We arrived to Iquitos late in the afternoon and left early the next day to transition between lodges. There was a lot of construction and numerous street closures so our taxi had to drop us off a block away from our hotel. One day was enough time to get a feel Read more…
We were greeted at the Iquitos airport and driven to the Bellavista boarding wharf to take a motorized boat to the Heliconia River Lodge with a quick stopover on Monkey Island. We saw big-mouth Arapaima fish, snakes, crocodiles, pond turtles, water lilies, and other flora and fauna. Ironically, we did Read more…
We returned to Cusco for one night because of the long drive from the Andean Spirit Lodge and our early flight to Iquitos. We decided to stay in the San Blas area of the city. Our hotel, the Garden of San Blas, was a small home and an inviting oasis Read more…
One highlight of our time in Peru was a five day/four night stay at the Andean Spirit Lodge. The lodge is nestled in the Limatambo Valley and is about 90 km from Cusco. After an early flight from La Paz to Cusco, we arrived at the lodge for lunch. Read more…
We returned to Lima for one last night. We spent the time with new friends and returned to the Barranco district for sightseeing, lunch and shopping. The highlight was the Flores and Floreros exhibit at Dédalo. After a late checkout, we had a few hours before leaving for the airport. Read more…
We arrived to the Hotel Monasterio around 6pm; many in our group were tired and wanted to eat at the hotel. The restaurant was beautiful and had opera playing when we arrived. The following morning we woke up early and explored our hotel and streets around the hotel before joining Read more…
After a glorious breakfast outside, we started our journey to Machu Picchu with a bus ride from Urubamba to the Ollantaytambo station, and then boarded the Vistadome for a picturesque train ride to the Machu Picchu station. From there we took a bus up the mountainside to the Sanctuary Lodge. After Read more…
We drove about an hour to a remote village where we were greeted with a flower necklace and hot muña tea. Gilmar, our guide, translated the Quechua into English as we learned about herbal remedies, common foods, clothing styles, and methods of cleaning and dying wool and cotton. We again Read more…
The phone rang for our 6:00 am wake up call. Having been to the Lima airport a couple of times, we were surprised by the crowds on a Sunday morning. Nonetheless, the lines moved quickly. Ian and two travel buddies, Nancy and Susan, wanted some dark chocolate—there was a wall full of choices Read more…
The hotel sent a birthday cake with a card to our room. In the afternoon, we joined our group for a tour of old town. We explored the area around the Plaza Mayor, Plaza Bolivar and Plaza de Armas, viewed numerous wooden balconies, and visited the Church of Santo Domingo. Read more…