Day 6: Camp Patallacta

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Updated: August 8, 2025

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We awoke this morning to gray skies and damp everything. Our “clothes pachamanca” sort of worked, but not enough to fully dry anything. So Matt opted for a new pair of socks and different shoes, while Jo switched to a fresh pair of pants that weren’t caked in mud from the knees down. On a positive note, the hot coffee delivered thru the front door of our tent really hit the spot.

Morning weather report

We made our way to the breakfast tent where the selection included the usual fruit, granola, and yogurt, plus delicious scrambled eggs. And don’t forget the bran flakes with milk. Even better, yesterday Luis and Brai noticed Matt’s appreciation of the local chocolate confections that appear during Explora’s turn down service (in the tents too!) and are now hooking him up with extras. So bran flakes with milk AND chocolates for breakfast it is!

The plan for the day was an 11km hike — mostly downhill to reach our next (Plan B2) campsite. We followed a river/stream most of the way as we descended through the lingering clouds and light rain. We learned this amount of of rain is called “Misty Manchachiq”, aka. the kind of rain that makes city folk freak out, but isn’t really so bad.

Over the river and thru the misty manchachiq

Descending to the northeast

As promised, the hike was pretty flat with gradual downhills. Dropping in altitude, we were making pretty good time. We hiked though forest, farms, and fields, eventually finding ourselves below the misty mountain clouds — which meant the rain stopped, and it was even warm enough to tentatively shed some layers.

Brai found some explosive berries along the trail

Uruk-hai clovers for better luck with the weather?

Even Chumpy deserves a break

Roughly halfway on our route, we encountered Paucarcancha, an Incan archeological site that is a part of the larger Machu Picchu Sanctuary area. It is/was situated in a convenient location to grow some crops, observe the Qhapac Ñan, and gaze admiringly at Salkantay (when not cloudy!), but we have not yet reached the most popular sections of the Inca trail, so foot traffic here is pretty low. We basically had the place to ourselves for a while.

Discovery!

The site lived up to it’s name. Paucar means “colorful” or “flowery” and Cancha means “open space” or “corral.” The weather was starting to cooperate, so we spent the next 30-45 minutes exploring the ruins and sitting/relaxing in the grassy terraces of what was once a bustling administrative outpost of the Incan Empire.

Paucarcancha

Nap time amid the ruins

Some of the terraces are fixer uppers

This “rata” plant loves it when you explore here

After enjoying Paucarcancha for a while, we walked a few hundred meters below the ruins to a campsite area for lunch. We had cucumber and avocado salad with chia bread, dry potato soup (which is different than regular potato soup — and probably one of the accounting tricks Peru uses to claim so many varieties of potatoes), and a delicious vegetable saltado. Dessert was a chia ball/RX bar-type thing with sesame seeds that no one really ate. Alas.

We got ourselves ready again and set off for the second half of the hike. We eventually merged with the main Inca Trail that goes to Machu Picchu. Because of this, we saw lots of tour groups and porters (and trash). Because the Inca trail passes thru the existing town of Wayllabamba, there are also gift shops, bars, and discos. We were actually now hiking the Inca trail in the OPPOSITE direction used by travelers who are making the four or five day trek to Machu Picchu. One hiker who passed us asked her guide, “Wait, you can go DOWN the Inca Trail???”

Onward to Wayllabamba

Inca Trail 7-Eleven

More than one way to go on the Inca Trail

As we closed the distance to our campsite, we passed a fun-looking waka (Incan term for “sacred place” or “object of veneration”), right next to another archaeological site complete with terraces. Qi, Brai and Matt ventured up the steps to get a better view of this landmark. Perhaps the location was special because the rock at the top of the climb bears roughly the same outline as the mountain range behind it?

Venturing up the waka

Bit of a waka to get up here! (Rim-shot)

There is some congruity here

After exploring the waka, we continued on just a bit further to the campsite, named Patallacta. Turns out the day’s full hike was more like 16km (rather than 11), but we still arrived at about 4:30pm. And to be fair, this is Plan B, so Explora probably didn’t have our route measured perfectly, instead relying on the locals who probably aren’t running around with their Srava GPS turned on at all times.

View of Camp Patallacta (beyond the terraces)

Welcome home!

Hike to Camp 3 details

We had plenty of time for another round of amazing massages, and Happy Hour — featuring terra chips, cheese crackers, and wine. Pro tip: Add a scoop of the diced green rocoto chilis to the cheese chips for an instant jalapeño popper. Dinner was soup, fried chicken and polenta, and poached pears in a wine sauce for dessert. Delicious.

At dinner, Chio, Brai and Luis filled us in on several of Peru’s best-known spirits and legends including Jarjachas (nocturnal beasts punished for crimes of incest) and Condenados (evil spirits, perhaps cursed to perpetually cross rivers) — and shared their own scary stories about potential sightings.

Brai broke out the bluetooth speaker and we discovered his taste in music is incredible. We also learned jukeboxes are called rocolas. Finally, we shared some of our worldly knowledge and taught the guides how to play the game “Booyah!” Now the greatest and easiest card game has gone global — originating from Matt’s parents and renamed by our friend’s 9-year-old Charles. We played until we were too tired and had to sleep.

Tomorrow we’ll continue our hike backwards down the Inca trail, meet back up with Nan & Britt, check out Ollantaytambo, and make a triumphant return to the fourth night campsite from Plan A!

Antagonists of the night/early morning: dogs, trains, and roosters

Day 5: Camp Pampa Khawana

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Updated: August 8, 2025

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The weather this morning is completely unpredictable. After what seemed like a break in the clouds yesterday evening, we awoke at 1AM to the sound of heavy rain pelting our tent which continued thru our designated wake-up time of 5:45AM. Not encouraging at all (especially if you were thinking of sending any wifi messages overnight from outside your tent).

Evidence of rain all night (and Big Agnes secret Peru branding)

Fortunately, by the time we put on our hiking clothes, packed up (keeping those rain coats handy), and had our hot water/beverages delivered to our tent, the rain stopped and the skies momentarily cleared as we gathered for breakfast and our daily briefing. As expected, the breakfasts on the trail are Explora-level delicious – featuring porridge, fruit, granola, and yogurt, plus Matt’s personal boring favorite… bran flakes and milk.

