Best South America Tours 2020 by Alan Lyall on 20th December, 2019 As 2019 draws to a close, we in the Andean Trails office are looking forward to a New Year filled with exciting and wonderful South America tours and adventures for our clients and of course ourselves! Kat is also returning in mid January after taking maternity leave. We have much to look forward to! …
Dream honeymoons in South America by Alan Lyall on 18th October, 2019 Honeymoons are a wonderful cause for a celebration and should provide memorable experiences. South America offers opportunities for all types of honeymoon, something to suit every couple. Here are some picture postcard memories which could be created on your honeymoon. Wildlife cruise and adventure: M/Y Grace, Galapagos Islands Picture this: You are sitting …
Nazca: How Best to Visit and See The Nazca Lines by Kathy Jarvis on 4th October, 2019 Travel Guide to visiting the Nazca Lines in Peru. The Nazca lines are high on the list of places to see for many visitors to Peru. They are World Heritage listed and are one of history’s great mysteries. No one really knows why the lines were constructed nor exactly how. It is thought that the …
Choquequirao Trek – A good alternative to the Inca Trail. by Kathy Jarvis on 31st May, 2019 Kathy, Andean Trails’ director, recently spent a few days walking the Choquequirao trek. She had heard of new roads making the trek a bit shorter and more accessible than it used to be, so she set off to check it out. She says “The trek is stunning but it is a tough one. It is …
The Inca Trail and the Lares Trek with kids, Peru by Kathy Jarvis on 3rd May, 2019 Kathy, Andean Trails’ director, is just back from a trip to Peru over Easter. “ April is a fabulous time to travel to Peru. We have school holidays around Easter but many people don’t so flights are readily available and there are not many tourists around. The weather was excellent and the countryside stunningly …
2019 Machu Picchu – New visitor rules by Kat Dougal on 22nd February, 2019 Years of popularity and increasing visitor numbers have left a toll on the world famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. For a few years now authorities have been thinking of ways to limit the damage that millions of yearly visitors are causing to the site. After a first introduction of rules in 2017 regulating …
Know Before You Go: Our Top Tips for Holidays to Peru by Tom Shearman on 23rd January, 2019 Thinking about a holiday in Peru? Andean Trails’ Peru travel expert Tom Shearman has visited Peru more than 10 times and shares his top travel tips and what to know before you go. When to go The best months for hiking, highlands and jungle are in the dry season – May …
Visit Peru with the family – expert advice and tips by Kathy Jarvis on 29th October, 2018 Peru- top tips for taking the kids Andean Trails director Kathy and her son (now eleven) are frequent travellers to Peru. Their latest trip was earlier this year and top of their list was the Lodge to Lodge Lares trek, a community tourism project in the Sacred Valley and a homestay with some day …
Cusco: Top 10 restaurants and best Peruvian food by Tom Shearman on 12th October, 2018 Almost every tour to Peru will pass through the famous Inca capital of Cusco. Learn which typical plates to taste, where to jump in for a quick and hearty meal and where to and enjoy fine dining. The below is a list of a variety of all types of restaurants to suit all occasions …
Top Ten Things to Do in the Sacred Valley, Peru by Kathy Jarvis on 25th May, 2018 Top Ten Things to do in the Sacred Valley, Peru Pretty much everybody that goes to Peru will visit Cusco and Machu Picchu. Sandwiched between them is the wonderful fertile Sacred Valley, full of unexpected delights. It would be easy to spend a week here, the climate being warmer than Cusco and the accommodation generally …
Homestays and community tourism in Peru by Kathy Jarvis on 18th May, 2018 Homestays and community tourism in Peru Lewis milking the cow “Have you ever milked a cow?” I find I keep asking this when friends question me about our recent trip to Peru. I hadn’t and milking was one just one of the new and very memorable experiences from our trip. Learning how to weave …
Lodge based treks in Peru: Salkantay, Lares, Ausangate by Kathy Jarvis on 14th May, 2018 If you are planning a trek in Peru but prefer some luxury and you really don’t want to camp then there are a number of excellent options. There are three lodge to lodge mountain treks that offer superb mountain scenery, contact with the local community and a good degree of luxury. Each of the lodge …
Kathy in Peru – two treks near Cusco by Kathy Jarvis on 24th April, 2018 Twenty four years since she first set foot in Peru Andean Trails’ Kathy is heading back to some of her old haunts with her 10 year old son. The plan is to trek in two of the big mountain areas just near to Cusco : Lares and Ausangate – both very familiar areas with …
Peru – there is so much more than Machu Picchu by Alan Lyall on 23rd April, 2018 When most people hear of Peru the first thing that comes to mind is Machu Picchu. The lost city of the Incas is the best-known archaeological site on the continent and the main reason why in high season over 2500 people visit daily. The most popular trek in that part of the world is …
Santa Cruz Trek, Northern Peru by Tom Shearman on 2nd March, 2018 Looking for something different from your trekking trip to Peru? Read all about Santa Cruz, one of Huaraz’s best kept trekking secrets, with Andean Trails’ Tom’s personal account: He writes: “Huaraz in north Peru is a trekking and climbing dream, with its multitude of remote trails, ice-clad peaks and famous hikes like the Huayhuash …
Peru Treks from Cusco by Kathy Jarvis on 11th January, 2018 What trek should I do in Peru? Kathy, Andean Trails’ director, has been trekking in the Andes since 1994. Here she gives her round up of treks in the Cusco area, from the Classic Inca Trail to the more remote and rugged mountain Ausangate Circuit. All prices correct at the time of publishing 11/01/2018 CLASSIC …
Top 5 places in Peru to visit by Kathy Jarvis on 5th January, 2018 What should I see in Peru? Peru travel expert Tom gives travel tips and his top places to visit in Peru. He writes: “Peru is one of my favourites places for a holiday – there is variety, so many attractions plus wonderful food. “If you can only go once, these are the best places …
Peru: travel expert reviews latest trip in Q&A by Kathy Jarvis on 30th November, 2017 Peru’s Highlights A few months ago Tom went to Peru to find new locations, trek new paths and just catch up with what’s been happening there. He tells us… Holiday in a nutshell? Almost all of Peru’s Southern highlights. Where have you just been? All over the south of Peru – starting as …
Jaguar spotting in Amazon rainforest, Peru by Tom Shearman on 13th October, 2017 Jaguar spotting We’d been cruising upriver for two hours when the engine noise suddenly cut and a whispered word rose above the lapping of the muddy Amazon river water. “Jaguar,”. Ten souls stirred from soporific slumber and eyes started to scan the riverside. Spanish speakers stole a march as the boat captain murmured: “Izquierda, …
Lares Trek – an alternative to the Inca Trail by Tom Shearman on 13th October, 2017 Lares Trek Tom has just returned from trekking in the Lares Valley, in the surroundings of Cusco – and is happy to share fond memories…and check his Facebook photos, too. The beauty of the Lares Valley I can’t believe I’ve spent almost 17 years driving past these wonderful valleys and not known the beauty to be enjoyed …
