10 Days in Peru by Eve Petersen
I recently got the privilege to spend 10 days in Peru. It was my first time in the country and, surprisingly, my first time in South America! And what a first country to experience in South America. Peru exceeded my expectations in every way I could imagine.
I started off my journey by flying into the capital city of Lima. The capital city right on the coast of central Peru has a population of roughly 10 million people. As many flights from the states do, I arrived in Lima late at night. My transfer driver was waiting for me and whisked me away to the JW Marriott in the Miraflores district. Right along the ocean line with a luxurious lobby and, most importantly, a huge bathtub, I was very pleased.
On my first day in Lima, I wanted to take it easy and relax a bit. I started off by taking a stroll to Kennedy Park to see the famous stray cats, strolled the Larcomar mall on the coastal cliffs, and checked out some of the local churches. While you, my dear reader, might not find this relaxing, I then grabbed an Uber to the beach and tried my first ever motorized paragliding experience. We took off straight from the beach and spent 12 minutes soaring over the Lima coast, watching the city and the ocean. I even got to see a dolphin playing around in the waves. If paragliding is not your thing, but you wish to be active, Lima is famous for its surf lessons for all skill levels. I ended the day with going back to Larcomar for dinner and drinks with an ocean view.
My second day in Peru was far more exciting. I began by boarding a bus to go to Paracus, a small town further down the Peruvian coast. There we jumped onto a boat to head off to islands which have been nicknamed the mini Galapagos. We saw Southern Sea Lions, penguins, and many different species of birds. They took us back to have a buffet lunch of traditional Peruvian dishes, which included many varieties of potatoes. I later found out that Peru domesticated potatoes, a fact that they are very proud of, with over 5,000 types of potato around. We then got back on the bus to head to Huacachina; a famous oasis in the middle of towering sand dunes. Our guide introduced us to our dune buggy drivers and off we went, ripping and roaring around the sand dunes. The drivers would throw us about with their crazy driving and after growing tired of hearing us scream would then let us stop to take photos, ride dune boards, watch the sunset, and generally catch our breath from the drive. Eventually, we headed back to Lima with our much more tame bus driver.
My third day was quite the lazy one. I met members of the group I would be traveling with for the next week, I ate some yummy food, and explored Lima a bit. The next day my tour began properly. Our morning guide met us bright and early to take our group of nine to a local market and explain some of the unique vegetables that Peru is famous for. With that knowledge in mind, we went back to our guide’s kitchen. He taught us how to make two Peruvian cocktails and multiple traditional dishes, before presenting us with a huge lunch spread. Another guide then grabbed us and off we went to see some of Lima’s most famous churches and government buildings. We ended the day with a private tour of the Larco museum and dinner in its terraced courtyard.
The fifth day was a transportation day. Our group was picked up from the JW Marriott to take us to the airport. Our guides had taken care of our flight check in and had printed our luggage tags for us, making it very easy for us to board our flight to Cusco. Immediately upon arriving in Cusco, our driver from Explora lodges was waiting for us. From Cusco it took about two hours to reach the Sacred Valley Explora lodge. Immediately I felt at home in their quiet luxury style lounge with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain peaks. Every day, the excursion guides would be in the lounge from 6 to 8. There you could ask them any questions about your day’s adventure and plan your next excursion. All guides spoke wonderful English and most spoke either Spanish, Quechuan, or both. The excursions are always very small groups and can be personalized to your interests and fitness levels. After deciding our first two days worth of excursions, we were treated to a fabulous dinner and called it an early night.
The following day began our first day of exploring Peru’s Sacred Valley. Our guides took us to Ollantaytambo, a town mostly visited for the train station that takes you to Machu Picchu. Instead, our guides toured us around town, let us see a traditional house full of guinea pigs and climbed up the nearby sun temple where llamas roamed the steep terraced hill. We returned to the Explora lodge for a gourmet meal before heading back out. In the afternoon we were brought to the Maras salt flats. After learning their history, we were brought to a chocolate tasting and the Moray archeological site. Back at the lodge that night, we had the choice of joining a cultural night of barbeque, dancing, and merriment in the courtyard or eating at the restaurant in the lodge.
My seventh day brought us to Peru’s most famous site: Machu Picchu. Our guided experience brought us to Ollantaytambo, helped us navigate the train to Agues Calientes, and circumnavigate the wildly long lines to get on the correct bus to the famous archeological site. We then started our journey through circuit 2 of Machu Picchu, including many breaks for photoshoots and history lessons. The view is even more spectacular than you could imagine and the site larger than you’d expect. We then reversed our journey back to our lodge where we sleepily ate dinner.
My eighth day, and third day getting to experience Explora’s wonderful guided tours, was a day where we all split up into smaller groups. Four members of our group went e-biking around the valley, two went to a cultural village, one went on a rigorous hike, and I went with one other member to a mixed day. I started off by heading to a lake at 12,000ft elevation and walking around it, taking in the sites, and spotting a few bird species. We then took a detour to some cliffs where there were cliff paintings from thousands of years earlier. The altitude was really making me feel out of breath at this point, so I stayed back to pet some sheep dogs that were eager for love. Our final stop took us to a cultural village where we learned about traditional dying and weaving methods and had the opportunity to purchase some goods if we wished. As this was our last night at Explora, we ended with a long night of eating and drinking.
The following day was supposed to be just a transfer day to Cusco which would be our final stop on the trip. As we drove away from Explora, our drivers decided we should make one stop before checking into our hotel. Perhaps they could tell that we were all rather sad to be leaving Explora and needed cheering up. They brought us to a farm, overlooking the city of Cusco. In this farm they had seven different species of animals that all looked very similar to alpacas. We were able to feed and pet the animals and then had a short lesson on what made for “baby alpaca” versus normal alpaca. We then checked into our Marriott in the center of Cusco, which had an archeological site in its basement.
Our final full day in Peru, my tenth, consisted of a morning tour of Cusco where we went into ancient churches, archeological sites, and learned a bit about the current state of Cusco. After a break for lunch, we met with our afternoon guide. He is a famous photographer who worked with locals to clean up a section of town that used to be full of people doing illegal activities. With his guidance, they brought shops, restaurants, and instagrammable spots to this neighborhood. Eventually the crime was pushed out and tourists now go there regularly. As we explored this once dangerous part of town, we learned how to take better photos of ourselves and landscapes near and far.
After a very full ten days, our group started to slowly catch flights back to their home states. Peru dazzled with its friendly people, delicious food, and ancient archeological sites full of mystery. Anyone who has been considering going to Peru has my full-hearted recommendation to visit the land of the Inca.