Day 16: Colca Canyon to Chicago

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Updated: July 27, 2025

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Today is our last day in Colca Canyon and Peru. But on the bright side, we did not need to set any alarms in order to leisurely watch the morning sunrise from our lovely casita patio. When we made our way up to breakfast, we went with the usual… a cappuccino (or two), smoothie bowls, eggs with aji, and — a new twist — farewell french toast! Afterwards, we spent the rest of the morning relaxing and packing until our transportation arrived at 11AM.

The Belmond breakfast we’ve been raving about

Adios, casita

At checkout, the hotel gave us two handmade, embroidered bookmarks with patterns representing the flowers in the area. They also gave us two chocolate condors. The chocolate here is very good and we have some bars to take home (thanks, complementary minibar!).

Chocondor!

Froiland and Jorge (our same driver and guide team from Wednesday) stashed our luggage in the trunk of the car and we were off. We requested one stop in Chivay — at the same alpaca store we stopped before — in order to use our last remaining soles on some 100% alpaca yarn. Jo will be making a cardigan with the yarn haul (but don’t worry Cordwood, not for Matt).

Alpaca yarn lady comes up clutch

With that task accomplished, the drive proceed south from Chivay, ascending back toward the high pass thru the Andean desert landscape. A great opportunity to view the scenery — or nap. Dealer’s choice.

Up, up and away from Chivay

Back to the high life

The farewell committee

Volcan Misti is shrouded today

Pit stop at Sumaq…

… For one more Misti mate

We already got our yarn, relax bro

Not long after our pit stop, we re-joined the main road, and after ~15 minutes, traffic came to a halt. As we observed a few days ago, this main road features a significant amount of truck traffic (given the heavy influence of the mining industry in this part of the country). Well, sometimes high Andean desert roads and large trucks don’t mix. Turns out there was an accident on one of the hairpin turns ahead of us and a truck was blocking the road. Traffic came to a halt in both directions for ~30 minutes. People getting out of their cars and wandering down the road to see what was going on.

Well that’s not great

Jorge told us he’s seen delays like this take up to 3+ hours, which, would obviously put a small wrench in our travel plans. Fortunately, the police were already on the scene (it takes about 45 minutes to get here) and were clearing the road. With what appeared to be an assist from another truck, the jackkniffed semi was relocated to the side of the road. Soon enough we were back on our way (barring the moronic drivers who were now trying to pass on a two-lane road).

Cement factory outside Arequipa looks sci-fi

From that drama to the outskirts of Arequipa, it was mostly smooth sailing. There was some Saturday afternoon market traffic to contend with, and the occasional double-parked van straight-up blocking the road, but nothing too bad. We had allotted four hours for a three-hour ride, so we ended up getting to the airport right on time. Jorge helped us check in and directed us on which way to go. We navigated through security and found another functioning Priority Pass lounge in the lower-level to hang out in until boarding. We had some light snacks and water before heading back up to the gate.

Not jackkniffed, just jackass

We made it AQP!

The flight to Lima went well, as expected in our super-fancy premium economy seats. Well, the kicking and loud kids right behind us weren’t so great. But the sun was setting and we got some nice views out the window. Pro tip for you fancy LATAM fliers: go with the second row (not first) in premium economy so you don’t have to put your personal bag overhead for takeoff and landing. Also, moveable armrests.

Premium economy influencer

Good bye South American sunset

When we landed in Lima (at their brand-spanking new airport, once again), we deplaned on the tarmac and took a shuttle bus to baggage claim. Not exactly sure why the plane couldn’t pull another 20 feet forward to the jetway, but we’re guessing it has to do with the “brand-spanking new airport” part. In any case, we collected our bags and proceeded to the international terminal check-in on floor 3.

LIM so new, the jetways are still TBA

We found the American Airlines counter and the self-check in kiosks. An AA employee helped us print our boarding passes and the bag tags and directed us to the right line. Appreciate the help, but we might need to have a chat with all these airport/airline employees also touching our selection screen for us. Knock it off! Also appreciated is the fact American Airlines does not have a 3-hour restriction on accepting your checked bags. We were ~4.5 hours early for our 11:45PM flight but we were able to check-in, pass security, and clear customs right away.

One thing you can’t do more than 3 hours ahead of your flight is get in “THE CLUB LIM” which is the Priority Pass lounge in the new airport. So, we sat on the floor outside the club to kill the time before we were allowed to enter. Our sad puppy-dog faces apparently did not faze them. Once inside, life was good. We found some comfy captain-chair seats and enjoyed a very tasty dinner spread with cocktails (last hurrah pisco sours!) while working on the blog.

Please sir, can we check in yet, sir?

Finally clubbing at the LIM

After enjoying the lounge for a couple hours, we made our way to the gate. On the way, we sorta noticed some huge crowds as we passed the security/immigration hall. Then we heard an announcement informing all passengers of regrets about some sort of electronic system delays in the airport. Ok, strange, but whatever. We made it to our gate with perfect timing, and immediately strolled onto the plane when our group was called a minute later. Everything seemed a-ok here! Of course, this is an international flight to the US, so raccoon security was in full effect to jack with all your stuff (like American Kestrel feathers in your hat). So, so stupid (Matt is right).

Anyways, we boarded and there were a ton of open seats all around us. We were plotting what to do with all the extra space, but as it turned out, boarding was not complete. Due to that security system crash, American was kindly waiting to depart, as a good chuck of passengers were slowed down by the near-riot in customs when the computers went down. The girl who eventually joined our row recounted the harrowing story. In the end, the pilot said one additional passenger “opted” not to take the flight (not sure how voluntary that was, lol), so they needed an extra 10 minutes to pull their luggage. Not long after that, the plane took off and were on our way to Miami.

After a small dose of blogging, we slept most of the overnight flight . Even with the delay, we were only about 10 minutes late. But the Miami airport is comically large, and we still needed to hoof it to make our connection. First, a walk to the tram. Then a tram to customs. Then Global Entry thru customs. Then pick up our bags. Then re-drop our bags. Then TSA pre-check, but everybody and their grandma now has TSA pre-check, so really just TSA. Finally, we cleared security and got to our gate five minutes before boarding. I guess another way of looking at it is… PERFECT TIMING!

Look, I only start the boarding music (previous flight), not the Exit Row PRAM

From Miami to Chicago, it was all academic. We landed, picked up our bags and hailed the next taxi. This taxi driver did not have a death wish like the guy who picked us up from O’Hare in March. Instead, he drove like a normal person and — being Sunday — was even listening to “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!” Good stuff. Another great trip in the books!

Day 15: Cruz del Cóndor

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Updated: July 28, 2025

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We were tempted to do nothing today, but wisened-up and realized we didn’t travel all the way to Colca Canyon to NOT afford the final one-hour drive west to Mirador Cruz del Cóndor — a popular site for watching Andean Condors in action. We figured even if the condors didn’t cooperate, we’d still enjoy getting the spectacular views deeper into the canyon. The best time to see the condors is in the morning, and that’s when the Belmond offers the excursion, so be it… that’s when we’ll go.

Informing Wida of our Condor plans

But first, breakfast! Now that we know the secrets of the kitchen menu, we didn’t bother with the buffet (except for some mango) and went straight to our favorites… ordering cappuccinos, eggs benedict with the spicy aji sauce, a fruit smoothie bowl, and the green apple quinoa porridge. We finished right on time and headed over to the reception desk for our 8AM departure.

All aboard the Belmond Condor Party Bus!

Once again, we were the only guests on our excursion today. The drive to Mirador Cruz del Condor took a little under an hour. As we approached the lookout, we stopped at the park entrance to purchase our tickets. They have a well-run system, with workers running up to your vehicle, collecting your money, running to the ticket booth, and running back with your tickets. After a few more minutes of driving along the canyon, our driver Luis parked along the side of the road near the lookout. The Belmond’s decision to decorate their condor van is very smart, because every other vehicle parked along the road was one of those omni-present white “Service Turistico” vans. We were free to roam and return when we were finished.

Immediately after getting out of the van, there were condors. A park ranger pointed us towards a group of people watching a couple condors sitting very close to the edge of the lookout. Despite the crowds, we still got a great view (being tall goes a long way in Peru). We stayed in that first general area for a while as a multitude of condors flew overhead.

Condors immediately spotted

Calling this Condor meeting to order!

A staircase and path led down the cliffside to another lookout area. We checked it out to get some different views of the condors and the canyon. Both looked great. We put our monoculars to good use for excellent close-up views of the Andean Condors in flight. Eventually, with so many condors in the air, we began challenging ourselves to get selfies with the condors. Very Fun.

Lower observation deck

Condor selfie #1

Condor selfie #2

Condor selfie #3

Condor selfie #4

After about 45 minutes of jam-packed Andean Condor action, the birds called it a day and dispersed rather quickly — as did the crowds. Turns out the hotel is dead-on when it comes to the best time to view the condors. We saw a few strays remaining, but even those were on their way out. We used the empty viewing areas to get a few more good looks at the canyon. This isn’t the deepest part of Colca Canyon, but from the viewpoint at 3270 meters, the Rio Colca is looking pretty thin down at 2000 meters.

