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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
I cried the first time I saw Machu Picchu. It had been an emotional few days! I had been pushed to my physical and mental limits; hiked for four days across peaks up to 4400m high. I had been wet, cold, hot, sweaty and constantly exhausted. While I understand how some people hate Machu Picchu and […]
OK, so I wasn’t really dying. But when you’re 4000m high, your perspective tends to be a little skewed. We had just started day 3 of our 4 day trek to Machu Picchu, and I was exhausted. I’d slept fairly well considering the cold temperatures and aching limbs, but after breakfast I really didn’t fancy […]
When I decided to book this trip back in June, the traditional Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu had already sold out. However, I had read online that it was often busy, felt over-crowded in places, and there was a mad rush to get through the Sun Gate first. So I wasn’t that upset about […]
We had left La Paz early in the morning in our faithful truck Rosita, and our first day on the road took us to Lake Titicaca and Copacabana on the shores of the lake. Copacabana feels like a little seaside town. Paddle boats and white fisherman’s trawlers line the shore, and the lake is so […]
Visiting Machu Picchu by myself seemed way too complicated. I looked online for the traditional Inca Trail trek, to find it was already sold out for the dates I wanted. Apparently you need to book it around 6 months in advance, as they only allow a certain number of people on the trail at one […]
After my experience in Santa Cruz, I wasn’t looking forward to another Bolivian City. I spent some time looking for quiet and peaceful places instead of party hostels in La Paz, and was thrilled when I found Colibri Camping! Just outside the city, it was a perfect place to escape the crowds and relax in […]