The blue sky stretches over the sun-lit valley, and it seems no wonder the Incas were worshippers of the sun. A spectacular view of the sacred valley emerges as we make a steep descent down a couple of thousand feet. The road is windy and the scenery is quite a contrast to the city of, Read More
I love food. I love local eats and where better to find it that at the local open air markets. Mind you, I didn’t always like ‘local food’, in fact I was a real wimp when it came to eating anything out of my usual repertoire. Oh, how travel changes you. A short walk from, Read More
Dancing through the streets of Cusco the fifteen saints and virgins from nearby churches are paraded to the beat of the enchanting Peruvian music, all in celebration of Corpus Christi. It’s a vibrant beat and thousands of strong, well dressed men ‘dance’ the patron saints from their church to the main cathedral.
A vivid portrayal of a complex history, “Cradle of Gold” sweeps me back to 1911 when Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu, what a story, what an adventure it was. In a fascinating region known for awe inspiring landscapes I am poised to relive Hiram Bingham’s discoveries in the Andes through the eyes of Chris Heaney.
Now that I have your attention… it’s actually Sacsayhuamán in Cusco – but all we have to remember was “sexy woman” to get the pronunciation correct. She’s an old Inca fortress in the back of Cusco city that stands at an altitude of 12,000 feet and possibly the best display of the Inca’s most extraordinary, Read More
Unbelievable… Imagine standing on a pinnacle, 7,000 feet up, gazing down in awe on the most famous Inca ruins, totally surrounded by the majestic ‘Andes’ Mountains. Yes, we’re at the magical ‘Machu Picchu’, the heart of the Inca Empire. A living testament of man’s harmonious interaction with his natural environment.
High up, very high up, in fact 11,000 feet above the sea, in very thin air sits the intriguing city of Cusco. Often referred to as the ‘Navel of the World’, the umbilical life-giver, the puma, the stealthy predator, Cusco has a long and interesting history.
Between rioting and strikes our trip to Puno to explore Lake Titicaca is a hit or miss affair. Some Governments around the world were advising against any travel to Puno and the surrounding areas. We feel lucky to that we arrive as the situation stabilises and are able to access this unique region.
Your Porters – Your Friends on the Inca Trail We were keen to support a local Peruvian company that took great care of it’s porters. For us the satisfaction of having completed the trek and arriving at the spectacular Inca ruins of Machu Picchu was hard to beat. However one of the things we, Read More
Our Cusco history lessons end with the Colourful Festival of the Sun Inti Raymi. This festival or pageant originates from the Incas who worshipped the sun. We have timed our trip so that we are here during the Winter Solstice. This means that we get to witness the wonderful celebrations of Corpus Christ and Int, Read More
Picture this, we have just hiked the arduous 4 days in the Inca Trail and now we get to lax out on a 10 hour luxury ride to Puno, aboard the Andean Explorer. Is there such a thing as luxury train travel Peru? Sure is, our route to Puno and Lake Titicaca is riding, Read More
Ok, so for our hike of the Inca trail, we hire the red army and no, this is not a Japanese army. This is Llama Path – a guide company, and the most amazing team of men I have ever seen. Our Inca trail group is made up of five hikers, a guide and, Read More