Lima, Barranco District

Barranco district of Lima - Bridge of Sighs, central plaza, visited Pedro de Osmas art museum.
Lima, Centro Historico

Historic centre of Lima - lots of colonial buildings (government offices, churches). Visited the catacombs in one of the churches.
Lima, Coastline

The beautiful coast, parasailers and not-so-beautiful beaches of Lima.
Paracas

Paracas - gateway to Ballestas Islands
Ballestas Islands

Ballestas Islands - also called "Poor Man's Galapagos". Saw penguins, sea lions and thousands of sea birds.
Ballestas Islands 2

More Ballestas islands - in the one picture, notice how many birds are on the one island - it is just covered!
Pisco and Wine Tasting

Visited some wineries that make Peru's famous drink, Pisco, and wine. We did a lot of taste testing!
Huacachina - Desert Oasis

Visited a desert oasis called Huacachina. Had a blast riding in the dune buggy and sand boarding!
Nasca

The famous Nasca lines. Went to the lookout tower - could see the tree, hands and the lizard. Spent the afternoon at the pool.
Santa Catalina Monastery 2

More pictures of the monastery - it's so photogenic! The stone basins are where the laundry was done - the water runs through the central pipe and you can fill the side basins by blocking the waterLeer más
Arequipa

Arequipa - "The White City" - beautiful architecture and lots of Christmas celebrations underway while we were there. The city is surrounded by three volcanoes and is one of the most active earthquakeLeer más
Santa Catalina Monastery

A city within the city and founded in 1580 - the historic part of the monastery is open to the public as a museum. Part of it is closed off and still used today by nuns of the Dominican CatholicLeer más
Llamas, Vicunas and Alpacas!

On our drive from Arequipa to Chivay, we saw many wild vicunas and domesticated llamas and alpacas.
Chivay

Arrived in Chivay, a very small town at high altitude, and spent time at the hot springs.
Colca Canyon 2

More Colca Canyon - tried to take pictures of the Condors, but they are hard to see in the pictures.
Colca Canyon

Went sightseeing at the Colca Canyon - one of the biggest, deepest canyons in the world. Amazing landscape and many terraces built into the mountainsides for farming. They grow corn, potatoes, beansLeer más
Cusco

Views around the central plaza in Cusco - including a pit stop at Starbucks for Wifi.
Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountain - started hike at 4800 m above sea level and ended up at 5100 m - air was very thin and it was hard to breathe! Amazing scenery though and totally worth the effort. The locals hadLeer más
Rainbow Mountain 2

More shots of Rainbow Mountain. I didn't edit or filter any of these - most tourist pics of Rainbow Mountain are heavily edited, so I made sure to adjust my expectations of what it would be like. ItLeer más
Inca Trail - Day 1

Start of the Inca Trail! Hiked 11 km on the first day.
Inca Trail - Day 2

Most challenging day on the trail - just 12 km, but a steep 1250 m elevation gain before going over Dead Woman's Pass. Made it to camp by 1 PM and then it rained all afternoon - the only rain we hadLeer más
Inca Trail - Day 3 (Part 2)

More views on Day 3.
Inca Trail - Day 3

16 km today but mostly downhill - some steep spots and lots of stairs. Beautiful cloud forest and amazing views today. Stopped at Phuyupatamarca ruins. The Incas had settlements, checkpoints andLeer más
Inca Trail - Day 4 - Sun Gate & MP

Up at 3:30 AM to hike to the Sun Gate where it is possible to get a first glimpse of Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, it was extremely cloudy when we were there, so all we could see were clouds. But, asLeer más
Machu Picchu

Our reward at the end of the trail - the beautiful site of Machu Picchu! Can you spot the chinchilla?