Where’d all the condors go?

Where’d all the people go?

Two talons way up for Mirador Cruz del Condor

On the return journey, we stopped at a different lookout with more great canyon views. This area was back outside the official park area, so there is more residential agriculture and terracing to see next to the Rio Colca.

Heading east back toward Maca

Passing thru the town of Maca, Luis made a pit stop for us to continue Matt’s search for a 100% baby alpaca sweater. This town is known locally for their markets, so fingers-crossed! The first shop had promise, but no sweaters that fit. Instead, a stone condor was added to our little stone animal collection. We also found a store with a perfect condor magnet for the fridge. Minor victories.

Maca town church

Market street

But we really wanted that alpaca sweater. So we walked down the market, ducking into each store that didn’t look like it was selling mass-produced stuff. We were almost out of shops when we found the sister shop to the one Jorge suggested in Chivay. They had the legit Alpaca, but nothing was fitting. Ls were too small, XLs were not the right style, etc. Before walking away, we tried on one more L, which was surely going to be too small. But somehow, it fit perfectly! Some half-hearted negotiating ensued, and with two charming alpaca magnets thrown in, Matt walked out of the place wearing it triumphantly. And that, dear blog reader, is surely more than you cared to know about our quest for the perfect dark red, 100% baby alpaca sweater. Full-zip!!

Perfect sweater weather today

Luis finished driving us back to the hotel and we had the rest of the day to enjoy the property. Our very busy afternoon itinerary included: feeding the alpacas again at 2:30PM, walking along the canyon trail, wandering through the vegetable garden, and watching the Peruvian Paso Horse “Dancing/Stepping” show in the courtyard — featuring Pascual riding Bailarine (Jo’s horse from yesterday)!

Wida! I just got this awesome baby alpaca sweater!!!!

We also walked through the spa to check out the pool, but it was a bit cloudy today, and without that completely unobstructed midday sunshine from the last couple days, it now makes sense why all the locals say it’s cold. So we decided against a swim. Back to the house it is!

Condor keychain

Today’s complementary Belmond activity was a pisco tasting at 7PM. Today is Friday, so several more guests have arrived and there were 10 of us at the tasting. The word pisco is a Quechuan word for birds. It’s made from distilling grapes (any of eight varieties) in a process that is similar to wine or champagne, but takes extra steps to make it a Liquor. There are pure versions, which are made from a single variety of grape, and blends which tends to be better for cocktails.

The traditional recipe for a pisco sour is 3oz pisco, 1 oz lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, and eggs whites. Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and add a few drops of bitters on top. The bartender made one as an example/demonstration, and then had one of the guests make another. The brave volunteer was about 18 and managed to get the job done with some prompting from the group. Meanwhile, the kitchen staff made a pisco sour for everyone else. As expected, it was quite tasty.

We moved over to our favorite dinner table by the fireplace and made our choices for tonight. For Jo, pumpkin and orange salad, quinoa risotto, and an orange mousse dessert. For Matt, shrimp chowder, rocoto relleno, and another crack at ponderaciones for dessert.

STILL Making People Happy CONFIRMED!

We returned to our casita where we lightly packed and lightly blogged to the midnight hour. We don’t leave until 11AM tomorrow morning, so we weren’t too worried about having everything in order before we dozed off to sleep. Good night condors!

Day 14: Mirador de Achomani

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Updated: July 27, 2025

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The only item on our agenda today is a horseback ride, with a departure time of 11AM, right from the hotel. So no alarms today! Plenty of time to wake up naturally and bask in the morning sun while drinking espressos and birdwatching. The “peak relaxation” portion of this trip is well underway.

Good morning Colca Canyon

Heading up the walking path to breakfast, we were recruited by a groundskeeper to help feed a couple of the permanent residents — a 45-day old alpaca named Wida and a 4-month old llama named Misky. He handed us their bottles and we delivered. They were very cute and friendly. On the way, we also passed the fish pond, and they obviously needed some breakfast too, so we obliged.

For our breakfast, we enjoyed the typical Belmond buffet options, along with some items from the kitchen menu. We couldn’t resist the eggs benedict topped with a local “spicy sauce” called aji de la casa. It was great — just don’t use too much. We also had a couple smoothie-bowls (veggie and fruit/honey) and an apple cider quinoa porridge, all of which were quite tasty.

After breakfast, we geared up for our horseback ride. At the front desk, we signed our waivers, got our helmets, and met Pascual, our horse guide. Pascual does not speak much english, so the front desk agents helped with introductions until we were geared up and on our way. Matt was riding Cocoa and Jo was riding Bailarine (aka. Ballerina). Usually, when we sign up for horseback rides, they might give you a short lesson on how to hold the reins, how to control the horse, etc. Maybe even do a few laps. Nah! Not this time. Once we were on the horses, we were off! (Don’t worry, we had it under control)

Suns out, Horses out!

The first portion of the ride was up the Las Casitas “driveway” switchbacks to the main road. We then followed the main road west until coming to a path that meandered through farms with bulls and cows. That led us to a different road entering the small town of Achoma. We passed an elementary school, the university athletic field, and a town square with a few shops. After clearing the town, we continued up another set of switchbacks to the Achomani lookout.

Achoma traffic jam

When we arrived, Pascual parked the horses and we walked up to the top of Mirador de Achomami, an Incan archaeological site that probably saw both residential and military usage back in the day. It’s currently in the process of being restored/studied, so there were several very chill archeologists milling about with digging and science equipment.

Archeology in action

Mirador de Achomani

Colca Canyon to west of Achoma

From this viewpoint, you can see up (east) and down (west) the Colca Canyon. To the east (from most distant to closest), we could see Chivay (the “entrance city” to the canyon, where we stopped yesterday), then Yanque (still partying for Inti Raymi until 2:30AM), then Las Casitas (our hotel, not a village), then Ichupampa, and finally Achoma right below us.

Looking east

To the west, we could see the town of Maca, followed by more distant villages of Lari, Madrigal, and Pinchollo. (Although at some point, the “villages” get difficult to differentiate from the terraced farmland.)

Looking west

Once we finished taking in all the natural splendor visible from Mirador de Achomani, we fetched our horses and followed Pascual’s lead back down our 9km track to the hotel.

The Gates of Achoma

Upon our return to Las Casitas at ~2PM, we immediately returned to relaxation mode. The hot tub on our patio was calling our sore hiking muscles, and the bright afternoon sunshine was once again nap-worthy. We also discovered a fantastic cherry-flavored soft drink called Kola Escocesa (aka. “Scottish cola”) which bears that name because some Scottish guy/company started making it in Arequipa with local mineral water in the 1950s.

Goodbye sore muscles

Delicious

Decorative stonewear

Tonight’s free Belmond activity before dinner is canapés and drinks on the restaurant terrace. Fancy! We donned our headlamps and walked over. The staff had just stoked up a cozy fire pit on the terrace. We were the only ones in attendance (we think the other guests checked out), so we grabbed two seats and settled in for some pre-dinner blogging. The very attentive server staff brought us red wine and a Colca sour — made with pisco and cacti fruit. They also brought out fried potato appetizers — similar to a small falafel ball served with guacamole.

Colca sours are also delicious

When the tasty appetizers were finished, we went inside for dinner. For starters, grilled eggplant salad and shrimp chowder. For mains, rosemary sea bass and aji de gallino (with parmesan cheese as per Luis’ recommendation). And for dessert, apple pie and ponderaciones, a traditional Peruvian dessert that “has been making people happy for the past 400 years” according to the menu. It is made with crispy dough dipped in chocolate. So yeah, we’re happy.

Making People Happy CONFIRMED!

Random observation… in the dining room they play Andean music, which has a lot of flutes. But we both stopped and did a double-take when an Andean flute music cover of Kansas’ Dust in the Wind started playing. A few other songs seemed vaguely familiar, but they might have been actual Andean songs.

After dinner we briefly pondered not signing up to do anything tomorrow, and going full lazy/cheap mode. But thankfully, we came to our senses and stopped by the front desk to confirm our excursion to Mirador Cuz del Condor at 8AM in the morning. Apparently, this is THE spot to see multiple condors in the wild as well as an excellent view of the deepest part of the canyon.

Day 13: Cusco to Colca Canyon

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Updated: July 27, 2025

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We are back on the road (and through the air) today as we depart Cusco and head to Colca Canyon via Arequipa. According to Google Maps, the trip from Cusco to Colca Canyon COULD be made in about 11 hours via bus, but we much prefer feeling like kings on LATAM, so… 4:30AM wake up call it is. In preparation, we completed our packing last night, so all we had to do was grab some breakfast of fruit and pastries from the buffet. Turns out 5AM is a bit too early for eggs benedict.

