After an incredible, relaxing, and memorable week in Colombia, we jetted off to Peru! We began our Peruvian adventure in the city of Lima, which we initially thought would just be a convenient stopover. Instead, it turned into a delightful experience, reconnecting with old friends and discovering the city’s charm. If you haven’t already, consider signing up for a Going membership—they’re the reason we get to travel as often as we do. Use my code to get 20% off your membership and start exploring the world! Going code
We landed in Peru around 9 PM, and since we had scheduled a pretty big tour for the following morning, we headed straight to our Airbnb. For dinner, we decided to order Rappi, which is like South America’s DoorDash. I think we finally went to bed around 10 PM, with a pick-up time set for 4 AM. From the moment we planned our trip to Peru, I knew I wanted to see the Huacachina Oasis. Located about five hours from Lima, it was the reason we planned a couple of nights in the capital city.
We decided to book this tour through Airbnb, and I was so glad we did because it was incredibly comprehensive! Our adventure began with a stop at the Ballestas Islands in Paracas. The first sight we encountered was the Candelabra, a prehistoric geoglyph etched deep into a Peruvian seaside hill. There are few theories about its origin, ancient masons or aliens, which is mind-boggling considering it’s 2024 and we still don’t have an answer (like, we’ve been to space, how do we not know how the Candelabra was created? Rant over!).
At the Ballestas Islands, Ricky and I saw penguins in their natural habitat for the first time. We observed a couple of Humboldt penguin families during this part of the tour, and although they were the only sea life we saw, I was content. I’ve always wanted to see penguins in their natural environment.
From the islands, we headed south to CulturPisco in Ica. Initially, I thought it might be touristy and a bit silly, but we had a fantastic time! The educational part of the tour was both interesting and brief, while the tasting session offered a wide array of Pisco types and was definitely worth the money. Our tour, which cost $90 per person, included the guide, transportation, and food. The lunch at CulturPisco featured traditional Peruvian cuisine and was both delicious and generously portioned. I opted for a Pisco sour, which was extra but well worth it.
After lunch, we finally drove to the desert! Huacachina is the only natural oasis in South America, and I was not prepared for how enormous the dunes were. It felt like being in a mountain range where every dune was a mountain. Our tour included a one-hour buggy ride, and I initially thought they’d just give us a four-wheeler for a short spin. It was nothing like that! We rode in massive side-by-sides with sand tires, speeding over mountains of sand. This was definitely one of the most adrenaline-fueled tours of our summer. They also let us sandboard for 15-20 minutes, which was super fun. This tour offered so much, and being a one-day event, it allowed us to quickly move on to Cusco. We didn’t get back to our Airbnb until 10 PM that day, making it an exhausting 18-hour tour.
Our flight to Cusco was scheduled for the following afternoon, giving us most of the morning and part of the afternoon to explore Lima. One of my really good friends from college, a fellow Costa Rican, lives in Lima, so it was the perfect time to reconnect. We started the day by visiting her apartment and ordering a traditional Peruvian breakfast through Rappi. Her apartment, an oasis by the Pacific Ocean in Lima, was filled with plants, art, and great vibes. After breakfast, we went to the market to look for sweaters and art to bring back home. Like most markets I’ve been to, it was extremely friendly, colorful, and filled with the most amazing art!
One of my favorite things in Lima was all the food we tried! For lunch, we headed to Canta Rana and indulged in ceviche, mussels covered in parmesan, and a myriad of scrumptious dishes, naturally paired with a couple of jars of beer. Growing up in Costa Rica, there was a Peruvian place that was a family favorite, and for dessert, I’d always get the Suspiro Limeño, or “Limean Sigh” in English. It’s the creamiest, tastiest, most cinnamon-infused dessert, so I had to have some while in its hometown.
We walked to Panchita, one of the renowned restaurants in Lima for their Suspiro Limeño, and ordered three to go. We then headed back to pick up our bags from Fer’s house and stopped to watch the sunset at the Malecón de Miraflores. Our time in Lima was extremely well spent, and I wish we had more time, but we knew our itinerary was ambitious, so we had to keep moving.
We landed in Cusco late at night and headed to our Airbnb, a secluded and nature-adjacent mini compound in the heart of the city. Knowing our time in Cusco would be the most fast-paced part of our South American journey, we went straight to bed. We woke up at 5 AM for our first tour. While most people recommend staying in Cusco for a day or two to acclimate to the altitude, we opted to take a tour in areas with similar or lower altitudes that weren’t too strenuous. This allowed us to make the most of our few days in Cusco while ensuring our bodies weren’t overtaxed.
