Two Weeks in Peru!
It has been a while, but what better reason to return than to share that I bought a plane ticket to Peru yesterday?! The trip isn’t until this June, but I have been planning it for several months already and yesterday I finally got the Scott’s Cheap Flights alert (if you don’t know about it already, get a free subscription now) I’d been waiting for! Nonstop to Lima for $335. It’s a dream come true. I had been budgeting $800 for the flight alone, and I thought I was doomed to an 18 hour, multiple layover trip like the ones I’d been seeing on Google the past few months. What a good omen and an incredible start to my adventure!
Now I have the next 5 months to deep dive into all the amazing things there are to do in Peru. I have two full weeks so I already know I plan to spend time in Lima, Huacachina, Cusco, and Aguas Calientes. I am practically tingling with joy at the thought of seeing my second World Wonder when I hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, but it will also be a new country, a new continent, and my first time south of the equator!
The hike to Machu Picchu starts from the city of Cusco, and it’s recommended you spend at least 2 days there before beginning the climb to avoid altitude sickness. It looks so beautiful and the hostels and Airbnbs are both surprisingly cheap with some gorgeous views and amenities. I will probably end up staying in hostels before the trip to meet other travelers and see if I can pick up any tips or hints about things to do in town or on the trail, and then reward myself for a long walk and a few nights camping with a bougie room (they were between $30-50 on Airbnb when I last looked!) on the way back. It’s also not far from the freaking Rainbow Mountains one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen on the internet and I absolutely have to know how it compares in real life.
After you hike the Inca Trail and after you’ve explored the Machu Picchu site, you end up in the town of Aguas Calientes, named for, you guessed it, the hot springs bubbling up everywhere. I am absolutely a sucker for hot springs even before my trip to Iceland, so I am over the moon about being able to take a long soak after a few days of hiking and camping.
My flight lands in Lima, which wasn’t originally in my plans, but after looking into travel blogs there I can’t believe I almost missed it! The beaches are beautiful, the food looks amazing, and it’s so close to other incredible places as well. Right now I’m most excited about the possibility of paragliding.
A few hours outside Lima is this unreal oasis in the middle of an actual desert– Huacachina. It looks like the desert level in a Mario game. A living mirage. The pictures are incredible but I can’t wait to explore the city and see what it’s all about. Also, you can drive buggies around the dunes and sand-surf which looks like so much fun!
I still have so much research to do and things to plan, but I’ve been thinking about this blog a lot lately so a new flight on the books seemed like the perfect reason to come back. I assure you, I’m still out here working, saving money, and building towards my working holiday visa in New Zealand. But first, Peru!
I’ll make some more updates soon, but do any of you have tips or recommendations for Cusco, Lima, or anywhere else in Peru I shouldn’t miss?
