Peru has been my top bucket-list destination for a very long time, and I finally did it! It wasn’t really planned on my part… while browsing the website of a local yoga studio, I noticed a link to a Peru Yoga Retreat. It took me about 2 minutes to decide that it was going to happen. A huge thank you to Paula and Maya from Sol Health Yoga for organizing and holding space for such a heart-opening journey!
NOTE >>> There are a ridiculous amount of photos in this page, please be patient as they load because I don’t pay a fortune for a light-speed-fast website. It’s worth the wait, I promise!!
Cusco | Pukara & Tipon | Samadhi Sacred Valley | Kinsa Cocha | Moray & Chincheros | Machu Picchu | Huayna Picchu | Paracas | Nazca | Huacachina | Ballestas Islands
Day 1 – Cusco
Day one in Cusco was was my best worst experience: This was not the way I envisioned beginning my trip in Peru, but it truly was a wonderful “bad experience!” My intention is not to scare or put anyone off, it happened, and honestly was handled so very well by every person involved that it turned into a good experience! And… spending 6 hours in a hospital brought back my latent Spanish faster than I could have imagined!
Cusco is at 11,000 feet, so when you step off an airplane there is zero altitude adjustment period. I’ve been at high elevation before with no problems, but gradually, not like this. Within a couple of hours I had a migraine and nausea. At our hotel I started vomiting and fainted. The hotel called “the clinic” for me, and an EMT said my oxygen level was very low, and I was taken by ambulance to a hospital. I spent 5 hours on oxygen and IV, with medication for headache and nausea, electrolytes, and was given Diamox for altitude sickness. My care was fantastic, and the total bill was $315. As a bonus, the same ambulance crew took me back to the hotel at 11pm so I didn’t need to take a taxi!
I’m still astounded at the level of care I received versus the cost. THIS IS WHAT MEDICAL CARE SHOULD LOOK LIKE EVERYWHERE!!!
Day 2 – Cusco
On day 2 in Cusco, I chose to stay at the hotel and rest while the rest of our group went to Sacsayhuaman. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to participate, as that’s been on my “want to visit list” for years, but I know it was the right decision to allow myself a day of recovery after my “altitude adventure” the day before. Many Cusco hotels offer oxygen, so I spent the day napping, getting 10-minute hits of oxygen, and sipping coca tea.
Coca leaves and tea are everywhere in the Peruvian Andes. Hotels have tea stations in the lobby with dried coca leaves and hot water. The leaves are used as offerings and in ceremonies and blessings. They can also be chewed. While I never noticed anything while drinking coca tea or chewing the leaves, this is what the web says about them:
“Coca leaves are used in Peru primarily for their mild stimulant effects, which help reduce fatigue, improve focus, and assist with altitude sickness. They are also deeply rooted in cultural and spiritual traditions, being considered sacred and used in various rituals by indigenous people.”
A woman I had never seen before in the hotel lobby came up to me and put a necklace over my head, telling me that it would help me heal, and explained the meaning of it to me. It’s a chakana, or Andes Cross, with so many layered meanings that I need to learn more about it. I wore it every day of my trip and still wear it now. The generosity of the Peruvian people is impressive. This was the first of so many magical experiences I had on this trip.
In the afternoon I walked the few blocks to Plaza de las Armas with some from our group and had a wonderful meal, my first real food since arriving in Peru.
Day 3 – Pukara Alto & Tipon, and transfer to Samadhi Sacred Valley Yoga Retreat
I met our incredible guide Valerio from Runa Nan Travel, absolutely top-notch throughout our stay. We could have not have asked for a better guide for our trip!
Leaving the hotel in Cusco, we drove windy dirt roads high up into the mountains outside of Cusco, to a short walk to Pukara Alto / Hatun Pukara ruins. Here we explored, learned about acoustic windows in the buildings, were given blessings by our guides, and learned about medicinal plants along the way with Valerio as our teacher. We kicked off our shoes, sat in a circle on one of the terraces, and were led through beautiful meditation.
From Pukara Alto, we hiked about 45 minutes along an ancient aqueduct system to another beautiful terraced area with water flowing through many parts of it. We had expansive views along the way down into the Sacred Valley. We stopped at an overlook and danced while our guides played flute and bells. It was a lovely experience being serenaded and moving for the sheer joy of it.
Tipon is a great example of the brilliant engineering used to create irrigation systems used by Inca and Andean people. The water there is considered sacred – it played a role in agricultural and ceremonial practices, and is still flowing approximately 600 years later. Our guide Valerio encouraged us to try the water (filtered). I had my backpacking filter, so I filled water bottles for many in our group.
