Recently I have traveled through Peru for a month making a lot of exciting experiences. From tours in the rain forest, to demanding hikes, city trips and days at the beach, we have got all of them. Today I want to share some of my I personal tips and impressions with you.

If to describe Peru in just one a word, I would not really know how. The country appears small on the map in comparison to Brazil, however, this is deceptive. The landscapes are so diverse making it is impossible to be described in just some words:  from the coast with its remote sandy beaches to the desert with almost endlessly appearing dunes, the stunning Andes with snow-covered peaks, glaciers, the forest-covered mountains and valleys to the rain forest with the Amazon.

Due to the size of the country, with different climate zones and long traveling distances, Peru for sure is no country for a short trip. Instead of ticking off the famous “highlights” in one week only, it is worthwhile to take time to immerse yourself in the culture, to stroll along nature and then to travel home with a suitcase full of impressions.

A childhood dream becomes true: exploring the rain forest!

Who knows “Tarzan” probably understands my enthusiasm about the trip to the Peruvian rain forest! Sail with a boat on the Amazon, fighting my way through the jungle of the primaeval forest and discover exotic animals, I have fancied the stay – and except, fighting my way through the jungle, all me expectations were more than fullfed. We have spent the night at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica in wonderful cabañas, with our own hammock overlooking the river.  In the morning we were awakened by howler monkeys and on the way to breakfast we ran onto a toucan.

Beside the excellent service and food, the guided tours were true highlights to me: the guides are trained well! Who has already taken part in guided tours, knows the importance of a good guide.

Back to the subject: When booking a stay at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica some of the tours are included. At the Eco Center you get more information on additional tours. We took part in a boat tour on Lake Sandoval, saw a small alligator, as well as mini-bats, sea vipers and a lot of birds. The tour also included a visit to an ecological fruit farm (incl. degustation-). In the evening we observed animals on the shores of the Madre de Dios and in the morning we visited an animal shelter and sanctuary station and one other day we learned how to cracks bazil-nuts and produced chocolate made of cacao beans.

Orchids, Machu Picchu and the cloud forest

After this first adventure I was certain that this cannot be topped. However, I was wrong! From the rain forest we traveled to Cusco and afterwards took the train to Aguas Calientes, the starting point for the visit of the UNESCO world cultural heritage Machu Picchu. Here we were accommodated at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel situated amidst a green lush landscape, and also home to a shelter for the rare Andes Bear, an orchid garden and a lot more. A tour to the orchids is a must: Our guide told us so much exciting details about the plants and, besides, provided a magnifying glass for the especially small kinds. Another highlight on the tour were the hummingbirds!

Our excursion to the Machu Picchu was organized by Inkaterra and the guide was exceptional providing a lot of information.  By the way, we were the first ones in the afternoon visiting the Inca ruins and were almost alone. Usually, most tourists come early in the morning, in the afternoon it is much more pleasant and not so overcrowded. And when the sun sets over the mountains of the cloud forest, you experience a magic atmosphere. Due to the negative reports on overtourism my expectations were not so high, but it was really an outstanding experience!

We made so many great experiences and gained many impressions, in part 2 we take you to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco and the Rainbow Mountains!

Do you like this post? Share it!