Peru: llamas and more
During the three weeks we spent in Peru, we got totally blown away by this country. Snowy peaks of the Andes, high plateaus full of llamas, one of the best cuisines in the word and the ancient Inca ruins: we will keep all these things in our hearts for the rest of our lives. In this article, we summarize our most memorable experiences and share our recommendations for your perfect trip to Peru.
Getting to Peru from Europe
The options how to fly to Peru from Europe are limited and usually quite
expensive with offers starting usually at about € 800 (possibly less if you fly from Spain). A possibly cheaper option is to fly via the USA, just as we did. We paid about € 600 for flights with a longer stop in New York on the way there and a short stop in Miami on the way back. This gave us an opportunity to see the Manhattan and meet our friend there, as our stopover in New York was for about 8 hours. But what a pain in the ass it was to fly via the sacred soil of the USA! Filling out the ESTA form was quite easy.
What was not that easy for us was the confusion and bureaucracy at the American airports combined with the overall length of the journey. Just as an example: at the New York airport, we had to pick up our checked-in luggage and pass with it through the customs and load it on the next belt for the connecting flights by ourselves, while in Miami there was no need for this. It seems like every American airport has different rules for this. Worst of all, there are no clear indications what should you do, and if you ask the staff they give different answers…
Next time we will for sure avoid flying through the U.S. and we recommend the same to everyone, unless you don’t mind the bureaucracy and overcrowded airports. However, it was a great possibility to see New York at least for few hours and the flight from New York to Lima with LATAM was one of the best flights we ever had — not only thanks to the tasty Chilean wine on board.
Planning the trip route in Peru
Planning a trip in Peru can be a little confusing: with so many things to do and beautiful places to visit, where should you go? We even had fights when discussing our possible route. Having only three weeks for the holiday it was completely clear to us that we might only see a small portion of the place we would like to. Therefore we included two domestic flights. Domestic flights in Peru are usually quite reliable and not that expensive (after the launch of the low-cost airline Viva Air in 2017 they got even cheaper).
In the end our route looked like this: Arequipa-Colca Canyon-Valle de los
Volcanes -Arequipa-Cusco then a flight to Lima from where we took a bus to Huaraz in the Cordillera Blanca Mountains and back (see map below). That was kind of the most we could manage in three weeks,keeping in mind that the bus transportation in Peru is very slow due to the mountains and bad roads.
Planning the budget for backpacking in Peru
Peru is a country which suits all ranges of budgets. You can come by with € 30 per night or less, or spending more than € 200 just for a tourist train ride. With our budget € 55 per person per night we were somewhere in between. We had to watch our spendings, but we could afford everything we wanted (except of the train ride to Machu Picchu). In some cities like Cusco or Lima, it is hard to live on budget, but in some rural areas, we were easily able to get by with about € 10 per night. So if you have found some cheap flights, do not hesitate, you will definitely be able to have a great time in Peru, even on low budget, if you adjust your expectations accordingly. Ok, enough with planning, let’s go to the trip itself!
Arequipa
Just a few hours after we arrived in Lima, we hopped on a next flight to Arequipa. We regret we did not sit on the left side of the plane and missed all the views of the Andes. Anyway, we could spot some parts of the seaside and countryside around Arequipa and we felt like we are on a different planet! The deserts and canyons look simply incredible from the above!
Also, Arequipa is one of the most picturesque cities we have ever seen. The views of the old colonial architecture with the mighty volcano Misti in the background are incredible. There are lots of sleeping options in Arequipa. Our hostel was very nice, though we did not expect that it can get so cold there at night. Taking a warm sleeping bag to Peru with you is generally a good idea as the nights in the mountains are quite cold and many of the houses have almost no insulation.
The must dos in Arequipa: visiting Convento de Santa Clara and eating Rocoto Relleno (stuffen pepper with spicy yellow ají pepper sauce). And the complete highlight is visiting the lively municipal market and having a ceviche and fresh juice there.