Early morning Monasterio Courtyard

We also arranged transportation last night, and the taxi was right on time at 5:30AM. With almost no traffic on the streets (everybody must still be passed out from Inti Raymi), we made it to the airport plenty early and checked in. A bus full of EF students arrived at the same time, but no problem, hello premium economy checkout line. Woo!

Out the quarter door

Only in theaters! And Peru!

We cleared security and found a working Priority Pass lounge in the AQP. Everyone else in the room cleared out to catch an earlier flight to Lima, so we had the place to ourselves to grab some second breakfast. Heading to our gate, we each carried a backpack and duffle bag (as per the rules). For the first time, we were “asked” if we wanted to gate-check our bags, and when we declined, they made us “try” the luggage-size-checker. Don’t they know we are PREMIUM ECONOMY!?!? Anyways, our bags fit easily, duh. Left us alone after that.

We got the whole lounge

Boarding was a breeze (after all the nuns with military babies) and the flight to Arequipa was only about an hour. We also got some great views out the window on the way.

Looking canyon-y

Volcán Chachani (left) and Volcán Misti (right)

Mining is kind of a big deal here

Arequipa’s airport is pretty small, with only two gates. Our bags came out immediately (Matt’s was first and Jo’s was fourth). We strolled outside to meet our pre-arranged ride to Colca Canyon, four hours away. Froiland was our Spanish-speaking driver, and his co-pilot Jorge was our English-speaking guide who provided fun facts and information about the area along the way. There are many large volcanos visible from Arequipa, with a total of 98 in the entire region. Of these 98, 16 of them are active, and eight of those are extremely lively these days. It’s no surprise the stones used in the White City area of Arequipa are made of volcanic tuff and pumice.

Pausing at a shop at the outskirts of Arequipa, we finally caved and bought a bag of coca leaves to try later with Jorge. We continued onward and gained elevation into the Andean dessert region with vicuñas grazing in the vast open spaces along the side of the road. After a couple hours, we stopped at a roadside cafe/tourist trap and drank some very delicious mates with seven different herbs (and spices) including coca, muña, lemongrass, and a cherry tomato.

Andean desert

Vicuñas can drive 55

How to make the Misti mate

Got the Andean desert blues

The drive continued up to the high pass at 4,910 meters (about 16,000 feet). We determined now was a good time to try chewing those coca leaves. Spoiler alert! We’re not huge fans. Unless you want a numb tongue… then they’re great! Not even that sweet coca buzz was gonna keep Jo from falling back asleep for a good portion of the remaining drive. To be fair, Froiland’s musical preference was some serious easy-listening, put-you-to-sleep music.

A real high point of the drive

Lunar Landscape

After traversing the pass and several more volcanoes, the final portion of the drive descended into Colca Valley toward the city of Chivay. We stopped at the town square and Jorge pointed us in the direction of a shop that sells legit 100% baby alpaca products. With a few soles still burning a hole in our pockets, we tried hard to find something, but no luck… for now.

Hey Hey Chivay

Caylloma Province Bicentennial was June 21, 2025

From Chivay, it was only another 15-20 minutes to our final destination for the day — Las Casitas: A Belmond Hotel. Upon arriving via the narrow switchback gravel driveway, we said farewell to Jorge and our driver (until Saturday), and were whisked off to the reception building via a golf cart that travelled maaaaybe 30 feet. Lol. This place is definitely our vacation from our vacation.

The hotel is called Las Casitas because each room is actually your own little house, complete with a fireplace, porch, plunge pool, and an entire bathroom wing. On the way to our Casita, we passed the pond where you can feed the fish, the pond where you can go fishing, and several grazing llamas and alpacas. We were shown about our new house and had the rest of the afternoon to relax with the complimentary minibar (again!).

La Casita

Vacation from vacation

The backyard

Taking it easy for the rest of the afternoon, Matt immediately dozed off for a nap. It’s June, so the locals act like they are freezing, but at 3600 meters with clear skies, napping in the midday sunshine is glorious. Meanwhile, Jo continued exploring the grounds — including the spa/pool, the working vegetable garden, and some walking trails that offered great views of the Rio Colca heading east into the Canyon. Later on, we both continued relaxing on the patio with our monoculars bird-watching. Very excited to unlock this new level of vacationing.

Rio Colca

By 6PM, the sun had set, so we grabbed our house flashlight and made our way up to the restaurant. Prior to dinner there was a complimentary “cooking class” for guests, which was really just a salad preparation demonstration by Chef Mario. But that’s ok. Chef Mario constructed two incredible salads (wielding tongs with the precision of Mr. Miyagi) featuring fresh ingredients from the Las Casitas vegetable garden Jo was exploring earlier.

The first salad was lettuce, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes, as well as the herbs and a super delicious creamy lime dressing. The second salad was grilled eggplant and zucchini with a golden berry honey dressing. Both were amazing and we got the ingredient list to make the dressings at home. When Mario was done with the demonstration, we asked him what he recommended for dinner. He suggested the flame-broiled orange and pumpkin salad as a starter, and the slow-roasted braised lamb for the main course.

Super Mario salads

At dinner, Matt made sure to order those two dishes. Mario was spot-on. Both were great. Jo got trout and pineapple tartare in quinoa waffle cones (amazing) and rococo relleno (a traditional meat dish stuffed in a rococo pepper). It was so tasty and the right amount of spicy. We somehow managed to save room for dessert. Jo got the chocolate lava cake (obviously) and Matt once again asked for Mario’s recommendation. It was the carrot cake, and Mario proceeded to go three-for-three.

After dinner, we strolled back to our casita and quickly went to bed. Tomorrow’s adventure is horseback riding!

Hot-water bladder Alpacas if you are cold

Day 12: Inti Raymi Cusco

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Updated: July 27, 2025

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Today is Inti Raymi, the traditional religious ceremony of the Inca Empire held in honor of the god Inti (which is the Quechua word for “sun”). Historians say the OG Inti Raymi ceremonies took place from 1412 to 1535, at which point the Spanish put the kibosh on it (too subversive!). But since 1944, indigenous actors have been putting on a theatrical re-creation of the ceremony each year in Cusco on June 24th.

And whaddayaknow… we’re IN CUSCO on June 24th! We did not actually plan to be in Cusco for Inti Raymi — because our trip dates were dictated entirely by the Explora expedition — but once we learned the biggest festival of the year was going down at the same time we’d be passing thru, we were IN! Even more fortuitously, we stumbled on this information the night before the Teleticket — aka. Peru Ticketmaster — onsale for 2025 Inti Raymi tickets. So at 8AM on Monday, April 7th, Matt refreshed his browser a couple times and scored us tickets to the hottest celestial deity bash in town.

Cusco’s Inti Raymi Festival is a three-part affair — the first part starts at 9AM at the Coricancha, the second part moves to the Plaza de Armas at 11AM, and the third (and main) part takes place at the Sacsayhuaman Ruins at ~2PM.

All the advice we read about the first part at the Coricancha said you better wake up and claim your viewing spot on the street by 5AM or earlier. But thankfully, we’re be rolling in with our Coricancha bleacher tickets, which allowed us to wake up at a normal time and enjoy our standard Belmond breakfast.

Yeah, thank goodness for those bleacher seats

Even though we had tickets, we still wanted to arrive early and enjoy the festivities. Apparently, we were still a little bit too early because the bleachers hadn’t opened yet. With tons of people already milling about on the street, it was hard to determine if there was a specific line for the ticketed folk. One obnoxious lady was certain she was in the correct line and was losing her mind yelling at us. Yikes! When they finally opened the bleachers, it all worked out. We got great seats near the top and there was absolutely no rush. We ended up sitting next to a friendly couple originally from Mexico, who now live in Nebraska, and were actually at Machu Picchu three days ago as well. Go Cornhuskers.

At 9AM, the ceremony was underway. Hundreds of musicians, dancers, and actors in traditional clothes march onto the Coricancha grounds, representing the four different regions of the Tawantinsuyu. After the Incan general (aka. Sinchi) and his warriors secure the premises, the Incan king (aka. Sapa Inca), eventually appears to thank Inti (the Sun god) for the day and his good fortune, while also asking permission to continue the Inti Raymi Ceremony at the secondary locations. (Spoiler alert: It’s gonna be YES!)

Opening Act of Inti Raymi at the Coricancha

Next up, the show moves up the street to the Plaza de Armas. Some people skip the morning show at the Coricancha and camp out to secure their spot. There are no seats or tickets for this second part, so you have do brave the crowds. And holy crap, are there crowds!

Chill Cusco dog says, “you sure you want to go the Plaza?”

