What can you see in Peru in 12 days?
The answer is so much . . . and not enough. Small group adventure tours allow you to see more of a country without having to plan it all yourself. I think it’s an excellent way to travel, meet new people and fit more into a short vacation.
We learned our lesson when we almost missed our Galapagos Island tour. Book an extra day at the beginning to allow for flight cancellations or delays so it won’t be as stressful and you will have enough time to get there before your group tour leaves.
Our joining hotel was located in Miraflores, a pleasantly walkable, modern district of Lima. At the centre of which is Parque Kennedy (also fondly referred to as ‘Cat Park’ because of the number of cats and kittens that call the area home). The park is surrounded by shops, restaurants and street vendors. It’s a great place to people watch.
Miraflores and Lima City
The Malecon de Miraflores is a 2-mile long stretch of walkways, green space, and gardens perched on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
When you get tired of walking and enjoying the green space you can visit the Larcomar shopping mall for restaurants and shopping with a fabulous view.
In the middle of this modern city, amongst the high-rise apartments, sits the ruins of a pre-inca temple and administrative site called Huaca Pucllana. It was fascinating to see the contrast between something that dates back to 400 A.D and the modern world that has grown up around it.
Our first introduction the the Peruvian hairless dog was at these ruins. Obviously without hair they have a need for sun protection in the form of a snazzy shirt.
Of course we couldn’t leave the city without a tour of Old Lima.
Puno and Lake Titcaca
From Lima we flew to Juliaca and headed to Puno and Lake Titicaca. At 12,500 ft (3800m) above sea level, it is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world and South America’s largest.
The main attraction was the visit to the Uros floating islands.
A visit to the nearby Taquile Island was next. We walked up one side, through the village and down the other side. This was no easy feat for anyone feeling the effects of altitude sickness (me).
Cusco
After our visit to Lake Titicaca we travelled all day by van down to Cusco. The altitude sickness was wearing off, or at least I was getting use to it, as we descended slightly to 11,152ft (3399m). At this rate Machu Picchu would be a breeze!
Cusco is a bustling city that hosts more than 2 million visitors per year. It is the historic capital of the Inca Empire and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are many different archeological sites within striking distance of Cusco including Saqsaywaman with its massive, precisely cut stonework.
We also visited Puka Pukara, a less impressive site that lacks the precision rock cuts found in other locations but the scenery makes it a worthwhile stop.
Tambomachay is an interesting site that consists of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls.
Ccaccaccollo Women's Weaving Co-operative
Ccaccaccollo is a small community between Cusco and Machu Picchu perched on a mountain with gorgeous views out over the Sacred Valley. This is where Planeterra – the non-profit foundation of G Adventures – launched the Women’s Weaving Co-op in 2005. Seeing the inequities created by the boom in tourism to Cusco and Machu Picchu but leaving out these smaller communities, Planeterra funded the retraining of ancient weaving techniques and a co-operative market was born.
Pisac
From there we headed to the ruins of Pisac. It was the largest inca site we had visited yet and quite beautiful. The main site is set into a mountain with agricultural terraces that follow the natural curves and flow down toward the valley below.
Ollantaytambo
It seems that from this point forward the ruins we visited would get more and more impressive in size. Like many other sites, Ollantaytambo is surrounded by majestic mountains and the views alone are worth the effort of climbing the steep stairs and navigating the narrow cliffside pathways.
Machu Picchu
For many people, the idea of visiting Machu Picchu without hiking the Inca Trail is cheating and less authentic. There is absolutely no way I would have made the 4 day hike and I was quite happy to take the two-hour train ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. We did see the start of the trail when the train stopped to let some eager hikers off.
Aguas Calientes is a bit of a tourist trap since once you are there you are a captive audience. The only way in is by train or walking. Buses run continuously from town to Machu Picchu and the earlier you get there the better. We arrived just before the gates officially opened and as soon as we were let in we went straight to the guards tower to look down on the main site as the sun was rising. Or that was the plan. The sun didn’t rise and thick fog covered the whole area.
If you didn’t quite get enough, more pictures from this trip can be found in the Peru Gallery