Amongst llamas and locals

Lima is often overlooked by travellers and some even call it gloomy. That’s because, for several months a year, the city is shrouded in a sea mist that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean and sticks to the south coast. Despite the fog, you can still have a good time in Lima; you just need to know where to go. And after all, you're in Latin America, the party continent of the world!

For the first evening of your Peru trekking trip, head to the Calle de las Pizzas, a lively street in Miraflores filled with restaurants and bars. Try the ceviche, a delicious local specialty of raw fish marinated in lemon and onion and a great introduction to Peruvian cooking. Lima is relatively safe and it's fine to walk the streets after dark, but as with any major capital city, keep your wits about you.

Finally, the tour will take you to the Monasterio de San Francisco. The underground catacombs house the remains of 25.000 people, mainly monks, priests and nuns that lived in the monastery. Bizarrely, the bones have been sorted and neatly rearranged in a circular pattern, which actually makes it an even more morbid, if not chilling sight.

The driver will drop you off here. If you’re feeling peckish by now, there are plenty of little local restaurants around the museum where you can grab a “jamon morteno” sandwich and decide on how you’re going to spend the rest of the afternoon. At the end of the day, take a taxi back to Miraflores or Barranco, then find a park bench in the sun and enjoy the first evening of your Peru tour...

You can spend the morning in Lima at leisure. You’ll be picked up at your hotel around 12.30pm and transferred to the bus station, so you won’t need to worry about finding the right bus in the busy terminal. The bus trip to Ica by Royal Class bus takes about 5 hours. The road follows the coast which for a large part of the year is shrouded in that typical Peruvian mist called garúa. When the mist lifts you’ll see the rugged coastline of bare and barren rocks and an arid landscape eroded by the sea winds, off-set by a thin strip of grass that runs along the edge of the cliffs.

On arrival in Ica, the next stop of your Peru trip, take a taxi or a rickshaw to your hotel in Huacachina, a tropical oasis 4km outside of Ica. The village lies on a tropical lagoon fringed with palm trees and pastel-coloured houses, in the middle of a desert landscape with enormous sand dunes. Your hotel is a real hideaway. Spend the rest of the afternoon chilling by the pool or take a walk along the lagoon or climb to the top of the sand dunes for a sweeping view of the surrounding area.

Before you know it, you’re surrounded by hundreds of birds of all kinds of species, including the odd penguin and pelican. Every inch of rock is occupied by a large sea lion, as excited little seals bob up and down in the water around you. The boat sails very close to the shore so you’ll be able to get some good pictures of all the animals. Later that morning, on the way back to the harbour, there’s a good chance of spotting some dolphins trying to catch a bite from the fishing boats out on the water. This boat trip is a real highlight of your Peru trek. Back on land, the driver will be waiting for you to drive you back to your hotel in Huacachina.

Once you're out at sea, the temperature can drop considerably so you'll need a warm sweater. A waterproof jacket will help avoid getting soaked by the spray as the boat crashes over the waves. Remember to bring your sunglasses and binoculars and, with thousands of birds flying overhead, there's a realistic chance of catching a direct hit, so you might want to bring a sun cap.

Today you can take an optional scenic flight over the Nazca lines. Unfortunately we currently cannot offer you this flight option. After a recent serious incident on one of scenic flights the Peruvian government has launched an investigation into the flight safety of the planes and the flight operators. We have decided to await the outcome of the investigation before resuming our Nazca line flight option.

Scenic flights are still carried out but please be aware that this is at your own risk. If in doubt please ask our local agent for advice. The lines can also be viewed from a nearby viewpoint.

The origin of the lines remains a mystery, but from the air you can get a much better idea of the sheer size of these mystical geometric figures etched out in the sand.

