USA Today Logo New York Times Logo Outside Magazine Logo Conde Nast Traveler Logo National Geographic Traveler
Create your Trip Journal [click here]

Land trip to Cuzco from Quito

By : Betty Jaramillo
Trip Begins February 23, 2009
Trip Ends March 11, 2009

We drove from Quito down to Mancora, Chiclayo, Trujillo, Lima, Ica, Nazca, Arequipa, Puno and Cuzco in 17days, Visited lots of wonderful places... a trip to remember for ever!!!
See my photos : Land trip to Cuzco from Quito

I went to: Peru, Ecuador, Cusco, Lima, Machu Picchu Ruins, Puno, Nazca, Arequipa, Quito, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca
[enlarge map]
[reduce map]
February 23, 2009
Top

Quito - Mancora (16 hours)

mancora

The Adventure began!! A group of three Adventure Lifers woke up at 01h00 am to start a super long journey through all the Ecuadorian territory to cross the border on a 4x4 at noon. Ecuador is a beautiful small country that allow this kind of wonders!! By the aftertoon our team was already in Mancora, a nice beach in the northern area of Peru. Marcelo, Alexa an Andres started their journey I was planning to meet them a couple of days later in Lima... I was the lucky one, I did the long trips by airplane....

February 24, 2009
Top

Mancora - Señor de Sipan - Chiclayo

chiclayo

Visit to the Señor de Sipan Museum

February 25, 2009
Top

Chiclayo - Trujillo

trujillo

Visit to Chanchan, ruins.

February 26, 2009
Top

Trujillo - Lima

Lima, Peru

This was a long journey for the drivers, fortunately I took my flight from Quito and in a couple of hours I meet them in Lima. I felt so lucky, my cousin, her husband and my husband were waiting for me at the airport ready to show me a little bit of the city. We visited the Barranco, a good area to visit at night. We drove around the beautiful neighborhoods of Miraflores and San Isidro amoung other great ones. In this point my adventour began.

February 27, 2009
Top

Lima - Ica

ica

No one was ready for an early morning so we started our day at 09h00. Belen, my cousin, picked us up in her car and drove us to the old town... Gosh I was glad we were not driving there! Driving in Quito is a children game compared with that!!!
It was good to see this part of Lima, it is beautiful. I particulary enjoyed the view of the balconies, those are great art works.
At noon we said bye to Lima and drove to Ica, the land of the Choco tejas... I loved those chocolates!!! There we tasted the Pisco with its different varieties, I will not change the Pisco Sour.

February 28, 2009
Top

Ica - Nazca

Nazca, Peru

After a relaxing night, we woke up to drive down to Nazca and make the arrangements for the flight over the lines. The lines were amazing, but the experience of flying on small craft that shakes your stomach to the limit was the highlight for us!
After the flight we visited the Chauchilla necropolis, there are about twelve opem-top graves with mummys inside. The weather was extremely hot, I've never felt that before. I don't think I'll visit a place like this again but it was an interesting visit.
We had to take the most of each day so at night we visited a planetarium where one of the Nazca lines theories was explained, definetely is a place that can allow you blow your mind and create your own theory....

March 1, 2009
Top

Nazca - Arequipa

Arequipa, Peru

The highways in Peru are great ones, which you really value when you travel long distances.
The most part of this day we spended travelling by the cost line, I should say it was still scary to see the sea right by the highway a lot of meters down....
In the way we stoped at Camana where we found lots of Arequipeños enjoying the beach.
The four of us are highlands people and the cost, desert, heat was getting us fried. On this day we head up to the highlands and got our souls back to our bodies... loved Arequipa.

March 2, 2009
Top

Arequipa

Arequipa, Peru

This city constructed mainly with a volcanic stone welcome visitors making you feel completely safe to explore.
It looked amazing for us so we deceided to take a city tour and enjoyed both the city by itself as well as the country side around, two completely diferent aspects of the same city.
Arequipa left in us a good taste of the Peruvian highlands.

March 3, 2009
Top

Arequipa - Puno

Puno, Peru

After saying bye to Arequipa and our great hotel there, we head up to Puno.
The way provides amazing landscapes, maybe the one that was saved in our memories was a lake with so many flamingos on it.
When we arrived to Puno our highlands hearts realized that were not ready for this altitute, fortunately as this is a very common issue for visitors, Sorochipills are expended almost each corner, then the problem was solved.
From this point we experienced the Coca culture of Peru, indians chewing the leaves, Coca teas served almost everywere, and the leaves used as gifts, offerings and medicine. It is hard to accept that our "modern culture" damaged this ancient traditions that baddly.

March 4, 2009
Top

Puno -La ke Titikaka : Floating Islands and Taquile

Lake Titicaca, Peru

The hotel arranged a great trip for us. It started early in the morning with a hotel pick up to drive to the port at the Titikaka lake.
There we met our guide, Leo. I was so happy to meet him as I've read about him in our pax evaluations.
After boarding a motor boat, we navigate to the Uros Islands. On the island we landed we found a nice group leaving there, they welcome us and explained us about their island, their lives, their costums. After enjoying a couple of hours with them we board a Totora canoe to the "main island" there we board our boat again to continue a long navigation to Taquile.
Taquile was superb. This island is a great example of a perfect organization where their 2000 inhabitants participate in different ways. The welcome team there even nprovides you a plant that makes you breath better at that super high elevation. The way up pays the efford with the wonderful view from the top, their comunity by itself is a tressure of narrow streets, stone stairs, colurful dresses, artcrafts and no cars!.
From this day on, my only concern was the impact of tourism in this traditional cultures, you can find everywhere, women and children asking for money for a picture, please, please don't do it... let tourism leave only positive impacts, purchase their merchandise, eat their food and even donate good but don't give money specially to children!

