The views in Urubamba are spectacular from any part of the city. We could not pass up the chance to climb one of those mountains and check out the view from up high. The Monument of the Cross hike (aka Mirador de Tananmarka) is a moderate hike in Urubamba, and it is one of the best views in the city.…
After our adventures in Lima, Huacachina, and Paracas, and saying goodbye to my brother and his family, we boarded a flight for Cusco. Cusco is the capital of the Cusco Province. Its population is 500,000 people. The elevation is about 11,200 feet, and you can feel it as soon as you step out of the airport. We spent one night…
We spent seven days in Lima. There is plenty to keep you busy in Lima. We just scratched the surface, but we also wanted to get out and explore other areas of Peru. We hired Ignacio, who took us on tours of Lima, as a tour guide to take us on the next part of our adventure to Huacachina and…
Lima is a culinary delight. Food was a highlight during our seven days in Lima. We spent one of our days in Lima on a food tour of Miraflores with our guide, Ignacio. Our food tour started by exploring Mercado Nº 1 de Surquillo. It is a large local market in the northern part of Miraflores. We tried fresh juice…
We explored a lot of Lima in the seven days we were there. We also were able to take care of some logistical items needed for our travels. Before we left for South America, we looked into getting the yellow fever vaccine. We decided against it because the Bolivia border was closed at the time, and we did not need…
After three months in Ecuador, we packed up our belongings and headed to Peru. The flight from Guayaquil to Lima is under two hours. We flew on a Monday, and the airports were empty. We got through immigration in Peru in less than 5 minutes. At the time we traveled, we did not need COVID tests. Peru required either a…
We chose to stay in Galapagos for one month because the cost of an Airbnb is the same price for two weeks or one month. The one-month discount on Airbnb can be significant. Island living is not easy for us. The food is expensive, and the grocery options are limited. We paid $19.95 for a large JIF peanut butter. You…
In the last part of our 10-day tour, we spent three days on Isabella Island. Isabella is the largest island in the Galapagos. It is a young island made up of 6 volcanoes. Wolf volcano, in the north part of the island, recently erupted. We woke up in Santa Cruz at 5:30 am to be at the dock by 6:30…
Our 4-day cruise ended in San Cristobal. We disembarked at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in the morning. We had the entire day to explore the town on our own. There are a lot of restaurants and souvenir shops. In the afternoon, we went to the Interpretation Center to hike. The center has information about the Galápagos Islands and preservation initiatives. Behind…
We booked an Airbnb in Santa Cruz for one month because it cost the same as booking two weeks. We didn’t plan to spend the whole month in Santa Cruz. There are 12 other islands. We spent one of our first days visiting tour shops looking for the best way to see other islands. We booked a four-day cruise with…