Peru is one of the most captivating countries in South America, filled with dramatic landscapes and ancient Inca and pre-Inca ruins. However our time in Peru was not the usual experience most travellers have, instead it was an illustration of the often volatile nature of politics and society in South America as we travelled during a time of mass political unrest in the country. Read on for my honest opinions and experiences of Peru travel during a tumultuous time in the country.
Mancora, Trujillo, Huaraz, Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Paracas, Huacachina
Protesters marching through the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa
Protests in Peru
When researching travel in South America, you’ll probably find that government travel advice often states that South American nations can be subject to destabilising protests or political upheaval. We experienced this first hand in Peru.
Our time in Peru was marred by political unrest (Jan 2023). We were determined, or just stupidly misguided in the belief that we wouldn’t be affected too much by the mass upheavals and protests. We decided to push on in Peru while others we met on the road jumped ship and headed elsewhere during the troubles, however we had major headaches in Peru just trying to get from one city to the next. Protestors blocked the Pan-American highway with huge rocks and in places attacked anyone trying to pass. Deliveries of fuel, food and supplies were prevented from passing the road blocks so certain areas started to run low on essential supplies. Tourists cancelled their holidays to Peru in droves. There was a mass exodus as tourists fled to airports, having made the difficult decision whether to try and weather the storm or just flee. We heard news stories of protestors being killed by police, police being killed by protestors, vehicles attacked with projectiles and people trapped by the road blocks. We even heard one story about a tourist having to pay hundreds of dollars to a lorry driver to help them get out of Huacachina by driving through the desert over the sand. The situation with road blocks and protestors massing for demonstrations changed daily. We constantly followed the latest developments on a local news website which had a map with all the roadblocks on.
We literally had to move when we could. Sometimes airports were closed as protestors tried (with varying success) to storm airports and disrupt air-travel. We happened to be in Cusco airport when one such attempted storming took place and I can safely say I will not forget the sound of the protestors horns anytime soon. All flights were cancelled, we were barricaded inside until the police brought the situation under control and we had to stay another night in Cusco, the airport reopened the next day and we were able to make our getaway. Puno airport was closed indefinitely during our time in Peru with the region being a hotspot for protestors and becoming a no-go area for tourists. We resorted desperately to flights in order to visit Arequipa and Cusco and somehow timed it just right to get to Paracas and Huacachina by bus, however as quickly as the route had opened up, one day after we got back to Lima the roadblocks were back in place and the route was cut off once again. The situation definitely affected our time in Peru, we didn’t manage to visit Rainbow Mountain or Machu Picchu, the sole reason that Dan’s dad had joined us in Lima. Our experience was not the one most tourists usually have however I must say it was memorable and fascinating to be there during this highly combustible moment. We saw first-hand protestors marching, carrying banners and crying for justice, making speeches in the main squares in Arequipa and Cusco and rocks covering the road around Arequipa.
Riot police in Lima
We had trouble booking flights through the LATAM Peru website, it kept rejecting our international credit cards. The solution we found was booking through local tour agencies and paying them in cash or by card.
Another good tip I like to pass on, I always join the backpackers Facebook group for each country that we are traveling in as fellow travellers are a great source of information about pretty much everything, they also share up-to-date news and info about travel routes, this proved vital when traveling around Peru during this turbulent period.
Peru travel and tips
We entered the country by taking the Cruz del Sur bus from Guayaquil to Mancora. This was a direct bus which stopped at immigration near Tumbes, I can wholeheartedly say that getting a direct cross-border bus saved us a lot of fuss and stress (like experienced when crossing from Colombia to Ecuador at Ipiales). We found that at the Ecuador-Peru border, the bus dropped us at a separate (bus-only) immigration queue which was really short. I highly recommend using Cruz del Sur, they were efficient and professional (not always the norm in South America) and their buses were always top quality.
Uber works in Peru!
Fee free ATM: Multired
Peru receives hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, they have a strong and well-developed tourism industry and therefore card payments are accepted in most (touristy) restaurants and hotels. You will need cash for public toilets, buying produce at markets and if buying from street-sellers. Due to the number of tourists passing through, it’s not unusual for street-sellers to hassle people they think are tourists, this really got on our nerves but everyone has to make a living, so be kind! Watch out as you might get ripped off because you look like a tourist, it’s just a fact of life when traveling in places that are popular with wealthy foreign tourists. To reduce the risk of being ripped off, know how much things are supposed to cost, double-check the price before you buy something, be confident with the currency conversion rate and just move on if you feel that you’re being ripped off or scammed.
