Hello South America!

Hello dear fellow travelers ;) what have we experienced?!

1.Rainbow Mountain and arriving in Peru

2. Chiquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Choquequirao = Machu Picchu's little sister)

3. Machu Picchu + Hot Springs

4. Salt flats, Sun Gate, and Hippietown

5. Inca's and what is the difference between llamas and alpacas

6. Where to next

We decided to fly directly from Frankfurt to Cusco in the Andes on August 11th. Now is the best time for trekking, it rains more from October onwards. Cusco is located at an altitude of 3461m, which made us short of breath at the beginning...

Chiquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu Pueblo

Choquequirao = Machu Picchu's little sister

The goal was actually the ruins of Choquequirao, similar in structure to Machu Picchu but only 40% developed and much older. They are much less touristy because the path is very difficult and can only be done on foot.

Upon a good tip from a tour guide, we decided not to go back, but to continue walking on excellent Inca trails (stairs somewhere in the middle of nowhere!) to Machu Picchu Pueblo! We had enough supplies to eat, so why not?

At one point, we were stuck in a village because no bus came, there was no water at two designated water sources (Felix dreamed of water sources :), there was a funeral next to a campsite (so our breakfast was the funeral feast - a happy pork plate with rice, very delicious), and we had almost no body fat left, we walked it all off!

When we arrived at Machu Picchu, we were completely overwhelmed by the number of people and the fresh fruits and vegetables in civilization!

Seeing one of the seven wonders of the world was truly incredibly beautiful! Almost unreal that people built that...

The best part: a few days earlier, we camped on the opposite ridge and could observe everything calmly and in the context of the surroundings!

Salt flats, Sun Gate, and Hippietown Pisac

All beautiful places that we didn't want to miss in the Sacred Valley (and there was so much more to see..., but Peru also has a coast and a rainforest!)

Inca's and what is the difference between llamas and alpacas?

Incas

For us, the terraces on the steepest mountain slopes (built from bottom to top!) were particularly impressive! unreal! in order to stabilize the cities above. An incredible irrigation system for the cities on hilltops and Tetris-style wall construction with huge stones hammered by hand.

Llamas are much larger and more robust. They have a shoulder height of 130cm, weigh 140kg, and are classic pack animals.

Alpacas are the mini version of llamas, with a shoulder height of about 90cm and weighing only 60kg. They are mainly bred for their exclusive wool production. So, they're actually like fluffy teddy bears with long necks...

Where to next?

To the rainforest in Puerto Maldonado! But after that, we already have another mountain tour planned with mountain lakes and even more snow-capped peaks!

However, we need to rent sleeping bags for -5/10 degrees, ours won't be enough...

Sending you warm greetings!

PS: We could tell you so much more, about the food (llamas, guinea pigs...) and traveling in general, next time then...

Pati & Felix