What rain???

Before we started hiking, the staff checked on Nan’s condition. Unfortunately, she was still feeling pretty bad. With the advice of the guides, she decided she would try to walk a little and use the horse to get to the lunch spot and decide what to do from there. She has experience riding, so this seemed like a good option.

Nan decides to give it a shot

The day’s hike was planned for 15k further north and higher into the Puna region, including an extra kilometer or two at the start before we pass the original night one campsite (Acopia, which was too flooded to stay at). At the start, the clouds and fog were constantly moving about, drastically restricting visibility one second, then briefly clearing up.

Weather will be an uphill battle today

We had a few brief glimpses of Salkantay to the west as we climbed in elevation. We kept our spirits up by asking Brai questions, goofing around with animal bones, and identifying obvious Korok locations with our nifty monoculars.

Quick! Look! Salkantay!

Puna fashion accessory

Take a picture, it will last longer

From this point forward, the battle for decent weather became a decidedly one-sided affair, as banks of mist rolled in from below us, the sky darkened above us, and varying forms of precipitation started again. As Brai warned us yesterday, “Everything is Possible in the Mountains, but nothing is sure.”

13th Warrior vibes

Nothing (literally) dampens Jo’s sprit

Many portions of the trail were just completely mud. We did our best to avoid these portions of the trail and walk on the grass/straw plants whenever possible, but sometimes there wasn’t enough room, or the grass was just as wet and squishy. Muddy shoes it is!

Fortunately no one fell in the mud, just frequent slipping and questionable footing, which slowed our pace considerably. There were also two pretty steep sections where we completely disregarded the switchbacks and bushwhacked our way to the top. It was tiring, but it worked. By this point, Britt also utilized one of the horses to help him get up the steep path.

After we got to the top of a section Brai affectionately called “El Diablo,” the rain turned to sleet. Then snow. The trails were starting to get covered in snow and we couldn’t quite tell where exactly was trail anymore. Walking became very difficult without slipping — and Matt happily noted that micro spikes would have been extremely useful right about now.

Side note: Next week we are going to Inti Raymi in Cusco, but Inti is doing a really crappy job of converting us to his religion. We figured one of the main perks of worshiping the Sun God was you can actually SEE THE SUN.

White out

About six hours after leaving the campsite in the morning, we finally made it to the lunch spot at the “halfway” point. By now, the snow was really falling, we still had about seven kilometers to go, and the sun was going to set in three hours. Because they were on the horses, Nan and Britt made it to the lunch spot about an hour before the rest of us. But Nan was still feeling altitude sickness, so an evacuation plan was put in motion to get Nan and Britt off the mountain and back to the Explora hotel.

We later learned this operation involved horses, walking, AND motorcycles — which sounds kinda awesome (all things considered). Plus, the southern route they took was thru a valley with halfway decent weather.

Lunch time and decision time

Meanwhile, the rest of us gathered in the dining tent to warm up and learn our fate over another delicious Explora lunch — while the snow and rain continued. The simple bread and cheese sandwich appetizers hit the spot, but of course they also brought out trout pasta and dessert. We were thinking, “Um, Hey! Maybe we should get moving!” But Brai and company were on top of it, huddling outside the tent and putting the satellite phone to work. So… we ate lunch both leisurely AND anxiously.

Ultimately, it was determined the weather was not clearing up. A runner from the camp team scouted our planned campsite (Wilke) and confirmed it was snowed in. Therefore, given the snow, the time of day, and the extreme sogginess of everybody’s “Peru Dry Season™” gear, the guides enacted Plan B: Get to lower ground, asap.

Instead of heading toward the snowed-in campsite to the east, we headed north, targeting a new campsite located at about ~3800m. The first portion of the new route was still at the ~4600m level so we braved the snow and cold for a bit longer. Brai literally lifted our spirits at our highest elevation by lifting a spirit – a capful of anais liqueur for each of us. Shots! We were energized and ready to go the rest of the way. Brai also made an offering to Salkantay (even though he was not cooperating).

Heading down

We were still trying to beat the sunset (“sun” being used VERY loosely there) and the precipitation, so we walked as quickly as possible without slipping. Luis’ bright yellow jacket was SUPER helpful to spot him when he was more than 20 feet in front of us. We got below the snow line, and the rain finally turned to mist.

Spotting Yellow things in the Mist, Part 1

Spotting Yellow things in the Mist, Part 2

We finally got to our campsite (just before dark!) called Pampa Khawana, meaning “flat viewpoint”. Lower in elevation, it was warmer than our lunch spot in the snow, but still quite cold. Plus, everything was soaking wet. Gortex can only do so much. It was such a challenging day that even Jo opted for a massage later at camp. Turns out they are good!

We’re Alive! And thankfully not the 1993 Movie!

Hike to Camp 2 details

Because of the change in plans, the camp team only arrived slightly before us, and they did a Herculean job to get all the essentials ready for us. Matt took a boiling camp shower to warm up and we laid out/hung up what we could in order to help things dry. But since the weather was still wet and cold, nothing was gonna dry.

We went to the dining tent for dinner of veggie soup, beef, potatoes, and a jackfruit dessert. We also had more anise shots and were advised that if we wanted to order anis at a bar or restaurant, we have to ask for Anisado. Otherwise, they will try to give us the spice. I know we are aren’t fluent in Spanish, but I think we would probably notice the difference.

During dinner, the guides also told us about a fruit called lucuma that they all love, but couldn’t describe. It goes in smoothies, or ice cream, or plain. We will have to try some when we get back to Explora. They also mentioned Ochucutu sauce, which is a homemade spicy sauce. We also confirmed that Rocoto peppers (Peruvian name) and Locoto peppers (Bolivian name) are the same thing, so we are set with our Rocoto sauce at home. But here’s a new Rocoto Pro Tip! Chopped up green Rocoto peppers makes an incredibly tasty salsa. Alas, those might be harder to find in Chicago.

Guides relax (a bit) after a crazy day. Thanks guys!!!

