The best travel stories from Peru are those that have the power to pull you deep into the experience as if you were living it yourself. Here are some of our favorites that can do just that.
When we look back over the years, it’s often our memories of traveling to a unique place or experiencing something new that stand out. It’d be great if we could all go on year-long journeys of finding ourselves or crossing destinations off the bucket list, but it’s simply not possible for countless reasons. That’s why we’ve gathered these transporting travel stories from Peru: an important reminder that when you can’t feasibly travel, the writings of another adventurer can fill you with hope, inspiration and provide a momentary escape from your reality.
Take a look at the following travel stories from Peru, and don’t hesitate to share your own with TLIP:
What It’s Like to Visit Chan Chan
Located in northern Peru, this vast adobe complex is considered the largest city in the pre-Colombian era of Latin America. A maze of corridors, huge plazas (audiencias), storage rooms and residential areas are spread across the Chan Chan compound, a space large enough to hold seven football fields with room left over.
Normally, tourists would need to take a 1.5 hour flight from Lima to Trujillo to witness this ancient site—or you can read about what it’s like to visit Chan Chan here.
Attending Mass in Quechua in the Sacred Valley
Attending mass is increasingly becoming a rarity for those in the Western world—and an even more unlikely experience when performed in Quechua. But the idea of alpaca grazing on open grasslands and crisp country air could be enough to get anyone to say hallelujah.
Jump in the back of a pickup truck along with the author of this first person account in voyaging to a mysterious village in the highlands. Though spoken in one of Peru’s oldest languages, you’ll come to find that a Catholic church service doesn’t exactly line up with the values and beliefs of a traditional highland community.
Deep into the Jungle
Shared experiences is what brings humanity together, and perhaps even more so when it is a near-death experience.
“My leg is broken!…And we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
No, this isn’t some fictional horror tale: this is a story of danger and friendship in the midst of the incomparably beautiful Manu National Park.
Touring the Cacao Trail
Throughout Peru, the cacao crop thrives and finds its way into some of the best chocolate bars in the world. In the San Martin region of northern Peru, jungle towns and villages play host to not only high quality cacao, but plantations that have improved the livelihood of surrounding communities.
Journey through the cacao farms in Tarapoto, Lamas, Chazuta and more to meet the farmers, understand the production process and get a taste of what kind of chocolate intensities await on your next visit to Peru.
Photo: CIFOR/Flickr