On my very first day in Cusco there was a huge traditional festival taking place around the Plaza de Armas.
Huge groups of young people from local villages and communities had arrived in the city, decked out in their finest traditional dress, and were parading around in groups followed by trumpets, drums and pan-pipes (of course), showing off various dances.
Continue reading “Dancing in the streets”
Machu Picchu is great. No really – I absolutely loved it. But there are a lot of other ruins in Peru, and lots of them are just as exciting to explore and discover as the famous MP. If you find yourself in Northern Peru – somewhere near the delightfully-named Chachapoyas would be really convenient – then I would definitely recommend a trip to the fortress of Kuelap, which dates back to the 6th century.
Continue reading “Highlights of Northern Peru: Discovering Kuelap”
In June 2014 I set off from Arequipa with a Dutch guy I’d met in my hostel, ready to tackle the Colca Canyon without being on a tour group. On the bus on the way over we met a British girl who was planning the same-ish trip, and we joined forces to become a little group of three, ready to take on this beast of a canyon. I’m not sure why we were so determined to not go with a tour but I’m very happy we did – in this series of posts I give a quick explanation of why it’s worth doing independently, some tips and practical advice, and a guide to doing the same route yourself.
Continue reading “Trekking the Colca Canyon independently: tips”
In June 2014 I set off from Arequipa with a Dutch guy I’d met in my hostel, ready to tackle the Colca Canyon without being on a tour group. On the bus on the way over we met a British girl who was planning the same-ish trip, and we joined forces to become a little group of three, ready to take on this beast of a canyon. I’m not sure why we were so determined to not go with a tour but I’m very happy we did – in this series of posts I give a quick explanation of why it’s worth doing independently, some tips and practical advice, and a guide to doing the same route yourself.
Continue reading “Trekking the Colca Canyon independently: how?”
Machu Picchu. It’s on so many bucket lists, and most people imagine themselves conquering it via the classic 4-day Inca trail. But there are other, very exciting ways to get to MP – here I put the case forward for the Jungle trek. So, why should you consider it?
Continue reading “8 reasons for doing the Inca Jungle trek rather than the class Inca trail”
In June 2014 I set off from Arequipa with a Dutch guy I’d met in my hostel, ready to tackle the Colca Canyon without being on a tour group. On the bus on the way over we met a British girl who was planning the same-ish trip, and we joined forces to become a little group of three, ready to take on this beast of a canyon. I’m not sure why we were so determined to not go with a tour but I’m very happy we did – in this series of posts I give a quick explanation of why it’s worth doing independently, some tips and practical advice, and a guide to doing the same route yourself.
Continue reading “Trekking the Colca Canyon independently: why?”
Arequipa, a beautiful city in southern Peru, is known across the land as ‘the white city’ – although whether this reflects the fact that its cathedral and many of the colonial-era buildings shine out brightly in the high-altitude sunshine, or because colonialism brought so many Europeans to this bustling hub that the population is considerably more ‘white’ than the rest of Peru – is more contentious!
Of all the places I’ve travelled to, Peru is the one that holds me hostage – I look at maps and feel it calling me back, I reminisce about the heat of the jungles and shiver at the memory of the piercing cold of the Andes, I try to recreate the smells and flavours that I enjoyed for 2 months. This amazing country holds a special place in my heart and in this mini-series I’ll explain some of the reasons why.
Continue reading “Reasons to love Peru #2: Colours and patterns”
