Not Just The Legacy Of The Incas…
As South America’s third largest country, Peru was the next stop on our epic 27 week overland journey as we put Ithaca through her paces making our way north to Colombia in time for Carnaval…
With its colourful and friendly people, extraordinary landscapes, and fascinating archaeological sites, Peru was earmarked as the highlight of our entire trip due to our impending trek to Machu Picchu. (Booked for late April).
But we quickly discovered Peru has so much more to offer in addition to the legacy of the Incas…
Two Distinct Geographical Regions
Driving through the Andes with its gigantic peaks and steep canyons from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco, we were wowed by the stunning scenery making for some spectacular bushcamping, which has only whet our appetite for what is to come when we return to Peru in Sector 3.
What we didn’t expect as we travelled beyond Cusco was to see the lush green valleys change distinctly to a dry, arid expanse of nothingness as we headed towards Peru’s west coastal desert, a northern extension of Chile’s Atacama Desert, the driest, hottest place in the world.
And there we experienced one of our favourite activities to date, an adrenalin fuelled day riding around the vast sand dunes in custom built dune buggies, with our screams and laughter echoing across the desert.
Preparing For An Adrenalin Rush!
It’s A Long Way Down!
The adrenalin rush of driving fiercely over the dunes did not finish there! We disembarked the dune buggy and had our first taste of sand boarding, a leg trembling experience for me, but fun all the same once I’d built up enough courage to have a go!
Wayne being the far more adventurous (and competitive one) didn’t hesitate to grab a board!
Proudly holding my board after finally daring to have a go!
Sunset Over The Sand Dunes
After a fun couple of hours, we waited in anticipation for the sun to set over Huacachina, a beautiful sight as the sky turned a wonderful blend of pinks and purples.
Sleeping Under The Stars
It was then time for a barbecue feast, a few pisco sours and a night in the sand dunes as we slept under the stars…
4 Comments
Hiya,
Amazing pics – could I ask how you reached Huacachina? I was considering travelling to Huacachina from Cusco but the bus journey seems quite long, just wondering where you traveled from? xx
Hi, as we did an organised overland trip of South America, all transport was pre-arranged and along with the company’s choice of route. We did have many long days travelling on the truck between places, sometimes up to 17 hours, but as our trip was 6 months duration, we had the time to get to places further afield. If you are travelling from Cusco, it really depends on how much time you have for your own trip and what you want to fit in, as to whether a long bus journey from Cusco to Huacachina is worth it. If you look at our overland blog post by clicking on the link, you will get an idea of our general route. https://www.treksnappy.com/2014/04/60-days-overland-in-peru-ecuador.html All the best with your trip, Danielle & Wayne
Hi, did you bring your own tent for the trip? Love the blog BDW!
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment about our blog! We didn’t actually have a tent for overnight on the Huacachina trip. We just literally took our sleeping bags and slept on the sand! It was just about warm enough; then the dune buggies took us back to our truck a little after sunrise.
It was a fab day/night though so don’t let that put you off!