Americas

Machu Picchu, also known as The Lost City of the Incas, is an ancient archaeological site discovered fairly recently. In the early 1900s, American archaeologist Hiram Bingham uncovered it with the help of a team of…

Ollantaytambo is a small town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas offering a glimpse into quiet, Peruvian country life. We stopped through Ollantaytambo on our way back from Machu Picchu. We had about four hours…

Picturesque squares, wide boulevards and cosmopolitan flair give Arequipa a different vibe than the rest of Peru. Known as “The White City”, Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru. It has an upscale, European feel…

Colca Canyon is considered the Grand Canyon of Peru, but much more challenging to access. Traveling from Arequipa, we opted for the cheapest, most traditional way to Cabanaconde, the town closest to Colca Canyon. This turned out…

Situated in the Altiplano, Puno is a picturesque lake town known as the Folkloric Capital of Peru. From the remote Colca Canyon area, we had taken a local bus to the small town of Chivay. From there,…

For hundreds of years, the Uros Indians have lived on 40 or so manmade islands in Lake Titicaca. The indigenous Andean people believe the lake to be the birthplace of civilization and as such, a sacred…

Amantani, a tranquil island in Lake Titicaca, was the site of our first overseas homestay. In Puno, we arranged an overnight stay with an island family. By going through a local organization with no government or…

Taquile is one of 40 inhabited islands in Lake Titicaca, situated on the border of Peru and Bolivia. Taquile is best known for its beautiful textile art and community of knitting men. The island and its…

Situated on the Bolivian shore of Lake Titicaca, Copacabana is a picturesque town with pastel buildings and beautiful vistas. The lakeside town is also the original inspiration behind Rio de Janiero’s famed beach of the same…