After dinner, the camp team gave us warm water bottles to use in our sleeping bags to help keep us warm. Matt figured we could use them to make a “clothes panchamaca” and take a shot at drying some of our clothes. So… we wrapped our wet clothes around the hot bottle, wrapped that inside of a couple blankets, and put it in the bottom of the sleeping bag. Here’s hoping that we have somewhat dry socks tomorrow!

Day 4: Camp Punkuccasa

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Updated: July 10, 2025

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Today the real adventure begins! Our next four nights will be at tented camps along Explora’s curated hiking route thru the Vilcabamba mountain range. One problem. It has been raining since the middle of the night, and the usually sunny Explora cornfields are draped in clouds and mist. We are told this is unusual, considering it is the middle of Peru’s “Dry Season.” Apparently, we are good at bringing the unusual weather.

After filling up on our usual breakfast (eggs, avocado toast, fruit and yogurt, and of course espresso), we partially checked out of the hotel. We turned in our room 10 key, left our main luggage for safe-keeping, and packed our camping/hiking necessities with us in the Explora-provided Patagonia 55L Black Hole duffle bags — which DEFINITELY weight less than 10kg — unless you’re taking that military-grade Explora poncho with you, in which case your duffle weighs 75kg. We then joined the rest of the expedition team at the big map for the big send-off.

Intrepid Sacred Valley Exploration team #2

We drove through Urubamba again, which has a lot of stray dogs. They seem generally well taken care of (not skinny or sick looking), but today was trash day, and the dogs were very excited to have piles of trash bags to sift through. It was very Isle of Dogs-esque. Luis told us that he is trying to start a local campaign to spay and neuter the strays to reduce the number of new stray dogs in the area. He has three dogs of his own at home — Mango, Mulatto, and Pillie.

The drive to the trailhead took about three hours (and Jo was awake for some of it!). Along the way we stopped for some coca leaves and some “bathrooms,” which were so bad that using the Inca toilets would have been much better. The last part of the drive was up a dirt road for about 30 minutes. We stepped out of the van at 3400m. It was still raining.

Rollercoaster of a drive there

Upon arrival to the town of Misquiyaco (more like MISTY-aco, amirite?!?) we saw a portion of our support team consisting of humans, horses, and mules. We immediately put our rain gear to use. We also applied sunscreen (in blind faith, mostly) followed by some insect repellant — since we are starting the hike in the rainforest zone. Before heading out, we made a Coca-Cola offering to Panchamama (hopefully for better weather!).

Expedition staging area

Once everyone was ready, we headed north into the Misquiyaco Conservation Reserve. The name Misquiyaco means good or sweet Earth. In our case, it also means wet earth. We started hiking up the trail. And up and up and up some more. The terrain was pretty muddy from the rains overnight but we made it just fine. The rainforest was beautiful – dense with trees covered in moss and lichen, plants all along the ground brushing our legs as we walked past, and branches hanging down low.

Into the wild selfie

A brief reprieve from the rain

Misquiyaco Mushrooms for Mica!

While the majority of the support team travels separately to get to the lunch spot and our nightly camp before we do, we did have two humans (Laura and Alex) and two horse (Crespo – meaning curly, and Chumpy – meaning brownish red color) hiking with us in case of an emergency. We could use the horses to ride if altitude sickness was an issue, or they could carry our bags if they got too heavy.

Chumpy, Crespo (barely), Laura, and Alex

As we ascended, we quickly moved out of the rainforest zone and into the Puna zone. Big trees and tweeting birds were replaced with rolling grasslands and mooing cows. We continued our journey, moving off to the side a few times to let the horse team pass. Turns out you can do a lot of things with the grass in this area (if your name is Laura).

Brai is legally obligated to say the rain is good luck

After some breaks and snacks, we made it to the lunch spot. This is no ordinary backpacking lunch break. This is the full Explora experience complete with multiple plated courses. To start, we had a trout appetizer, then semolina soup (which is basically cream of wheat), and causa de pollo, with passion fruit mousse for dessert. Oh, and don’t forget the rosemary bread. The worst part was not being able to eat too much since we still had more walking to do and couldn’t afford a food coma. It was still raining on and off while we ate, but it seemed to stop as we finished and got ready to start hiking again.

Lunch spot reached

Lunch finished, let’s go, maybe the rain won’t notice!

We continued our way up through the puna. While the rain seemed to be done (lol), clouds were still passing above and below us, occasionally allowing spectacular glimpses of the surrounding mountains and the valley.

Clouds rolling thru

We also had some cows follow us for a while. Apparently Laura (one of the horse guides) owns these cows, so they were looking for her to give them some tasty salt. Laura also revealed that she had lit a candle and done a ritual to ask for rain a couple days ago to help her farm and livestock. So… she basically cursed us. She is going back home tonight (someone else is coming to lead the horses). We kindly asked if she would blow out that candle.

About an hour and a half after lunch, we closed in on the location of our first campsite, and the rain subsided long enough for some of the natural landscape to shine.

Last pit-stop before camp

The campsite appeared out of nowhere as we crested a ridge. The name of this site is Punkuccasa (the pronunciation of the two Cs indicate this is a Quechuan word) and sits at 4200m. This campsite was not the original planned site (Spoiler alert: more of that to come!), but the original site was flooded due to all the recent rain in Peru’s famous “Dry Season.”

Punkuccasa, home sweet home

What is that bright light???

Hike to Camp Punkuccasa details

But no complaints! This site was great and it was getting pretty close to sunset. In addition, the clouds had cleared and we spend some time enjoying the view and taking pictures during golden hour.

Flag series continues

Luis and Brai tolerating the guests

Group shot

We were shown our ginormous tents and settled in. A bonkers addition to our hiking team are two masseuses. Matt took advantage of the offer and got a full body massage (along with Luis) before Happy Hour. It was amazing.

By this point, Nan was really feeling the affects of the altitude and was resting in her tent. Wilderness First Aid Certified Brai and Chio spent some time assessing and checking on her. The rest of the group gathered in the dining tent for some snacks and tea for Happy Hour and then a full dinner of Pumpkin soup, carrot bread, trout with rice and potatoes (Brai says every meal in Peru is rice and something or potatoes and something, so this is double Peru-ness), and chia pudding with strawberries. Brai was not a fan of the pudding until we let him know the strawberries were hiding at the bottom. Another bonus in the dining tent are the power banks we can use to charge our electronics.

