Peru

After a 4 year hiatus, we returned to doing slightly longer holidays. This time, we were in South America for the first time! Peru was a great adventure. We spent time in 3 regions of Peru that had very different climates and ecosystems.

The mountains: Andes and Inca Ruins

We visited Ollantaytambo, Cusco, Pisac and salt mines of Maras. Climbed many many steps.

This is the start of our big trek to Machu Picchu on the Salkantay trail. 4 days walk across beautiful mountains, physically demanding due to high-altitude and length. We used Refugios Salkantay to arrange a guide and accommodation + meals with locals.

On day 2, we got up to 4660m (15288ft) to cross the Salkantay Pass peak. With ~30% less oxygen compared to sea level, we found it extremely challenging. Lots of breaks, lots of big breaths. We made it!

It was a lot of up up up, then down down down, mostly on rocky surfaces. We stayed with locals and made coffee in the morning.

Day 5: made it to Machu Picchu!!

The jungle: Amazon Rainforest

After Cusco and Sakantay trek, we headed to Iquitos in the north east for a week. The amazon rainforest backs into Peru, offering a compeltely different climate and ecosystem. Many parts of Iquitos floods from the Amazon river during rainy season (we were there in dry season).

We saw many animals and insects in our 6-day stay in the rainforest.

On the last day, we spent some time exploring Iquitos market with a guide. There were some confronting things for sale (I’ve not included those pix here!).

The coastal desert: Lima and Dunes

We took a day trip to Paracas and Huacachina to explore the dessert landscape and wildlife in the islands nearby.

An actual oasis!!!!! 🤯. We explored the sand dunes and ended the day with a beautiful sunset.

Exploring Lima streets…

Hope you enjoyed the pix. We had a blast!