Peru

For my birthday this year, Cassie surprised me with a trip to Peru!! Since some of the places we’d be visiting were at high altitude and involved serious hiking, we had to do some training in advance—so I knew we were going somewhere adventurous. Cassie told me it was Tulsa.

I took a heap of photos. These are my favs.

Sacred Valley

We flew into Cusco (~3400m ASL) and spent our first couple of nights in Ollantaytambo (~2800m ASL) to recover from the flight and acclimate to the altitude. While staying there, we visited several Inca archaeological sites including the Chinchero Ruins, the Ollantaytambo Ruins, the Pisac Ruins, and the Moray Terraces. The Moray Terraces were especially fascinating — believed to have served as an agricultural research station. Each terrace was filled with soil from different regions, allowing the Incas to test crop performance in varying conditions.

We also explored the Maras Salt Mines, an otherworldly patchwork of hundreds of shallow, open-air salt pools carved into the mountainside. Still actively used today, these plots are individually owned and maintained by local families.

Another highlight was the Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary, home to many native South American animals rescued from illegal trafficking or abusive conditions. Each animal had a name and a story - you could tell the staff really cared for the animals, and the animals reciprocated this fondness (with the exception of a few angry geese).

Machu Picchu & The Inca Trail

We spent two days hiking the Inca Trail, reaching the Sun Gate by the end of the first day and camping overnight before exploring Machu Picchu on day two. The adventure kicked off with a relaxing train ride - super chill - before things got more real. Stepping off the train, we crossed a rope bridge straight out of Indiana Jones, checked in at the ranger station, explored some ruins right at the trailhead, and then hit the path.

We had six people in the group: our awesome guide Joyce, plus three other awesome peeps who quickly became trail friends. Day 1 was extremely sunny (theory: increased proximity to the sun) great for the views but brutal for the heat. Definitely worth it. La vista es increíble!

The nature was insane - there are around 80 species of orchids growing along the Inca Trail! Also some cool ferns, moss, animals…

Textures of the forest…

Day 2 of our trek was significantly less sunny. It was actually pretty damp. It rained a bit. Mist and clouds created a entirely different vibe from the day before. And my slow, eurocentric-biased mind was constantly reprocessing the lush tropical setting of the ruins. The stone work is insanley precise - no mortar, just matched concave and convex faces aligned perfectly. I probably couldn’t even do that in CAD/AM without a few test prints. We ended the day with a beer, some warm food, and a bit of live music at a bar in the nearby town Aguas Calientes before a train and bus journey back to Cusco.

Cusco

Cusco is a ridiculous city. A big jumble of modern, colonial, and Inca architecture sitting high in the sky with more steps that you can imagine and not enough oxygen. I loved it. We recovered from the hike with an art class, and I had the opportunity to learn some Charango chords from a local luthier. We drank Pisco Sours and caught more live music - grungy peruvian folk.

Puerto Maldonado & The Amazon Basin

Puerto Maldonado has a very different climate to Cusco, and the warmth, humidity, and regular-altitude oxygen levels were very welcome. The aircraft’s final approach afforded us views of the Tambopata or Madre de Dios rivers, surrounded by thick jungle—very exciting!

We had booked a family-run ecolodge, Sunrise of Tambopata, and were met by Maricela at the airport. Emanuel had prepared lunch for us when we arrived—he was an excellent chef, enthusiastic about vegetarian and vegan cuisine (which is less known in Peru). The accommodations were amazing—my favourite of the trip. A wooden bungalow facing the Tambopata River with a dependable shower, shaded veranda, lots of dogs, cats, and chickens, and one parrot to make friends with. That evening we hit the river for a sunset boat ride—we saw a few caiman, some turtles, some capybara, and a bunch of birds.

The following day we took a guided hike (and rowboat ride) around Tambopata Reserve and Lago Sandoval, where we saw more caiman and turtles, a bunch of monkeys, macaws, tarantulas (including some with pink toes), tarantula hawks (the biggest wasp I have ever seen), lizards, hummingbirds, leafcutter and bullet ants (the most painful stinging insect in the world), and a bunch of different butterflies. So many butterflies. Flowers too.

We did not spot any sloths, but we did see a number of Hoatzins (aka stinkbirds)—a large, prehistoric-looking bird with a unique digestive system that ferments leaves in its stomach. I was hoping to see some of them in the wild — they really look like dinosaurs, and they have claws on their wings when they are chicks. Very strange animals.

We had lunch at a local’s house, and their cat decided Cassie was worthy of a cuddle.

Sadly, our time in Peru had to end. Visiting Peru was an incredible experience - history, culture, nature, everything. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity. A massive thank you to Cassie for such an awesome birthday present and for being the best travel partner ever.