There’s a well-worn path in the traveler’s imagination that leads directly to Peru. It’s paved with images of sun-drenched Inca ruins, the iconic silhouette of Machu Picchu against the clouds, and the lingering mystique of a civilization lost to time. … Read More
Inca Trail
A Journey Measured in Altitude, Not Attitude: Why Peru Will Break Down Your Ego, and Why You Should Let It
In our daily lives, we are architects of control. We build careers, manage schedules, and curate our existence with a certain level of predictable precision. We climb ladders, hit targets, and measure success in promotions and achievements. Then, you decide … Read More
Peru Doesn’t Offer Easy Answers. It Teaches You How to Sit with Its Profound and Unanswerable Questions
Travel, for many of us, is a quest for answers. We pack our bags with questions tucked into the side pockets: What will I discover? Who will I become? We arrive in a new land expecting it to unfold neatly, … Read More
The Most Important Ruin to Explore in Peru Is Your Own Preconceived Notion
We all arrive in Peru with a suitcase full of expectations. They are packed tightly alongside our hiking boots and camera gear. We carry a mental image, polished by countless documentaries and breathtaking Instagram feeds, of a lone llama silhouetted … Read More
Forget «Finding Yourself.» The Goal Is to Lose the Person You Were When You Arrived
There’s a well-worn cliché in the world of travel, a phrase so often repeated it’s lost all meaning: «I’m going away to find myself.» We see it in movies, we read it in books. The protagonist, weary of their predictable … Read More
The Ethics of the Photo: Are You Capturing a Moment or Just Consuming a Scenery?
There’s a moment that happens on almost every trek in the Andes. We’ve just crested a ridge, the air is thin and crystalline, and a valley unfolds below us—a patchwork of impossible greens dotted with stone houses and grazing alpacas. … Read More
The Heaviest Thing You’ll Carry in the Andes Isn’t Your Pack—It’s Your Own Perspective
As a guide and planner for journeys through Peru, I’ve seen countless travelers obsess over grams. They meticulously weigh their sleeping bags, debate the merits of a titanium spork, and trim their toothbrush handles to save a fraction of an … Read More
The Paradox of Your Itinerary: How the Quest for Control Robs You of the Actual Experience
I see you. I see the spreadsheet with its color-coded tabs, the meticulously researched restaurant list, the daily schedule timed down to 15-minute increments. It’s a masterpiece of planning, a fortress built to ward off the anxieties of traveling to … Read More
You Can’t Buy Transformation in Peru, But You Can Pay for It with Sweat, Humility, and Silence
There’s a fundamental misunderstanding many travelers have when they book a trip to Peru. They see the itineraries, the iconic photos of Machu Picchu, the promise of adventure, and they believe they are purchasing a product. An experience, neatly packaged … Read More
The Ultimate Souvenir from Peru Isn’t an Object, But a Permanently Altered Sense of Time
Wander through the San Blas market in Cusco, and you’ll feel it. There’s a vibrant, almost frantic energy as travelers hunt for the perfect keepsake. Brightly woven textiles are piled high, small ceramic bulls promise prosperity, and the soft touch … Read More