Savvy Exploring - Staging

We went to the Sacred Valley, experienced a local festival, hiked the mountains, explored the streets and markets of Cusco, took an amazing trek to Machu Picchu, toured the citadel, and spent a couple days in the capital. (14 day trip)

Stuff you should know about drinking water, the airport, staying connected, getting around, money, altitude, the bathrooms and more.

Whether you are shopping for food or souvenirs, or just experiencing the local culture, I recommend checking out the markets. Exploring local markets is always one of my favorite things to do and Peru’s markets are some of the most colorful I’ve seen and are perfumed with wonderful aromas of fruit and herbs.

You can easily find a multi-course filling meal for $5-$10 or a fancy meal for a fraction of what you would pay in the states.

Street food is very reasonable in Cusco, making it easy to eat your way across the city, trying a little bit of everything, and I highly recommend that you do.

A capital city with colonial architecture and history.

The affluent area of Lima. This is the place to go for city surfing, paragliding, people-watching on the beautiful cliff top promenade, and friendly police.

This secret ancient citadel hiding in the clouds is a wonder, the only problem is it isn’t so secret anymore.

The Salkantay Trek is an amazing way to get to Machu Picchu. This trek takes you from the majesty of glacial snow capped mountains to the tropics within a few days and the view of Machu Picchu at sunrise is unforgettable.

Cusco is a colorful city with lots of culture and history. It was once the capital on the Incan Empire and today is a huge tourist hub and backpacker haven. Cusco is one of those places where you can find a bed for the night for anywhere from $5 to $300 and a meal to match. Cradled in the mountains, its winding cobblestone street have a new surprise around every turn, and often a view.