Mancora, an 18 bus journey from Lima is a beach destination close to the Ecuadorian border famed for it's surfing and chilled atmosphere. We booked in for 4 days and it was a welcome break from the past few weeks of cold and altitude. Getting off the bus a bit groggy and disorientated we were greeted/harassed by numerous Peruvians offering tuc-tuc transportation across the town. We duly obliged and arrived at Hostel La Quebrade. In truth it was more hotel than ...

Arriving to Lima, we did not have expectations to be greeted by a beautiful city. Whilst tourists always praise the charm of Cusco, the same can't be said for the capital city. It is a working city populated by 8.4 million people and not a place specifically catered for travellers. Due to several earthquakes, there is not one distinctive type of architecture as the city has been repaired and reconstructed. There is no signs of the Inkan history as this was torn a...

Huacachina has to be seen to be believed. The night bus from cusco meanders through the coastal roads to arrive in a large expansive desert at the town of Ica. A short drive away, the desert oasis of Huacachina appears as if a mirage in the middle of huge sand dune mountains. With sand buggies at every corner it gave an inkling about the activities on offer. We booked in for two nights at bananas hostel, which although relatively expensive also included two act...

We were looking forward to Cusco, the capital city of the Incan empire, which stretched from Ecuador to northern Chile. We arrived from Arequipa, with our friends Adam and Sarah joining us ready for the inca trail. We checked into Millhouse hostel a short walk from the plaza des armas ready for a bit of culture, a catch up and a fair bit of partying. We started off in cusco with the now mandatory free walking tour. It started with the chocolate museum which alth...

The night before the inka trail, nerves started to kick in. We stockpiled food (haribo essential), we discussed packing lists multiple times (of course we need 3 pairs of trousers for 4 days...) and started buying things we didn't need (hiking poles were not used once). We needn't of worried as day 1 eased us in. Our tour started with the Sacred Valley on a beautiful sunny day. I don't think you could call day 1 hiking as it was more walking around key sights in...