Long Live Peru
Epic Hikes, Warm Smiles, and World-class Food: A Peruvian Adventure
Shortly after starting our climb up Montaña Machu Picchu, our tour guide, Valentin, fell behind the group. “I’ll be like your shadow,” he said, advising us to take our time up the mountain as he brought up the rear.
It was wise advice, to take our time. The climb to the top of Montaña Machu Picchu, which overlooks the famous site from an elevation of 10,111 feet, is a nearly 2,000-foot ascent up Inca-built stone steps. This is no casual walk. That elevation gain is nearly vertical, and those steps are thrice as steep as you’d expect. Montaña Machu Picchu is the boss level of the stair stepper at the gym.
Not only is the climb strenuous, there also is the ever-present risk of, you know, falling off the mountain. A German hiker fell to his death in 2016 after losing his footing while attempting to jump for a photo. Valentin told us that jumping is strictly prohibited at Machu Picchu now.
As Valentin ascended behind us on the climb, he was joined by one of the park’s rangers, who was headed up to the summit for his shift. His duty, later that day, was to shepherd hikers back down the mountain by closing time. The two locals debated politics on the way up in Quechua — the indigenous language spoken by the Quechua people who live in the Peruvian Andes — or Spanish, or maybe a little of both. When our group reached the summit, Valentin and the ranger plopped down on an outcrop and continued the spirited conversation, all the while packing and chewing coca leaves.
They seemed rather undaunted by the effort. Meanwhile, Sarah and I agreed, this was the most strenuous hike of our lives up to this point. It was worth it, of course, both for the unique vantage point of Machu Picchu from 10,000 feet and also for the more familiar one that awaited us and our fellow climbers back down the Inca stairs.
Just two days after that No. 1 strenuous hike, Vinicunca stepped up as a contender for the same distinction. The 4.5-mile out-and-back hike to the 17,100-foot summit gave us stunning vistas, another amazing accomplishment at altitude, and, also, altitude sickness. This manifested itself as the No. 1 headache of my life and led to Sarah setting the world record for suppressing nausea during the harrowing ride back to Cusco, a four-hour switch-backing, starting-and-stopping, swerving in-and-out-of-traffic affair in a cramped, hot tour van full of rotting hikers.
I am dead serious here, anyone who can hold it in for FOUR HOURS in those conditions is a legend. If suppressing nausea was a sport, then Sarah gave it its No. 1 athletic performance of all time. We are all witnesses. She is the freakin’ GOAT.
In the end, a little pain and discomfort is a small cost to pay to visit the wonders of Peru. There are many places in the world that can be classified as figuratively breathtaking. Much fewer that are both figuratively and literally breathtaking.
Peru is among the few.
If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a Thai massage, then you know what it feels like to get your ass kicked and somehow love every second of it. Well, that is the Peru travel experience, friends. Peru is the Thai massage of travel destinations.
Including the amount of punishment inflicted upon sea-levelers such as ourselves, everything in Peru is enormous in scale. The mountains. Food portions. The sprawling capital city of Lima. Inca sites. Corn kernels. The desert and its sand dunes. Varieties of potatoes. The ocean off its coast.
When we travel, I tend to focus most of my attention — and the camera lens — on nature. It is where I find peace, where my own kindness and gentleness are restored.
It is no wonder, then, that the locals we encountered in Peru, who are always surrounded by its epic beauty, were so gentle and kind. We felt safe and welcomed in Cusco, walking its narrow streets alongside groups of school children, stray dogs, commuters, and fellow travelers. The same comfort greeted us in Lima, in both the bustling district of Miraflores and the artsy scene of Barranco.
The Peruvians we met were quick to share a smile, a helping hand, their life story, and — proudly — their long, rich history with us. Notably Valentin who, along with shuttling our group from site-to-site during the two-day tour of Inca civilization and the Sacred Valley, told us stories of the Inca and of his own life on the family farm in contemporary Peru. Those two days with Valentin, and with the Incas, were the highlight of our time in Peru.
On the way down from the summit of Montaña Machu Picchu, Sarah asked Valentin if he and the ranger were able to settle their political differences on the hike.
“Oh yes, all good,” he said. “We ended as friends.”
Same, Peru. Same.
WHEN YOU GO
Opt for Valentin's Pachamama Journeys if you are traveling to Cusco and Machu Picchu. The two-day, private tour culminates in the (optional) Montaña Machu Picchu climb (recommended) and then a visit to the Machu Picchu site itself. Day one of the tour is quite good as well, with stops at Chinchero, the Maras salt mines, Moray, Ollantaytambo, and Aguas Calientes. If you can request a guide, request Valentin and his brother Daniel, who drives the touring van from site-to-site.
In Lima, check out one of the food tours by Exquisito Perú. They offer several options. The four-hour Peruvian food tour in the artsy neighborhood of Barranco includes stops for ají de gallina, Peruvian coffee, ceviche, lomo saltado, and Pisco sours. For the adventurous eaters, there is even an opportunity to try one of Peru’s most popular street foods (no spoilers!). Ask for Lourdes.
The Electrolyte Drink Mix by LMNT, for staving off those altitude-related headaches.
The Anacapa 2 Mid GTX hiking boots by Hoka, great both on the trail and also when out on the town.
The License to Train Jogger by lululemon, a comfortable and versatile travel pant with zippered pockets for extra security.
The Mountain Waist Pack by Topo Designs, because you pretty much have to carry your passport everywhere you go in Peru.
Beautifully written!! It takes true travelers like yourself to handle Peru. Not easy but always worth it. Your photos are capturing!