get our ingredients, as well as enjoyed samples of chocolate, cheeses, and fruits.
After we had everything we needed, we walked a few blocks to his studio kitchen and began the amazing dinner preparations!
We started with Pisco sours of cours! Pisco is a Peruvian drink made by distilling wine. We made ours with passionfruit.
Next we made 3 different kinds of trout ceviche.
The purple drink is chicha morada--the lightly fermented and sweetened drink made from purple corn.
Next we worked on several things including a potato and onion puree, vegetarian stuffed peppers, and potato gratin for our starters and main course.
For dessert we made lucuma and amaranth gnocchi which he baked, then while we ate the main courses he put tgether a beautiful dessert plate for us with may local fruits including a sweet cucumber sorbet, passionfruit, papaya, and ground cherries with chocolate sauce.
Day 7: ATV to Rainbow Mountain
This day started SUPER early with a pickup from our hotel at 3:30am! The drive to Rainbow Mountain is about 3.5hr from Cusco, and we would be taking ATVs up to a certain point. Breakfast and lunch were included in this all day excursion, so after about a 1.5hr van ride we stopped at a restaurant for a buffet breakfast.
Once breakfast was finished we loaded back up for another 2hr ride to the place where we got onto our ATVs! These were manual ones so I had to shift gears up and down on the ride. I learned pretty quickly. They took us on a slow section first that was flat, then we began the 1hr ride to our stopping point. The ride was along a narrow dirt road winding up the side of a mountain with a drop off on the other side. We had amazing views of the valleys and peaks all around! Llamas and alpacas were here and there grazing in the grassy areas.
They would occasionally stop us in a line to let other cars pass, and of course we had to take some fun photos!
After this exhilarating ride up the mountain, we arrived to our stopping point where we then continue on the trail for another half mile. For those who can't or don't want to walk up, you have the option of renting a horse or riding on the back of a motorbike. Of course they strongly encouraged us to do that, however I wanted a challenge so Christina and I were the only ones in our group who opted to hike the rest of the way! The walking was easy....it was breathing that was hard! This was by far the highest elevation I'd ever been at so we took it very slow with lots of breathing breaks.
Some background on this beautiful mountain!
- This range was covered by glaciers and snow until just a decade ago, and has grown immensely in popularity in just the last few years.
- The natural colors are cause by 14 different minerals in the soil.
- The Quechua name "Vinicunca" means colored mountain.
- The highest point is 5200m or 17,100ft (approx the same as Mt Everest base camp!)
- Entrance fee is a 30 soles (~$8)
- This is the second most visited site in Peru just behind to Machu Picchu.
This glacier covered peak is Ausangate and is a whopping 20,945ft (6384 m) high and the 5th highest in Peru! There is a 43mile long backpacking circuit that goes around it.
And in usual tourist fashion there are llamas at the top for pictures, as well as snacks, food, and drinks.
After the mountain we loaded back up ont our ATVs and made the 1hr ride back to the van. We drove 2hr and returned to the same restaurant for a buffet lunch. I snoozed off and on for the last 1.5hr back to Cusco and our hotel. This was our last night here! We were tired and hungry after such a long day so we found a tiny cafe right around the corner from our hotel and filled up on a bacon cheeseburger with french fries.
I ordered a coffee with milk, but what I received was a large glass of hot milk and small jar of cold coffee. The combination wasn't awful but man that was a lot of milk!
We packed up our bags and got everything ready for the morning transfer to the aiport.
Day 8: Fly to Puerto Maldonado to Tambopata Reserve
A must see for this trip was the Amazon! We opted for 2 days in the Tambopata National Reserve section of the Peruvian Amazon jungle. Since the few resorts here are so very remote, they are all inclusive!
From the Cusco airport we flew 30min to the tiny town of Puerto Maldonaldo where their "airport" is literally a tiny building where the plans land basically in a back parking lot. Only 1 airline flies to/from here. As soon as we got off the plane, the warm jungle air hit us and was reminiscent of summertime in Oklahoma! The temp was 95F and humidity was close to 100%.
Included with our resort package was transportation to/from the airport, as the only way to reach the resort is by boat! We loaded up with a few other travelers and proceeded down the river for about 30min to a dock where they were waiting for us with flashlights in the dark.
The air was very poor here from fires in the area.
We arrived around 6pm to the beautiful resort, and were led to the main lobby area for instructions on our stay and schedule. While we were talking, a waiter brought us cold towels to refresh ourselves with (MUCH appreciated) as well as a sandwich and fresh squeezed limeade since we missed lunch!!
Our lovely room was right in the main area (that meant wifi!)and it just happened to be happy hour so I got us a round of gin and tonics to enjoy before heading off to our first excursion at 7pm.
We met our guide at 7pm and headed out for the first excursion which was a night time boat ride to look for nocturnal river creatures. We did spot several white caimans (in the alligator family) in the water and along the shores. We also saw birds and bats.
After the boat ride we returned to the resort in time for a 3 course dinner! I enjoyed fried trout over a cassava root puree, plus baked chicken and cheese.
Thankfully there was a ceiling fan in our room, but even after a cold shower the night was very warm. Since the resort only runs on a generator, the power shuts off each night from 11pm-4am so that was interesting. We were much relieved when a thunderstorm moved in overnight and brought cool breezes and rain until morning.
Day 9: Jungle excursions
For our only full day in the Amazon, we had a busy day planned for us! It started at 5:30am with a lovely breakfast buffet and coffee in the main area. We met our guide at 6am and left on the boat toward Lake Sandoval in the Tambopata National Reserve.
We were immediately greeted by several capuchin monkeys overhead!
This is a termite mound taller than our guide!
A walking palm tree. These trees actually move on their roots in search of better sunlight.
Once to the lake we all got onto a canoe and our guide paddled us down a channel out to the main lake. We spotted many native birds, ibis, herons, parrots, macaws, and caimans. Unfortunately the wind was strong so that somewhat limited how far we could go on the large lake.
We spotted a very large caiman...however he turned out to be dead!
After the boat ride, we made our way back on the trail to the dock and returned to the resort for rest and lunch.
We enjoyed some coca tea on the couch outside of our room while waiting for lunch time.
After lunch we were up for an afternoon visit to the jungle canopy walkways! They are 100ft high and give you a 360 view of the jungle.
After this fun afternoon we had some time to kill so of course we took advantage of our last happy hour! We had a few drinks delivered to our couch on the patio (aperol spritz and chilcano) and I read my book before time to meet the guide for our last activity.
The last activity was an after dark nature walk on the trails around the resort looking for nocturnal creatures. We saw lizards, crickets, beetles, spiders, and I found a snake!
We were ready for dinner after that. We had a different menu to order from, so I tried the quinoa cakes as a starter, and lomo soltado for my main. It was all delicious!
Day 10: Heading Home
Our last day in Peru started at 5am for us to finish packing up and grab breakfast before our boat left to return to the airport at about 6:30am. From the boat we grabbed a van and were happy to see our plane leave on time to Lima. Amazingly ALL of our flights home went off without a hitch and no delays. What a surprise! We landed in Rochester at about midnight and I was safely home by 1am.
All in all this was an absolutely fantastic trip, and I was very happy with Peru! I got to work on my Spanish, try new foods, see bucket list sites, and explore new cities. I will for sure return some day, and I can't wait to explore more of South America in the future.
