The night bus to Arequipa went smoothly. We arrived early in the morning and headed to Marlon's House, which was situated quite close to the square and reasonably priced at $6/night. Once in the town we grabbed some breakfast and headed out to explore. After just a few minutes I was glad that I had decided to come here. The town itself is beautiful, with beautiful architecture, especially the main square with the stunning cathedral. We strolled arpund and ...

Having jumped on the bus at 5:30am, we had a few hours until we reached Ollaytaytambo, where we would stop for a buffet breakfast and to top up on Coca leaves, which would come in incredibly useful over the next few days. I chatted to Caroline, a nurse from Kent during the bus journey and at breakfast we were joined by Laura and Josh, an entertaining and friendly couple from Birmingham. After breakfast we were back onto the bus and headed to Piscacucho or K...

I arrived in Cusco after a 16-hour journey from Ica. I'd decided to book into Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta, a small hostel 15 minutes or so from the main square. I wasn't sure how my body would react to the altitude change so I opted for a quieter place rather than one of the big party hostels. I settled my stuff into the 3-bed dorm and headed for the center of town. Cusco itself is a picturesque town set into a valley, with narrow streets and colourful ...

Pete and I arrived into Huacachina late in the afternoon. It is a surreal experience driving towards the town. As you come from Ica, you see towering sand dunes, then suddenly you see the small oasis town of Huacachina. There town surrounds a small desert oasis, lined by palm trees and dominated by the gigantic dunes. We were staying at Desert Nights Hostel, which was just $6 per night. We booked onto the dune buggy and sandboarding tour for the following evening...

Kiran, Daniel and I got into Lima around 5:30pm on Friday. I had booked into Pariwana hostel in Miraflores (the tourist district) whilst they had booked into a place elsewhere in the same area. No surprises when I say that the cabbie had problems finding their street. Luckily he was honest enough and didnt ask for more money than the S/15 we had agreed. I grabbed some BBQ at my hostel and got chatting to an American/Canadian couple over a few drinks. Our group g...