Colca Canyon
Colca canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world, is relatively close to Arequipa. The downside of this is that there are quite many tourists. Anyway, it is still possible to find trails that are not that frequented. We loved our stay at the Pachamama hostel in the village of Cabanaconde. They serve a very tasty llama soup and pizza from wood fired oven (yes, call us barbarians eating pizza in Peru, but their pizza is really great).
You can do several multi-day treks around Cabanaconde. The owner of the hostel, Ludwig, who has been a guide for many years, has created a huge resource on independent trekking around Cabanaconde on the website of the hostel. As we were short on time, we chose only a one day trek to Llahuar and back by bus. The trek leads all the way down to the bottom of the canyon, from 3,300m over the sea level to some 2,000m. It is not hard on the fitness but quite hard on the knees, what Silvia did not appreciate. Besides the great views, in the end of the trek we were also rewarded with a warm bath in the volcanic springs and afterwards with a spooky evening bus ride back to Cabanaconde.
The last night in Cabanaconde it was for the first time in our lives that we could feel tremors of the earth. Actually it was only Jan who could feel them, Silvia was sleeping like a stone as always. Luckily it was just a small and harmless reminder that Colca Canyon is a seismically active area.
From Colca to Orcopampa
After spending several days in quite a touristy area, we were determined to go somewhere more off the beaten path. Andagua, in the area called Valle de los Volcanes, may seem to be close to Cabanaconde in regards of the air distance, but by bus it is quite a journey. We left Cabanaconde in the morning and in Chivay we changed for the bus to Orcopampa. Orcopampa is a mining town which is only some 37 km away of Andagua, so we were hoping to be able to get to our final destination on the same day.
During the first break of the bus journey we had the chance to get acquainted to our new favorite pets: the Alpacas! Those small creatures were so friendly and curious. It’s just a pity that we were not that sure at that time, how harmless those animals are and therefore did not pet them. After we got back to the bus, a steep ascent has begun. It seemed that the ascent is endless, but after some time we finally reached a very high plateau. We have seen lots of vicuñas and some viscachas, too. Given the remoteness of the place and the harsh weather conditions we could observe from the bus, it seemed incredible that even here there were some small villages, here and there. By the time we arrived to Orcopampa, it was already dark and after asking around a little, we understood that there will be no more real option to get to Andagua on that day.
Actually, we were said that there is absolutely no regular bus connection to Andagua, so taking a taxi next day seemed as the only viable option. Overpaying a taxi to take us immediately to Andagua wasn’t an option for us, so we asked a mototaxi driver to drop us at some hotel. He took us to the hotel Yurac Wasi. The family which owns the hotel was very friendly and helpful and the hotel was quite decent given the fact that Orcopampa is way of the typical tourist path. The owner even organized a taxi for a very good price to Andagua for the next day and we could enjoy a relaxed evening in the mining town without having to worry how we will continue further.
We went to a restaurant and ordered to plates of grilled meat — yes, we ordered two plates of grilled meat in a mining town. And unexpectedly, the plates were huge, real mining workers portions! We regret that we totally could not finish our portions, but we have learned from this and next time we will be more modest when ordering barbeque in South America.
Valle de los Volcanes
The taxi ride from Orcopampa to Valle de los Volcanes was the best ride we had in Peru. We could see many shepherds leading their sheep, llamas and alpacas out to the vast fields. The driver would stop every time we asked so that we could take as many picture of these cute animals as we wanted.
When we arrived to Andagua, we were totally astonished by this little charming village. This laid back and calm place, set in beautiful natural scenery, is still way off the main tourist route and thus keeps the original Peruvian feel, with people greeting each other on the street and welcoming every tourist who gets there. Thanks to Wikivoyage we found “Hostal Trebol” which was a great, comfortable and cheap (about €5 p.p. per night) base for our stay in Valle de los Volcanes. The next few days we spent wandering around the area which is so astonishing that is nearly impossible to describe it with words. The smoke from a volcano eruption on the horizon was just a cherry on the cake.
