In my last post, I recounted my visit across Peru in the cities of Lima, Cusco and the breathtaking ruins of Machu Picchu. Of course, this wasn’t the end of my Peruvian excursion! We visited several more places, where I floated across a lake beneath the clouds, and even went sand boarding in the desert!
Puno & Lake Titicaca
We took an overnight bus from Cusco to Puno, where the world’s highest navigable body of water is located. Lake Titicaca sits at 12,507 ft. above sea level; if I thought there were altitude effects in Cusco, I definitely experienced them full-force in Puno! Despite the altitude, Lake Titicaca was incredible. I honestly felt like I could reach up and touch the clouds; it was absolutely amazing. We were taken in a boat around the “uros”, which are little floating islands made of reeds. The people who live on these islands live off of the fish, birds and plants found on the lake. This was an eye-opening experience; to see how these people live and work on the lake was something I never imagined I would see – so simple, yet so drastically different than the fast-paced city-suburban life I’m used to. Tourism is a big part of their livelihood, as the women on the uros sell many handmade items, including various items made from reeds, plus hand-sewn tapestries and beaded jewelry.
Arequipa
That evening, we took a flight to Arequipa, which is nicknamed the “White City”. Arequipa is surrounded by three volcanoes, and the majority of the buildings are made from white volcanic stone called “sillar”. There is so much beautiful detailing in the architecture of the Plaza de Armas, as well as on all of the churches in the city. I tasted the most delicious cheese-flavored ice cream from a street vendor while I was in the Plaza, called “queso helado”.
One thing I wanted to mention about Peru is that there are street vendors-galore! This was one of my favorite things to do while exploring the city. All the handmade trinkets, clothing and jewelry were so beautiful and affordable! The vendors can be found in many small plazas, or in areas along the street, so you’re bound to find something (or many things, in my case) that you fall in love with.
Ica
We took a bus from Arequipa to the desert of Ica in central Peru, where we stayed at the Hotel Las Dunas. The resort was so pretty, and you honestly don’t even have to leave the resort to have fun; they offer everything from horseback riding and paintball, to a climbing wall and their own private sand dune! We left the resort to go sand boarding on the dunes in Huacachina. A large dune buggy took us racing up and down huge sand dunes at crazy speeds, and dropped us off at the top of the most enormous dunes, where we slid down the slippery inclines on sand boards.
Islas Ballestas
Our last activity during our visit to Peru was a boat ride from the seaside town of Paracas to the Islas Ballestas, where we saw sea lions, penguins and various types of birds lounging around on the rocks in the ocean. The views we saw were so pretty, the water was so blue and the sea lions even swam along and played beside our boat!
I highly recommend visiting Peru if you’re looking for a beautiful place with a variety of activities, loads of culture and beautiful scenery. I wasn’t able to make it to the Nazca Lines nor visit the jungle up north, which were two things that I really wanted to do, but we didn’t have enough time during our trip. I guess I’m just going to have to use it as an excuse to visit Peru again!
xx.
