The beautiful Isla del Sol The Isla del Sol is another island on Lake Titicaca, but is reached from the Bolivian side (see previous post on our visit to Puno in Peru). We had been told that the island was a ‘must see’ in Bolivia and so we left Peru behind, crossed the border and made our way to Copacabana. Bye bye Peru! Hello Bolivia! Hmmm let’s hope this doesn’t take too long! The small town made me feel even…
Puno from the Condor viewpoint Puno sits on the edge of Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side and it’s from here that you can arrange trips to some of the islands on the lake, including to the floating “Uros” islands that are made entirely from reeds. Puno itself feels pretty rundown and rather unattractive. It looks a little like there was an attempt to brighten up the promenade along the lakeside about 20 years ago, with paved walkways, benches and…
Waterfalls of Tipón On our last full day in Cusco, we decided that we needed to see just one last Inca ruin! Terraces of Tipón We hadn’t bought the expensive tourist ticket that you need to visit the sights in the Sacred Valley, but I’d worked out that you could buy a partial ticket for a local ruin and we decided on Pisac. However, following a discussion with an American expat when out and about, we decided to go to Tipón, which…
Plaza de Armas, Cusco While I fell in love with Arequipa and declared that I could live there, James’ favourite city in Peru was Cusco. And despite the huffing and puffing that comes from strolling around a city at such high altitude we really enjoyed a good 6 or 7 days there pre and post Inca Trail, taking in the sights, visiting Inca ruins, meeting llamas in the street, stuffing ourselves at the local market, eating out with our new…
Wayna Picchu – shrouded in mist! Machu Picchu is Quechua – the language of the Incas and still spoken in Peru today – for old mountain. It is overlooked by Wayna (sometimes spelt Huayna) Picchu, which is Quechua for young mountain.When booking the Inca Trail, we were given the option of spending a little bit more to climb Wayna Picchu once we were at Machu Picchu on our last day of the trail and a quick search on the internet…
Just before going on the Inca Trail, I had read in the Guardian, that an Aussie and a Kiwi tourist had been arrested after streaking through Machu Picchu. We therefore kept a close eye on the Aussie couple in our group, but while Alex did get his legs out once or twice, that was as far as it went and they successfully managed to stay clothed. The authorities at Machu Picchu are taking this incident very seriously though, hence the appearance…
The Team of Champions! So we made it! After 3 long days of walking and a very early start on the fourth, the “champions team” – as we were very aptly named by our guide, Valentin from Alpaca Expeditions – were a very close second through the sun gate to arrive at Machu Picchu at around 6 in the morning. The sight greeting us was as beautiful as I had imagined. There was mist hanging over the mountains below us and…
Being a vegetarian in Peru was surprisingly easy. Peru is getting itself known as being a bit of a foodie destination and as well as the Alpaca steaks that James enjoyed along the way, this also means that there are an increasing number of (varying quality) vegetarian restaurants. We ate very well in Lima. Following the recommendations of Neverending Voyage and Indefinite Adventure, we made a beeline for Almazen, where we enjoyed sampling a range of different types of potatoes,…
At the start of the trek Arequipa is a ‘jumping off’ point for lots of hiking and adventure activities, including trekking into the Colca Canyon, which was thought to be the deepest canyon in the world at 3,400 metres, until its neighbour the Cotahusi Canyon was found to be 135 metres deeper. There are lots of companies in Arequipa offering tours into the Colca Canyon, but having read up on it, I could see that there was a very doable…
Arriving from the desert of Nazca to Arequipa was a breath of fresh air. The high altitude means that although its warm in the day, it never gets too hot and in the evening we started to remember what cold felt like (but only just). So it was perfect for wandering around and soaking in the sights. The city’s colonial buildings are built of sillar, a white volcanic material, which has led to Arequipa being nick-named ‘The White City’. The…