Cusco & Machu Picchu
Once again we had to hurry up in order to keep up with our ambitious travel itinerary. After a long overnight ride from Andagua to Arequipa we changed on another bus to Cusco. Unfortunately we have chosen the wrong bus line, because as we later discovered, the bus had a detour through Juliaca, close to Titicaca Lake. Juliaca is probably the most unappealing city we have seen in South America. Luckily we have through it passed it quite fast and afterwards the bus finally took the direction Cusco. It’s a pity we did not make it to Titicaca lake, but maybe next time if we manage to get to Peru again. After more than 24 hours of travel we finally arrived in our destination. After such a long journey we were happy to arrive at the very comfortable and cozy hotel El Mariscal Cusco.
Cusco looks almost like a European historic city set In the middle of the Peru. We enjoyed walking in the old town and learning about the Inca history. But the city was simply too touristy for us. Anyway, we were happy that we could take a proper rest there and wash our clothes in one of the numerous lavanderías. Our main goal in Cusco was organizing the transport to Machu Picchu. Thanks to the local Couchsurfing forum we have found a guy who worked for a travel agency and organized the drive to Hidroelectrica for us for a good price.
The road was, unusual for Peru, in a very good condition and the journey very scenic. It first took us up to a misty mountain pass and then it winded down to the tropical vegetation on the other side of the Andes. We were very sad seeing quite a lot of fires that the locals set at the end of the dry season to make the soil prepared for the crops. Where probably some ten years ago was a jungle, there now are only burnt hills and you can see how the civilization gets deeper and deeper into the rainforest. The last portion of the drive took us through a very narrow road at the edge of a canyon to the town of Santa Teresa and then to the very end of the road –the Hidroelectrica train station. From here, our Machu Picchu experience started.
The walk from Hidrolectrica to Aguas Calientes (a.k.a. Machu Picchu Pueblo) was so pleasant that we were very happy that we did not take the overpriced train. Besides the railroad we could see colorful tropical flowers and the further we went, the more majestic were the surrounding mountains. We passed also several stalls with simple food and a campsite. We were thinking how beautiful it must be to camp in this beautiful lush vegetation. If only the little annoying flies would not bite like crazy. Those little bloodsuckers even get below your sleeves to find a place where you did not put the repellent. After some 30 more minutes we arrived in the very lively tourist town of Aguas Calientes.
In Cusco we were said not to book the accommodation in Aguas Calientes in advance via internet, as the prices are much better if you just walk in and find a place to stay on your own. Indeed, in the center of the village we found a cozy little hotel for a good price without any problem.
In the evening we ate a “cuy” for the first time. It was not the typical roasted cuy, but it was cut into rings filled with an avocado paste. It did not look that unappealing but it was very hard to chew on. So a big portion of it we gave away to the local dogs that were very thankful for this. Jan was still hungry after this dinner, so he made a huge mistake and bought an empanada filled with minced meat which must have spent the whole day in a hot display. Not just that this empanada tasted really bad. Even though he ate just a little bit, it completely destroyed his digestion. This was quite a unfavorable moment, because for the next day we had bought tickets to Wayna Picchu (the big hill above Machu Picchu). Anyway, we were dedicated to our plan and woke up at about 4.a.m. in order to be at the entrance to Machu Picchu in time.
Needles to say, for Jan this was one of the hardest climbs in his life. Luckily there are quite good bathrooms at the entrance to Machu Picchu. Before we started the steepest part of the climb to Wayna Picchu, Jan took a rest for half an hour and finally decided that he will give it a try and go for the final stage of the climb. As soon as we got on the steep path of Wayna Picchu we immediately forgot all our problems and concentrated only on our steps.
In a moment, all the mist has dissolved and we could enjoy those famously spectacular views. The top of the hill was quite crowded, because everybody was doing lots of selfies, but we were simply happy that we made it up to here and blended in with the crowd. After getting down from Wayna Picchu we had a walk through the ruins and once again had to hurry up in order to make it back to Hidroelectrica in time. This time with a great feeling of, having fulfilled one of the big dreams of our lives.