Arequipa, the next stop on your Peru trip, lies at an altitude of 2300m and, with an average temperature of 20-25C and sunshine all year round, it’s a lovely place to spend a couple of days adjusting to the altitude before heading to the Colca Canyon. Arequipa has a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. It’s also considerably cleaner and more cosmopolitan than Lima, but still has that distinct Latin-American vibe. The city boasts plenty of grand colonial buildings and churches but its main attraction is the monastery of Santa Catalina with its labyrinth of narrow winding alleys hidden behind the monastery walls.
The city is surrounded by several volcanoes (Misti 5821m, Chachani 6075m and Pichu Pichu 5425m). The best way to get around Arequipa is by taxi. They’re dirt cheap so venturing out of the city to explore the surrounding area won’t cost you much.

You'll arrive in Arequipa around 7am, so take a taxi from the bus station to your hotel in the city centre. You'll have the rest of day 7 of your Peru holiday to explore Arequipa on your own.
 

Ease into the morning with a cup of coffee on a balcony cafe overlooking the Plaza de Armas, the central square of Arequipa. From the Plaza de Armas, you can walk through the historic centre and take a look inside one of the many churches and cathedrals, or visit the Santuarios Museum to see the frozen Inca-girl mummy Juanita. You can also take a taxi to one of the suburbs of Arequipa, like Tingo or Yanahuara for a spicy Arequipeño lunch in one of the traditional restaurants with views of the volcanoes surrounding the city. There's plenty more to see and do in Arequipa, but try to take it easy today as your body adjusts to the high altitude on your Peru holiday.
 

It's an early start on day 9 of your Peru trek. It's best to take a taxi from the hotel (book at reception the night before) to Arequipa bus terminal where you can buy a cup of coffee and some snacks before you board the 7am bus to Cabanaconde. The drive across the barren Altiplano and the Salinas National Park to the rural village of Cabanaconde deep in the Colca Valley takes about 7 hours. On the way, you can see packs of alpaca and the rare vicuñas grazing in the short grass. Leaving the Salinas national park, the bus turns onto a dirt road, slowly climbing to a mountain pass at 4800m, the highest point of the trip before descending into the Colca Valley. When you’ve crossed the pass, the road leads downhill to Chivay, the most important town in the Colca Canyon because of its location on the road from Colca to Arequipa.

The next day of your Peru trek, you can just take it easy and explore the area close to the hotel or wander around Cabanaconde. If you’re itching to lace up your hiking boots, ask at the hotel reception for information on hiking trails in the area. We don’t recommend venturing deep into the canyon without asking the way or finding out more about the routes beforehand. Unfortunately, we can’t arrange a guide for you locally, but if you’d like to be assured of a guide you can always book ahead yourself in Arequipa. The local villagers are very helpful and will be happy to show you the way or even offer you a donkey to carry your bags. Please be aware that you’re at high altitude and the weather in the mountains can be very unpredictable and it gets dark very quickly. The canyon floor has a subtropical climate, but although it’s nice and warm during the day it can get quite chilly at night. There are thick blankets on the bed and you can always ask for a hot water bottle at reception!

If you’re planning on having an easy day today, then just relax at the hotel or wander around Cabanaconde village and the surrounding area. If you’re up for a challenging trek, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Hiking can be quite strenuous at this altitude and heat, but you’ll be rewarded with magnificent views across the mountains and gorges, with condors soaring in the air right above your head. You’ve got the whole day today on your Peru trek, so don’t overdo it.

One of the most interesting trails in the area leads to the oasis deep down on the canyon floor. There’s a small natural pool where you can soothe your aching feet as you wallow in the water under the palm trees and canyon walls towering above you. Plan a full day for this trek, it’s at least 6 hours there and back and it can get dark here very early.

At the end of your hike, you’ll return to your hosteria where you can have a drink and put your feet up, feeling tired but content.

It’s another early start on day 11 of your Peru holiday, to catch the 7am bus to Cruz del Condor. Make sure you get there half an hour before the bus leaves because you’ll need to buy the bus tickets yourself. Ask at the hotel reception for more details if necessary. As the bus comes chugging up the road, people run out from nowhere hoping to catch a last-minute ride. At this time of day, the bus is full of villagers on their way to their fields or other villages in the area to trade their merchandise.