March 5, 2009
Top

Puno - Cuzco

Cuzco

Leaving Puno behind, we passed by Juliaca an La Raya enjoying great views of the coordilleras and giving our contribution to the markets in the highway.
This was a long way up but to arrive to Cuzco to see the sunset there was great.
In the Plaza de Armas of Cuzco and it's surroundings you feel save to walk and enjoy the lights overs the stones.

March 6, 2009
Top

Cuzco - Aguas Calientes

aguas calientes peru

We purchased our train tickets and MachuPiccchu entrances, thanks God it was low season, it would be imposible to do in other times of the year!
We meet a nice man, Victor. He drove us to Ollantaytambo but not without stoping in each view point in the way letting us enjoy the beautiful landscapes and let us apreciate lots of Inca Ruins.
Our main stop was in Chinchero, this is a beautiful little town, where I was happy it was not a market day. We had time to share with people who are ansious to tell you about their lives, to show you how they work and seems so proud of where they live. In any trip it is definetely people who gives it the magical touch.
Chinchero also has Inca Ruins and Colonial creations, stop there is really nice!
Ollantaytambo is a cozy town. The ruins there are magnificent ones and there is a little market to enjoy.
From here we took our train ride to Aguas Calientes or called MachuPicchu town too, here our adrenaline was on the top.. we where about to arrive to our destiny: MachuPicchu.

March 7, 2009
Top

MACHUPICCHU!!!

Macchu Picchu

We started with a great decition, don't hike up to MachuPicchu and take the bus ride!
Around 05h00 am we started our journey to the Inca Fortress. When we arrived we followed the people and ended up in a line to hike the Waynapicchu.... we got our space between the 200 ones allowed so deceided to do it.
We hiked up for 40 minutes the guys and Alexa and me in one hour 10 minutes. In our way we were thinking why we didn't chose the "small one" but when we arrived to the top understood that the efford was completely paid. The views from there were amazing. We did it! It was the best part of our trip.
Back to the ruins, we meet Ruben, he was an indian guide... just great!. Furthermore explaining us about hte complex and its wonders, he "cleaned us". He used a mix of plants that I can't descrive you how it gave us back our strenght right when we were ready to quit the visit...I really can't explain.
Visiting MachuPichu is a perfect way to understand the Inca civilization as a magnificent one who is still teaching us lots of their discoveries: Getting here is something all must put on their checking list.
On the afternoon we took our train back to Ollantaytambo and Victor was ready to drive us back to Cuzco.

March 8, 2009
Top

Cuzco - Ica

ICA

We all started early this day, my husband and my dear friends drove me to the airport where I said bye to the adventure... a great one.
For them it was also the end of the trip and time to come back to our beautiful Ecuador.
They drove to Ica on that day, a super long one through a highway that only 80 kms before the cost start a zigzag way down from the 5000 meters above sea level.

March 9, 2009
Top

Ica - Trujillo

trujillo

I see their trip back as a marathon. They drove directly from Ica up to Trujillo and stoped just in Chimbote to visit my cousin there.
I couldn't believe it but they did it!

March 10, 2009
Top

Trujillo - Frontier - Machala

El Oro ecuador

On this day they left Peru behind, great places, beautiful landscapes, unforgettable sunsets,colorful markets, our Peruvian brothers that mainly showed great hearts.... but happy to be back to our great costs.

March 11, 2009
Top

Machala - Quito

Quito, Ecuador

They were on their territory so there was no hurries, after a well deserved rest they started a late morning way back to Quito.
The dream was accomplished!!!!

My Photo Album: Land trip to Cuzco from Quito
Couldnt be a better team to share this trip!Our team ready to drive around Peru!Tumbas Reales de Sipan MuseumThe vast mud city of Chan ChanArtificial lake created in Chan ChanDo you see the woman there? that is the size of the wallsPlaza de Armas in TrujilloDoors keep great secrets....A Colonial style hotel in TrujilloSunset in TrujilloCultural performance in LimaMiraflores neighborhoodSunset seen from LimaA view from Miraflores in Lima Plaza de Armas in Lima Nice view in the Limas old town.Balcones Limas Great art.Valley in the middle of the desert on the Southern PeruWe were ready to fly!The Astronaut saw from the tiny airplane.With our pilot and our huge craft.Chauchilla NecropolisChauchilla Necropolis... I cant say I liked this part.....Arequipa, we were so happy to be back in the highlandsPlaza de Armas de Arequipa, this is a really beautiful city Juan Bautista church in ArequipaWhite stones in ArequipaUros island welcome.Uros Island - Floating island at the TiticacaTotora balsas in the Titicaca lakeUros island people getting ready to receive usTaquile Island - Titikaka lakeGreat decision: Visit the Taquile Island!!!Taquile: Be prepare for altitude sicknessA view of the Titikaka while having lunch.Resting to keep on hiking Taquile Spending an afternoon in Taquile... great people.Sunset over the TitikakaCuzco viewCuzco CathedralAnother beautiful street in CuzcoGetting to the Chinchero main squarePracticing how to bargain in ChincheroOllantaytamboInca water chanel in OllantaytamboOur team ready to board the Vistadome to Aguas CalientesTrain entertainment in our way to MachuPicchu Town.Ruins on the WaynapicchuMachu Picchu seen from the WaynapicchuI still cant believe I went that high! Wainapicchu ruins.Machu Picchu.... just amazing!!!YEAH! We hiked the Waynapicchu!!Using the Inca telephone... they were genius.Machu Picchu: No picture compares with seen it there.The tree of live in Machu PicchuChinchero ruinsUnbelievable: We are in Machu Picchu!!