After dinner, we were all pretty beat and went off to our rooms (hard to call them tents) to sleep.

Before the rain

PS. Animal antagonist of the night: the horses.

Day 3: Wata

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Updated: July 19, 2025

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We have another full day at the Explora Sacred Valley lodge before we kick it up a notch and go off the grid. The plan for today is a hike to the archaeological site of Wata — as featured on National Geographic’s Lost Cities with Albert Lin, who, if you watch the episode about the Incas, will definitely let you know how great his LiDAR drone is.

But first! We hand-delivered a few very valuable items to one of our favorite Explora guides Mati Weber. He was our lead guide on the Tierra del Fuego Expedition. When Patagonia National Park closes for the winter, he heads up to Sacred Valley until the warmer temps return to Chile.

Another beaver imported from North America

After catching up with Mati for a couple minutes, it was time for breakfast. On the menu today: the traditional (and necessary) double cappuccino, and over-easy egg sandwiches with avocado and tomato. Mmmm.

Traditional AND Necessary

We met up with the Expedition group at 8:15AM to head out for the full-day hike. Brai explained the hike and we marched to the van. The drive took about an hour and a half. And hey! Along the way we passed by Sky Lodge (see Peru Day 11 and Day 12).

Most of the drive was typical Peru craziness (speed bumps out of nowhere, dogs and cars crossing at any moment), and the last 20 minutes was driving up a narrow dirt road on tight switchbacks. No worries though, Explora drivers are the best and we made it safe and sound.

Before starting the hike, we took a few minutes to stretch and set up/put on our gear. The route today has some uphill sections in the first half (to reach Wata at the high point), but nothing insane.

Hike 2 Group Selfie

Onward!

Upward!

Everybody proceeded at a slow and steady pace to acclimate at the ~3800m elevation. We passed through tiny villages with amazing views of the surrounding areas and Andes mountains.

Local villages nestled in the valleys

And their security staff

Wata great view! (Disclaimer: Not actually a picture of Wata, just a bad pun)

One for the calendar

After about two hours of hiking, we made it to Wata, a pre-Incan structure that was at least partially used as a Kolka (storage house). It is unsure what exactly the purpose of the entire structure was, but theories include burial ground, homes, and ceremonial center.

Now this is actually Wata

Looking for the reception desk

We took time to wander around Wata for a while before enjoying lunch, including the quintessential Explora soup.

Exploring Wata

Camp chair perfect for Wata patio seating

Luis’ superpower is he can nap ANYWHERE

After we ate our sandwiches and pasta (and soup, and appetizers, and dessert), we started the descent back down to the main road to the south. It was another three-ish miles. Not the same route as the way up, but similar nature and views.

Starting the descent

At one point along the trail, we saw a giant crawling insect that looked like a big black spider, but also has orange wings. Turns out it was a Tarantula Hawk wasp that, as the name implies, kills tarantula spiders and carries them off. They also have a very painful sting. Good thing we “noped” right out of there as soon as it went airborne.

American Kestral (maybe) feather?

American Kestral Apparel

Hiking downhill goes faster, and we needed fewer breaks, so it only took about an hour and a half to get down. That said, we were in no rush and took our time, especially on the steep sections, so we didn’t fall or destroy our knees. The very last section was to cross railroad tracks, and then a river (on a bridge). Finally, we met our driver and celebratory snacks and drinks. It was a gorgeous day, so all-in-all a great hike.

Looking back toward Wata

The promised van

Tag-team knee brace removal team

Wata hike details

Since we hiked down to the main road, we did not need to take the windy dirt road again (yay!) on our route back to Explora. Arriving at 4:30pm, we had some time to relax before dinner. We checked out the gift shop, but didn’t decide on anything just yet. Matt went to take a dip in the pool (perfect temperature and no other people) while Jo went back to the room to shower and hang out at the bar until dinner.

Tonight’s dinner is a special, traditional barbecue held in the courtyard of the spa house (which used to be an Incan house). The preparation is called a Panchamanca, which is when meat, vegetables, and pretty much anything else, are slow-cooked in a ground oven (or a hole) with hot stones covered by leaves and soil. The food is layered according to how much of the heat it needs to be exposed to. Pachamarca directly translates to “Mother Pot.” (Spoiler Alert: Panchamanca will make another appearance on this trip during Day 7.)

We enjoyed the food and live music. Luis advised us to go easy on the heavier meats the night before we set off for our expedition. Fewer Pisco Sours tonight as well. Last time we were here, there were also traditional dancers to accompany the musicians, but apparently other guests thought the dances went on too long, so they scraped it.

Dinner selfie

Once we had our fill, we went back to our rooms to get some sleep. Tomorrow we leave bright and early at 6:45AM to drive the few hours necessary to start the hike and begin the camping portion of the expedition.

Day 2: Lima to Sacred Valley

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Updated: July 17, 2025

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The new Lima airport has only been open for two weeks, and they probably have some operational kinks to work out. Therefore, LATAM suggested we arrive three hours before our flight to Cusco at 7:55am (even though LIM—>CUZ is a domestic flight). FINE… 3:30am wake up call it is.

We managed to get up and briefly hit the Wyndham breakfast buffet by 4am for a few bites and “protein bars” (aka. cookies) before catching the shuttle. Fortunately, the ride from the old airport to the new airport is all right turns, so it only took about 10 minutes.

Mean way to translate items at a 4am breakfast buffet

Lima still working out traffic patterns to the new airport

Upon arrival, we were greeted by another Wyndham employee who carted our bags into the airport and escorted us to the check-in. A bit odd, but maybe they were trying to make up for the whole shuttle bus situation. Anyways, the help was nice.

In typical fashion, we had to wait about five minutes before LATAM would let us check our bags (it was 4:50am, and they won’t allow it more than three hours in advance). The time was well spent exchanging some US dollars into Peruvian Sols for future shopping.