At Cruz del Condor, you’ll join several other tourists waiting patiently to catch a glimpse of the condor at the rim of the canyon. The condors have a wing span of 3m, so you can imagine what a majestic sight it is to see them soaring in the air just above your head. Bring your binoculars and a zoom lens if you have them. Around 9.30am, you’ll take the local bus to Chivay, if it’s not going directly to Arequipa. Our local agent will let you know how to buy your ticket and the best way to travel from Cabanaconde back to Arequipa.

What to bring on your Peru trek Colca Canyon trip:
(You can leave the rest of your baggage at the hotel in Arequipa).

• Sunscreen and sun hat
• Good hiking boots
• Swimming gear and extra towel
• Windproof jacket 
• Torch
• Dry clothes in plastic bag
• Water bottle and toilet paper
• Snacks

In the morning of day 13 of your Peru tour, you’ll be picked up at your hotel for the short drive to the busy harbour of Puno. Around 8am, you’ll board the boat with your fellow passengers and sail out onto the wide open lake. You'll be accompanied by an English-speaking guide and as a "formality" you’ll be given a lifejacket to wear while you're on the boat– well, at least until you’re out of sight of the harbour… The boat goes quite fast so it can get quite chilly in the wind even though it’s nice and sunny, so bring a hat and gloves if you have them. Beware of the bright sun though and make sure you bring your sunscreen. The deep blue water of Lake Titicaca is the stuff of legends: not Machu Picchu but Titicaca is the most important Inca site. According to local legend, this is the birth place of the first Inca, the Sun God Manco Capac who together with his wife - incidentally also his sister - founded what was once the greatest civilization to rule the southern hemisphere; the Inca empire.
 

After about an hour, the boat will moor at the floating reed islands of Uros. The islands are entirely made of totara reed. As the bottom layer slowly rots away, the reed requires permanent maintenance which is why the inhabitants continuously add new layers of reed to the top layer. You can take a short trip on a reed raft to one of the neighbouring islands. The Indian islanders will willingly pose for you in their traditional dress. After about an hour, you'll board the boat again and set off for Amantani where you'll be staying for tonight on your Peru trek.

Based on a fair and impartial system you’ll be placed with one of the island families. The proceeds of your stay all go towards the development of the island. Usually you’ll be staying in a small clay hut with a straw mattress and a couple of warm blankets. Around sunset, you’ll go on a walk across the island with a local guide. At the top of a nearby hill there’s a small Inca ritual site with beautiful views across the island and the lake. When the sun goes down it can get incredibly cold, so make sure you bring a warm sweater for this section of your Peru trek. 

After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to your hosts and head down the long flight of steps to the jetty for the next journey of your Peru trek. As the boat sails off around 8am, you can see the sun coming up across Lake Titicaca. An hour later, you'll step ashore in Taquile, but it's another 45 minutes uphill to the village square. Like Amantani, there are no roads or cars on Taquile. Supplies are shipped in from Puno every day but this island is much steeper than Amantani which means the islanders have to carry the heavy goods up hundreds of steps to the village. Later that morning, you'll take a walk across the fields to a small Inca ruin and enjoy a fresh fish lunch on the other side of the island. With the sun setting across the water, you'll sail back from Taquile to Puno where you'll be dropped off at your hotel 3 hours later. In the evening, try the local speciality Pollo a la Plancha at one of the many chicken restaurants of Puno.

What to bring on your Lake Titicaca trip (you can leave the rest of your baggage at the hotel in Puno)

In the morning take a taxi or rickshaw to the bus station to catch the local bus to Cuzco, and the next stop of your Peru holiday. The trip takes about 6 hours so sit back, relax and just gaze out the window at the outstretched landscape and rugged mountain peaks, the odd herd of llamas or alpacas grazing in the short grass. You’ll arrive in Cuzco late afternoon where you simply take a taxi from the bus station to your hotel.

You’ll be staying in a small-scale posada in the lively artists’ district of San Blas, just minutes walk from the Plaza de Armas. In the evening walk down the square (or take a taxi) where you’ll find lots of bars and restaurants where you can sample the local cuisine.