Category: Peru

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The best hostels in Peru: a complete guide

One of the most important things of planning a trip is finding the right places to stay. For Peru this is no different. Staying at the right places can make all the difference. The right location makes it easier to visit the local highlights, find nice places to eat or have a drink and it is easier to move around. Even more important for independent travelers looking to meet new people: the best hostels in Peru will help you meet the right people to share your adventures with. So to help you find these best hostels in Peru I decided to write this article. Not only listing a few cool hostels, but also explaining the difference between the different major hostel chains in Peru and why you should pick which.

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The 5 most overrated products for backpacking

backpacks in pickup truck

Let me tell you what not to pack when going on a backpacking trip. Packing your backpack for a trip is different for everybody. Some take weeks to plan and use lists to make sure they don’t forget anything. Others, like me, start the evening before. We all have one thing in common though: we over pack. Heavily too. To make matters worse, there are some travel items that everybody seems to be recommending while they are really not that great. Or even useful. You pack them, drag them around your whole trip and unpack them back home. Never really used them at all. So in a probably futile attempt to rid the world of these overrated and useless travel products, and to give myself a nice opportunity for a rant, here are the 5 most overrated travel items for backpacking.

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Peru to Bolivia: a border crossing guide

border crossing desaguadero

Everybody that ever went backpacking or just on a holiday to multiple countries for that matter, knows that crossing country-borders is a stress-full, tiresome but also exciting experience. Sometimes it goes super smooth! Sometimes it takes hours, a lot of bribes and probably ten years of your life because of pure stress. All you can really do is prepare, brace for a long day and hope you get there before nightfall. How best to prepare for the border-crossing between Peru and Bolivia? By reading this article of course!

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The ultimate itinerary to see Peru in 2 weeks

“Peru in two weeks? That can’t be done.” Is probably the first thing you will hear from somebody that traveled to Peru after they just read this title. And in all fairness, they are sort of right. Peru is huge, spanning from north to south in about the same amount of kilometers as the USA. So you got two option here: you either include 6 or 7 flights into your itinerary and rush around without having time to catch your breath or you make compromises. Needless to say, following this itinerary means you’re choosing the latter. But by including most highlights, taking into account elevation-differences and leaving you with enough time to actually enjoy being away from home this itinerary will absolutely deliver you the best of Peru, all in as little as two weeks.

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Paracas & the Islas Ballestas

One step outside the bus and your nostrils will let you know that you have reached the coast. As next to pelicans darting around everywhere, the ocean smell is one of the key characteristics of the little coastal Paracas. Officially know as El Chaco, this town lies at the north-end of the Paracas Peninsula, a national wildlife reserve. The big draw is the abundance of sea-mammals and birds surrounding the Islas Ballestas, fondly dubbed as ‘the poor man’s Galapagos’. But besides the islands there is also the Peninsula itself to explore..

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How to spend your days in misty metropolitan Lima

Of all places in Peru, its capital Lima is by far the most urban and sophisticated. Many travelers that visited told me that Lima was not really worth the time except that it had the convenience of one of the biggest international airports in South-America. I disagree. They simply didn’t know what to do in Lima. The city offers world-class cuisine, beautiful neighborhoods, an interesting colonial heritage and the best clubbing in the country. Staying a few days while eating delicious Ceviche and fighting off a jetlag after a long-haul flight is certainly not a bad idea!

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what to do in Arequipa: the colonial gem of Peru

Arequipa, often dubbed ‘the white city’ is the colonial pride of Peru. The second-largest city in the country combines beautiful colonial buildings with all modern amenities of a large urban dwelling. It is situated about 2300 meters above sea-level making it the perfect place to acclimatise to the altitude before visiting Cusco, Machu Picchu or Puno which are all a lot higher up. And with the Colca Canyon, El Misti and Chachani on its doorstep, there is really no reason to skip this beautiful colonial gem. The question that remains is, what to do in Arequipa? 

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Why I hated the beautiful Uros Islands

As a child I once saw a Discovery-documentary from Jacques Cousteau where he explained about the weird frilled frogs that live in lake Titicaca. Ever since visiting this lake has been high on my list. On the shores of lake Titicaca lies Puno, the second most visited town in Peru. People flock here to see the floating Uros islands. Yes they are undeniably beautiful. Yes they are unlike any other islands you have ever seen. But man did I hate visiting them.  Continue reading “Why I hated the beautiful Uros Islands”

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The Colca-canyon in 500 words

A few hours drive from Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru, the Rio Colca has carved out the Colca Canyon. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and the second deepest canyon in the world. Only the nearby Cotahausi Canyon is deeper but very hard to get to. Just after sunrise Andean Condors use the updrafts to glide over the gorge and if you are lucky they soar over at only a few meters distance. The spectacle can be seen at ‘Cruz del Condor’ which makes for a very impressive sight. Taking a Colca Canyon tour is the most popular option for visiting. Going independent however, is way more rewarding. Continue reading “The Colca-canyon in 500 words”