Wanderlust > Ibiza Passion goes to PERU
Most, if not all, bucket lists in the world have Peru as a must-see place… Turns out, the rumors are true. Peru is an absolutely stunning country, where culinary and scenery meets with rich tradition creating a mind-blowing experience.
Two of our fave ladies from our team (Pati & Robi) were lucky enough to travel to Peru for 10 days! Here’s a little recap of their trip, filled with tips and must see places!
We started off in Cusco, which was once the capital of the Inca empire and located at 11,152 feet! We had some trouble adjusting to the altitude and spent the first day drinking Coca tea.
CUSCO
We stayed at El Palacio del Inka and we highly recommend this hotel. It's without a doubt, one of the best hotels in Cusco... The rooms are cozy and the beds extremely fluffy! We also treated ourselves to an amazing massage, which was very well deserved after climbing Machu Picchu.
The Plaza de Armas is where everything is at and where everything comes to life. So don't you dare miss it if you're in Cusco. When you get there, make sure to stop at Qucharitas... believe us, you won't regret it! It is the best ice cream shop you'll find in a long, long loooong time! It has a fun and peculiar decoration. You'll see the ceiling full of colorful umbrellas, and on the tables, you'll find board games.
The night life is pretty chill, it's full of restaurants and a couple of bars. We went to Mama Africa, where we had some mean Pisco Sours (pretty much the official Peruvian drink) and got free, and most importantly, FUN salsa classes.
Machu Picchu
The next day we woke up very, very early to go to Machu Picchu. IMPORTANT! First and foremost, you can't wing going to Machu Picchu. Tickets are sold out MONTHS in advance, no matter the time of the year. The entrance is limited to a few hundred people a day, which in my humble opinion, it works out great. You're never crowded and it allows you to see the beauty and magnificence of the place. See in the picture how there is no one around?!
It also requires you to organize the transportation. If you're doing it just for the day just like we did, the only way is to get a 4 hour train to Aguas Calientes and then a bus to Machu Picchu.
Also, there are several other things you can do in Machu Picchu that require planning. We decided to do some trekking and climbed the Wayna Picchu, another peak right inside of Machu Picchu.... and believe me when I tell you they let VERY few people into Wayna Picchu. I believe it's only around 100 people a day. The climb is roughly a 1:30 hour to the top and around 40 minutes down... totally worth it!
View from Wayna Picchu!
Once in Aguas Calientes, I recommend one and only one restaurant called Tree House. We had an amazingly delicious quinoa salad and an Alpaca burger. Yes... that's right, ALPACA! ATTENTION... the alpaca burger leaves quite a breath for some hours!
Reassuring words at Tree House restaurant
We then went to Arequipa, which is the second largest city after Lima and boy were we impressed! Beautiful cathedral, great food and even better adventurous activities!
The Mario Vargas Llosa library was a beautiful architecture work that is worth a visit!
We also went water rafting, which was a fun activity... but nothing like sand boarding! It was INCREDIBLE and so much fun! Definitely highly recommend it if you're in Arequipa!
After our short-lived adventure in Arequipa, we left to Lima and OMG... the food is incredible pretty much anywhere you go! Here is a list of places that you can NOT miss.
List of TOP TOP TOP restaurants in Lima
- Mercado
- Central
- Rafael
- Sushi Edo
- Maido
- Lima 27
- La 73
- Bachiches
- La Plazita
- El Pan de la Chola
- El Panchita
- Gloria
- Sangucheria La Lucha
Hope you guys enjoyed reading a bit about our trip!!!