The two of us visited Peru back in 2014. It was one of our last trips without kids. Back then we did what is often refered to as the ‘Gringo trail’ from Lima to Cusco including all the most famous sites. When we get back in Lima this time we plan on doing some of the things we missed last time, because our flight was delayed, because we didn’t have the time or because the site was not discovered yet.
We pass Lima as fast as we can. Given the massive traffic infarct in this town, that is not that very fast actually. When the kids find out that there are penguins around our first stop, Paracas, we have no choice but to hop on a boat to the Islas Ballestas. We find the Humboldt penguins but also Peruvian boobies, Inca terns, dolphins and sea lions. And we also learn about the ‘bird shit war’. Excuse me the what?? The Ballesta islands are covered in guano (bird poo). When it was discovered, in 1850, that this was a 30 times more efficient fertiliser than cow dung, the ‘bird shit’ became big business for Peru. When Spain (in a colonial flashback) tried to occupy the islands, a two year war started and the Spanish were chased out eventually. Today the guano is still a very lucrative business for Peru.
While each morning the town of Paracas is overrun by travellers, trying to get on a boat to the Islas Ballestas, the desert reserve of Paracas itself is empty. During our stay in the reserve, we only cross a handful of minivans at the part of the reserve close to town. We drive/rattle/bump a bit deeper to look for Andean Condors and get a closer look at some flamingo.
After that we say goodbye to the Pacific Ocean (see you in Chile!) and drive a bit inland to the Huacachina oasis, sometimes also called the biggest ‘tourist trap’ in Peru. Once you are inside the oasis, surrounded by huge sand dunes, you get the impression to be in the middle of the desert. But in fact, the place is right next to a major city. We really liked our afternoon sunset hike on top of the sand dunes around the oasis.
The Pan American highway passes by (and even cuts through) some of the famous figures, known as the Nazca lines. These geoglyphs are generally considered to be around 2000 years old. However, on their reason of existence there is still no conclusion and the wildest theories fly around. We stop at a couple of viewpoints to admire: the lizard, the tree the cat and the frog. The figures near Nazca are the biggest and most famous. But if you pay attention, there are smaller figures all over the region.
From Nasca, we take what we think is a short cut of about 800km to Cusco, but it turns out to be a three day journey over several mountain passes and plateaus. But the nice altiplano views make it more than worth it! After the third 4000m+ pass, we finally approach the ‘Sacred Valley’ and start to come across our first Inca age sites in Peru: Tarawasi and Sahuite. The latter, we really liked for the amazing carved boulder. At first, we were a bit disappointed but once we noticed the first elements, all of a sudden, all kinds of figures, terraces and buildings start to pop up. Magic! What is also magic, is the peace and quiet at these sites.
When we set up camp at the entrance of the Salineras site in the late afternoon, we start to realize that this part of Peru will be quite busy…to say the least. In the one hour before sunset we count over 50 mini buses still arriving at ‘Las Salineras de Maras’. These thousands of salt pans, built up against the sides of a valley, have been around since Inca times. And still todaysalt is extracted here. Since a couple of years (thanks to social media) this spectacular sight has also become a tourist destination. It has allowed the local ‘salt cooperative’ to diversify their income a bit. We visit the site at day break and still have it to ourselves. We leave when we see the first mini busses at the horizon. It’s a narrow and steep road out and we don’t want to have to stop on the way up. We know by now that our van does not like a steep uphill start above 4000m.
It’s not a long drive to the Moray historical site. The amphitheater circular terraces here, are generally thought to have served as an outdoor lab where the Inca experimented with new crops. The different levels mimicked different climates and altitudes. Although other historians now claim that the site had a pure religious purpose.
We expected it…but not this bad! In Ollyantambo for the first time in 14 months on the road, we really experience what ‘mass tourism’ is like these days. We are in the most popular region of Peru during the busiest time of the year. On top of that, our timing is terrible. We arrive mid-day and Ollyantambo is a site that groups typically visit before they board the train for a visit to Machu Picchu the next day. When we walk up to the site, it’s full of people, queuing to walk up the main staircase. We had read about another part of the site across town. There is nobody there since the entrance is well hidden and it requires a steep climb. From up there we keep an eye on the crowds at the main site, but there seems to be an unending flow of people.
