There’s no way you can take a trip to Peru without exploring its most famous site. The ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu. One of the 7 wonders of the world.
You’ll almost definitely start your journey where we did in Cuzco, and there’s plenty of options to choose from for your onward travel. If you have the time to spare, I’d definitely recommend a trek. You’ll see a whole new side of the country this way and appreciate the wonder that lies ahead even more after spending days briskly trekking at 3000m above sea level.
The Inca Trail is iconic, and the first choice of many backpackers traversing South America. If you’re looking for something a little different and away from the typical tourist traps though, look no further than the Salkantay Trek. Named so because it’s route takes you right past Salkantay Mountain standing at a staggering 6271m tall. I took this route myself during my first visit to Peru over 7 years ago and loved every minute. Any of these treks will be taxing on your body, but well worth the toll.
Here’s a few of my photos from my 2013 trip to tempt you!
If you’re not the type for camping and don’t have time for 5 day treks, not to worry! Make your way to Ollantaytambo (Oi-ant-eye-tam-bow) where you can take the Peru Rail train service all the way to Aguas Calientes; the town and hot springs that sits at the foot of Machu Picchu.
You may be wondering why I went back to Machu Picchu, having ventured there once already in 2013, but I was travelling with my friend Jamie who’d never been to Peru or South America before. With Machu Picchu being one of the most famous landmarks on the continent, I was more than happy to revisit old memories so Jamie could make some new one’s.
To make things simpler, we booked onto a tour with G Adventures.
G Adventures run brilliant group tours on every continent, ranging from a few days to several weeks. These generally include transport, entry to attractions/landmarks, and on the longer one’s they’ll include some of your meals too. Going it alone can be a lot of fun, but if you’re looking into backpacking and want all the thrills without having to worry about booking confirmations and finding people to travel with, these group tours can be a really good option because all of that is done for you and a lot of the costs are already paid in advance.
One day 1 we met our guide Israel at a local hotel and waited for the rest of the group to show. However they never did, and our group tour quickly turned into a private tour for Jamie and I. This was great for me because I’m usually the one asking way too many questions. Okay fine, I was still asking too many questions, but I’m a curious soul! Sue me! 😅
As we ascended up into the hills, bound for Ollantaytambo, our first stop was a heavenly ordeal. Perched high above the city of Cuzco, you’ll find Cristo Blanco; an 8 metre statue of Jesus Christ mirroring the famous Christo Redentor in Rio, Brazil. This statue was gifted to the city by Arabic Palestinians who took refuge in Cuzco after WWII.
Be careful what you get up to in Cuzco… God is watching you!
After making ground away from colonial Cuzco, we made two more brilliant stops. The first of these took us to the Ccaccaccollo Community and Women’s Weaving Co-op… and yes, you’re definitely allowed to use Ccaccaccollo in scrabble games now.
G Adventures set aside a part of their profits to give back, and helped create this community centre that helps locals benefit from Peru’s influx of tourism by selling traditional garments and souvenirs.
We even learnt all about the ingredients they use to make natural dyes.
After enjoying a lovely coca + mint tea we got the chance to meet these friendly creatures…
Gotta say now, I’ll never get bored of the faces Alpacas and Llamas pull. They’re hilarious 😂😂😂
Moving further into the Andes, we caught views of some of the traditional farming techniques so common in this part of the world.
Arriving at our next stop, we got the chance to learn some more; this time about how the locals use clay to produce bricks, figurines and even chess sets.
We even found a literal Bull in a China shop. Well, lot’s of them actually.
As we ventured on, we found ourselves in the beautiful village of Huchuy Qosqo, where yet another G Adventures supported project awaited us. And thankfully, this one was going to be our lunch stop!
We’d made it to the Parwa Community Restaurant… a sustainable tourism project set up in 2014 to help over 60 local families benefit from the huge influx of budding backpackers and adventurers Peru was welcomed in the past decade.
In fact, Peru’s international tourism arrivals have almost doubled since 2010. Organisations like G Adventures and their partner organisation Planeterra are helping local communities like this ride this wave of tourism, and creating opportunities for people all over the country. Parwa Restaurant now sees over 1500 travellers every month!
And it’s not difficult to understand why this place is creating such a buzz when you see where it’s located.
