Discovering Quito’s Historic Guápulo Village
One of our final items of business in Quito was to explore the neighborhood of Guapulo, not exactly an easy feet on foot from Old Town, but undoubtedly worth it.
Highlights from Peru include Arequipa and hiking Colca Canyon, Cuzco and trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, memorable encounters with remote communities on Lake Titicaca, exploring isolated Iquitos and the Peruvian Amazon.
Highlights from Ecuador include visiting Cuenca, exploring in and around Banos, hiking around Lake Quilotoa, visiting the largest market in Latin America in Otavalos, and urban explorations in Ecuador’s capital, Quito.
One of our final items of business in Quito was to explore the neighborhood of Guapulo, not exactly an easy feet on foot from Old Town, but undoubtedly worth it.
For some unfathomable reason, the Equator is an endless source of fascination for those of us who grew up in the northern (or southern) latitudes. We set out to discover what all the hype is about.
Today, we’re continuing our tour of Old Town, with a trip up to Quito’s famous (and infamous) Panecillo, but not before running into the President of Ecuador, himself.
The largest Neo-Gothic basilica in the Western Hemisphere, Quito’s gigantic Basílica del Voto Nacional (Basilica of the National Vow) is also definitely the coolest church I’ve ever set foot in.
Unraveling the mysteries around us on a an important national holiday celebrated with gusto in Old Town Quito, Ecuador.
We overshot Quito, Ecuador by two hours to catch one of the largest and most famous markets in all of South America — Otavalo Market.
Twenty minutes into hiking around the rim of Ecuador’s Lake Quilotoa, we knew we had drastically underestimated the day’s undertaking.
Hiking the rim around the 12,800-foot high Quilotoa “crater lake” was high on our list of must-do adventures in Ecuador, but we soon discovered that half the adventure was simply getting there.
A ridiculously fun day trip exploring the amazing Waterfall Route (Ruta de las Cascadas) of Baños, Ecuador by a unique mode of transport. When in Baños…
Sprawled out over a small, mile-high valley in the Andes, the supremely picturesque town of Baños, Ecuador lies in the shadow of an active volcano and is the gateway to the jungle.
Stopping over in a surprisingly impressive city with the hope of unlocking the secret to one of the world’s most infamous railways, La Nariz Del Diablo (The Devil’s Nose).
Cuenca was our first overnight stop in Ecuador after spending a month in Peru, and we could already tell on arrival that Ecuador was going to be a whole new ballgame.
We head to the Amazon, basing ourselves out of isolated Iquitos (Loreto) and attempting to cobble together our own independent jungle adventure.
Perched at 12,556 feet above sea level on the shores of mammoth Lake Titicaca at the southern tip of Peru, the city of Puno has a distinct feel all its own — and the residents aren’t afraid to flaunt it.
From Amantani Island, we catch a ferry to nearby Taquile Island — home to some of the handwoven textiles — in the heart of Lake Titicaca (Peru).
Dominated by agricultural terraces and two ancient-temple-topped peaks, the remote island of Amantani is quite unlike any other island we’ve visited.
Peru’s side of Lake Titicaca is home to the Uru-Aymara people who live across 44 self-constructed floating islands made entirely of reed.
The fourth and final day of our 40+ km Inca Trail trek, starting at 3:30am and ending on a train back to Cuzco, with Machu Picchu exploration in between.
In Peru, continuing our trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This post covers our adventures and misadventures of the third day along the route.
Day Two of our Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu was the most difficult: 10 miles over two 13,000 ft. passes, resulting in 11 of the most grueling and rewarding hours of our lives.
Instead of taking the tourist route to Machu Picchu, we trekked four days over 42 kilometers following the 500-hundred-year-old Inca Trail. Here’s our travel report.
Wandering the alleyways of San Blas, soaking up the history of Plaza de Armas, and climbing to see Jesus in Cuzco, Peru, in the lead-up to of our four-day Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu.
Another early morning bus ride Peru that ended up being a 10.5-hour adventure.
We climb our way out of one of the deepest canyons in the world at high altitude and under blazing sun…needless to say, it wasn’t easy — but totally worth it.
Part one of hiking into (and out of) the world’s second deepest gash, Colca Canyon.
Exploring the enchanting “White City” of Arequipa, with its colonial, indigenous, and quintessential Peruvian charm.
We begin our month backpacking in Peru where many travelers do – in Lima. We explore the Miraflores neighborhood and some of the city’s top sights before taking a 16-hour overnight bus over the Andes to Arequipa.