Extremely accurate sign at the SW corner of Plaza de Armas

We navigated clockwise around the Plaza thru the mass of humanity. We weren’t really trying to get a prime spot, as much as we wanted to be on the NE side of the Plaza when the second part of the show was over. It took about 45 minutes to walk three blocks. And then another 45 minutes to make it halfway around the Plaza. The entire place was basically a mosh pit. We followed a woman selling food out of a basket who did an excellent job of keeping the crowd moving.

Finally, it got so crowded, we couldn’t move anymore — guess this is where we’ll be watching the show! Our immediate neighbors were a group of Spanish-immersion high school students from Cincinnati. They were cool and brought some much-needed “concert crowd” street-smarts to the table, which seemed to be in short supply among many other pushy people who thought they were actually going get somewhere attempting to pass us in this crowd. We tried our best… “Yo, turn around! Cerrado! Cerrado! Cerrado!” But they’d try anyways, and fail.

Our final Plaza de Armas spot

WKRP in Cusco

In this second part of the Inti Raymi ceremony, the four different regions are once again represented. The Sapa Inca and the current mayor of Cusco meet up in the center of the Plaza. An Incan shaman steps forward and uses some coca leaves to determine if today is a good day for the ceremony (Spoiler alert: It’s gonna be YES!). Then some other dignitaries haul in their khipus (knotted-string Inca recording devices) and the main characters have a riveting accounting discussion in Quechua before they proceed out of the Plaza.

Second Act of Inti Raymi in the Plaza de Armas

Sapa Inca exiting Plaza de Armas

Following the procession’s exit from Plaza de Armas, the show now moves to the third and final location at the Sacsayhuaman ruins located on the hill north of the Plaza. Assuming traffic was going to be bonkers and the fact that Sacsayhuaman was only a 20 minute walk, we opted for the hike. This portion of the festival is ticketed with assigned seats, so we were in no rush. We followed the crowd and meandered our way up to the entrance.

Bienvenidos Saqsaywaman

Second intermission break for the performers

Our seats were in the orange section, which directly faces the stage. We also happened to be directly in the middle of the orange section (thanks Teleticket onsale!). As such, we were sitting RIGHT NEXT to the announcers and camera crew. (Ok, technically there was one seat between us, but the guy in that seat slept for most of the first half, then woke up and left, lol)

Performers start to make their entrance at Sacsayhuaman

The show was impressive. It included another two-plus hours of dancing, music, and rituals. The actors read their lines in Quechua, while the broadcast team narrated what was going on in Spanish, and then in English. In preparation for the show, Matt also found a script (and translated it into English) which was really helpful.

Here’s the Cliff Notes version… First, the band arrives (always rockin’!), then the dancers and the Chaskis (messengers), followed by the armies from the four regions of the Tawantinsuyu and the top general (Sinchi). The Sinchi calls out the Sapa Inca, who then asks each region how things are going. Collasuyu (SE) says bad. Contisuyu (SW) says not so hot. Antisuyu (NE) says great! Chinchaysuyu (NW) says really bad, plus lots of lying, cheating and Spainards. Sapa Inca tells team Antisuyu to perform a dance number to make everybody feel better. Four key ceremonies follow… including the Chica ritual, the Sacred Fire ritual, the Llama Sacrifice ritual, and the Sacred Bread ritual. Then (eventually) Sapa Inca concludes the show and everybody marches/dances off in reverse order.

Playing Where’s Waldo with the Vicuña actor

Inti Raymi Broadcast booth

It was sunny and warm all day, but during the final 45 minutes of the third act, the sun went behind some clouds and the temperatures dropped. People starting filing out of the stands like the Clouds were up 4-1 over the Incas in the bottom of the 8th. To be fair, there were about 3,000 people in the seats (and many thousands more sitting on the hill behind us), so they were probably just getting ahead of the post-game traffic.

We observed the announcers sitting next to us starting to wave and gesture to the actors on stage to get a move on. The english-speaking announcer said that the new actor playing the Sapa Inca was taking forever and really milking the part. Lol. Britt told us later that the actor who previously held the role for nine years tripled his price, so they went with a new guy. Maybe this new guy was just method acting and wanted to look a bit lost when the sun went away. What’s a sun god without the sun?

Sapa Inca exiting Sacsayhuaman

Despite the chill in the air, we definitely opted to stay until the very end. Sure, the Clouds held on for the win, but that didn’t stop people from running onto the field and joining the band on the main platform as they played themselves out with a rocking beat. So we jumped in as well, taking the opportunity to snap some photos on stage and warm ourselves by the remnants of the sacred fire. After security gently nudged us off the stage and out the exit, we made the hike down the hill back to our hotel. Took about 15 minutes — significantly shorter than the hour or so it would’ve taken in a vehicle.

Inti Raymi stage rush

This guy does NOT break character

You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here

Tomorrow, we have an early flight out of Cusco to Arequipa. So upon our return to the Monasterio, we spent some time packing and getting ready to go. We also opted for a snack and minibar-palooza for dinner (plus leftover pizza!). We are fancy, for sure. By the time we finished packing, Nan and Britt returned from dinner and we met up with them at the bar for a goodbye drink. We all decided that Inti Raymi was an amazing experience that everybody should do once, and that once is plenty enough. Quite a day. Farewell Cusco and farewell Nan and Britt!

Day 11: Cusco

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Updated: July 27, 2025

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Having no concrete plans for our first full day in Cusco, we happily slept in for the first time on this trip. However, we did rise in time for the breakfast buffet (ending around 10:30am). Our traditional Belmond breakfast is fresh fruits, colorful pastries, and eggs Benedict (plus cappuccinos, obviously). Just for the fun of it, there was also a barista sampling different regional coffees and bottling fresh cold brews to go. Whatever we decide to do today, we’re gonna be awake for it.

Coffee time!

Fully amped up, we gathered our things and ventured out the Monasterio’s giant wooden doors to walk around the city. The hotel is located in the Historic District, just a couple blocks to the east of the Plaza de Armas — which appears to be the epicenter of all Cusco’s pre-Inti Raymi festivities. A large grandstand near the cathedral featured booming speakers and a PA announcer shouting excitedly as a constant parade of groups, bands, and dancers passed by the dignitaries and the rest of the crowds lined up along the streets.

24×7 party here in the Plaza de Armas

Following the source of the parade to the south, we exited the Plaza de Armas and turned left onto the Avenue El Sol, where the endless line of parade participants continued. On this jam-packed street, everybody was getting organized, warming up, and preparing for their big turn into the Plaza. Each group was hundreds of people strong, decked-out in their team colors and festive outfits.

Getting in formation

Warm up the shells

After successfully navigating the crowds and moving at least two or three blocks away from the Plaza, we ducked off the main street and took a couple smaller alleys to reach our primary location of interest for the day — the Coricancha.

El Sabor del Perú!

The Coricancha was the most important temple in the Inca Empire, located at the epicenter of the Tawantinsuyu (which is the more correct Incan terminology to describe their realm, aka. “The Four Regions Together”). Three real quick facts… (1) The temple was dedicated to the Sun God (Inti); (2) Gold was the top interior design preference; and (3) Eventually the Spanish showed up and plopped their Church and Convent of Santo Domingo right on top of it. Rude. And that was after they stole all the gold. Anyways…

Coricancha and Church of Santo Domingo mashup

Coricancha courtyard with symbolic Incan landspacing

We found the entrance and were quite pleased to learn the Coricancha/Convent was open for visitors today (including Nan and Britt, whom we ran into as they were leaving, right outside the gate). After purchasing our tickets and entering the museum, we found plenty of interesting stuff and spent the next couple hours taking it all in — including Incan art, modern art, textile displays, archeological restorations in progress, a wide variety of ornate wooden doors, and even a bell tower to climb.

Santo Domingo Courtyard

Bell tower

View of Coricancha from Bell Tower

Staff putting Inti Raymi props into place for tomorrow

Inti-Inti stare down

One particular item Matt wanted to see in the Coricancha was a modern art piece by Miguel Araoz Cartagena depicting the Seqe System of Cusco. The Seqe System was a series of imaginary lines (“seqe” means line in Quechua) that radiated out from Cusco and “connected” various important shrines, temples or objects called wakas. Think Incan Trip Advisor with 41 different itineraries to check out 328 cool things to do around the empire!

Aside from the fact the painting is cool, the main reason Matt wanted to see this piece is because it’s also the cover art for the “A History of the Inca” podcast by Nick Machinski — which Matt listened to in full prior to the trip. If you are considering a trip to Peru, do yourself a favor and give this excellent podcast a listen as well!

Thanks Nick! Your podcast was awesome!

After our quite enjoyable visit to the Coricancha, we ventured back out to festive streets of Cusco. Jo was on the hunt for an alpaca shawl, with fridge magnets and Christmas ornaments on the shopping list as well. One store took care of the magnets, ornaments, and even a pair of Machu Picchu wool socks for Matt. We also were looking for a Cusco flag (which was surprisingly hard to find). There were lots of little paper flags along the parade route, but even those were elusive.

