I fell for Peru in a big way. I didn’t like it at first, it was too noisy, too touristy, too in your face.
But once I’d got past that, Peru won me over with its people, food, history and spectacular scenery and I loved backpacking in Peru!
I didn’t expect to like Mancora in Peru, a small beach town on the northern coast known for surfing and partying. I hadn’t planned to go there, but after returning to Lima before going to Ecuador, Mancora Peru was a good spot to break the long journey from Lima to Guayaquil in Ecuador, with spectacular beaches and a more chilled out vibe than I had imagined. How to get to Mancora I took a Cruz del Sur bus from Lima…
Chachapoyas is the unlikely capital of the Amazonas region in Peru. Unlikely because it isn’t actually in the Amazon Rainforest, it is located in the Cordillera, and doesn’t feel remotely Amazonic! Chachapoyas itself is a quaint town, with white painted buildings and colonial architecture. There isn’t much to ‘do’ in the town, but it is ideally situated to explore the surrounding treasures. Find accommodation in Chachapoyas on Hostelworld Way off the usual tourist route up the Peruvian coast, Chachapoyas isn’t…
Machu Picchu is still one of my favourite places I have ever been. In the last 2 years I have been backpacking South America, Cuba, and Central America, and watching the sunrise at Machu Picchu still sticks in my mind as an incredible experience that I don’t think I’ll ever forget! I wanted to share with you some of my favourite photos of Machu Picchu that I took during my time there, including a few from the trek to Machu…
COMPETITION TIME! I am very excited to announce that Tales of a Backpacker has teamed up with Peru Hop to give one of you lucky people a free pass to travel through Peru, worth up to $199 USD! About the Prize The lucky winner will receive a free pass on Peru Hop worth up to $199 USD. They can choose their route from the options available from Lima to Cusco, or Cusco to Lima, or a Short Tour (subject…
Pisac wasn’t quite the “Andean Shangri-La” that Lonely Planet painted it out to be, but is definitely worth a visit! After the hustle and bustle of Cusco I wanted to escape for a while. My hostel ‘Hospedaje Chaska Pisac’ promised great things, it had a gym, meditation room and only 2 beds in the 3 bedroom dorm room I had booked, so I had high expectations of my visit. The town is easily reached from Cusco by colectivo, people carrier…
Huacachina’s reputation precedes it. An oasis in the Peruvian desert, surrounded by sand dunes, where Limeños flocked to escape the city. Sandboarding and drunken debauchery in the tiny town close to Ica, and 4 – 5 hours drive from Lima. I had heard Huacachina was crazy at the weekends. The usual Peru Hop hostel, Casa de Arena, has a nightclub attached to it, so I had no desire to lie awake all listening to banging music & drunken idiots. So…
Or how I paid $85 to vomit over a UNESCO World Heritage site! I was excited about Nazca. I didn’t know much about the ancient civilization that gave the town its name, except that they had left the famous ‘Nazca Lines’ in the desert, deep in Southern Peru. I was hoping to learn more about them, and understand why they drew the lines in the sand that could only be appreciated from the air. There was a group of 4…
Arequipa is filled with beautiful architecture & surrounded by spectacular scenery. White volcanic rock called sillar was used to construct most of the buildings here, and so earned Arequipa its nickname of the White City. It is Peru’s second largest city and is also the base for treks to Colca Canyon & surrounding volcanoes including El Misti and Chachani. Arequipa’s location makes it a great stop off between Cusco and Lima and perfect for backpackers. I spent a couple of days…
Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire, and was also known as the bellybutton of the World. Evidence of Inca culture is everywhere, and Cusco isn’t afraid to cash in on its famous history. That is what irritated me about Cusco; although beautiful and interesting to explore, at every turn someone was trying to sell me something. Massages, restaurant menus, llama keyrings, photos with a Peruvian Cholita, photos with a llama, photos with a Peruvian Cholita and a llama,…
Getting from Lima to Cusco by bus can seem like a mission, but Peru Hop have come to the rescue. They offer a hop on hop off bus from Lima to Cusco, and vice versa, taking in all of the key places to visit along the way. I took the Cusco to Lima bus, instead of taking a local bus to each of the destinations between Lima & Cusco, so here is my Peru Hop review. Peru Hop have regular…