From Tipon we drove to Huchuy Qosco (Little Cusco), where we had lunch at Parwa Restaurant, a beautiful restaurant run by community. It lifted me up to see the agricultural fields with so much variety, grown and tended by the communities. This is the exact opposite of industrial agriculture, the way crops are meant to be grown. This was the first time I’ve seen quinoa growing, it’s a beautiful bright red! The grounds were beautiful, the food was delicious, and we were able to see the garden that much of our meal came from. Like so much of the food we had on this trip, this is truly what “farm-to-table” is.
We ended our day by driving to Samadhi Sacred Valley yoga resort overlooking the Sacred Valley, where we spent the next 6 days. This family-run yoga retreat is like a dream, they welcomed us with incredible hospitality. There is magic here, like being held in a wonderful hug, surrounded by incredible mountains, valley views, and more mind-blowing farm-to-table food. The feeling of peace and tranquility here is like nothing I’ve felt before.
We ended the day with a group bonfire where we did a lot of sharing and letting go, a perfect welcome to such a special place.
Day 4 – Samadhi Sacred Valley
We spent a lovely day at Samadhi Sacred Valley, beginning with Miracle Morning at 6am, then morning yoga, breakfast, free time, another fantastic lunch, afternoon free time, yet another incredible dinner meal, and evening yoga. It felt like time stood still, where nothing could disturb. What a contrast to the daily grind of everyday life. I very intentionally used my phone only for photos, read a book, rested in a hammock, spent time with the flowers on the grounds, and had a great digital detox day. I splurged on a massage, my first since before 2020!
Day 5 – Kinsa Cocha Lake
We began the day with Miracle Morning at 6am, then breakfast, then we were in the van for another adventure – An hour and half drive up some intense switchback dirt roads. We drove to the Para Para Community where we were welcomed with tea and an opportunity to buy beautiful textiles, like so many of the Andrean communities make.
From there we hiked to the far end of lower Kinsa Cocha Lake. There are 3 “lagoons” of Pisac, but we didn’t go to the 2 higher lakes. We were at about 13,200 feet elevation. I was a bit nervous about the elevation after my problems in Cusco, but I had acclimated and felt fantastic, thank goodness. We walked for at least an hour around the sacred lake. At one point we needed to step off the trail for a shepherd leading a herd of sheep and alpacas along the trail.
At the far end of the lake we all took our shoes and socks off to stand on the sacred ground (talk about grounding!!), and our guide led an amazing ceremony in Quechua (indigenous language used by descendants of the Inca). This was dedicated to Pachamama, Mother Nature, and the sacred mountains or “apus”. Then one by one he performed an individual water blessing for each one of us using water from the sacred lake, condor feathers, and a beautiful shell as a vessel to hold the water. What an honor it was to stand through this, and to watch others in their blessings as well.
We hiked back to the van along the far side of the lake, stopping to wave and say hello to people harvesting potatoes.
We drove just a few minutes into the little community and had another incredible lunch in a mud-brick hut with a straw floor – it was amazing food! We had a large assortment of freshly harvested herbs and flowers for making our own tea. Yet again, my mind was blown from what food should really look like, versus the “Standard American Diet.” I opted for trout from the sacred lake, and I’ve never had such fresh fish. I bought a beautiful wool scarf from there that I will cherish forever. We were able to see how the bricks are made for building houses also.
Next, we drove to the Pisac archeological site and wandered around a little bit, but did not go up into the actual buildings. It was getting late and we were all exhausted (and exhilarated) from our time at Kinsa Cocha. Pisac ruins contain hundreds of terraces built into the mountainside that had been used for agriculture a thousand years ago. The Andean people who built these terraces, and those at Tipon, Machu Picchu, etc. were master farmers and scientists and engineers. We could take a lesson from them today on how to work WITH the land instead of destroying it.
We ended the day with a very short time at Pisac market before heading back to Samadhi and dinner. This market is amazing for all things Peru, especially textiles from local communities. I could have easily spent several hours here, but our time constraints probably saved me many hundreds of dollars haha!
I skipped evening yoga, I was so tired and still integrating all of the magic that had happened throughout the day. I slept like a little baby…
Day 6 – Samadhi Sacred Valley
Another full day at Samadhi, including a cacao ceremony that was not only delicious, but guided us all open up our hearts to this beautiful place.
I loved wandering the grounds and gardens of Samadhi, where a lot of the food is grown that is used to feed us. There is so much nurturing here, of the guests, the land, the food.
My afternoon field trip was a pottery class nearby, which was a first for me! Another day with a lot resting free time along with all the yoga and incredible meals.