IMPORTANT! We did find the Chocolate

We continued to walk up and down the streets, shopping and parade-watching. The folks representing the wheat and quinoa farmers team looked like they were having the most fun with their giant wheat hats and quinoa-inspired dance routines.

The Quinoa Shuffle

New Kentucky Derby hats just dropped

Navigating side streets to get around the parade crowds, we eventually found and negotiated for the perfect shawl, as well as a Cusco flag. Mission(s) accomplished. Then we crossed thru the Plaza de Armas to get a closer look at the ceremonial props for tomorrow’s Inti Raymi Festival. It appears Inti is currently shrouded in a Cusco flag until the big reveal.

Band needs a breather

Plaza props are ready for tomorrow

Plaza de Armas parade entering 300th hour (probably)

We considered going to the nearby Inca Museum next, but we stopped by the hotel to recharge (ourselves and our phones) first. It was about 3:45PM when we were looking up information on the Inca Museum to see if it would be worth going, only to find out it closes at 4PM. Well then! That makes our decision easy — hotel pool it is!

Back to the peaceful Monasterio courtyard

All hotel rooms should be double-level rooms!

Technically, the Monastario does not have a pool, but their sister hotel right next door does. The concierge said they needed to call over to make sure there was availability — and there was. When we arrived, we realized they had ALL the availability — we were the only ones there, lol. We forget that people here think it’s cold this time of year (about 70 degrees). But it’s darn-near perfect.

Available to pool

The Monastario offers a free art tour every day at 5:30PM. We quickly changed into some art tour-worthy clothes, grabbed some beverages from the minibar, and joined the fun. Our guide talked about the original paintings hanging along the walls of the hotel from the monastery days, primarily in the Colonial Renaissance style. She noted that Europe was probably sending over mostly JV-level painters to support the cause, so the technical expertise wouldn’t be quite the same as your traditional European Renaissance works (ie. perspectives, body proportions, and lighting effects are sometimes wonky).

But what these artists lacked in skill, they made up for in superb messaging to convince the Incans to adopt Christianity. (Hey Incans, you like family? We do too! Here’s a bunch of paintings depicting the Virgin Mary’s parents! You know, Mary’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. ummmm… Joaquin and Anna! Anyways, Christianity!) Other noticeable Andean influences in the paintings include big earrings, big hair, jungle scenery, and feathers being heavily emphasized with angels.

Weath of knowledge on Monasterio art collection

Classy art tour attendee

We ended the tour in the Chapel of San Antonio Abad to observe the architecture (walls are original, roof is not) and the additional art pieces. Nearly every painting in the chapel featured a cherub in the corner with a mirror (representing justice). But more importantly, each cherub has also been given a wild “staring-into-the-camera” expression. Like, “Get a load of this angel!”, or “Can you believe what this saint just said to that demon?!?”

We worked up an appetite during the art tour, but rather than searching for a sit-down dinner place, we opted to find a nearby pizza place that would let us order takeout. The place we found had a Cubs game on TV and we chatted with some other similar-aged travelers who raved about the benefits of being international teachers. We returned to our awesome hotel room and enjoyed our fantastic pizza and minibar dinner.

Easier to watch the Cubs in Cusco than Chicago

Tomorrow, we Inti Raymi!!!

Day 10: Parcco to Cusco

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Updated: July 27, 2025

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Plotting our trip itinerary a couple months ago, we figured today was simply a travel day at the end of our nine-day Sacred Valley expedition. Or better yet, a sleep-in and travel day! Either way, not much was planned, except Explora would bid us adieu at some point and drive us to our next destination in Cusco.

Then during our return to Explora last night, the staff asked us about our plans for today. They mentioned breakfast, a half-day exploration, lunch, our checkout time, and our transfer to… WAIT… did you say “half-day exploration”?!? Heck yeah! We can sleep-in when we are back in Chicago. As long as we are in Peru, let’s set those alarms and get after it. So we asked Brai for his favorite half-day exploration and inquired if Mati would be available as our guide. The exploration was good-to-go, but it was late and the Explora guest/guide speed-dating hours had concluded, so we didn’t hear back from Mati. Only (morning) time would tell.

Walking into the dining room at 6AM today, it was a promising sign when we saw a Patagonia R1-Air Hoody-draped figure sitting mysteriously in the corner like Explora Strider. Yeah, he tried to make us sweat it out a bit, but we got him. “See you at the big map shortly!” Mati said. We’ve won the guide lottery and the day is off to an incredible start.

Yapa Cappucino!

Speaking of incredible, Luis was spot-on about the French Toast

After stocking up on Sublime chocolates and stepping over to the big map at 6:45AM sharp, Mati filled us in on additional details about our hike for the day, called Parcco. The hardest part was the two-hour drive to get there, up windy dirt roads for the last 30 minutes. Jo got pretty car sick, and needed 5-10 minutes of fresh air, but recovered quickly and we were on our way.

Welcome to ACTUAL Peru Dry Season™

The hike started at over 4300m with a steep uphill over the straw/grass vegetation we’re familiar with in the Puna zone. Much easier to walk on without the snow. We walked along nature paths built by white tail deer (we saw one!) and pumas (we saw none) until we got to a high point with an unobstructed view all around us. There were zero clouds in the sky and visibility forever. We had a better view of Salkantay on this hike than we did from the Salkantay trail.

Explora guide lottery winners

Picture-perfect Pitusiray

Picture-perfect Panorama

We continued to hike, walking along a ridge until we reached another high point. We saw more great views of the surrounding hills, mountains, and lagoons. To the south, Mati pointed out his favorite full-day exploration called Huchuy Qosqo (we’ll have to do that one next time). To the west, we could see the Auzangate Mountain Range, quite a distance away. And while Explora’s official “Five Lagoons” exploration is not too far away from this location, we found a “Four Lagoons” version at our feet.

Pointing out future Peru hikes

Puna primary color palette

Hear me out… FOUR Lagoons Exploration

Perfect Parcco day with Mati

Mati remains a huge fan of botany, so he also talked about the various plants we found along the way, including the one that looks like the emoji flower on WhatsApp.

There is definitely a resemblance… 🌺

We grabbed a snack break on a flat section just below the high point and kept a lookout for pumas that have been known to wander and nap in this area. Given our luck spotting Pumas, we were completely safe. We took in one last 360-degree view of the landscape and continued hiking down the mountain, passing hairy cacti we made sure not to fall on. As we got close to the car, we opted to skip the picnic table of snacks and drinks and eat in the car in order to save some time. We weren’t in a complete rush, but we still had a lot to do back at the hotel before our departure at 3:30PM.

Don’t argue with these guys

No Pumas sneaking around today

One more for the calendar

Parcco hike details

Fortunately, our ride down to the valley went much better and Jo did not get car sick. First order of business back at the hotel was using our gift shop credit for a collection of Explora t-shirts and a snazzy teal zip-up jacket for Jo. Second order of business was lunch! We started Explora with ceviche and we ended Explora with ceviche. It’s so good. The server also recommended sharing ALL the appetizers on the menu, and we gladly agreed. Beet pasta, causa de pollo, watermelon ceviche, and caprese salad were all amazing.

One more delicious Explora lunch

After lunch, our third order of business was a mad dash back to our room to pack up ALL of our stuff in time for our 3PM checkout. The later checkout was extremely helpful last night when we needed to go to sleep for our morning hike, but now we had about one hour to re-organize and re-pack. Thankfully, we made it just in time. The staff grabbed our bags, we gathered in the lobby, and awaited our transportation to the Montesario Belmond Hotel in Cusco.

Only Puma we saw today… on our way thru Calca

Leaving Explora is sad, but there is some great news! In a complete coincidence, Nan and Britt are also travelling to Cusco for the next several days AND they are also staying at the Montesario Belmond Hotel. What are the odds?! So, in addition to sharing our ride to Cusco, we’ll get to spend a couple more days with them (if they don’t mind).

Upon our evening arrival to the Montesario in Cusco, we bid our Explora diver farewell and we checked in to the new hotel. As the name implies, it is a refurbished Baroque seminary built in the 17th century on Inca foundations. So yeah, the place has plenty of character. They even presented our room keys in a tiny little treasure chest with a dramatic flourish. We somehow got upgraded two levels to a room with a lofted living room area, a nespreso machine, and a minibar with everything included in the rate. This is an excellent way to ease of pain of leaving Explora.

Montesario has character in spades

300-year old Andean Cedar is courtyard centerpiece

Nan and Britt had dinner reservations at Limo, a Peruian and Japanese fusion restaurant located on the Plaza de Armas, and invited us to join. The food was amazing — as was the company! — and, as a bonus, the restaurant overlooked a parade below. We already knew the city’s Inti Raymi festival was two days away. What we didn’t know was that the entire city has been celebrating for the last 12 days in preparation! We went outside to watch the parade for just a few minutes before heading back to the hotel and immediately falling asleep.

