Finally it’s happening. The world had a pandemic and we had a child, at literally the same time. He was born in March 2020.
That would be the exact month everything around us shut down.
And for two years, we lived through Covid craziness, dirty diapers, and understanding this new stage in life. At times we thought of when we’d go back to Peru. We knew the trip would have to be epic, since so much time had passed.
We talked with family and friends about it, partly to just talk about something when the world was shut down, partly to convince them to come. I squeezed out literally every hour possible of my paid time off at the real job. And with two of our friends we came up with an inspiring itinerary that had me giddy for months.
Now, finally, we are going back. Here’s what we’ll be doing in the Land of the Incas:
Our friends had never been to Peru and wanted to go to Machu Picchu. And we all wanted to have an authentic adventure that wasn’t just in the touristy places. So to start off we we decided to go to Cuzco and hike to Machu Picchu.
The hike we chose is the Short Inca trail. This is a 2-day adventure that includes the final leg of the Inca Trail and a tour of Machu Picchu. We added on the hike to Huaynu Picchu, an (even more) restricted mountain next to Machu Picchu. The steep path has ladders and cables that take you to a beautiful vantage point of the site and surroundings.
We’ll have a day and a half in Cuzco afterwards to explore the city and maybe visit a Sacred Valley site. I’d love to see Chinchero and its famous weavers. But there will be a tight time constraint.
From there, it will be one whirlwind day of travel to take us to the cloud forest paradise of Oxapampa. “Oxa” is off the radars for most international tourists (to our gain!).
In Oxapampa we will stay at a lodge near the middle of town. We’ll have a big family reunion since Janina’s extended family lives there. It’s long overdue.
When not visiting family we may hike in a national park, try the Bavarian-inspired breweries, or take a tour of a native community. Or all three.
A few days later we’ll also try out an ecolodge just outside of town. Everything is included, including experiences. You can pick one a day, out of zip lining, rappelling, night tours, and more.
What can be better than an all-inclusive ecolodge in the cloud forest with every option to satiate our need for adventure?!
Finally, we finish up in Lima. There we’ll eat the food, maybe surf the sea, maybe paraglide over the cliffs, maybe bike the town, and maybe take a food tour. There’s a lot of maybes because this will be a recharge spot after Oxapampa.
Except the food. The food in Latin America’s gastronomic capital is never a maybe but a HELL YES!
The site is going silent for a few weeks since we’ll be away. But once we return, you’ll get the most updated information on Fun & Earth-Friendly Travel in Peru, including:
I can’t wait for this trip, and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Thanks for following Gringo Inca. Be sure to like us on Pinterest and to send our stuff to friends and family members who may be like-minded travelers.
Stay cool & stay free!!!!!!
Abrazos
– Brad
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