I woke early in the desert and walked up the sand dune behind and just soaked in the atmosphere as the sun rose and my fellow travellers began to arise one by one. We loaded up the dune buggy and headed back into Huacachina for breakfast. It was a short trip to Paracas where we boarded a boat for a cruise to the Ballestas Islands. These islands are home to the Humboldt penguin, sea lions, terns, cormorants and pelicans. They are known as the "Poor Mans Galapa...

It was a relaxed lazy start today. Only a short drive to our next stop, an oasis in the desert called Huacachina. This place is famous for its massive sand dunes and the dune buggies that take you to them. Plus the sand boarding that you can do whilst there. As well as signing up for all this we have also decided to spend the night sleeping in the desert under the stars. We'll be accompanied by some locals who will prepare our camp and cook up a local feast...

Today was quite a turning point in the trip. We left Arequipa (2600m) around 7.30am and over the next 8 hours would leave the mountains behind and by night fall we would be at sea level. Literally. Our destination was Puerto Inka, a beach camp on the Pacific Coast. The journey was a real eye opener. The mountains we travelled through were nothing but rocks and sand. The valleys between them were massive sand drifts and any flat land was just never ending str...

Arequipa is known as the White City, in recognition of the white stone which is quarried here and used for fences, housing and the like. It is very white and has a high level of silica in it so it really sparkles in the sun, to an extent that it hurts your eyes to look at it for an extended period. As you arrive in Arequipa it appears to be another dusty chaotic city in a developing country. But once you enter the central historical area the landscape changes. ...

I didn't really know much about the Colca Canyon before I arrived in Chivay. It begins at the end of the stunning Colca Valley and according to our guide Luis, is up to 4000 metres deep in places. Although apparently that section was a further 6 hour drive followed by a 15 hour walk from the section of the canyon we were going to. Even so it was 1000 metres deep where we were. Aside from its physical characteristics it is also home to the Andean Condor, which...