Quebranta tabernero pisco, togarashi ginger, passion fruit, and limo chili. YUM.

We’ve had a lot of early mornings, but tomorrow we have no set plan! Just eat breakfast before it ends, wander around Cusco and see if any of the places/museums we want to go to are open, and maybe catch a hotel art tour later in the afternoon. How relaxing!

Day 9: Huayna Picchu

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Updated: July 26, 2025

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When we signed up for this expedition, one of the main reasons we didn’t mind returning to Machu Picchu (besides the fact it is Machu-freakin’ Picchu) was that our second day here offered the opportunity to start early and climb Huayna Picchu — with our prized Circuit 3, Route 3A tickets!

Huayna Picchu is the taller mountain peak that is often pictured behind (aka. to the north) the classic Machu Picchu overview. It’s got plenty of steep steps, some narrow sections, and a decent amount of exposure to heights. Sort of like Peru’s version of Angels Landing. We never got the chance to climb it in 2022, but now we do!

Huayna Picchu? YES! (Britt you got this)

The plan for the day called for another early morning wake-up call at 4:30AM (in order to take advantage of our 7AM timed-entry tickets to Machu Picchu). We stopped by the hotel restaurant for a quick and hearty breakfast of eggs, fruit, and quinoa pancakes. The trick with your 7AM tickets is actually getting in line (much earlier) for the Aguas Calentes shuttle busses on Avenida Hermanos Ayar. Another trick is successfully convincing everybody to leave at 6AM (to meet our guides’ suggested 6:15AM departure), but even with these tricks, we still needed to be saved by Luis’ move to head over even earlier and hold us a spot in the very busy bus line. Huge MVP move!

So was it busier than usual? YES, ACTUALLY! We didn’t plan it this way, but today is June 21st, which is the Winter Solstice here in the Southern Hemisphere. And if there was ever a group of people that cared about what the Sun was up to, it’s the Incans who were hanging out at Machu Picchu.

Upon realizing this fortunate coincidence a few days ago, we mentioned it to our guides. Then we successfully convinced our expedition to add a SECOND top mission to today’s plan… get inside Machu Picchu and make a bee-line to the Temple of the Sun for the Winter Solstice sunrise — scheduled for ~7:22AM. (I think Nan, Brai and us were most gung-ho about this plan.) But could we pull it off?!?!?

7AM… We’re in!

7:18AM… Made it! Temple of the Sun above us. Let’s light this candle!

7:22AM… Hello Inti!!!

Our viewing location for the June 21st, 2025 Winter Solstice sunrise at Machu Picchu was on the terraces just BELOW the Temple of the Sun. This was dictated by the fact that our Circuit 3 tickets guide you on a restricted path via a lower route — compared to our Circuit 2 tickets in 2022 that gave us an overhead view of the Temple of the Sun.

From this vantage point, we experienced the sun’s appearance above the peaks to the east and the corresponding shadows appearing on the walls. The mostly clear skies were extremely helpful too, which was a bit unusual for this rainforest region where there is usually some mist and clouds — especially in the early morning. Guess Inti feels bad for throwing a giant snowstorm at us a couple days ago. Huge round of applause to Brai and Luis who helped us pull off this mission on short notice!

LIVE LOOK inside the Temple of the Sun at 7:22AM (probably)

Confirming the astronomical observations

One task down, one to go!

Proceeding onward from the Sun Temple, Brai showed us around the Curcuit 3 route and explained the rooms and history along the way… Rooms with the best-carved rocks were the most important living quarters… Larger nearby terraces were used for agriculture… And smaller buildings were kolkas used to store the food. So on and so forth.

Eastern side of Machu Picchu

Close up of Temple of Sun and royal living quarters

Fun fact: In 1978, the king and queen of Spain came to visit and wanted to land their helicopter right in the middle of the Machu Picchu ruins (even though there is plenty of landing space on the grassy lookout areas right next to it). In order to make room, they removed a tall stone pillar from the site. They put it back after they left, but then in 1989, a group of Andean Nation leaders wanted to do the same thing. And this time, it broke. Well, duh. So now there is a grassy platform sitting there instead.

Shadows and former heliport shenanigans

Shadows and group photos

Once we were done with the circuit inside Machu Picchu, we started on the Huayna Picchu hike. Again, Huayna Picchu is the tall green mountain right behind Machu Picchu in all of the pictures. It looks very daunting from Machu Picchu, but it wasn’t too bad (most of the time). There is a path to get to the top, where additional Incan ruins are found. We had to check in at the gate and were on our way.

Brai leads the way to Huayna Picchu

Most of the trail (which takes about 45 minutes to get to the top) is stairs fashioned out of very well-worn stones. The path was (usually) wide enough for people to pass on each side, which was helpful because it’s the same route up and down. Closer to the top, the stairs became steeper and more narrow. It becomes easier to think of them like a ladder, and use your hands to keep steady. The path then leads you up a series of steep terraces, some stairs with the edge of the cliff on your left, and some buildings on the right. The brave people ventured into the buildings. Jo focused on the stairs in front of her until reaching solid ground at the top.

Steep stairs

Steep terraces

It was fortunate that today’s weather was not rainy. The one thing that would really make this hike dangerous would be wet stones. Brai said they won’t hesitate to close the route if there is too much rain. Heck, even the morning dew made certain spots tricky (especially since the trail is almost exclusively in the shade on the western face of the mountain.

Soon enough, everyone made it to the top! Even Britt who has a legitimate fear of heights. Nothing like intense exposure theory, am I right? According to Nan, there were 1,986 stairs to get to the top.

Huayna Picchu summit arrival

The Huayna Picchu view of Machu Picchu

The climb was 100% worth it and the views were amazing. We could see the Andes mountains surrounding the area as well as the entire Machu Picchu complex below. We jockeyed with the crowd for prime picture spots and realized we weren’t technically all the way at the top. So we took care of that by climbing up the final steep rocks. Jo made it mostly there. Britt opted out entirely. Pictures were taken and we scooted back down.

Jo took this picture…

From over here!

It was nice having Brai help us navigate where to go at the peak — or as one girl shouted to the crowd, “Can somebody please tell me how to get off this mountain!?!” Turns out there is a small loop to the path that leads back down, but that path goes over those final steep rocks mentioned above.

Instead, Brai got permission from one of the rangers to help us through a “shortcut” to meet up with the correct path. It was heavily covered in vegetation, and most of us ended up with prickly plant spikes in our hands, but hey, it worked! We were back on the main trail in the correct direction. Matt thought this shortcut meant we bypassed the “cave” portion of the path he read about. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

The real stairs of death

It’s not really a cave. More of a tunnel created by rocks laying on each other. But still, it was dark, low and narrow, which may be fine for Incan-sized humans, but not so much for Matt. Fortunately, he made it through without getting stuck. A few more narrow stairs (with solid ground on both sides) and we were back on the main two-way trail. From there, it was an easy (but cautious) downstairs walk back to the beginning. We went slow and steady at first, but soon found our balance and were cruising. We made it back safe and sound and waited for the rest of the group at the control booth.

Once everyone arrived, we finished our Circuit 3 route thru Machu Picchu — passing a few more fun locations such as the Temple of the Condor. We exited and went straight to Tampu, the restaurant in the Belmond Hotel that is right outside the entrance/exit gates. We had a huge buffet lunch with excellent food, subpar desserts, and limited WiFi. BUT! There was a soda fountain where we discovered that mixing Fanta and Inca Kola is delicious.

It’s the Picasso section of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu Yelp review still good

Huayna Picchu hike details

Mid-day outside Machu Picchu is a madhouse

Next on the agenda was catching a shuttle bus down the mountain to catch our train in Aguas Calientes. The bus line was VERY long because something had temporarily halted the usually reliable stream of busses. After about 20 minutes, Luis was starting to look worried. Finally, a bus arrived! And then several more. We were close enough to the front of the line that we got on that first bus. When we got to the bottom, we speed-walked to the train station.

When we got to the train station gate, we confirmed that Inka Terra successfully delivered our bags. The station is located within a large craft market. Luis and Brai said we had 15 minutes to wander around before we needed to be back at this exact spot in 15 minutes to board the train in 15 minutes. Did I mention the part about 15 minutes???

So we went on an immediate mission to find the souvenir coin machines on the street next to the bus stop. We found one, negotiated the proper change from a nearby shop, and acquired a shiny GOLD Machu Picchu coin soon to become our next fridge magnet. SUCCESS! We hoofed it back to the train station with a few minutes to spare. Nan and Britt were also there, but… where was Qi?

We waited a few minutes, but Peru Rail does not suffer stragglers, and we eventually boarded the train without Qi. Luis stayed back to wait/search for Qi. I was pretty sure we weren’t gonna see Luis or Qi again until later that night (or who knows when!). Thankfully, with literally seconds to spare, Luis and Qi boarded the train. After the fact, we were able to laugh about this at dinner when it was revealed why Qi was late. Turns out, she lost track of time negotiating a killer deal at one of the booths. Then Qi’s phone rang. It was Luis, calling her like the banker in “Deal or No Deal.” “HEY QI, WE NEED TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW!” Thankfully, Qi said “DEAL” and finished her negotiations.

