Travel Photo Collection

We decided to contact Adventure Life for a tour of Machu Picchu at the suggestion of some good friends. This fabulous tour was our only ''guided'' tour in a 5 week, 4 country adventure through South America. This decision was perfect because we ended up learning so much more about the ruins, the culture and the country, than if we had walked in the front gates on our own. Our photos were taken in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.

Michael and I both loved many aspects of the Manco Multisport tour but also love cuisine and cooking, so Kassi and Ashley helped us plan a custom tour including our favorite aspects of both the Manco Multisport and the Cuisine Tours that are offered. A fabulous itinerary was now planned - all we needed to do was make sure that we were in shape to handle the Multisport portion of the trip and that we had all the gear we needed.

Photos of our trip

Every segment of our trip was top-notch. The weather was great, along with the food, the tours, the lodging, the transportation and the people. We made a stop at Mantay in Cusco to deliver peace pals and medical supplies. We were very impressed to learn that Adventure Life has a relationship with the shelter. Thanks to Milagros in Lima, we learned about the Mantay Shelter in Cusco. My friends and I knitted 26 peace pals to distribute to the mama and baby residents there. Mantay Shelter provides safety and education for abused teenage mothers and their children.After a break in and robbery of the computers and televisions, Adventure Life helped to heighten the brick wall and install electric protection around the shelter. It also helped to solve several plumbing problems in the bathroom. We all greatly appreciated having our own \'\'private\'\' tours. With just 4 of us, we could all fit into a van and could interact better with our guides. This kind of intimacy is not possible with a large group on a bus. We were able to stop for pictures and ask questions whenever we wanted to. Also we were able to drive to locations that a big tour bus could not reach, for instance the salt mines.Thanks to Adventure Life for giving us the opportunity to share with people in Peru.

Photos of the people,animals, and places on our Peru trek with Adventure Life.

How can you summarize Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu? You can\'t! I will use bullets to try to help...The 7 wonders of our trip:1-How\'d they build the road to Machu Picchu (MP) and how do they keep them in great shape? They aren\'t paved and there are many switchbacks and many many buses each day.2-The bus schedule is flawless at MP. Little waiting and they are a marvel to watch as they pass and maintain order on the mountainside.3-Wild orchids jut out of the mountain. They are on road sides and at MP. They epitomize Peru. They can make hard thinks look simple.4-Some places living without reliable running and hot water at points throughout the day. That is harder than it sounds. 5-How\'d they fit so many vendors in one place, so the vendors even step out to beg for business. Compreme. Non, muchos gracias senora.6-How\'d the Incas know to layer the terraces with clay and gravel and dirt to avoid erosion and filter the water.7-How\'d Peru and the Incas inspre me to be more Inca-like...To learn more Spanish, to master hard stuff, to do something I think I can\'t, to do the Inca trail or hike Huana Picchu.Do:-drink coca tea as soon as you arrive-do drink the \"syruppy\" coffee at breakfast, but you may need to mix half and half with hot water-learn some Incas...Pachacutec, Manco Inca...-stay near Plaza de Armas in Cusco-stay at the Inti Inn in Aguas Calientes if you wanna dance all night to the Chez Maggy\'s music next door-stay at El Sauce for a marvelous view of Ollantaytambo ruins and water systems-drink Cusquena. And Chiccha morado. And say yes to cuy.-learn that @ = alt 64 on a spanish keyboard-learn to say non, muchas gracias senora. Yo tengo sombrero or whatever you already have that they are selling. Be sincere and they will leave faster!-charge your camera battery so it doesn\'t die at MP. Really.Don\'t:-take a bath in the fountain at MP-take a bath in the hot bathes at ACalientes*growing theme?-plan on using the potty at MP-not inside anyway-eat an unpealed apple-drink with your already inebriated buide-where they traditional wool pullover while climbing Huana Pichhu or wear wedges.To be Peruvian is to understand that all types of people have to live together. They have meshed Spanish and Inca tradition and religion to become who they are today. The Incas believed in duality. Man and woman. Peach. Sun and moon. I wouls say thats about right. Peruvaians are kind, gentle people (well, except the pushy women on the streets selling!). We stand to learn a lot from them.I gaze sleepily out the window as our overnight flight is met with sunshine. I glance twice out the window as I think I see terraces. White puffy terraces and the shapes of Machu Picchu. I look for a shape of a condor and slightly make it out below the terraces. Am I too tired? I have been Incanized!

White water rafting, mountain biking, hiking, zip-lining, kayaking oh my! What had I gotten myself into???

Celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in beautiful Peru and the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. A trip of a life time!

The Mantay Shelter in Cusco, Peru, experienced flooding this past year which damaged the bathrooms in the facility. Adventure Life provided funding for repairs to be completed in a timely manner. The Mantay Shelter supports adolescent mothers in reaching a life of dignity for themselves and their children and we at Adventure Life are proud to support them.

Our Peru travels took us from Lake Titicaca to the Sacred Valley and the fantastic Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. We finished our Peru trip with a few days in Cusco. Good people, great food, inspiring culture and unforgettable landscape.

We began our tour in Peru on Lake Titicaca visiting the Uros floating islands the incredible hospitable Aymara people on Amantani Island. After taking a bus from Puno to Cusco and seeing amazing ruins along the way, we met up with our guide and another couple for the Machu Picchu by Train tour. Great beginning to our adventure together in Peru!

Our long-anticipated exploration of pre-European Andean culture was more informative and enjoyable than ever we could have imagined. Two very knowledgeable and agreeable guides made it so. Breathtaking scenery was the norm. The highlight and great surprise of the trip was the Colca Canyon. The sheer effort involved in cultivating such seemingly inhospitable land is awe inspiring.

Months and months ago, a couple from Chicago decided to take a vacation. That guy wanted to take this girl on a special, unforgettable trip to celebrate a landmark occasion: her 30th birthday. Seeing this girl was never one to make a fuss over the day of her birth, it was quite a surprise when she agreed. With very little muss and fuss, the city dwellers pinpointed Peru as their destination of choice. After months of planning with travel guru Sullivan of Adventure Life, the two packed their bags and headed to South America for an experience they would never forget...

An amazing adventure paragliding over Lima, a wedding ceremony in Cuzco, hiking to the top of the Andes, Machu Pichu, and sailing Lake Titicaca.