Once bag drop was complete, we went through security and found the waiting area for the domestic terminal. The three-hour suggestion was certainly overkill as we had about two hours until boarding. We spent the time shopping, crocheting, and waiting for the local coffee shop to open and had a delicious dark chocolate espresso.

Jo’s next crochet project

The flight was quick – only a bit over an hour — and we landed in Cusco shortly after 9am. The final 20 minutes features some great views of the Vilcabamba mountain range followed by a strong bank into the Cusco valley for the landing.

Hey, hey, Salkantay

We collected our luggage and found the Explora van. We did our best to chat with the driver in Spanish until Jo fell asleep and Matt enjoyed the scenery.

Back to Urubamba!

Corn man of Huayllabamba still going strong

Once we arrived at Explora, we were greeted by our expedition team leader Luis (aka. Chato) and our senior guide Braithan (aka. Brai). We checked in and were guided to our room. We had about 30 minutes before lunch started, so we were able to unpack a bit and change into our hiking clothes. We had a delicious Explora lunch – trout ceviche and chicha power drinks, we missed you.

With Luis and Brai

Explora room 10…

…with a view

So, so good

The other three adventurers joining us on the expedition arrived to Cusco on later fights and had to deal with some traffic, but they eventually made it in time for our introductory afternoon exploration to Machu Kolka. We were officially introduced to Lengyan (aka. Qi), Nancy (aka. Nan), and Britton (aka. Britt). Brai gave us low-down on the hike, and we hopped in the van.

Machu Kolca briefing

The hike started right next to the town of Chinchero, which we had visited when we were here in 2022. This time though, instead of seeing the town, we started hiking up a hill and back down towards the kolkas (storage houses) from the Incas. Along the way, we had amazing views of Urubamba and the surrounding mountains. We also spotted three Andean White Tailed deer frolicking about the hillside.

Starting in Chinchero

View to the northeast

No training wheel hikes this time, right up to 4000m

As we reached the highest point of the hike, the sun started to set. It made for a great backdrop… and a little motivation to keep moving. We continued the route down hill to Machu Kolka where we had some time to admire what was left of the structures. The Incas use these store houses to keep food they had harvested fresh. This allowed them to keep a reserve away from potential thieves (or the Spanish), and gave the community some security that they will still have food even if they don’t have a lot of crops.

Sunset over Sacred Valley

Machu Kolka

Navigating the Machu Kolka terraces

We made our way down past Machu Kolka and to the van where the traditional Explora post-hike spread was waiting for us. We snacked on cheese and crackers and drank some tea. By the time we were done, the sun had fully set and we hopped back in the van for the drive to the hotel. First hike a success.

Machu Kolka hike details

On our return to the hotel, we gathered for an introductory briefing about the expedition and the importance of our planned route featuring parts of the Qhapaq Ñan and Inca Trail. Chato and Brai were joined by senior guide Rocio (aka. Chio). We already knew Chio because she was one of the amazing guides we had back in 2022. She will join us for the camping portion of the trip. Once all of our logistical questions were answered, we headed to the dining room for dinner. We ate and chatted until it was time to go to sleep.

Cheers!

Tomorrow we’ll head a bit further to the west and go on a 10km hike to Wata. Even better, we get to wake up at 6:30am — a whole three hours later than today!

Day 1: Chicago to Lima

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Updated: June 26, 2025

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Today is our travel day! We woke up at 5am to get ready and add any final touches to packing. Since we were leaving so early, we opted to take a Lyft (thanks Chase Sapphire benefits!) rather than the bus to the L. Also, there is construction on the Addison bridge where the blue line stop is, so we just bypassed the whole thing. Unfortunately, that means we had no train to point at to start the trip.

Maaaaybe it’s a Peru flag

We arrived at the airport right on time and proceeded to check our bags. It was fairly crowded for 6:15 am and the American Airline agents were doing their best to shuffle people from the bag check kiosks to the various counters and then to the correct security line. Now that we are pros at printing and attaching bag tags, we breezed through the process and proceeded to the TSA Pre-check line… which was quite long. When everyone has TSA Pre-check, no one does. Luckily, an agent directed us to the next line over, where there were only a few people.

Our gate was pretty close to security, so we found seats and made our breakfast and caffeine plan. We were right next to the food court which had huge lines and long waits for both McDonald’s and Starbucks, which also both conveniently have order-ahead options on the app. We’re not sure why airports make us crave Egg McMuffins, but here we are. Breakfast plan was activated and we were soon awake and full. We also happened to be seated across from Vogues Chocolate – shout out to Jenny’s early 20s.

The flight was a bit late to board because the plane was late coming from… the hangar. What, was there traffic? We weren’t worried because we booked this early flight to ensure enough layover time in Miami. We had the 30 minutes to spare, so all was good. Once we did board, our row was full, but the row right next to us had an open aisle seat. Our window seat companion decided to jump ship to the aisle, leaving us with a bit extra room. Thanks, sir! The flight went well and we were in Miami soon enough.

Fresh from the hangar

Open middle seat karma

Upon landing, we discovered that our next gate for the flight to Lima was across from the gate we landed in. So much for needed extra time in Miami to navigate the giant airport. On the bright side, we landed in the international terminal where there is a priority pass lounge. Since we had the time, we figured we’d press our luck and see if they’d be so kind as to let us in. We started making our way over, when people on those golf cart things asked if we were heading to the lounge and gave us a ride. It really wasn’t that far as to need the cart ride, but it was handy. And we got to act like we were on the amazing race when we passed the other cart of lounge goers.

Arriving at D42, next flight D43

This map does not clarify that MIA is Super Mario 3 Giant World-sized

To make things even better, the lounge actually let us in. Thanks, Turkish Airlines Lounge! We had time to eat some lunch (mmm, Turkish food), catch up on emails, and relax. Eventually it was time to get back to the gate to board. The cart drivers were nowhere to be seen so we hoofed it a whole 10 minutes back to the gate.

When the Priority Pass lounge still works (shockingly)

The flight was the usual – crochet, movies, snacks. The plane did seem to be full of large groups of families, EF education tours, and youth groups/mission trips. It was basically a party plane with people playing card games and chatting.

