Peru

Islas Ballestas

The two hour boat trip to the Islas Ballestas was quite exciting. To start with, I saw a dozen or so dolphins when we left El Balneario harbour at 8am. Some 10 minutes later, the boat stopped near the rugged coast and I could take some photos of the Paracas Trident (El Candelabro), a nearly 130m high figure carved into the rocks.

When I arrived at the Islas Ballestas I was amazed to see a vast amount of birds literally covering all of the islands. I also spotted a few penguins and lots of sea lions. The smell aside, it was an awesome experience which was well worth the money (30 soles).

Nazca

The enigmatic Nazca lines were created between 200 BC and 600 AD. The lines are located in the arid and wild plains which stretch out toward the southern shores of Peru in and cover an area of approximately 500 square kilometres. The drawings include a monkey, a hummingbird, a spider, a whale and other figures, as well as geometrical patterns, including triangles, trapezoids and spirals, and vast numbers of long lines extending in every direction from these drawings and patterns.

A flight over the Nazca lines is definitely the only way to take them in fully but be prepared for a rather bumpy ride. On top of that, the pilot I flew with did a full 360 degree circle above each of the dozen or so (I lost count) figures, both clockwise and anti-clockwise. I booked my flight at the La Maison Suisse hotel next to the little airstrip. They offered different trips which varied both in duration and price. I went for the expensive option (US$80) which included the geoglyphs at Palpa as well. These date back to the Paracas period around 500 BC which makes them even older than the Nazca lines.

The Nazca and Palpa lines are the most outstanding group of geoglyphs in the world. In total, there are some 300 figures made of straight lines, geometric shapes and pictures of animals and birds. However, the exact reason why the figures were built remains a mystery.

Cusco

Despite its 250,000 inhabitants Cusco has managed to maintain its special character. I don't know if it was the high altitude of nearly 3,500m above sea level or the lack of sleep caused by the adventurous 16 hour overnight bus journey from Nazca - but I did need a long sleep once I arrived at the Hostel Familiar (20 soles en-suite) before I could set off and explore the city.

One of the obvious main attractions is the Plaza de Armas. Nicknamed "Plaza de Gringos" by the locals it still offers a very original atmosphere and is surrounded by some beautiful houses with wooden balconies, a cathedral, a church and museums. Other sights in Cusco include the cathedral, the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus and the Convent of La Merced. The latter features a beautiful garden as well as some paintings and an impressive collection of silver and gold artwork.

Cusco unites the little remains of the Inca architecture and the colonial splendour in a truly unique way. This is especially visible in San Blas where massive Inca walls were used as foundations for buildings of the Spanish Conquistadors. A walk down one of the narrow cobblestone alleys with old Inca walls and buildings on either side feels like walking back in time.

Pisac

The small village of Pisac offers old and narrow cobblestone alleys that are worth seeing. The bus station is just a short walk from the long flight of stairs which lead to the ruins on the Intiwatana mountain. I learnt that it would take me 90 minutes to get to the ruins so I went for a taxi ride which took less then 10minutes.

I had not seen Machu Picchu at this stage so I found the Inca ruins of Pisac quite impressive. The main attraction is the Temple of the Sun, followed by ruins of fortifications and other buildings as well as man-made terraces.

Sacsayhuaman

The Sacsayhuaman ruins overlook Cusco and are truly impressive, not just because of their superb location with excellent views. The sheer size of the stones and the neat fit is simply breathtaking. Sacsayhuaman was designed as a fortress but it was only used as such when the Spanish conquered Cusco.

Ollantaytambo

This well-preserved village is definitely worth a full day stop, not only because of the impressive ruins which are scattered on the hills around the village. The village itself appears as it would have during the reign of the Inca. Located at an altitude of some 2,800m the urban planning of the Inca is still clearly visible today. The cobblestone alleyways divide the whole village into neat square blocks. On the plus side, the tourists are hugely outnumbered by the local people dressed in their colourful traditional clothes.

I climbed Pincuylluna hill with its massive grain storage building. From up there the village can be seen spread out in front the Inca terraces at the opposite side of the village. When I returned from the short but steep climb I had dinner at the excellent Inti Punku restaurant, conveniently located at the Plaza de Armas. The next morning I visited the impressive Inca terraces before I want on the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo.

Machu Picchu

Stunning and simply breathtaking ... Machu Picchu impressed me even more than I had expected. I spent two nights in Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes) which gave me the opportunity to spend a full day at the world-famous ruins. I went up to the ruins with the first bus at 5.30am so I arrived before the gates were opened at 6am. Altogether, there were only some 20 people.

In the twilight the whole mountain was still quite misty but as soon as the sun rose the mist just vanished and the ruins appeared - bathed in sunshine. I explored the vast and tranquil ruins of Machu Picchu for a few hours virtually on my own.

But at 11am some large groups of day tourists arrived with the early morning train from Cusco. I wanted to stay clear of these crowds and climbed the summit of nearby Huayna Picchu. This was one steep climb through rough terrain but it was well worth it: I was surprised to find another set of terraces and even a number of buildings just below the summit. I even found some stairs but they were ridiculously steep and small so I had to crawl up rather than walk.

When I reached the summit I found myself surrounded by mountains, forest, a river bend and the impressive ruins. I had a long break and enjoyed the unspoilt scenery before I made my way back to ruins of Machu Picchu where I spent the rest of the afternoon. Later that day, the visitor groups left and the ruins became quiet again. After more than 11 hours of walking, climbing and exploring I took one of the last buses back to the village. I had dinner at the excellent Indio Feliz restaurant, which was a worthy finish for that splendid day.

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