Amantani is one of the islands on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. It’s a beautiful escape from. both the city and the pandemic.

The Huacarpay Marshes are only an hour from Cusco and you can see dozens of species in the rainy season.

The Monkey Temple is easy to miss, since from the trail it just looks like a jumble of rocks. Get closer and you’ll see that the boulders have been carved with flat walls, tables and niches. Walk down through the stones and you’ll see the carved heart and snake.

A short walk from the center of Cusco takes you up to the Temple of the Moon. A pre-Inca site, likely made by the Killke people, the top has been badly weathered by the centuries but the cave underneath is just as mysterious as when the Inca found it.

The four day trek around Mt. Ausangate takes you to 5,200 meters, 17,000 feet above sea level. You walk by colorful lakes, some with water so clear its turquoise in the shallows and black at the depths. Other lakes have milky glacial minerals making them shades or blue and red. You are with glaciers every day on the circuit around the mountain, walking near them and camping where you can hear and see avalanches. It’s a truly spectacular trek!

Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail have reopened with new Covid regulations, after being closed for most of 2020. The global pandemic has changed almost every aspect of the visit and I was fortunate to be able to visit with my friends before the crowds return.

The Piquillaqta archeological site was first constructed by the Wari people and later used by the Inca. It is about an hour south of Cusco.

The Inca ruins at Huchuy Q’osqo are beautifully preserved, easy to get to and never have the crowds of more well known archeological sites in the Sacred Valley.

A short trip to Paracas is perfect for both the National Paracas Reserve and the Islas Ballestas. You can see it all in a weekend!

This trek gave me my first intimate visit to traditional Andean homes in a spectacular mountain valley.

Manu National Park, or Manu Biosphere Reserve, is a giant area of Peru’s Amazonian jungle.

My two opportunities to hike the 4 day Classic Inca Trail left me in awe of the amazing architectural feats accomplished during the Incario.

Cusco is the most charming city, but it’s worth going to see the other cities in the area. Arequipa is beautiful and the Colca Canyon is another must-see.

The Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu goes from glaciers to tropical jungle.