Must have run out of Incan deserts on the flight to Peru

The amount of groups was helpful when we landed and they all waited for each other to go through customs — making the line pretty non-existent. We flew through customs, and our bags arrived pretty quickly, allowing us to catch the shuttle to the hotel. Fun fact, Lima opened this new airport about a week ago, using the same runway as the old airport. It still has that new airport smell.

New Lims Airport customs a breeze

The airport is all new and shiny, but they didn’t create the infrastructure and roads to really support it, causing a 25 minutes shuttle ride to the hotel that is just across from the old airport. A new hotel will open right across from the new airport, but not until the end of the month. Alas, the shuttle it is!

Shuttle to the old Wyndham (new one doesn’t open til July)

Because the hotel is attached to the old airport (which is essentially closed except for office use), the shuttle had to go through some gates and checkpoints to enter. This is probably the most secure hotel we’ve stayed at because no one is allowed in the old airport building.

Station 11 vibes at old Jorge Chavez International terminal

We checked in, made a quick stop in the room and came back down to the bar for our welcome drinks of delicious pisco sours.

Our favorite “Welcome to Peru” bar

Pisco Sours successfully acquired

Tomorrow we leave super early to make our flight to Cusco and start the adventure with Explora.

Getting Ready for Peru Again

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Updated: June 8, 2025

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Jo and I previously visited Peru in 2022 and had a pretty memorable trip :). This past winter, when our favorite South American travel company Explora announced a new Expedition called “Sacred Mountains Expedition: The Unknown Inca Trail to Machu Picchu”, we signed up ASAP!

Expedition route

The nine-day exhibition itinerary will take us thru the Vilcabamba Mountain Range and Sacred Valley, ending with another visit to Machu Picchu (and Huayna Picchu this time!). The distance and elevation of the hikes look like a good challenge comparable with our Kilimanjaro trek last year. Maybe harder? Pole, Pole, Please!

By the numbers

After we survive the Explora Expedition, we’ll spend a few days in Cusco celebrating and worshiping the Sun God, because we (by accident) will end up being in the city for the huge Annual Incan Festival of Inti Raymi on June 24th.

Inti Raymi Festival

Advance research on our new god!

When those festivities in Cusco are done, we’ll head south to Arequipa and spend a few days around Colca Canyon, which is Peru’s third most popular tourist destination. Did not know that! I imagine it is Peru’s version of the Grand Canyon — deeper in some points — but is it as “grand”? We shall see!!!

Very deep, but is it grand???

And finally, just for the record, this ridiculousness had nothing to do with our plans.

Unless it’s the Chicago Bears… BOOM! Roasted.

Day 10: Santiago to Chicago

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Updated: April 7, 2025

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Today is the day for all you loyal blog readers who have ever asked us if we would like to take a “normal” vacation! You know, like “hang out at the pool” or “go to a sky deck bar for drinks”. Even though we’ll be flying home later today, that’s not until 9:45pm, so let’s see how well we can Santiago-it-up until then.

After sleeping in and enjoying breakfast, we attended to the pool on the rooftop deck. Matt swam while Jo lounged in the sun. The weather was nice and warm and much sunnier than yesterday. We lounged at the pool for as long as possible before checking out at 12:30pm. We gathered our belongings, prepared our day packs, and had the hotel hold the rest of our bags.

We can pool!

But we are still really pale

Refreshing dip

The next destination

There was really only one planned mission for the day… find a particular style of BAMERS shoes that we were introduced to by Matias Guide. Bamers are a Chilean brand of what could best be described as “hardcore crocs,” which are great for camping and hikes. A little internet research and we located a Bamers shoe store a 15-minute walk away in the Costanera Mall, which is at the base of Costanera Tower — the tallest building in Santiago and an iconic part of the skyline. Size-wise, it’s no Mall of America, but certainly qualifies a fun (and perfectly touristy) thing to do.

We quickly found the Bamers store, but quickly realized they do not have the style of shoe we were looking for. Apparently this shoe is a summer style and since it’s getting to be winter here, they are not stocking them in stores or online. Ah well, let’s keep shopping.

We stumbled upon a Hoka store. Perhaps we can get shoes for Jo instead??? Jo’s current pair — which she was wearing — were well worn out. Amid the customers collecting race packets for a Santiago 21k race, we grabbed a salesperson who spoke some English to help us, tried on the updated pair of the same style, and made the purchase. No longer needing the old pair, they were immediately delivered to the trash can in the food court. YOLO!!!

Like a video game upgrade

We continued to shop around, making short stops in the major department stores to see if they happened to sell Bamers (spoiler alert: they don’t), as well as a variety of other fun shops – selling books, yarn, drones, more expensive lapis azul penguins, etc.

Cool bookstore tree decor

Are you inspired?!?

We eventually made our way back through the mall and located the entrance of the “Santiago Experience” at Sky Costanera, which takes you to the top of the Costanera Tower. Shopping and an observation deck! How normal we are!

Not too busy for a Saturday afternoon

There were surprisingly few people out and about, and only a handful of people in line for the elevator, so we figured let’s do it. We bought our tickets, went through the gates, and caught the next elevator to the top. Starting on the basement and going up 300 meters to the 61st floor only takes 40 seconds. We then had as much time as we wanted to wander the first (indoor) observation deck, get a drink at the bar, and take the escalator one more level up to the open air sky deck. We did all three.

Top of Santiago

Open air sky deck

THIS… IS… SANTIAGO!!!

There was a lovely bar/cafe and we found a table by the window. We ordered some fancy drinks (both involving calafate juice, of course) and relaxed. We were able to spot our hotel, our San Cristobal Hill trail, and a variety of other important landmarks (like La Burgesia). When we finished the drinks, we wandered around and used the scopes. We then went upstairs for a slightly higher view of everything.

360 degree views of Santiago

One more penguin friend

We took the elevator back down, which deposits you on the fifth (top) floor of the mall — a real “exit-through-the-gift-shop” situation — but we eventually made our way out (and declined to purchase any new vehicles from the mall auto dealerships along the way, lol).