Safety
Crime is common in some parts of Peru but generally, as they have a developed tourist industry, most tourist sites are very safe. You’re more likely to be ripped off or hassled than robbed. Stick to the touristy areas and you shouldn’t have any issues with crime however remain vigilant and protect yourself from being targeted by criminals.
Mancora
Getting friendly with the locals ft. a tuk-tuk in the background
A popular beach destination for Peruvians and backpackers alike, we spent Christmas here. There may or may not be a party scene, I can’t confirm or deny as we spent most nights resting and going to bed at 10pm. The first thing that you’ll notice is the crazy amount of UNLICENSED tuk-tuks swarming the dirt roads around the town. They’re cheap, however most of the tuk-tuk drivers do not have driving licenses and we also heard of them regularly trying to scam people and add an extra zero onto the price! The beaches are worth a visit if you’re passing through northern Peru, we visited Mancora right after and Galapagos it was impossible not to compare all beaches to the pristine white sands of Tortuga beach, they never held up sadly.
Accommodation
- Hospedaje La Quebrada – friendly dog and great swimming pool.
- La Casa de Jessy
We spent the Christmas period in La Casa de Jessy, it took me hours of online research to come to this decision. What swayed my mind was that it had a kitchen and oven so I could attempt to cook an authentic British Christmas dinner. After heading to the market the previous day and haggling over potatoes, cauliflower and peas, on the big day I was beset with problems as I couldn’t figure out how to work the oven, I really should’ve thought about this on Christmas eve. After many tears and many glasses of wine, the hostel owner (who was very friendly) returned and saved the day helping me fire up the oven. It was a slightly unorthodox Christmas dinner as I couldn’t find any meat so I made a vegetarian Christmas dinner with mac & cheese, but I did manage to pull off Yorkshire puddings in Peru, which I was very proud of, believe me! At one point during the day when I’d lost all hope of cooking anything, Dan ran (barefoot) to the Wild Rover hostel nearby, as we knew that they were serving an Irish Christmas dinner, why oh why didn’t we just go there in the first place instead of all the Christmas drama with the oven I do not know. Dan must’ve appeared like a mad-man, frantically shouting about two spaces for Christmas dinner, the staff were very kind and offered us two places, he then ran back without shoes on to find that the oven was working.
Our Christmas Dinner
Foodie Places
The Wild Rover – this hostel had a nice swimming pool with avocado toast to die for! We snuck in to visit friends who were staying there and didn’t have to pay extra for using the pool, maybe we were lucky or they just felt generous at Christmas!
Sneaking into the pool at the Wild Rover Hostel, Mancora
Green Eggs & Ham – has a lovely terrace overlooking the beach, great juices and food
View from Green Eggs & Ham
3 Amigos Mancora – cheap mexican food
Sea fusion kitchen – slightly sweet sushi, not sure if they put sugar in the rice rolls
Kiba Mancora Restaurant – nice food from what I can remember
Sicilian Ristorantino Italiano – nice cosy atmosphere, quite romantic as there aren’t many tables, nice owners and tasty food. We were even given Christmas panettone as a present from the owners on Christmas eve.
Activities
We became full-time beach bums, we hit the beach most days. We even almost got washed out to sea at one point as we tried to take a short-cut back to our hostel using the beach route rather than walking on the roads, as the tide was coming in we almost got cut off (admittedly this was after about 4 glasses of wine) however we managed to climb some very strange steps off the beach and cut through a hotel garden much to the dismay and confusion of the security guard.
Dan frolicking in the sea at sunset on Christmas Day
We then trail-blazed through Trujillo and Huaraz on a quick-march to get to Lima for New Years Eve. We wish we’d spent more time in Trujillo and Huaraz as they were for the most part relatively untouched by the mass tourism that infects southern Peru.
Trujillo
No explanation necessary
After a horrendous night bus from Mancora, we had one day to go sightseeing in Trujillo. We arrived at an ungodly hour in the morning having not slept a wink, dragged ourselves to our hostel and snoozed on the roof until we could check-in around 8am, we then headed straight out for a group day trip to various archaeological ruins nearby.