It isn’t until an hour before sunset (when the last trains to Machu Picchu are leaving) that the crowds diminish. We really enjoy our visit to the site and the kids have good fun re-enacting the battle of ‘Manku Inka’ against the Spanish cavalry of Pizzaro. Ollayantambo is one of the only places in Latin America where the Spanish met defeat in a major battle.
After a quick re-visit of Cusco, we tick off some more historic sites of the list. At some of the historical sites in this valley, one can only buy an (expensive) ticket that covers a whole list of sites. It is a bit of a tourist trap but without it, we would have probably missed some cool sites. Our favourite is probably Saqsaywaman (pronounce sexy woman) an impressive fort looking out over Cusco. Here the Inca started a rebellion against the Spanish but were defeated by a very small group of Spanish cavalary. It ended in a big massacre. For weeks all the condors in the region came here to feast on the dead bodies of the Inca rebels. To add insult to injury the Spanish rulers afterwards added 3 condors to the coat of arms of the town.
After all these ‘old stones’ (dixit our kids), it was time for some more nature and hiking. Vinicunca aka Rainbow mountain is one of the most visited/hiked sites in Peru these days. At first we couldn’t understand how we never heard about such a popular site, 10 years ago. It turned out that at that time, the whole area was still permanently covered in snow and basically nobody knew about it.
Now every morning a flotilla of mini buses leaves Cusco with destination ’Rainbow mountain’ and they all drive back early afternoon. Apparently, it gets so busy that people are often almost fighting to be able to take their photo/selfie. With our own wheels we have the incredible ‘luxury’ to choose our own timing. But the timing has to be calculated meticulously! The roads to get there are narrow so we really want to avoid crossing the dozens and dozens of vans coming down from the mountain. On the other hand, we can’t drive up too late because in the afternoon the light conditions change rapidly and by 4 pm there is no more sun on the mountain (hence why all the groups go in the morning). We manage to nail the timing very well. We arrive at the trailhead around noon, just when the first groups are ready to drive down. We can park in one of the few spots that are left in the massive parking lot. It’s quite a circus up there. It seems the majority of the people are being brought up from the parking lot to the viewpoint by horse, motorcycle or they ride a quad bike. It’s not a long hike but it’s high! The highest viewpoint is at 5080m so without acclimatisation, that’s a tough hike.
As good as our ‘driving’ timing was, as bad is our ‘weather timing’. Just when we are ready to walk up, a snow storm sweeps in and we quickly retreat back to the van. The kids love the snow! It’s been a while. We get a mountain forecast with the satellite phone and it shows that it should clear out in an hour. So we sit back and enjoy the show of the colourful mountains with snow and snowmen on motorcycles/horses getting off the mountain. As soon as it clears out, we head out (having the 4pm deadline in mind). But…too early! Halfway through the hike we are caught in another snowstorm…now we are the snowmen! It’s really cold and we consider going back but in the end decide to trust the forecast and push on. And just when we are approaching the ridge, a first ray of sun appears and within minutes all the clouds disappear and we get to see rainbow mountain in its full glory. We hike up to the peak (and in the meantime get another 15 minutes of snow) to get a wider perspective. This is where we realize it is not just a ‘rainbow mountain’, but rather a ‘rainbow valley’. Before heading back, we make a quick visit to the next valley that for obvious reasons has been baptized ‘Red Valley’.
Before heading to Bolivia, we still had a surprise for the kids. They both really love the ‘Dieren encyclopedie’ podcasts series. After having heard the episode on the Titicaca frog (several times), they had a look at the map and concluded that we had to pass by that lake. And that we had to go look for the frog. But this is a fully aquatic frog and it is critically endangered so it is rather hard to spot. We read about ecotours of local women (who used to poach the frog for a living). But it seemed the tours don’t run anymore. After quite some research, I found out about a breeding project of the University of Puno that we could visit. The kids love it! And so do we… We skip the rest of Peru side of the lake because we were in a bit of a rush to get into Bolivia.
Prachtig allemaal! ♥️