Last on our to-do list was a sandwich shop called Fuente Alemada — recommended by Explora. We walked to the shop and figured out what/how to order. We found the to-go counter, which was technically a separate storefront around the corner, placed the order, and 15 minutes later were carrying some surprisingly heavy sandwiches back to the hotel.

Sandwiches acquired!

Our timing worked out great — we returned to the Solace lobby, had the exact right time to share one of the sandwiches (technically more like a burger), got our held luggage from the desk, changed into our plane clothes, and called an Uber to the airport. The Uber was already on our street, so it arrived immediately. The driver was playing some good local music we Shazam’d for later.

At the airport, bag check went well and we moved to the next step in leaving Chile – waiting in line for immigration. In true Chilean fashion, there seemed to be two people working. Eventually, they opened up a couple more booths when the line started to snake out of the door (good plan, guys!). Most agents took about 30 seconds per person, but our line’s agent was the sloth from Zootopia. We hopped lines, and to this day, we are not sure if the people behind us ever left Chile.

Once fully through security, we stopped in the duty-free store for a bottle of Pisco. We were going to buy one that came in a black moai bottle, but because we had a connection, we weren’t allowed to take it. Something about an opaque bottle rather than clear… we think? Alas, nobody will mistake us for duty-free experts. We did end up buying the brand Matias recommended which was properly in a clear bottle.

Before taking off, we wanted to eat our other sandwich. Having learned from the first one, we procured a set of bamboo cutlery from an airport cafe, and purchased a Fanta from the Juan Valdez cafe in order to claim some table space. These aren’t your typical lunchbox sandwiches!

Just in time to finish transferring some pictures, it was time to board. At check-in, we were warned that no liquids or gels are allowed on the flight, including anything bought past security. We were prepared, but the lady in front of us was not, and she was not happy about it.

These TSA-sponsored International-to-USA gate security checks for liquids (and whatever else) is what Matt calls “Racoon Security.” Some poor agent — wearing those dumb rubber gloves — opens your bags, pulls a few random things out, rummages around for literally a few seconds, and then jams all your stuff back in your bag randomly, before handing it back to you. Scanners would at least make the process worthwhile. But of course not. Once past the completely ineffectual rummaging (ie, you missed about seven other compartments on my bag), we picked up our bottle of pisco from duty free and found our seats. The flight went well and we were able to sleep for a few hours.

Once we landed in Houston, we went though customs. The aisle of face scanners for Global Entry were out of order, but we still went pretty quickly through a line where there was one working scanner. We picked up our bags (which came out really quickly), stashed the pisco in one of them, and then rechecked our bags before heading back through security. The line was moving slowly, but we weren’t in any rush since we found out our particular flight to Chicago was delayed by an hour. We made the long trek (seriously, it was probably about 25 minutes) to our gate and found a spot to settle in and wait.

Metaphorical, alas

Two hours later, after some pseudo-napping on the floor, we were ready to board. There was weather in the midwest, so the flight was a little bumpy, but not the worst. After taking a few long flights in the past week, the two and a half hour flight went by quick.

Dodging weather to ORD

Our particular flight from Houston was delayed, but there were others that weren’t — and Matt’s checked bag didn’t feel like waiting. Upon arrival in Chicago, we found the area of baggage claim where early-arriving luggages lives. Matt’s bag was safely locked up, we spotted it, and we showed an agent our claim tag to have it released. Probably the most secure our checked bags have ever been. Also… remember to keep those baggage claim tags, people!

This checked bag doesn’t wait!

From there we hopped in cab (no ticket needed!) and were driven home by perhaps the most questionably aggressive cab driver we have ever had. This guy had a death wish. Driving like a lunatic, flipping people off (who were definitely NOT in the wrong), and a pile of empty McDonalds coffee cups in the console. We are lucky to still be alive. But, on the bright side, we DID make it home before the rain storms started.

Death Cab for Cutie

Hey Rich!!! We back!!!!

The entire trip was amazing and we can’t wait to get back to South America.

Day 9: Santiago

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Updated: April 1, 2025

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With a late night yesterday, we slept in today — but still managed to catch the end of the hotel breakfast buffet from about 10-10:30am. Plenty of (delicious) yogurt, granola, and pastries, but, alas, scrambled eggs were only for the early birds. Hard-boiled for us today. No worries, we had plenty of food and, more importantly, cappuccinos. Matt even figured out how to “hack” the espresso machine to make the perfect mocha latte.

Solid relaxing mode is the day’s plan, but more importantly, it’s blog-catchup time. We rode the elevator up to the rooftop bar/pool/deck area and posted a handful of blogs from the past few days without internet in Tierra del Fuego. Thank you devoted blog readers for your patience. The weather was perfect, the views were pleasant, and we were serenaded with the bar’s pop/dance music selections as a few other trendy people stopped by to eat lunch and have a couple drinks.

Time for some rooftop R&R&B!

Blog today, pool tomorrow

Construction to the east

Once we caught up on the blogs, we decided to go do our favorite Santiago activity – walk up San Cristobal Hill. It’s about three miles (and 300 vertical meters) from the hotel to the top where the giant statue of Mary stands. This is our third time doing this self-guided exploration, and we turned in out thrice-punched frequent visitor card for a magnet to commemorate (there is no card, fyi, but there is now a magnet). Next time, we’re gonna run a 5k up the hill.

We have an afternoon plan

Back at our favorite urban park

We will definitely see cyclists and mote con huesillo

Making good time

Approaching the top

As always, once we made it to the top, we visited Mary and followed with a break to enjoy a mote con huesillo – a cold, sweet drink/snack made of berry husks, cooked peaches, and peach juice. It’s a must-have at the top. The weather was relatively mild and cloudy today, so we didn’t even need to share our drink with the bees. We shared one drink between ourselves because we had big plans for dinner.

“Yo, Listen up, Mary’s talking”

Must get a Mote

We walked back down the hill using the same path we took up, except for a shortcut on a trail (rather than the road) to get to the bottom. Skies were pleasantly overcast (or perhaps overcast = smog), so it wasn’t blazing hot and we didn’t suffer any sun burns.