Accommodation
Yaqta Hostel – really helpful guys that work here, they let us access the hostel and sleep on the roof when we arrived at 5am which was a lifesaver. Great location too in the centre of Trujillo, highly recommended
Foodie Places
Juguería San Agustín de Bolívar – great local sandwich place
El Rincón de Vallejo – great place to sample local Peruvian cuisine
Aji de Gallina and Beef Stir fry from El Rincón de Vallejo
Activities
Chan Chan tour which included the Chan Chan archaeological site, the temple of the Sun and Moon and a lunch stop at Huanchaco. This was a great trip, we were really impressed by the size and complexity of these pre-Incan archaeological sites and we also enjoyed walking along the beach and eating ceviche at a beachside restaurant in Huanchaco. We were able to cover all these great sites in one day, this is very much off the beaten track but definitely worth a visit. These sites get very few foreign visitors so spread the word!
Running on zero sleep in Trujillo
Huaraz
A major hiking hub, most tourists come here to walk the Laguna 69 trail or complete the very challenging Huayhuash circuit. Don’t expect English tour guides here, we had to join a Spanish language tour to Pastoruri Glacier and even though the tour guide was supposed to be bilingual during the Laguna 69 trek, the guide didn’t actually do the trek and gave VERY limited information in English, it peeved us off a little as he talked incessantly in Spanish but when it came to the English translation he didn’t really bother.
Accommodation
As a birthday treat for Dan we picked somewhere more comfortable to stay. Akilpo Home was more like a hotel than a hostel.
Foodie Places
Casa De Las Pizzas – we ate here twice, this restaurant is situated in a square amongst lots of other restaurants, it’s a good area to head for if you’re hungry. Dan particularly enjoyed the peach pizza on his birthday.
Peach pizza and Pisco sours at Casa de Las Pizzas
Activities
Pastoruri Glacier tour: we took the Spanish-language tour as this was the only one available, we didn’t understand most of the information in Spanish but we did discover when we arrived that you have the option to pay for a horse-ride to the summit of the trail. The trail only takes about 30 minutes but it’s mostly uphill walking and at high altitude which makes it more physically demanding. Nice views of the lagoon, national park glacier.
Pastoruri Glacier
Laguna 69 trek: after our experience with the Lost City, Dan was hesitant to undertake another challenging hike. The views of the lagoon at the end are absolutely stunning and the walk itself is really scenic, we almost felt like we were walking in the mountains in Switzerland at points. Be aware that there are bulls on the path, we were really cautious to avoid them as we didn’t want a confrontation but they seemed more curious than dangerous. The lagoon sits at 4600m above sea level and you have to climb 800m to reach the lagoon. You will feel every meter, trust me. The first 30 minutes of the trail is flat, then a steep zig-zag uphill followed by more flat, then more zig-zag trails uphill, then a lovely flat meadow walk, followed by the final uphill push. You really need high-energy snacks and plenty of water. The altitude will affect you, we were slower, spent most of the time out of breath or trying to catch our breath and had to take multiple rest stops along the way. We were told that the altitude often affects you more on the way down, we saw this first-hand as a woman stumbled by us on the way down and looked almost zombie-like, staggering around. Later that night we also experienced this strange light-headedness, sort of a drunken fuzziness. Dan got us lost using google maps and led us in a circle around Huaraz, we were both disorientated which we put down to the altitude.
The views at the end made the challenging trek worth it, Laguna 69 trek.
Lima
Lima was our last stop before things went pear-shaped with the protests in Peru, the calm before the storm. We particularly enjoyed watching the fireworks at midnight on New Year’s eve at the Malecon. Although we had to duck a couple of times due to drunken locals throwing fireworks, it’s all part of the fun!
Bringing in the New Year by dodging fireworks on the Malecon
Accommodation
We stayed at a really nice B&B in Miraflores called Casa Porta – with an excellent location, ace fried eggs on toast, buffet breakfast and really friendly approachable staff, it’s a winner all round. Miraflores is an upmarket residential neighbourhood; it’s safe, trendy and there are lots of restaurants, cafes and bars nearby!
Foodie Places
We mostly ate at an indoor street food market called Mercado San Martin, it’s a great place to get ceviche, pizza, burger, Peruvian food, basically everything.
Lima is the place where I got hooked on ceviche
If you fancy a Michelin star dining experience, La Mar Cevichería Peruana is great but you might have to wait an hour or so in the queue, it’s best to go early or late.
The crab ravioli was to die for at La Mar!
These places are also good for lunch: Pastelería & Cafe Chelsy (their club sandwich is great!), La Lucha Sangucheria Criolla (fast-food chain that serve sandwiches with a fab array of sauces) and La Misteriosa (good variety of food options).
