In case you missed it, read our recap of Month 1 & 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6
In February, we mostly travelled through Peru. We found great places for trekking, mountain biking and even surfing. After 40 days in Peru, we were sad to leave. We could stay for a year and still have a lot to do, for example, we didnβt have a chance to go to Peruvian jungle. But weβve visited many nice places and are grateful for 40 days we spent there.
Peruvian and Bolivian mountains are tough. The altitude is so high, usually around 3500m, that even after weeks of acclimatising, we still had a hard time breathing.
We crossed to Bolivia at Lake Titicaca, which is 3812m, and walking up the hill to the viewpoint of the lake was a hard task.
Our stats:
Travelled:Β 1777 km
Spent:Β 23 days in Peru (total 40 days), 5 days in Bolivia (continuing in March)
Average spent per day per person:Β 51 USD (48 EUR) in Peru, 48 USD (45 EUR) in Bolivia
Slept in: 7 beds in Peru, 2 beds in Bolivia
Transport used:
- 1 plane (Lima β Cusco, Peru)
- 3 buses
- 3 boats (Isla Palomino, Peru & Isla del Sol, Bolivia)
Highlights
Seeing penguins and swimming with sea lions in Lima, Peru
When we had a forced break at sea level in Lima because of my breathing problems (see Lowlights below), we started to look for something low profile to do. Seeing sea lions in the ocean with a possibility of swimming with them seemed like a great idea. And it was!
We went to a Palomino Island, put on wetsuits and jumped in. Shortly, a bunch of little curious sea lions came to us and swam around us. One baby sea lion bit Michalβs foot a bit, I guess he was just curious what creatures came to their island.
Riding a horse to Rainbow mountain, Peru
On the morning of our trip, I got the stomach flu. Luckily, I could hire a horse to take me up to the mountain because I could barely walk, let alone hike 10km in high altitude. After reaching the very top on my own, I had happy tears in my eyes as I finally saw the beautiful Rainbow mountain I dreamed about years ago.
Visiting one of the 7 Wonders of the World – Machu Picchu, Peru
After 5 days of trekking through the mountains, weβve reached our final destination of the trek β the famous Machu Picchu. We spent the whole day at the ruins, climbed the Machu Picchu mountain from which you can see the whole valley, took many photos of llamas and I even got to feed one from my mouth. It was an awesome and fun day.
Hiking across Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
Lake Titicaca is a huge lake and Island of the Sun is the most accessible place on it. It has Incan ruins, nice beaches and a hiking trail across the whole island. As the name of the island suggests, it was a sunny and very warm day.
High altitude running at Lake Titicaca 3812m, Bolivia
We thought it would be fun to try running at a high altitude. Letβs face it..there wonβt be another chance to try this. It was not as fun as we thought, we were slightly out of breath even before the run started. There was a lot of walking but at least we can say we tried (and exercised lungs at) high altitude running.
Lowpoints
Acute bronchitis & high altitude of Peruvian Andes
After the highest point we reached when we climbed Mateo Peak (5150m), I had a headache and problems with breathing for 2 days. Firstly I thought itβs because of the high altitude. But it wasnβt getting any better when we returned to sea level in Lima.
Iβve visited a clinic where a doctor diagnosed me acute bronchitis β it usually happens when a person is exposed to a thin and cold air. I was prescribed some medication, inhalator and had to stay at sea level for a week. The silver lining was that I really enjoyed staying in Lima. Its warm and salty breeze helped me a lot and Iβm fit again.
Overcrowded (and popular) Cusco, Peru
When people visit one place in Peru, itβs Cusco. There are many ruins around, including Machu Picchu and a lot of treks are starting from here. Therefore the centre of the town is a real pain in the ass to walk through. Itβs constantly full of tourists, even in low season.
There is no one minute without people walking up to you and selling you famous Peruvian hats, tours, massages or a photo with a llama. For a while, we respectfully thanked and declined but it got so annoying we just had to ignore them. I know these people make a living out of it, but the way they are approaching people is even more annoying than sellers in Egypt.
