Gringo-ing to the Andes

It's been done before. So much so that the route from Lima to Cusco has its own, albeit unofficial, name - the Gringo Trail - named for the European, American and Australasian tourists, or "gringos", that venture this way to see the sights of Peru on their way to the Andes. We did it at a fairly leisurely pace, but even so, had to really pack in each day in order to appreciate the incredibly diverse sights, scenery and range of experiences that Peru has to offer.

Let's recap one stop at a time.

Paracas

Paracas is a small, fishing village on the Pacific coast with not too much going for it other than it being the jumping off point for cruises out to the Ballestas Islands. Known as the poor man's Galapagos, these stunning islands are home to fur seals and penguins and hundreds of thousands of birds (including a species of pelican that is the second largest bird of flight on Earth). We took a magical tour out at dawn to say hi to the locals. We also saw our first geoglyph - a cactus inscribed on the side of the cliffs by the ancient Paracas culture, circa 200BC (way before the Nasca lines - see below), and visited the UNESCO listed Paracas National Reserve which was an absolutely stunning, otherworldly landscape of desert beaches and wild plains.

Huacachina

The only desert oasis in South America is a tourist mecca for adrenaline junkies. They come to ride the incredible, mountainous sand dunes that surround the town on boards, skis or dune buggies. We opted for a sunset buggy ride - an apt description for a hair-raising, rollercoaster-esque flight careening over the dunes, which culminated in a truly spectacular sunset. The area is also the home of pisco, so naturally a tour of a local winery was in order to calm the nerves.

Nasca

It's famous for those lines scattered across the desert plains, virtually untouched by rain in over 1500 years (Peru is very, very dry, and Nasca receives less than 3 hours of rain a year). A fascinating mystery yes, but an impressive sight to see...less so, and I could take or leave them. Still, we visited a fascinating planetarium to learn all about their history and their theorised connection to astronomy. More interesting still was a visit to "Nasca's Machu Picchu" - a complex of pyramids and temples of the pre-Incan Nasca people, dating from 600AD. An Italian archeologist spent decades uncovering the site until the money ran out. Now, since the Peruvian government (and indeed the rest of the world) is more interested in the Incas, the work in the area has ceased and there remains potentially hectares of ruins still buried under the sand nearby waiting to be unearthed. A dig around with your foot can quickly uncover some ancient ceramics, textiles, and even bones (some skulls complete with hair and teeth!). Grizzly. In town there was an interesting museum about the civilisation (with some more complete skulls!), including an example of an ancient aqueduct, a showcase of their skills with textiles and information about the iconography of their beliefs.

Arequipa

Easily the most charming and beautiful of our stops along the way, Arequipa had much more of a colonial feel. Indeed it was considered a capital outpost for the Spanish, before briefly declaring it's autonomy from Peru. A fabulously entertaining walking tour of the city filled us in on this fascinating history and unpacked why the locals remain proud Arequipeños, and like to distance themselves from Peru. Fittingly for its European heritage, the city is famed for its pizza (remarkably authentic!). So we ate well, also taking in local delicacies like queso helado (the local ice cream) and rocoto relleno (stuffed peppers with potatoes) at a traditional picanteria. We also explored the stunning Santa Catalina Dominican monastery, famed for its vibrant red and blue cloisters, and watched the sun set from a local craft brewery. A charming place.

Arequipa is also the base camp for trips to the nearby Colca Canyon, the world's second deepest and home to the world's third largest species of flying bird - the Andean condor (that makes two of the top three and leaves us with just the albatross to spy!). We did this tour over two days, which involved a 17km trek into the canyon (with a descent of over 1000m) one day, and a 3 hour solid climb out the next morning. The thinning air at an altitude of 3300m (and maxing at 4900m at one pass we stopped at along the way!) made for some shortness of breath, but trekking along the valley walls at sunset while the river roared below us and condors soared above was a pretty magical experience. And the waterfall pool at our lodge and the hot springs that finished off the trip kept us refreshed and invigorated despite the successive 2.30am and 4.30am starts!