Activities
We joined two free walking tours, one around Barranco and the other in the city centre. It’s nice to walk from Miraflores to Barranco around sunset as there are beautiful views over the sea front.
Miraflores in the distance
Huaca Pucllana Site Museum is worth a visit and they have guided tours in English, it’s an archaeological site in the middle of the city. The mound used to be used to race dirt bikes but is now slowly being excavated.
This archaeological site is slap-bang in the middle of the thriving metropolis
A visit to Parque Kennedy to bond with all the stray cats in the park.
Larco Museum – it has a very pretty exterior and an interesting collection of erotic pottery on the lower level, definitely eye-opening!
Museo Pedro de Osma – worth a visit if you’re staying in Barranco and run out of things to do
Museo Convento San Francisco y Catacumbas – it was interesting to see the inside of the convent with a English-speaking guide, the catacombs are the highlight as you get to see carefully laid out skulls and bones.
Photos are prohibited in the Catacombs – don’t ask how we got these!
Site Museum and Archaeological Sanctuary of Pachacamac – we jumped in an uber to get to this archaeological site, you can pay extra for an English-speaking guide which we did, the site is very expansive and the explanations are helpful when trying to envisage what the site previously looked like.
Exploring the vast complex of Pachacamac
Museo de Arte de Lima – some interesting exhibits
Magic Water Circuit – this is a choreographed water display featuring music and coloured lights, we really enjoyed watching this, it’s worth getting there early so you get a good standing position.
The water display also featured images from Peruvian history and culture
Political turmoil erupts! After spending New Years in Lima, Peru was paralysed by protests which made the rest of our time in the country very difficult. We were able to travel by bus to Paracas and Huacachina and we flew into Arequipa and Cusco from Lima but had to abandon all of our other plans in Peru.
Arequipa
The White City. Arequipa reminded me of a European city, in a similar way to Cuenca in Ecuador. It’s packed with colonial mansions all decked in the infamous white silar marble.
Accommodation
Le Foyer; the breakfast was fantastic and it has a rooftop bar which is great for watching the sunset aptly named Sunset Rooftop Bar. We booked our Colca Canyon trip through the hostel. Dan’s dad stayed at Santa Marta Hotel in Arequipa – he had very positive review about this hotel.
Foodie Places
Las Gringas Pizza – good juices and awesome focaccia
Dan’s bread bowl full of goodness, Las Gringas Pizza
Pasta Canteen – cheap, tasty pasta
El Turko – cheap place to eat shawarma
Lautrec Cafe – lovely cafe located in the patio area of Complejo Cultural UNSA
I recommend avoiding the restaurants in the Plaza de Armas, as always restaurants in the main square are the most expensive and we didn’t feel like the quality was very good in the one we visited.
Activities
Free walking tour around the city booked through Guruwalk
We became very accustomed to unexpected religious parades during our time in South America
Colca Canyon, it’s iconic as being one of the deepest canyons in the world and you can see condors flying around. It proved very difficult to reach Colca Canyon as the main road route was blocked by roadblocks during the protests so we had to take an off-road route which was seriously bumpy.
Breathtaking views during the tour of Colca Canyon
We also took a half day tour to the Silar route, which is an active quarry producing the white stone that makes Arequipa the white city.
We spent most of our time here watching a stone mason hanging from the cliff face, slowly chiselling off rock to cause a rocky avalanche
Santa Catalina Monastery – you can pay extra for an English-speaking tour guide, we felt this was good value for money as the tour guide was very knowledgeable and it further increased our knowledge and understanding of the monastery and the Catholic church as an institution, which we would’ve missed out on if we’d gone around independently. The rouge façade inside the monastery is particularly striking as is the way of life of the nuns who lived there for centuries.
We even caught a glimpse of a nun at the monastery
Complejo Cultural UNSA – a free art gallery displaying local artists work, highly recommend
Museo Santuarios Andinos – a small museum featuring various exhibits of Andean life, the highlight is the mummy ‘Juanita’, one of the best preserved Incan mummies
Mirador de Yanahuara – good views of the surrounding volcanoes
Cusco
The usually bustling Plaza de Armas was very quiet
The heartland of the Incan empire, a veritable mecca for any historian or history hobbyist. Our visit was marked by daily protests in the Plaza de Armas. As all other sensible tourists had fled, Cusco was a bit of a ghost-town.
