Blogs from Santa Teresa, Cusco, Peru, South America

I woke up early, nervous and excited for my three day "Jungle Trek" to Machu Picchu. It was actually happening! I left my luggage in storage at my hostel, and made my way with my smaller backpack and water skin to meet the tour group. Our group consisted of 9 people: a Portuguese couple (he from Portugal, she from Brazil), a South Korean guy, two Belgian girls, and five English guys, two of whom were only with us the first day. After getting our bikes and equipment, our bus made its way through Cuzco to the Sacred Valley. The two hour drive was incredible and I was immediately overwhelmed by the beauty of the Sacred Valley. We made a quick stop here to use the bathroom and get some snacks before heading up, up and up ... read more

Day 3 of the hike started right when the Roosters woke up… which I found out occurs about 2 hours before sunrise. Needless to say it was a rough start to the day. Everyday getting out of my tent was getting harder and harder, the ground seemed lower and lower. Not only was my body sore it hurt to move and both of my knees were swollen. Our hike today was going to be through the jungle so to prepare we covered ourselves in sunscreen and mosquito spray. While the weather started off a bit chilly it quickly warmed up and the mosquitoes came out in full force. Our guide promised us that the hike would be flat but it turns out he lied and the hike involved a lot of small hills. Our hike started ... read more