It’s not every year that Machu Picchu has something new to offer. Huchuy Picchu is a much easier hike than Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain and still offers great views.

Why was the vicuña so important for ancient Inca culture and why is it still so important for modern Quechua people today? Plus, conservations efforts and threats the vicuña still faces.

Machu Picchu reopened February 15, 2023 and there are a lot of new regulations you need to know about for the main part of the ruins and all the extra hikes like Huayna Picchu.

Choquequirao means “cradle of gold” in Quechua and while the mineral gold may have all been looted, the site itself is gold in every other way. I recommend planning a full day at the ruins, plus 4 days for the trek itself.

Puerto Maldonado, in the Peruvian Amazon, has an astonishing array of wildlife at every turn. Even with a few day tours, you can see several species of monkeys, macaws, parrots, toucans and caiman.

The top day hikes in Huaraz from my two week visit: here’s what you need to know for easy solo hikes or guided glacier climbs with crampons - and everything in between!

Inti Raymi celebrates the ancient Inca ceremony for winter Solstice and is the biggest festival of the year in Cusco. Peruvians come from far and wide to see this representation of their ancestral culture.

Sacsayhuaman is the most sacred Inca site in Cusco and the most impressive. Often incorrectly labeled a fortress, this was a massive temple where the Inca made sacrifices and where the Inti Raymi festival is still celebrated today.

The Ruta del Sillar is a popular half day tour that starts in Arequipa. It takes you to both a quarry and a small canyon with pre-historic petroglyphs. Most tour agencies in Arequipa offer this route, so it’s easy to add to your trip.

A short walk from Cusco takes you to the Incan ruins of Inkilltambo, built as a ceremonial site for the Inca Wiracocha. It’s an easy half day visit, perfect during the rainy season when you need to get back to town by early afternoon.

Surprisingly close to Cusco, and yet so unknown that many locals have never heard of these mysterious Inca ruins.

How badly do travel agencies take advantage of the families on Amantaní Island? Here’s the rest of the story that I couldn’t fit in the Fodor’s article. The impact goes deeper than you could imagine.

At Maras, a salty spring has been channeled for hundreds of years into small ponds to evaporate the water and harvest the salt. Each pond is owned by a family and has been passed down through the generations.

The Greenhouse of the Inca! Archeologists have found seeds and soil samples from all over the former Incario. This is likely where the Inca hybridized most of their crops.

The Battle of Sangarará in 1780 was Peru’s first triumph in the fight for independence from Spain. The Spanish recorded losing the battle to Tupac Amaru, though my research revealed that they erased Tomara Tito Condemayta, the woman who led the battle. Read more on the BBC

Inti Raymi 2021 is the celebration of the Incario during the year of the bicentennial of Peruvian independence from Spain. Continued post-election drama also plays a big role in the ceremonies today.

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.