I had been spending time daily practicing my Spanish with the woman who runs the coffee/snack bar at Samadhi. She is a truly beautiful person with a huge heart! She made a cacao drink for me that was heaven in a mug, I’ve never had anything quite like it.
Day 7 – Chincheros and Moray
After morning yoga and breakfast we drove to Chincheros for a demonstration of how textiles are made. Peru is famous for it’s beautiful, bright, high quality sheep and alpaca hats, sweaters, scarves, shawls, etc. We were shown not only how the weaving is done, but every single step from collecting the plants and berries, minerals, and cactus parasites (yes, you read that correctly) that are used to make the dyes to color the wool. A large tuber in the yucca (?) family is a type of natural soap that is used to clean the wool, then it is spun by hand, dyed, and woven. I fell in love with an alpaca wool sweater and promptly bought it.
Many families raise guinea pigs, not as pets but as dinner (that’s not a typo, by the way). We saw some very elaborate housing for them. If you ever see “cuy” on a menu, that’s guinea pig.
We had lunch at Misminay, another small community with amazing food. Farm-to-table, so delicious!
We finished our trip with a visit to Moray. These are “upside down pyramids” that were used as an agricultural research station many hundreds of years ago. The terraces are perfectly designed to reflect heat and filter water and control erosion. Each terrace is a different temperature, and there is never standing water in the bottom layer because of the incredible engineering and irritation control built into it by the Inca. This was one of our hottest days. Notice the zig-zag steps built into the terrace walls, still functional hundreds of years later!
Because the Inca were incredible farmers, our 2 guides showed us how corn seed is blessed, asking the sun to nourish it and help it grow. The Earth is also asked for permission to plant. Nothing is taken for granted in the growing process, and the sun, earth, and water are respected in a way that is so simple yet profound, unlike our industrial agriculture here in the United States that essentially sterilizes the soil and is nothing but a bath of chemicals.
Notes from my journal: “Yet again, we had an impressive dinner at Samadhi Yoga Retreat. The food has been absolutely incredible. They come up with combinations of foods that I would have never thought of. It is all so fresh and absolutely wonderful. Makes me realize how horrid and unhealthy our food system is in the U.S. Samadhi is such peaceful and restoring place. The staff is fantastic and we’ve been practicing hours of Yoga every day, morning and evening.”
Day 8 – Samadhi Sacred Valley
Another restoring day spent at Samadhi Sacred Valley simply relaxing, resting, eating nourishing food, and practicing Yoga. As a group we rented the 18 person jacuzzi and had a lovely time in the afternoon. A wonderful way to end our time there. Others did a painting class and a horseback ride. This place is very easy to drop into a mindfulness state, and I just basked in the lazy day of just BEING, not doing.
Day 9 – Machu Picchu
We had a very early morning wake for a long drive to Ollantaytambo and from there, ride the 2-hour Inka Rail train to Aguas Calientes, or Machu Picchu Town. The scenery on the train is stunning through massive gorges. We slowly watched the terrain change from more arid to tropical rainforest as we got closer to Aguas Calientes. The train was beautiful, with great service and tea/snacks along the way.
There were many terraces and ancient structures along the ride that follows the Urubamba River, signs of how large and spread out the Inca civilization was.
Once we arrived in Aguas Calientes, we dropped off our baggage at the hotel and took the 25 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu. It’s an interesting bus ride with many, many switchbacks. The views are absolutely beautiful along the way.
Once arriving at the top, we did Circuit 2 at Machu Picchu, which goes through the main temple area. It is a stunning and remarkable place and I don’t have words to describe what it’s like there. One can literally feel what it’s like to stand and be in the history of the place. There are many online guides to Machu Picchu, I won’t go into detail here. Just grab a cuppa tea or coffee, sit back, and enjoy
First views of the citadel:
Part of me wanted to know every detail of every building, every pathway, every doorway, but I just allowed myself to bask in the beauty and history of the place and took it all in.
It was amazing to see how the walls were built into the existing rocks and landscape. A far cry from how we clearcut massive swaths of land for our towns today.
Our guide Valerio (Runa Nan Travel) was wonderful in explaining some of the more esoteric aspects of Machu Picchu, not so much about the construction and dry history, but about the spiritual aspects of Machu Picchu and the deep history of the place. Can you find the half-chakana in the Temple of Three Windows? Valerio explained that it’s only half, because during certain times of the day the shadow makes up the lower half of it.
We stared up at Huayna (Wayna) Picchu, which we would climb the next day.
