I was not really sure what to expect of the Colca Canyons, and the drive out from Arequipa was pretty unimpressive. We saw many llamas, alpacas and vicunas roaming freely; stopped off briefly at the highest point (4,910m / 16,100 ft) to get a 360 degree vantage point of all the surrounding volcanoes - and I did momentarily feel the effects of the altitude. We stopped at Chivay (the main town in the Colca region) for a brief lunch before crossing the canyon over...

Kristina and I went paragliding in the Sacred Valley earlier today. Our take-off point was at a viewpoint near Chinchera, at approx 3,600m / 11,800 ft, and we flew for about 20 mins down into the Sacred Valley, about 1,000m / 3,300 ft descent to the middle of some corn fields between Yukay and Huayllabamba. We enjoyed some beautiful views of the valleys, and surrounding mountains and glaciers during the flight, and taking in the farming community at work in the...

The 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was to be the key highlight of my trip, and it did not disappoint. It was a total of 45kms (28 miles) from Km 82 to Machu Picchu, starting from an altitude of 2,800m / 9,200 ft, climbing to the highest point at Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200m / 13,800 ft on the 2nd day, before gradually descending to Machu Picchu at about 2,200m / 7,200 ft on the morning of Day 4. Thirteen of us went (Martin could not get a pass for the Inca trail...

We spent a day driving through the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo, which was our transfer point for the Inca Trail. Our first stop was at a woollen textiles workshop and showroom, where they kept different species of llamas, alpacas and picunas in some farmland outdoors. We stopped off at Pisac for lunch and handicraft shopping, before continuing on to Urubamba to sample the home brewed corn beer at an Inca Bar - it was quite drinkable, particularly the cor...

I have fallen in love with Cusco - it is such a beautiful historical city. Most of the buildings in the city are built on the remains of Inca ruins after the Spanish invaded. For someone who dislikes shopping as much as I do, I have just spent an entire afternoon buying a whole bunch of handicrafts - will need to visit the Post Office to ship them home. I do not have any more room in my backpack, and my back is past the point of complaining! Inca trail begi...