A cycle tour along the ‘death road’
We booked ourselves a small group cycling tour which although it sounds lovely, took us along a route called the ‘Death Road’! The ‘Death Road’ starts at about 4,500m altitude above the city and stretches for around 70km winding its way down treacherous mountain paths to the tropical forests in the foothills of the Andes. It’s known as the ‘Death Road’ due to the high number of vehicles that have gone over the edge. Fortunately, the government has built a new safer road and the old one is left for crazy tourists to cycle down and get some amazing photos along the way!
Lake Titicaca
Next, we headed for Lake Titicaca, which is located on the border between Bolivia and Peru. The lakeside town of Copacabana (not to be confused with the famous beach in Rio) is by far the best base to explore the area.
Two of the most popular things to do are; a boat trip to the famous floating reed villages where some locals still live today; and a day/overnight stay on the beautiful island Isla del Sol; dotted with Inca ruins, walking tracks and many spectacular views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Into Peru
After 3 nights in Copacabana, we took a bus across the border to Puno, on the Peruvian shores of Lake Titicaca, before travelled on to the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco the following day.
Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital
Cuzco is the main tourist hub of Peru, so there is so much to see and do in the surrounding area including the chief attraction - the magical ancient citadel of Machu Picchu.
After a day spent shopping and relaxing in Cuzco, we set off for the Sacred Valley, halfway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. This is a beautiful lush valley where you could spend a good few days. You could visit Pisac market, see different, impressive Inca ruins and even go whitewater rafting.
Hiking the Inca Trail
The next 4 days was the most eagerly awaited part of whole the trip for me - the 43km hike along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Depending on when you want to visit, you will need to pre-book the hike well in advance, typically 2-6 months ahead as in recent years, trekking permits are limited. If you’re unable to secure a permit for the Inca Trail, you could consider the Salkantay Trek or the Lares Trek which are alternative routes.
The first 3 days are spent winding your way up and down the trail, past numerous Inca ruins and to a top altitude of over 4,000m. The views here are spectacular, but the final day is what everyone endures the tough, physical challenge and rough nights camping for; the sight of the sun rising over the majestic ruins of the once bustling citadel of Machu Picchu.
Spectacular sunrise over Machu Picchu
It was a perfect morning for our visit and the wait was 100% worth it! Sunrise over Machu Picchu is a simply breathtaking view. Arriving at first dawn, you avoid the main hordes of day travellers who arrive by train at around lunchtime, so the first trekkers often have the ruins to themselves for the first hour or so – a fantastic reward for the hike.
Colca Canyon and the majestic Condors
After a couple of nights recuperating in Cuzco, it was back on the road to Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city and entry point to the Colca Canyon. This is one of the world’s deepest canyons and nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the USA.
Here, we joined a 2 day/1 night trip that included a visit to some hot springs, a short hike into the canyon and a visit to the Cruz del Condor, where if you are lucky (we were), you’ll get to see the world’s largest bird of prey, the Condor.
Fly from Arequipa to Lima or continue overland?
As we were nearing the end of our South American adventure, many travellers would fly straight to from Arequipa back to Lima, but we wanted to break up the 20-hour bus journey to see more of this beautiful country and we managed to fit in two more stops on the way.
Nazca lines
The first was a quick stop in Nazca, where you can find the Nazca lines; ancient geoglyphs etched into the desert sand around 2,000 years ago. These are best seen from the air and many pleasure flights operate all year round.
Huacachina – an oasis in the desert
The second was the village of Huacachina just outside of Ica. It’s a unique place built around a desert oasis and towering sand dunes - we were very pleased we made the stop. We spent the morning relaxing by the hotel pool and the afternoon sand boarding and speeding the dunes in a dune buggy.
Finishing in Lima
Our final stop before heading home was Lima, the capital of Peru. It’s not one of South America’s most popular cities, but it’s still worth a night or two and I recommend staying in the pretty coastal district of Miraflores. There are some picturesque plazas, numerous markets and the main cathedral is very impressive – worth exploring before you board your flight back to the UK, which is about 15 hours.