Lima
On a flight from Cusco to Lima we could finally enjoy the Andean scenery from above. So breathtaking and so comfortable after all those bus rides. We were lucky enough to choose staying in the Barranco district rather than the fancy district of Miraflores. With its small cafés, markets and pubs, Barranco is definitely the hippest and coziest district of Lima. We can definitely recommend both hotels in Barranco we have stayed at: the slightly more expensive Lima Wari Butique hotel, as well as the simpler, but still very good and friendly, Family Hostel Barranco (Don’t let the quality of the pictures on Booking put you off).
Our stay in Lima hat two highlights: We went to a party to see a Peruvian
electro music duo Dengue Dengue Dengue. We love their music and how they combine modern electronic music with traditional Peruvian styles. The second highlight was the food: Lima is true gourmet heaven. Our best experience was the Restaurant Punto Azul in Miraflores. We went there two times and in both cases it was simply awesome! All in all, we were pleasantly surprised with Lima. The city is maybe not considered the top tourist destination in South America, but it is one of the cities we would like to return to once in the future.
Cordillera Blanca: Refugio Perú and Laguna 69
Just a comfortable over-night bus ride away from Lima, the city of Huaraz is the gateway to the iceberg-covered mountains of Cordillera Blanca. Already the first view of the mountains from Huaraz was magnificent. Our plan was to go to the village of Yungay and stay there for a night before heading up to the mountains. Getting to Yungay involves another few hours in a packed minibus no problem for us!
In Yungay, Hostal Gledel is the base to many mountaineers before climbing to the highest peak of Peru, Huascarán. We have seen that this hostel had many good references from Slovak and Czech travelers, so we also had to try it. The hostel was quite simple, but it had everything we needed: hot shower, wifi and private rooms. When the owner, Ms. Ursula, found out we were from Slovakia, she immediately told us to take a look into the guests’ book. The majority of messages were from Czech and Slovak travelers, many of them quite famous mountaineers. Of course we had to also leave our marks in the book. Another nice surprise were the T-Shirts that Ms. Ursula gave to us as a present. In return Silvia has forgotten her Bluetooth speaker in the bed, so we hope the family Gledel has found some use for this device.
Next morning we went to the bus station to get on a van to take us up to the crossroads called Cebollapampa. With the view of beautiful blue lagoons and Huascarán on the right, we were amazed already during our ride up. And the best was yet to come. From Cebollapampa (at 3,850m) we had to walk up to the hut called Refugio Perú at 4,675m. Although we were already quite assimilated to the altitudes, walking at this altitude was a challenge. When arriving at the Refugio were thrilled by the scenery and the fact that we will have a fresh warm food in few hours in the altitude.
The Refugio, run by an Italian non-profit organization, was like a piece of the Alps placed in the Peruvian Andes. One of the highlights of our Peruvian trip. Needles to say, we have slept like small babies that night.
What a surprise it was, to see a snow storm outside when we went for the
breakfast in the morning. However, the staff assured us that this was just a snow shower and we were safe to do start our trek to Laguna 69. The scene looked quite dramatic, when climbing up to 5000m and looking back at the hut which was barely visible through the falling snowflakes. The path was not that well marked, but thanks to the stone pyramids that marked the path here and then, we could find our way through the mountain pass.
On the other side of the valley, the weather was significantly better. And once the views over the blue lake have opened up, we were stunned once again. We were at the lake quite earlier then most the other tourists, coming mostly on daytrips from Huaraz. Although the visibility was not perfect, the atmosphere of the place was overwhelming. On the way back down into the valley, we have met more than 100 tourists on their way up and we were so happy choose the trek via Refugio Perú. It was a short, but very intense mountain experience.
After the trek we have returned back to Yungay by a minibus from
Cebollapampa and the next day we went back to Lima to take our flight home. Peru was a great experience, but we will come again to discover more of this overly spectacular country! Congratulations, you’ve managed to reach the end of our story :) Below, you can find a link to a complete gallery from this trip on Flickr.
More pictures from our journeys on our Instagram & Facebook.