Accommodation
We stayed at Casona Plaza Hotel Cusco – we were the only people at the hotel so it was great, very comfortable rooms
Foodie Places
Our go to restaurant for dinner was always Allpa & Nina Restaurant, Cusco can be a bit pricey but this restaurant was great quality and cheap. For lunch we went to a cafe opposite Jack’s, I don’t think it’s on Google maps but it was very cheap for sandwiches.
Inca Kola is as popular as Coca-Cola here – we were told that Coca-Cola actually own Inca Kola
Molly’s Irish Bar and Paddy’s Irish Pub – a bit on the expensive side but very close to the Plaza de Armas, they serve home comfort food which we sorely needed after 4 months of traveling.
Activities
Free walking tour around the city booked with Guruwalk.
Be prepared for some steep, narrow roads in Cusco
Sacred Valley – we took a day trip on one of the few days that the roadblocks were removed. MUST SEE, from the amazing circular terraces at Moray, to the co-operative salt mines at Maras and Ollantaytambo temple, it’s a fantastic day trip taking in all the main sites in the valley.
An unforgettable day trip to the Sacred Valley
Qorikancha – fascinating Incan temple ruins under a colonial monastery in the centre of Cusco. There were licensed English-speaking tour guides hanging around outside, we don’t usually like being approached by people claiming to be guides but this guide showed us his badge and was actually super informative, we would’ve missed a lot of things without him
Gardens at Qorikancha
Saqsaywaman – a bit of a steep, moderately challenging climb from the Plaza de Arma, it’s definitely not a gentle walk. The ticket is cash only so make sure you bring cash, the ticket also grants you entrance to other archaeological sites nearby. The site offers spectacular views over Cusco and features a massive stone wall complex. Saqsaywaman is close to Mirador desde el Cristo Blanco (worth a visit if you’re in the area) and Q’enco Archaeological Complex (entrance is included in the Saqsaywaman ticket).
The pronunciation very closely resembles ‘sexy woman’
Museo de Arte Precolombino – typical pre-Colombian artefacts museum, some interesting pieces as always
Museo Inka – the Inca museum featured some preserved corpses/mummies which was a bit of a shock as they came out of the blue with no prior warning
San Pedro Central Market, as always in South America this vast market combines a mass of stalls with sensory overload of sounds and smells and colours.
I can never pass up an opportunity to look at deformed skulls – Incas practised a form of cranial deformation which unnaturally contorted the skull, creepy!
Paracas
Paracas is surrounded by desert landscapes
A quick pit stop along the Pan-American highway on our way to Huacachina. Paracas is a small fishing town close to the Paracas national reserve.
Accommodation
Atenas Backpacker Hospedaje – central location, good value for money and cozy atmosphere
Foodie Places
Fruzion – good variety of juices and burgers close to the pier
Valhalla Resto-Bar – the waiting staff were very helpful and gave suggestions on what option to chose
Activities
Boat trip to Ballestas Islands – a very popular tourist trip, you get to see seals and sea-birds on the islands close to Paracas, not comparable to the Galapagos Islands even though some websites try to claim otherwise. This trip also includes a chance to see the mysterious ‘Candelabra’ glyph, one of the more intriguing sites in Peru
Super chilled on the Ballestas
4×4 Jeep tour of the Reserva Nacional de Paracas – a nice coastal walk in the national park with a guide. The ‘Golden Shadows’ trek features some pretty dramatic landscapes and lighting at sunset
Life on Mars (Paracas national reserve)
Huacachina
Situated in seemingly endless sand dunes just outside of the city of Ica, Huacachina is a desert oasis. It’s a great place for sandboarding, riding dune buggies or just climbing the dunes and watching the sunset. To get here take an inter-city bus to Ica bus station, from there you can get a taxi on to Huacachina. If you have time I really recommend spending a night or two in Huacachina, hostels/hotels are expensive here as availability is really limited so book ahead of time if you plan on visiting.
Accommodation
Wild Olive – hostel with kitchen area and Italian restaurant combined. It was the cheapest place we could find in Huacachina and the quality matched the price.
Foodie Places
Wild Rover hostel – a familiar hostel favourite of ours
Wild Olive – prices were slightly on the expensive side but there aren’t many dining options in Huacachina.
Activities
Watch the sunset on the dunes – we chose the dunes directly behind the Wild Rover, we found a trail by heading to the entrance of the town and following the line of people climbing the dunes
Tour of Tacama winery – a really cute winery in an old monastery, the winery is a picturesque and romantic setting, you can get a taxi there and it’s about £10 for a tour and tasting. They have a restaurant and shop on-site, it’s not very often you get to try Peruvian wine in such a beautiful setting.
