Tailor-made trips in Peru

Featured trip

Peru — Andes, Colca and the Paracas coast

A group route through Peru's most photogenic regions: Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Humantay Lake, the Colca Canyon from Arequipa and the Ballestas Islands on the coast. Every photo on this page comes from a real trip I travelled with.

Machu Picchu

Cusco · 2,430 m above sea level

15th-century Inca citadel, a World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders. Entry works by timed circuits: the first morning slot gives the best light and the fewest crowds.

View on Google Maps

Historic Cusco

Plaza de Armas and Hatun Rumiyoc · 3,400 m

Capital of the Inca Empire. Hatun Rumiyoc street holds the famous Twelve-Angled Stone, fitted without mortar. Sleep here a night or two to acclimatise before going higher.

View on Google Maps

Humantay Lake

Salkantay range, Cusco · 4,200 m

Turquoise lake fed by meltwater from the Salkantay glacier. The hike from Soraypampa takes 1.5–2 hours of steady climbing; the colour shifts with the hour and cloud cover.

View on Google Maps

Colca Canyon

Arequipa · Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint

One of the deepest canyons on Earth, over 3,000 m from rim to river. Between 8 and 10 a.m. Andean condors ride the thermals right in front of the viewpoint.

View on Google Maps

Arequipa, the White City

Historic centre · volcanic sillar stone

Its historic centre, built from white sillar stone from the Misti volcano, is a World Heritage Site. Santa Catalina Monastery is a small walled city of indigo and orange lanes.

View on Google Maps

Ballestas Islands and Paracas

Ica · Pacific coast

Boat trip among sea lions, Humboldt penguins and vast seabird colonies, passing the Candelabra geoglyph. Departures are early, when the sea is calmest.

View on Google Maps

Gallery by country · Peru

20 real photographs from the journey. Select an image to see it in full.

See all 20 photos