From there, same bus ride back down to town where we had a very late lunch. I wandered around the marketplace and bought a few things. Many people went to the local hot springs but I was tired and decided to have some alone time. Aguas Calientes is built up the mountainsides on either side of the Urubamba River, with what looks like no building codes whatsoever, the buildings are literally piecemealed together randomly and very densely. There are no vehicles, only small electric carts used to move supplies and luggage around the alleyways. It was loud overnight, but I managed to sleep very well despite the noise.
Day 10 – Huayna (Wayna) Picchu
WHAT A DAY!
We met at 6 AM in the lobby of the hotel for the bus ride back up to Machu. The intent was to be at Machu Picchu for sunrise. We were so fortunate that we had bus tickets that were already reserved instead of having to wait in line for the main public bus. It saved us so much time and effort. More kudos to Runa Nan Travel for arranging this for us. Same bus ride as the day before, same incredible views.
After entering the main gate, we all paused on one of the terraces and faced East, standing with eyes closed to feel the sun light us up as it appeared through a notch in the mountains to the East. What a blessing by the sun at a sacred place like this.
Along Circuit 3 we stopped in one of the many buildings and learned that most of the windows in all of the structures at Machu Picchu face sunrise, and when we saw the beams of light shining through we understood why. During certain times of year the morning light through the windows line up perfectly with a niche or alcove on the opposite wall. Like many “ancient” civilizations, the Inca were master engineers and architects. These walls have withstood many earthquakes with no mortar.
We saw underneath the Temple of The Sun, that we had seen from above the day before, another excellent example of using the natural rock to build on, as well as seeing the Temple of 3 Windows from below. Valerio also demonstrated how certain rocks were used as “water mirrors”.
The entry gate to Huayna Picchu is at the far end of Circuit 3, with another check in and signing a log book. Looking up at it, it is amazing to think that anyone can actually get to the top of it. I’ve read that it is 1800 steps; it seemed like more. Valerio had us all pause before starting the climb, handing us all coca leaves and sending a blessing to Huayna Picchu. We could either chew on the leaves or leave them somewhere as a blessing.
We took our time climbing, pausing to sip water and breathe, and just take in the incredible trail that was built in the 1400s and is still taking people to the top today. So many steps, many bottlenecks along the way with only room for 1 person at a time. It’s a great thing that this is a permitted hike and only a certain number of people are allowed per day. There are many spots I would have like to take photos, but I was busy holding on with both hands and was not about to hold my phone for photos.
The last section of steps toward the top, along the terraces, are particularly steep, meaning it’s a great idea to use your hands as well as your feet to get up the last bit.
The relief of arriving at the top! There are steep terraces and a well-preserved structure close to the summit, presumably where a small amount of people farmed and lived.
The 360-degree views were breathtaking (that is not nearly a powerful enough word, but it’s what I have to work with). We spent time at the summit resting, having a snack, and just quietly taking in the vistas and feelings of wonder. Looking down on Machu Picchu, it was hard to fathom how far and how high we had come. We were able to see the road the busses take, and the Inca Trail and where the Sun Gate are if approaching Machu Picchu on foot.
Descending from the summit, fairly close to the top, we had to individually squeeze through the tiniest little cave, almost crawl through to get out back onto the main trail. More excellent examples of how brilliant the Inca were in designing their terraces and buildings – steps built into the terrace walls.
With all the steps down, I was worried about my knees, but I did much better than I thought I would descending those 1800 steps. This should have been agonizing for my knees, but I’m claiming magic from the sacred water ceremony at Kinsa Cocha that helped me do this without my usual downhill pain. There is most definitely magic here, and while I don’t understand it I absolutely basked in it and just allowed it to happen. Along the trail there are huge cables anchored into the walls on certain parts which would have been really difficult to hike without, either up or down.
We were fortunate because we were in the first group in the morning going up and we didn’t need to fight against everybody coming back down in the opposite direction. There are several bottlenecks in the trail where people were going up as we were going down and it was difficult. I’m so thankful that we were first group in the morning, not just for the crowds but for the heat. In the morning the trail side of the mountain is in the shade, in the afternoon it’s full sun.
On our way back through Machu Picchu to get back to the bus, we went by the Temple of the Condor – such a fantastic use of the natural rock! The two vertical raised rocks are the wings, and the arrow-shaped rock embedded in the ground is the head. In Inca culture, the Condor symbolizes the upper world and serves as a messenger between humans and the gods. The earthly world of humans is signified by the Puma, and the Serpent represents the underworld and wisdom. The symbols for these are still woven into textiles to this day.
