Peru travel blog
Stories, tips and honest takes for every kind of Peru traveller — first-timers, trekkers, day-trippers and those chasing Andean sunrises
Two weeks in Peru: an honest trip report
A real two-week Peru trip report: Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Titicaca, with costs in soles, mistakes made, and what I'd change.
Three days on the Amazon out of Iquitos: a river diary
A first-person diary of a jungle lodge trip from Iquitos: piranha fishing, pink dolphins, Belén market, mosquito reality, and what the Amazon is actually like.
Kuélap: the citadel I had almost to myself
A trip report from Kuélap in northern Peru: the cable car, the empty ramparts, the cloud forest fortress, and how it compares to Machu Picchu.
Planning a Cusco trip in 2026: what I'd do differently
Lessons from planning two Cusco trips - permits, altitude, prices in soles, and the booking mistakes I made so you don't have to.
Laguna 69: a diary of the hardest day hike I'd done
A first-person account of hiking to Laguna 69 from Huaraz: the 4am start, the altitude wall at 4,600m, real costs in soles, and whether it was worth it.
A week in Máncora: notes from Peru's warm-water coast
A week on the beach in Máncora: the bus that nearly broke me, ceviche prices in soles, whale-watching that paid off, and where I'd actually stay again.
On the Moche trail in Trujillo: pyramids, ceviche, and an empty coast
A diary from Trujillo and the Moche trail — painted adobe pyramids, Chan Chan's mud city, surf at Huanchaco and the north coast nobody visits.
Huacachina sunset diary: dune buggies, sand in everything, no regrets
An afternoon-to-dusk diary from Huacachina — the dune buggy that scared me, sandboarding badly, and the sunset that made it all worth it.
The Nazca Lines from above: a slightly queasy diary
Flying over the Nazca Lines — the tiny plane, the motion sickness, the moment I actually saw the hummingbird, and whether it was worth it.
A Lima food pilgrimage: three days of eating, ranked honestly
Three days eating my way through Lima — ceviche, anticuchos, a tasting menu I could not afford, and the cheap meals that beat them all.
Why I keep telling people to visit Cusco
Not the bucket-list pitch - the real reasons Cusco stayed with me, from stones that fit like puzzles to the city you ignore on the way to Machu Picchu.
First time in Peru: what I wish I had known before landing
A first-timer's honest diary of Peru — altitude, soles, scams I dodged and the small things that made the trip easier.
Machu Picchu circuits: what's actually new for 2025
A factual rundown of the Machu Picchu circuit changes for 2025 — the three circuit families, the new routes, capacity, and which ticket buys the postcard view.
An afternoon weaving with the women of Chinchero
Natural dyes, drop spindles and backstrap looms - an afternoon learning to weave with a women's cooperative in Chinchero, and what it taught me.
A morning at San Pedro market
Breakfast juices, frog soup, witch-doctor stalls and cheese aisles - a slow morning eating my way through Cusco's San Pedro market.
Salkantay trek diary: five days to Machu Picchu
A day-by-day diary of the Salkantay trek - the high pass, the freezing camp, the cloud forest descent, and reaching Machu Picchu on foot.
Slowing down in the Sacred Valley
Five days in the Sacred Valley instead of one rushed bus tour - Pisac mornings, Ollantaytambo evenings, and why slow beats the day-trip loop.
Is the Boleto Turístico worth it? My 2024 receipts and verdict
I added up exactly what the Cusco Boleto Turístico cost me versus paying per site in 2024 — here's the honest break-even maths and who should skip it.
Rainbow Mountain: a reality check from someone who went
The honest version of a Vinicunca day trip - the 3am start, the altitude, the crowds, and whether the photos are worth the suffering.
Palccoyo: the quiet rainbow mountain I'd choose again
Why I skipped Vinicunca for Palccoyo — the quieter, easier rainbow mountain near Cusco. An honest diary of the drive, the altitude, the crowds and the colours.
Machu Picchu was on my bucket list for 15 years. Then I went.
What it's actually like to finally tick Machu Picchu off a 15-year bucket list — the build-up, the let-downs, the moment it clicked, and zero regrets.
A night on Amantaní: my Lake Titicaca homestay diary
A first-person diary of a Lake Titicaca homestay on Amantaní island — the awkwardness, the food, the cold night and whether the experience felt real.
Is Machu Picchu overrated? My honest answer after going twice
An honest, nuanced take on whether Machu Picchu lives up to the hype — the crowds, the cost, the timed circuits, and when it's genuinely worth it.
Inca Trail vs Salkantay: real talk after doing both
I trekked the classic Inca Trail and the Salkantay to Machu Picchu. Here's the honest comparison — cost, crowds, scenery, difficulty and which one I'd pick.
Inti Raymi diary: the day Cusco stopped to face the sun
A first-person diary of watching Inti Raymi in Cusco on 24 June — the crowds, the free spots, the Sacsayhuamán finale and what I'd do differently.
Inca Trail trip report: four days, two hard mornings, one Sun Gate
A day-by-day first-person Inca Trail trip report — permits, Dead Woman's Pass, the porters, camp food and arriving at Machu Picchu on foot.
Humantay Lake day diary: a 4am start and a turquoise payoff
An hour-by-hour first-person account of the Humantay Lake day trip from Cusco — the brutal early start, the steep climb at altitude, and whether it's worth it.
First time in Cusco: what I wish someone had told me on day one
An honest first-timer's diary of arriving in Cusco — altitude, the airport hustle, the first day done wrong, and the things I'd do differently next time.
Eating cuy in Cusco: I finally tried the guinea pig
An honest first-person account of eating cuy in Cusco — where I had it, what it actually tastes like, what it cost, and whether I'd order it again.
Cusco in the dry season — a photo diary in words
Crisp blue mornings, brutal afternoon sun, and the light that makes June in Cusco a photographer's dream. A dry-season diary, lens in hand.
Cusco off the beaten path: the days I skipped the famous stuff
A personal account of the quieter side of Cusco — South Valley ruins, empty markets, a neighbourhood nobody photographs and the trips worth the detour.
Cusco in the rainy season: what three soggy weeks taught me
A first-person diary of visiting Cusco in February — afternoon downpours, half-price hostels, cloud-wrapped ruins and the trade-offs nobody warns you about.
Cusco on a shoestring — what a week really cost me
I did Cusco for under US$30 a day, Machu Picchu included via the back route. Here is exactly where every sol went and what I cut.
The morning I watched condors at Colca Canyon
A 3am start, a freezing canyon rim, and the twenty minutes that made it all worth it. My honest account of the Colca Canyon condor morning.
Cusco to Arequipa overland — a trip report
I took the long road from Cusco to Arequipa instead of flying. The bus, the white city, and whether the overnight journey was worth saving the airfare.
From the Andes to the Amazon — a Tambopata diary
I left Cusco at 11,000 feet and woke up the next morning in the jungle. Three days in Tambopata, mud and macaws included, honestly told.
Altitude sickness in Cusco — my story
I thought I was too fit to get altitude sick in Cusco. Here is the night that proved me wrong, and what actually helped me recover.
A week in Cusco — my honest trip report
Seven days in Cusco, day by day — what I got right, what I overpaid for, and the afternoon I spent flat on my back instead of sightseeing.