Nature! Even it probably just a pigeon feather

Shortcut! (Unless Jo is the mole)

Arts in the park

After crossing back thru the sculpture garden park and bridges, we walked a few additional blocks to La Burguesía, a burger place that Roberto recommended to us in 2019. We thoroughly enjoyed this place six years ago. Last year, we tried to go, but they were closed for Easter. This year, we are in luck! We arrived at about 6:15pm, easily beating the dinner rush, and were seated right away.

Hits the spot after that three-hour hike

With Jo’s limited Spanish and Google Translate, we ordered Calafate Ales on draft and a couple of the Special Burgers. Everything arrived quickly — the portions were generous and incredibly delicious. Matt had basically a brat burger – a regular burger patty with sauerkraut, onions, and German mustard. Meanwhile, Jo had a burger with poached pears, caramelized onions, blue cheese sauce, and bacon bits. Both were incredible. 10/10 would come back here again next time.

Both burgers A+

When we couldn’t eat any more, we walked back to the hotel, meandering into any shops that looked interesting. No luck, but we did a couple “Silo-like” malls that basically featured only stores pertaining to comic books, anime, weed, tattoos, and piercings. We passed on all options.

Back at the hotel, we spent the rest of the night catching up on emails and dozing off to sleep. Tomorrow we once again have most of the afternoon to walk around like regular ‘ol tourists before heading to the airport.

Day 8: Tierra del Fuego to Santiago

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Updated: May 31, 2025

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We woke up this morning nice and toasty because Matt and Matias (but mostly Matias after 2:30am) kept the stove burning throughout the night. Having packed our bags yesterday, we enjoyed a relaxing morning with coffee and were the first ones to breakfast. Another perfect Explora breakfast, just no tomatoes – because we probably ate them all at last night’s feast!

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

After breakfast — with our departure imminent — we gathered for a few photos with the entire group and the staff and said our goodbyes.

Full expedition crew

Behind-the-scenes photo shoot photo

We loaded in the van and Matias Guide drove us about two hours north to the airstrip for our flight to Punta Arenas. We took the same route we used to get here (there is really only one road) — passing through the Genkowski Canyon (named for Don Germán and his family), Guanaco Pass (our hike from Day 6) and our lunch lookout spot. Then we drove down into the Patience Valley again and back up the switchbacks on the other side. Finally, we passed Pietro Grande (our hike from Day 4) and into the ‘city’ of Pampa Guanaco.

Our Patience (Valley) has run out

Jo’s actually awake and enjoying the views

Fortunately, there were no guanacos on the runway today. We pulled in and waited for our plane to arrive. The bathrooms in the actual airstrip office were not up to Explora standards, but we convinced the very friendly police to let us use the one in their station. This was the same police station Matias took refuge in 20 years ago. The plane had not yet arrived (as expected) so we hung out in the van until it did. We donated our stash of trail mix to Matias Guide who said that’ll be his main source of food on his hikes. We then said goodbye as he’ll be driving back with all the staff on a different driving/ferry route — arriving in Punta Arenas later tonight.

Goodbye Matias (til next time)… Best guide ever!

The plane arrived right on time and we got ready to board. First we packed the bags in the hold, then the people in the cabin. We settled in the 20 passenger plane and we were off.

Operation: Don’t Get Airsick????

The retrospective rewind continued on the flight. From above, we first spotted Las Lengas estancia where we stayed the first night, then estancia Cameron where we saw the sheep herder (and the friendly dogs). We saw some rivers and could clearly see the impact of the beavers on those rivers in some areas. After we flew over Useless Bay (with the penguin colony in the distance), we spotted Portvenir — where the ferry originally docked on Tierra del Fuego island — and proceeded across the Magellan Strait.

Las Lengas and Lago Blanco (the big one)

Pampa waterworks of the Rio Grande

Evidence of beaver crimes

Estancia Cameron

Porvenir

Are you ‘Gellan over the Strait of Magellan?

Finally, we landed in Punta Arenas – back where we started. Now at a proper (albeit small) airport, the airport staff unloaded the bags and we picked them up at baggage claim a few steps away. Great news!!! No one’s luggage was lost!

What’s kerning anyways???

Would have been funnier if the belt was moving

We continued Benjamin-buttoning the trip by going back to La Yegua Loca — our original starting point for the Expedition. We had one last lunch together and even ate one of the same meals – delicious salmon on gnocchi. We all got to talk to Matias’ mom on FaceTime – and now we know why Matias is so great! Jen and Jon warned us about a variety of scams to avoid in the world. Ann planned to recover soon and feel better for her continued travels in Patagonia.

Unfortunately, at this point, we had to break our time loop. Rather than start on another Tierra del Fuego adventure, we had to go back to the airport where lounges are full and people use the bag drop line to repack and book new flights. Also, we can still confirm it’s a bad idea to book a LATAM flight in groups 4, 5, or 6 (we were in group 3).

Ok, campers, rise and shine. And don’t forget your calafate juice

We boarded the plane to our “exit row” seats which are technically exit row, but without the legroom. At least there isn’t someone with a broken arm in the exit row this time trying to convince the attendants they are “able to assist”. Also, with such a small airport (only three gates) it’s easy to take off on time. We were soon in the air and on the way to Santiago for our last day and a half.

Now a life sized plane

Tierra del Fuego stowaway

Once we collected our bags, we decided to get a taxi to the hotel and jumped in the line outside (like you do at O’Hare). When it was our turn to get a car, we learned that you had to pre-pay inside and hand your ticket to the driver. So, back inside we went and got that handy ticket. We made it to the Solace Hotel (same place we stayed in 2019) and checked in just after 11pm. Having only had a snack on the plane for dinner, we set out on a mission to find food – ideally pizza.

No ticket, no blue taxi!

Most of the places around the hotel were closed, but we stumbled upon La Cantina, a… pizza place! We confirmed that they were indeed still open and quickly got to work ordering a pizza and Austral beer. Not only was it delicious, it was exactly what we needed. When we were done we went back to the hotel to settle in and sleep.

Delicious midnight pizza incoming

We don’t have a solid plan for tomorrow, but it will involve walking around Santiago.

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