Our long day wasn’t over yet. After coming back down and going back through Machu Picchu, we rode the twenty five minute bus back to Aguas Calientes, and rode the Inka Rail train back to Ollantaytambo, which took 2.5 hours. It’s difficult to describe how steep these mountains are and how deep and narrow the valleys are. Its amazing to think that that train can actually wind its way through to Aguas Calientes at all, following the Urubamba River. There are no roads to Aguas Calientes. The only way to get there is to walk on one of the Inca trails, or to ride the train in. From Ollantaytambo, it was another two hour van ride back to Cusco to the hotel that we were in originally. It was an incredibly long day but what an experience, one I will never forget!
Day 11 – To Lima
Five of us from the original group of 17 continued on a trip extension, flying from Cusco to Lima. We stayed in a fantastic hotel in the Miraflores area of Lima, Hotel Antigua Miraflores, that I highly recommend
Day 12 – Paracas
In the morning we drove 4 hours from Lima to Paracas with Martin from Crown Travel. The desert starts outside of Lima and it is like driving through a dystopian movie. There are thousands of houses and lots for sale that are only half built or seem abandoned. There are huge parcels of desert walled off with concrete walls, but nothing inside of them.
Once at Paracas and the beautiful Hotel Atoq (atoq means fox in Quechua) that is on the water, we wandered town and ate at seafood restaurant. We spent a relaxing and lazy evening watching the shore birds fly and the sunset. The town of Paracas is on the edge of the huge Paracas National Reserve, which is a haven for shore birds and other desert wildlife.
Day 13 – Nazca Lines
An early morning 4-hour drive to Nazca, on the edge of the Atacama desert. It was surreal driving through the Nazca plains, seeing small glyphs carved into hillsides, vast stretches of nothing but flat desert with literally nothing growing. More like a moonscape than a place on Earth.
We flew over the Nazca and Palpa lines in a small plane. This has been another bucket-list item for me for years. I was so nauseous the entire flight, with a plastic trash bag open on my lap the whole time. But… it was wonderful seeing the lines far below, imagining what it was like creating them, and how they have survived in that harsh climate for hundreds of years. I’ll leave it up to you to decide the how and why of the lines, which to this day are still mostly unexplained. You have to zoom in (click on any of the photos to bring them up in a larger window to scroll through), but these are truly amazing to see.
Unfortunately the Nazca Lizard is bisected by the Pan-American Highway, the road was built before the significance of the lines was understood. You can also see the Tree and the Hands in this photo:
After the short flight we drove through Ica and made a very quick stop at the MRI (Museo Regional de Ica) museum to see ancient burial pods and elongated skulls. Again, more theories on these that I won’t elaborate on, but if you want to go down that rabbit hole feel free to!
Day 13 – Huacachina Sand Dunes
After our quick stop at Ica, we drove a short way to Huacachina. This is a natural desert oasis with a (party) town built up around it. We went straight into a dune buggy and were driven around on an exhilarating ride through massive sand dunes, so much fun! After stopping to watch the sunset high up on the dunes, we went sand surfing, which I could have honestly done a lot more of. They were like small surfboards with handles near the top, you lie belly down, hold on for dear life, and the dune buggy driver pushes you over the edge of a huge dune. What a rush! This was ridiculously fun, and I wish we had been able to do more of it.
Fun ride:
Weeeeeeee!
We spent the night in a hotel in Huacachina that was beautiful but ridiculously loud.
Day 14 – Ballestas Islands and back to Lima
We made the long drive from Huacachina back to Paracas, where we had tickets for the Ballestas Islands boat trip. On our way to the islands we saw the Candelabra (also called the Trident) carved into the hillside along the coast. It’s 560 feet tall and 200 feet wide, and approximately 2000 years old. I’ll let you decide for yourself what its meaning is.
At the islands we saw sea lions, pelicans, boobys, many other birds, and Humboldt penguins. It was a beautiful boat ride, but at this point we were all tired from so much travel and just enjoyed the ride without any effort involved.
From Paracas it was back to Lima for our last night. Our guide Martin with Crown Transportation (excellent guide!) suggested a polleria – rotisserie chicken restaurants. Found one named Tori that was very good, and we had an excellent last meal before an early morning to the airport to fly home next morning.
Conclusion: This was a bucket-list trip (my third truly bucket-list-worthy trip, how fortunate I am!) and I could not be more pleased with the entire thing, including my rough start in Cusco. A huge thank you to Paula and Maya and Sol Health Yoga for making this happen, and for putting together such a special journey with memories that will fill me up for the rest of my life. So many blessings and magical feelings still swirling around me from Valerio and guides at Runa Nan Travel – thank you!
Final Words: If you ever get the chance to visit Peru — GO!!!
Bonus: I have a new snack food obsession: Inca Corn! This is somewhat like Corn Nuts, but 1000% better and won’t crack your teeth in half. Absolutely delicious!!