Erik Krause

An adventure and action-packed 2 weeks where we got to truly experience all the diverse landscapes and attractions of Peru. My husband and I were travelling with my 2 daughters that range in age from 22 to 7! We wanted to do hikes, biking, zip-lining, river-rafting, sight-seeing, have free time to explore on our own, not wake up at 4 am for tours, keep at a pace that was doable for our 7 year old and still be enjoyable by young & middle-aged adults :-) We got all this and more from this local travel specialist! We arrived back home tired to pieces but with some unforgettable memories :) All the tours were excellent, and it was so nice to have them private just for our family. I really appreciated the tour guides; especially Marcello, Javier, Joel, Walter, who went on multi--day trips with us and how personable they made the whole experience! I was worried about how my 7-year old would be able to handle everything, but she was a trooper all along. Sharing our itinerary if you would like to do the same: We flew into Lima - capital city of Peru, where we spent 2 days exploring this vibrant coastal city. From Lima, we flew south to Arequipa - 2nd largest city in Peru, where immediately we were greeted by blue skies and amazing views of the volcanos. From here, we travelled by road towards Colca canyon with a 1-night stopover in Chivay. The journey to Colca was very scenic, surrounded by terraced farming hills and alpacas, lamas and vicunas. In Colca, a canyon twice as deep as the grand canyon, we saw condors soaring in the sky. After another 6 hours on the road, we arrived in Puno - a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca sits 3810m above sea level making it highest navigable lake in the world! We visited floating Uros islands; man-made islands from grass that grows in the lake. We stayed with the locals that night for a true Peruvian experience. From Puno, we made the day long journey to Cusco with several sightseeing stops along the way. We spent our first day in Cusco taking a city tour, visiting archeological sites, and getting selfies with alpacas. Then began our 4-day jungle adventure trek through sacred valley and part of the famous Inca trail that would end in the crown jewel Machu Picchu. Our adventures included riding ATVs to terraces of Maras & Moray, downhill biking, rafting in the Urubamba river, zip-lining, cable-car river crossing, some serious mountain hiking, wilderness living, walking along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes, and soaking in hot springs! On the final day, we hiked the Machu Picchu mountain, a steady climb of over 2000 ft elevation to get to the top, on original trail made by the Incas! Later in the afternoon we visited the citadel with a guide. Then it was a train + van journey back to Cusco for a couple days of much needed rest. From Cusco, we flew back to Lima, but we are not done yet. Our last hurrah was making our way towards the Ica region, to spend a couple days in Paracas - to see penguins inhabiting islands off the coast, and then Huacachina - a desert oasis surrounded by sand dunes. The buggy ride and belly-surfing were a real highlight here. Finally, we returned back to Lima, this time to fly back home.