The train ride back to Ollantaytambo isn’t quite as exciting as the ride to Aguas Calientes, but they do put on a fun fashion show of (overpriced) Alpaca clothing items and they served us more traditional Peru Rail quinoa snacks. Quinoa cookies A+! We arrived back in Ollantaytambo and met our driver in the parking lot. One the ride back to Explora, Matt re-established his Bluetooth connection and played DJ once again. Mostly soothing 80s songs as most of the van was sleeping — until our arrival with Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO to get everyone pumped up for the rest of the night! Brai simulated flashing lights with his phone and asked if we were back in the 20s (aka. the early 2000s). To be fair, he was 14 when this song came out.

As we were (re)checking-in and being shown our new room, we discovered that we were allowed to go on a half-day exploration in the morning! YAPA!!!!!!!! We asked Brai which exploration he would suggest for the morning. He recommended one called Parcco. We quickly agreed and also asked Brai (half jokingly, but also quite seriously) to go tell Mati Weber to drop all of his previous plans and be our guide. Check back tomorrow for more on that.

Before dinner, we gathered at the bar and sat down for our final Expedition team meeting. Luis read us an amazing farewell letter he wrote for us. In return, we all wrote our messages to Luis on the Peru flag we’d been carrying around with us the whole time and presented it to him.

THANK YOU LUIS!!!

Then we feasted! Luis called ahead to make sure this final meal included ALL the items we’ve been talking about trying the last few days. We had Aji de Gallino with shredded Parmesan Cheese for the main course, Lucuma-flavored Suspiro a la Limeña for dessert, and a bonus birthday cake for Nan (her birthday is in two days).

Tomorrow will now be another early morning for us to go on our Parcco exploration before we leave for Cusco. Luis took care of getting us a late check out, so we will be able to hike, eat lunch and worry about packing our bags before 3pm. We also planned to see Luis (and his dogs!) once more tomorrow afternoon before we depart, but, as it turned out, Luis cleverly pulled a Michael Scott on us, making tonight our last goodbye. That’s ok, you’re still the best! 🙂 🇵🇪

Day 8: Machu Picchu

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Updated: July 26, 2025

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Today the expedition heads northwest, where we will venture to Machu Picchu, the world-famous 15th century Incan citadel sometimes referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”. But it’s not lost anymore… we discovered this UNESCO Heritage site all the way back in 2022 (previous visit).

With that said, seeing Machu Picchu for the SECOND time is going to be WAY BETTER because we’ve got our Expedition friends with us and we’re going to EARN IT!!! The plan is to hike the last 12km and ~700m elevation gain of the Inca Trail to arrive via the Sun Gate (Inti Punku). Let’s go!

Today’s early morning start is no bull

The day started with a 4:45AM wake-up call at the campsite. Inti seemed fully on board with the plan, providing us with superb weather and clear pre-dawn skies (already an upgrade from our rainy/cloudy 2022 visit). We had a quick bite to eat before our 6AM departure, featuring the usual fruit and cereal and some special fluffy bread (too full to try). The only thing that didn’t go right this morning was Matt’s left contact split in half when he was putting in his eyes. Uh, that’s new! I suppose the cold weather didn’t help. Thankfully he has a backup, but the new margin of error for seeing properly the rest of the trip is far more dramatic now.

Packing up our gear, we are now officially done with the camping portion of the trip. All the remaining days will conclude at hotels. Therefore, the kitchen team gave us bag lunches to take with us on the hike, complete with two sandwiches, chips, fruit, and chocolates. Once everyone was actually in the van, we peeled out for the Ollantaytambo train station about 45 minutes away. At the station, we checked our bags with a luggage service to transport them to our next hotel in Aguas Calientes. We also said goodbye to Chio at this point, who was heading back to Explora and starting her vacation days. Adiós y buena suerte Chio!

We proceeded to the Peru Rail waiting area. The no-nonsense lady with the sign for Group A (that’s us) showed up at boarding time and and looked displeased with our “lining up” skills, but we immediately rectified that and followed her to our train. We found our seats and settled in (Brai kindly switched with Jo to let her face forward).

The train departed on time and we were off… but WAIT! As we were pulling away from the station, we casually asked Brai if our bags are supposed to be on this train or a following train, because, um, we just passed them sitting on the platform. “Probably this one,” he said. As if on cue, the train stopped, reversed back into the station, and paused for a few moments. When we pulled away again, the bags were no longer sitting on the platform. Magic!

The train ride takes about 90 minutes. If the Urubamba River Valley scenery wasn’t enough, Peru Rail puts on quite a show to keep you entertained. We were (forcibly, lol) invited to go to the bar car with live music and traditional dancing. There was also a viewing car with huge windows to continue observing the gorgeous views. The only way this gets better is if enthusiastic train employees would kindly clap along to the music more than six-inches from your ear! (Go ahead and file that under first-world Peru Rail Group A problems)

Soaking in the scenery

When we were eventually booted from the bar car (to share with Group B), we returned to our seats, and started playing Booyah! — initiating Nan & Britt to the game. Rave reviews, as expected. Soon thereafter, the snack and beverage service started, featuring the familiar snack box of quinoa cereal bars and quinoa chips. Quinoa means they’re healthy, right? RIGHT?!? (For the record, the chips are much better than the bars.)

This train makes one stop before it reaches Aguas Calientes (aka. “Machu Picchu Town”), and that is at Kilometer 104 — where the adventurous Inca trail hikers get off (that’s us, again!). When the train “stops” here, you better be ready to jump! About five seconds after you get off the train, it is on it’s way again.

Second official train-pointing

We took stock of our gear (double-checked our hiking poles had the rubber footies on them per regulations), put on sunscreen and bug cream, and crossed the bridge over the Urubama River to officially rejoin the Inca Trail. And then… a bunch of paperwork! But our passports eventually checked out and we were on our way. Weather was still amazing — nice and sunny, but not TOO hot just yet.

Inca Trail 2: The Return to the Inca Trail

On our route from Kilometer 104 onward, the typical Inca Trail currently has parts that are under construction after being washed out by heavy rains and landslides in February. So we had to take a different route. While the old route was a more gradual incline, our new route is very flat followed by a heart-attack level spike in elevation. For the first hour, we had lovely views of the river and some archeological sites, as well as some very cool rainforest zone nature, including the bright red National bird of Peru called the Andean Cock-of-the-rock.

And then we arrived at the stairs section. For the next two hours, we hiked up Inca stairs for ~700 meters. We found it easier to maintain a slow, steady Geraint Thomas-like pace to the top of the climb rather than making frequent stops and starts. We remembered to stay hydrated and look at the amazing views. It was actually very fun! Once we got to the top, we found a shady spot to eat our bag lunch and figure out how to eat a Granadilla (a sweeter, less-tart version of passionfruit with translucent, jelly-like seeds) while waiting for the rest of the group. They are great! Speaking of Passionfruit, here’s a Pro Tip… Fill your bottle with cold Passion Fruit juice at breakfast to drink when you get to the top of this climb.

Up and away we go

Looks like a sea creature, tastes great!

Once everyone had time to eat and recover, we made a pit stop at Wiñaywayña, another Incan citadel built by Pachacutec in the 15th century. In Quechua, the name means “forever young” or “eternally young.” In addition to the usual buildings, this complex features 40+ terraces and an ingenious aqueduct system to take water from 10 surrounding waterfalls and propagate it thru the citadel. We spent some time exploring the place before heading back to the the main trail and continuing our hike.

Welcome to Incan Rivendell!

Double-jam is his jam

Great Urubamba River Valley views

Exploring the lower complex structures

“Be courageous and be brave. And in my heart, you’ll always stay, Forever young”

“Climb ev’ry terrace, Ford ev’ry stream, Follow ev’ry rainbow, Till you find your dream.”

Back on the Inca Trail, the remaining 6-7km leveled out with a few uphill sections, but nothing like the previous stairs section. We walked ahead with Brai to maintain a nice pace, while Luis teamed up with Qi, Nan, and Britt. To pass the time, we played the “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking with me…” game. Our best category was countries. (“Hey Brai… Albania, Brazil, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greenland, Haiti, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Urugay, Venezuela, Wales, Xylophoneland, Yemen, and Zambia!!!”)

Inca Trail fun and games

At one point, Brai warned us about the “Gringo Killer Monkey Steps” section ahead. He didn’t give a ton of details and just said, “you will see!” with a smile. Thanks, Gollum. Turns out the name is much scarier than the steps. Sure, it’s steep, but it’s also plenty wide and there are no cliff edges to contemplate. At the top of the stairs was great lookout. We waited for everyone to join and enjoyed the view. Also, there was a giant spider web complex with multiple large spiders in the rocks/vegetation near the lookout. Very Shelob lair-ish, Gollum.