We did quickly realize that Cusco was much colder than expected. As you may recall, we only took a small backpack for nearly a month, leaving plenty of room for souvenirs. We had to improvise winter wear by layering leggings under linen pants and t-shirts under hoodies and rain jackets. Thankfully, we had budgeted to purchase some baby llama and alpaca garments in Peru, which we did in Lima, and we made quick use of them.
Our Airbnb tour was $33 per person and included all six locations, a tea-making and natural dye demonstration from locals, a buffet lunch, and water. We visited the Chinchero Archaeological Site (12,316 ft), Moray Archaeological Site (11,515 ft), Maras Salt Mines (my favorite, 11,155 ft), Urubamba Temple of the Sun (Ricky’s favorite, 9,420 ft), Pisac Ruins (9,751 ft), and Cusco, which has an elevation of 11,152 ft. I’m so glad we made time to add this tour to our itinerary. While we were quite tired by the last two sites, we were physically fine and recommend doing it in this order if you’re short on time.
The morning after the tour, we were scheduled to take the train to Machu Picchu—or so I thought. I had booked the Machu Picchu train way in advance, trying to be proactive, knowing we were going during the high season. It was around 10 PM the night before our train departure when I double-checked the station’s address and realized I had booked the tour for July instead of June. I went into immediate panic mode. I had put a lot of work and time into making this itinerary perfect for us, and the thought of missing Machu Picchu was devastating. Ricky tried to make it better by saying, “I mean, we don’t have to go to Machu Picchu; I don’t have to see it,” which cracked me up because I knew it was the main thing he wanted to see. That pulled me out of panic mode and into fixing mode.
IncaRail, the company we used for the train to Machu Picchu, processed our tickets with the correct date and refunded the old ones without any questions. I was very pleased with their service. Our train departed early in the morning, and we decided to keep our Airbnb in Cusco during our time in Aguas Calientes, leaving everything there and taking just one backpack. The train journey was absolutely breathtaking, offering three hours of constant dramatic mountain ranges, lush forests, and stunning rivers and waterfalls. For me, part of the allure of Machu Picchu is the challenging journey and the beauty along the way.
Our bed and breakfast in Aguas Calientes was amazing. The owner met us at the train station and guided us on where to get tickets for the last bus to Machu Picchu (it’s amazing how many modes of transport it takes to get there!). After dinner, we relaxed on our tiny room’s balcony overlooking the powerful river, reading for a few hours. One of my favorite things we incorporated into this trip was allocating ample “reading or downtime” into our schedule. I feel it’s a big reason why we managed a busy two months of traveling with minimal physical issues and without burnout.
The morning of our Machu Picchu visit, we enjoyed breakfast downstairs, included in our reservation, and then headed to the bus stop. After a 30-minute windy, curvy, and slightly nerve-wracking bus ride in the rain, we were a bit worried about visibility at the Inca site. As we entered, it was still drizzling, but fortunately, we had our rain jackets. Within five minutes, the rain stopped, leaving a slight fog that made our Machu Picchu photos look spooky and cool. It still feels surreal to say we’ve hiked Machu Picchu! It was an awe-inspiring, humbling, and breathtaking site. We spent about 2 to 2.5 hours exploring, though it could be done faster or at a slower pace. Our train left that afternoon, so we returned to Aguas Calientes by 1 PM, just in time for lunch before our train ride back.
The morning after our Machu Picchu adventure, we planned a final tour to Humantay Lake, a beautiful glacial lake a few hours outside of Cusco. Honestly, after exploring three Peruvian cities and doing a 10+ hour tour in nearly each one, we were quite exhausted. Around 10 PM the night before, after packing and preparing for bed, we decided to call an audible and skip the Humantay Lake tour. We both felt capable of doing the hike but realized neither of us genuinely wanted to, we finally decided to trust our instincts ended sleeping in until 9 AM the next morning. For brunch we walked down to a coffee shop and had a traditional Peruvian breakfast in Cusco’s Historical district and spent the rest of the day exploring Cusco City. We took the typical, touristy, but necessary picture with the baby alpacas and recuperated from a busy week.
Our time in Peru was fantastic. The only thing I could fault was the lack of customer service in restaurants and lodging establishments. We had some good experiences with hosts, but overall, the customer service was underwhelming for tourists. Regarding my Tourette’s, I was pleasantly surprised by how little my tics acted up, especially considering how tired I was.
During one tour, a fellow tourist kept staring at me, which I shared on Instagram. Feeling uncomfortable, I decided to tell her about my Tourette’s early on, as we’d be spending over 10 hours on a bus together. When I approached her, she was surprised and apologized, saying she was just admiring my smile. Whether or not she made that up, I chose to believe her and ended up becoming friends with her by the end of the trip. A couple of Uber drivers asked about it and seemed confused about Tourette’s, but there were no major social issues. Overall, I’d rate Peru a 7/10 in friendliness and TS-friendliness.