Nestled between a dozen peaks, the Urubamba River runs parallel to the town and restaurant, creating a lush garden that stands out from what can often be an incredibly dry landscape at this altitude.
If the views don’t give you the wow factor though, the food definitely will!
Firstly, I couldn’t believe how much of it there was. Here’s a few photos, and I’ll my best to remember what each thing was.
We began this culinary adventure with an amazing salad, accompanied by a selection of breads with a fresh salsa and tamales!
We moved on to the typical Peruvian delicacy of Ceviche (fish cooked with citrus juices), followed by a vegetable soup (very common with every meal served in Peru). For a main course we were given fried stuffed pepper along with quinoa, a lentil they eat with everything! Asia have rice, Italy has pasta, the USA has French Fries, and Peru have their quinoa! 😊😊
If this wasn’t enough (it definitely was), we also had dessert on the way, in the form of a Arroz con Leche which is their take on rice pudding, served next to a cute little sponge cake.
This really was one of the more more memorable meals from my travels. A real showstopper, which feels even better knowing the project is helping communities develop financial sustainability in what can be an incredibly poor country at times.
After hours spent driving through the Sacred Valley, the ancient home of the Incan Empire, we made it to Ollantaytambo which itself holds some of the best preserved Incan structures and ruins.
Israel left us to go and explore Ollantaytambo and it’s historic surroundings, so we took one of the routes up into the heights to get these panoramic views of the town below…
You can always count on Jamie to just enjoy the scenery, and me to try (definite emphasis on TRY) to be funny 😂
As the night fell on the town we caught our Peru Rail service to Aguas Calientes, the doorway to the wonder that awaited us.
If you’re working on a budget there is an option to walk the 28km route along the train tracks, and save the £100 fee. This will take you about 6 hours at a steady pace, and looking back on it now I’m thinking I should have done so.
Early start the next morning, meeting our guide Israel and catching the bus up to an already packed Machu Picchu. The queue actually wasn’t so bad, and there’s a passport stamp close to the entrance which you should definitely use! Doesn’t cost you a dime! There are stories of unofficial stamps invalidating your passport, but I’ve never heard of it causing people legitimate hassle.
We spent the entire morning exploring the site while Israel taught us the history, and more about the American Hiram Bingham who is said to have discovered the Incan citadel in 1911.
Israel recommended we take the trek up to the Sun Gate! 300m above the Machu Picchu site, this was no mean feat.
However, it did give us a whole new view of this remarkable wonder and the picturesque landscape it’s set against. I’d give it a go if you feel up for a challenge and want to make the most of your time here.
Back at ground level, well 2400m still… I got the classic Machu Picchu shot. To make interesting though, here’s a 6 year comparison…
Not much has changed! 😅😅 apart from the camera quality maybe?
After a morning spent trekking around Machu Picchu we headed back into Aguas Calientes to grab some food.
We stopped at Toto’s House, which was right by the station and had a beautiful view of the river and towering peaks above.
Jamie had perhaps the most elegant plate of food I think I’ve ever seen.
Don’t ever remember an episode of Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares in Peru, but I’m pretty certain he’s stopped here. If you’re wondering what it is, there’s a fillet of fish beneath that kaleidoscope of colour. Compliments to the restaurant it got raving reviews from Jamie, though in fairness so did the Inca Cola 😂😂
After enjoying a lovely meal, we ventured swiftly towards the train station. One of the prettiest train stations I’ve come across, and nothing like the one’s in the UK, though sharing the common trait that Peru Rail is owned mostly by the UK and the trains are too flippin expensive! Obviously 😂
After promising amazing views of the valley to Jamie on our trip out, and then unfortunately leaving in the dark, I was glad to be making our return journey by daylight and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
These two aren’t great photos but go to show just how breathtaking the natural beauty of Peru is.
The climate, altitude, and geology comes together to make these dramatic changes in landscape, where in a flash you’ll go from dense jungle to arid highlands, and be sat on a train in a lush valley staring through the roof at snow capped peaks.
It’s hard not to marvel at such things.
And that’s about all there is too it folks. I know this has been a really long post, so if you’ve stuck with it until this point I thank and commend you! I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about our journey to Peru’s world wonder, and if you have any questions about it or you’re planning a trip yourself, drop me a message on the contact page and I’ll be more than happy to help!
See you on the next one…
A Pocketful of Postcards 