Monkey steppin’

Accidentally wore the team uniform

The seven… wonders… how much farther?

After the Monkey Steps, it wasn’t long before we arrived at the Sun Gate to Machu Picchu! We soaked in the afternoon sunshine and the golden views of Machu Picchu from the ruins of Inti Punku (aka. “sun door”). The sun gate also marks a position of the sun during the Summer Solstice (which will be useful exactly six months from today, more on that tomorrow). From here, Machu Picchu is still another 1-2km in the distance, and it takes roughly another hour of walking downhill to reach the classic high view point.

Sun Gate breached

Aptly-named Inti Punku

Tip of the hat, Inti

From the Sun Gate to Machu Picchu, the trail features some steep exposures to the east. There are treetops visible, but due to the undergrowth it’s hard to say if you are looking at a 10ft drop, or a 50ft drop. Either way, you really shouldn’t drop anything over the edge, because there’s NO WAY you’re going to be able to get it back.

UNLESS… You are Qi.

While taking pictures near the edge, Qi dropped her GoPro off the side. Miraculously, there were enough branches to cradle it and keep it from falling all the way down (who knows how far!). It was too low to reach (thankfully Luis decided not to jump off the edge), so she miraculously used two hiking poles to “grab” it and gently raise it high enough to retrieve. Just, wow.

Fin Camino Inca Trail

Finally, we made it to Machu Picchu. Our route took us right onto the classic viewing area where the sun was starting to set and we had a perfect view of golden hour. On arrival, we gave the weather/cloud cover a 7/10 rating, but Nan immediately negotiated a better deal with Inti and it quickly became a 10/10.

Another huge benefit of arriving to Machu Picchu by hike later in the afternoon is that all the crowds are gone (they all had to leave early to catch the bus, to the train, to the van back to Cusco or wherever, etc. — like we did in 2022). This time, we only had to contend with the llamas.

Machu Picchu back again x2

Watching the earliest sunset of the year at Machu Picchu

Just us and the locals up here at golden hour

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu hike details

When we were done gazing at Machu Picchu and it’s surroundings, we left the park and took the shuttle bus down the switchbacks to Aguas Calientes. From the bus stop, we walked to the Inkaterra hotel. As promised, our bags were at the hotel waiting for us. We checked in and were shown to our rooms (which have real fireplaces!). There was even time to shower and get ready before we returned to the bar and enjoyed our pisco sour welcome drinks.

Back in Aguas Calientes

The rest of the group joined us and we were eventually sat for dinner. Everything was tasty, but the passionfruit sour (aka. the fruit of the day!) was the best. The food, drinks, and alcohol were all on separate checks, so Luis got a chance to do his best Lionel Messi impression by signing everything put in front of him. Star power!

EARNED it!

By the time we were done, it was pretty late, and we were all ready to sleep. Alas, we did not hit a Karaoke bar with Brai. We have another early morning again tomorrow if we are gonna try to witness the Winter Solstice sunrise at the Sun Temple in Machu Picchu! Oh, and a small hike up Huayna Picchu.

Day 7: Camp Kamcancha

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Updated: July 17, 2025

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Good morning! The sun is shining. Roosters are crowing. Dogs are barking at the roosters. And other dogs are now barking at those dogs. But who cares about all that noise… WAKE UP!!! THE SUN IS SHINING!!! You can dry out that wet jacket in about five minutes in these rays!

Glorious blue skies

Today’s breakfast featured the usual spread of fruit, granola, and yogurt. There was also orange juice, toast, ham and cheese. Plus, we were each served a large pancake. Matt constructed a tasty pancake taco with butter and jam inside. Then the chef brought out a plate of extra pancakes, and we learned the Quechua word “yapa,” meaning “a little extra or bonus.” Qi proceeded to eat two full pancakes and gave Matt grief for only eating one. But hey, somebody is smart enough to save room for chocolates.

Additional educational nuggets from breakfast include the word “granola” translating directly to big wave (aka. “gran” and “ola”), while the wheat bran cereal is called Salvador de Trigo, which directly translates to “safe wheat.” In food recommendations to try later, Suspiro a la Limeña was emphasized. Explora has it on the menu and Luis said we can get one that is lucuma-flavored to kill two tasting birds with one stone.

Before leaving, all members of the expedition (guides, travelers, and camp staff) gathered for some official introductions and shared appreciations. The horse team was no longer planning to follow our route, so we bid farewell. The rest of us marched out of camp in an eastward direction, up a steep incline, then down a giant ravine, and back up the other side.

Laura is not here to whip up a grass bridge, so we traversed this ravine the old fashioned way

Continuing along the Inca Trail (we were still the only ones going backwards), we saw many groups of hikers and porters heading the other direction. On paper, Peru has regulations about the maximum weight that companies are allowed to make porters carry, but it’s obvious the enforcement of those regulations is questionable (compared to Tanzania’s protections for Kilimanjaro porters), given what some porters were hauling past us.

Oxbow back on track

There were no major towns along this portion of the trail, but that doesn’t stop entrepreneurial locals from setting up stands on the side of the road to sell travelers various goods and refreshments. The most popular refreshment is Chica – a fermented or purple corn-based beer/kombucha-style drink. Luis, Brai, and horse guide Alejandro purchased a round (only 3 soles total – about 85 cents) and immediately downed them. It was impressive.

Cheers to the sun!

Chica-powered hikers

The rest of the hike was an Andean flat with a slight rise in elevation toward the end. The wildlife enjoyed the weather as much as the humans, with a variety of hummingbirds zipping around the side of the path. The snow-capped peak of Mt. Veronica loomed beautifully large in our sights as we followed the Urubamba River to Kilometer 82, and the bridge across the river to the town of Piskacucho — which is the traditional starting/entry point of the Inca Trail.

Mt. Veronica showing off today

Bridge to Piskacucho, Kilometer 82

Para bailar Urubama!

We have an official train-pointing

One for the calendar

Hike to Piskacucho details

After officially “exiting” the Inca Trail entrance at Kilometer 82, we found Nan & Britt awaiting us in town with a Explora Van. Given the fact that we successfully hit our time splits on the morning hike, and our Plan A Camp 4 location was only a short drive away, we all opted to make a short field trip to nearby Ollantaytambo. But first, we had a quick box lunch of chips and quinoa with trout (instead of a fancier restaurant that probably would have taken at least two hours). Nan & Britt regaled us with the story of their mountain evacuation adventure from Day 5.

On the drive from Piskacucho to Ollantaytambo, Matt played bluetooth DJ and successfully timed Free Bird to end right exactly with our arrival in the main plaza. Chio took the lead and showed us around the town. We visited a Cancha — a common architectural arrangement featuring an enclosed residential area surrounded by four houses. These houses were about 600 years old and had a whole bunch of guinea pigs running around. We’re pretty sure this is the exact same Cancha we visited in 2022. That Singer sewing machine in the corner looked very familiar.

Expedition Ladies…

… and Gents

After strolling thru a few more back alleys, we made our way to the Ollaytatambo National Archeological Park entrance where Brai donned his official Peru archeological site tour guide credentials and guided us to the top with useful knowledge about Incan masonry, engineering, and beliefs. One of the most important structures on site is the Sun Temple. It was in the process of being built, but before it was finished, the Spanish invaded. The construction quickly turned from the Sun Temple to creating a military base on the same site.

“Let them come. There is still one Inca yet in Ollantaytambo who still draws breath.”

When Indiana Jones is teaching his class

Agricultural, astronomical and military structures

The other side of the door!

Once we were done exploring the top of the Ollantaytambo site, we climbed back down thru the crowd and checked out some fountains at the bottom before exiting. We found Chio and Luis holding a table for us at Incabacks Cafe — where we ordered a quick snack of amazing empanadas, a refreshing mango smoothie, and a colorful chicha icee.

One mango smootie please!

Back in the van, we headed to our Plan A Camp 4 campsite, called Kamcancha. When we arrived, we (aka. the camp staff) immediately started a pachamanca with potatoes, corn, pineapple, beef, chicken, and trout. The operation starts with a fire and some super-heated stones. When the stones are deemed hot enough, the rocks are carefully re-arranged and the food joins the party. With everything in place, the structure is covered with metal/tarp/dirt to cook inside the earth for about an hour.

Panchamanca Masters

What a coincidence! An hour is exactly how much time we need to get one last fabulous round of massages. When we were done, the team was just about ready to open the pachamarca and prepare dinner. Because there was so much food, and so many options, tonight the food was served buffet style. Everything turned out wonderfully and we all had our fill.

There was talk of another game of “Booyah!” but with a very early start planned for tomorrow (it’s gonna be good!!!), we decided to head to sleep instead.

PS. Animal antagonist of the night: A VERY vocal bull. 🐂

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