Currently Browsing: Peru
Machu Picchu itself is a pretty stunning place, and much, much larger than we’d thought. It’s actually so large there’s no way to get a sense of scale while on the ground. So in addition to seeing the sun rise over Machu Picchu while arriving there on Sunday morning, Anthony and I took an extra side trip in the afternoon to climb Mount Machu Picchu. From the peak there’s a 360-degree view, including looking right down into Machu Picchu.
The 40+km 3+day hike along the Inca Trail is a phenomenal experience. Our Gap group of 16 dealt really well with the altitude, peaking at 4215m (nearly 13,000 feet) on Dead Woman’s Pass. As you can see, in addition to spectacular views all along the trail, even the views from our tents were amazing!
Cusco is an amazing city, we really loved it. From the gorgeous climate up at 10,000 feet altitude to the Incan ruins a short walk from the city center, it’s a wonderful starting point for hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
A further 2 hours or so up river, the Madre de Dios splits in two. Taking the Tambopata River fork another 2 hours further upstream led us to our camping site just a few minutes away from the world’s larger Macaw Clay Lick. 4:45am wakeup calls got us ready to hide in the bushes to await the hundreds of macaws and parrots that come here to eat the unique minerals that help them digest their seeds. Also around the area are some hiking trails, where we saw more wildlife, including a few monkeys that had likely never seen humans before!
About 45 minutes by dirt road from Puerto Maldonado is the launch up the Madre de Dios river and a 3-hour boat ride to the Tambopata Eco Lodge. While there is no electricity at the lodge, there is running water and comfortable facilities. Some of the highlights included seeing a family of capybara and a family of red howler monkeys along the river, having monkeys visit the lodge for some banana treats, and night excursions.
For our one day we had in Peru, we stayed at Second Home Peru, which includes the studio of prolific Peruvian artist Victor Delfin.
Machu Picchu
Posted by bliew
on Oct 10th, 2010 |
2 responses
Machu Picchu itself is a pretty stunning place, and much, much larger than we’d thought. It’s actually so large there’s no way to get a sense of scale while on the ground. So in addition to seeing the sun rise over Machu Picchu while arriving there on Sunday morning, Anthony and I took an extra side trip in the afternoon to climb Mount Machu Picchu. From the peak there’s a 360-degree view, including looking right down into Machu Picchu.
Inca Trail hike
Posted by bliew
on Oct 9th, 2010 |
one response
The 40+km 3+day hike along the Inca Trail is a phenomenal experience. Our Gap group of 16 dealt really well with the altitude, peaking at 4215m (nearly 13,000 feet) on Dead Woman’s Pass. As you can see, in addition to spectacular views all along the trail, even the views from our tents were amazing!
Cusco
Posted by bliew
on Oct 8th, 2010 |
no responses
Cusco is an amazing city, we really loved it. From the gorgeous climate up at 10,000 feet altitude to the Incan ruins a short walk from the city center, it’s a wonderful starting point for hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Tambopata Clay Lick
Posted by bliew
on Oct 7th, 2010 |
Comments Off
A further 2 hours or so up river, the Madre de Dios splits in two. Taking the Tambopata River fork another 2 hours further upstream led us to our camping site just a few minutes away from the world’s larger Macaw Clay Lick. 4:45am wakeup calls got us ready to hide in the bushes to await the hundreds of macaws and parrots that come here to eat the unique minerals that help them digest their seeds. Also around the area are some hiking trails, where we saw more wildlife, including a few monkeys that had likely never seen humans before!
Tambopata Eco Lodge
Posted by bliew
on Oct 6th, 2010 |
no responses
About 45 minutes by dirt road from Puerto Maldonado is the launch up the Madre de Dios river and a 3-hour boat ride to the Tambopata Eco Lodge. While there is no electricity at the lodge, there is running water and comfortable facilities. Some of the highlights included seeing a family of capybara and a family of red howler monkeys along the river, having monkeys visit the lodge for some banana treats, and night excursions.
Lima and Victor Delfin
Posted by bliew
on Oct 4th, 2010 |
no responses
For our one day we had in Peru, we stayed at Second Home Peru, which includes the studio of prolific Peruvian artist Victor Delfin.