I was lucky enough to spend three weeks traveling through Peru, overlapping with a longer trip my parents were taking through the country. Because we have family in Lima, we had a home base and enough time to plan a few smaller trips rather than trying to fit everything into one nonstop itinerary. Arequipa was…

Before visiting Peru’s southern coast, I was convinced of one thing: I did not want to see Paracas and Huacachina on one of those marathon day trips from Lima. You know the itinerary. Leave Lima before sunrise, visit the Ballestas Islands, continue to Huacachina for dune buggies and sandboarding, and eventually make the long drive…

The first thing you notice as you approach Huacachina is the sand. We had spent the previous hour driving from Paracas toward Ica, and once we reached the city, the scenery felt surprisingly familiar. Ica reminded me a little of a smaller Lima: cars, traffic, businesses, people moving around, and the general commotion of a…

When most people start planning a trip to Peru, they focus on the same destinations: Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, and maybe Arequipa if they have extra time. Paracas rarely makes the first draft, and I understand why. If you only have a week in Peru, I would give every extra day I could to Cusco….