Most travelers to Peru know about the Inca Trail, but what about the more impressive (and challenging) hikes like the Salkantay trek, the Choquequirao trek, and the Cachiccata Trail were all built by the Incas and used for hundreds of years before travelers arrived.

The Peruvian government has signed a construction contract for a new airport beside the picturesque colonial village of Chinchero. The airport in Cusco has a limit of 2 million travelers per year keeping the traffic of people in the area under control. This new facility will be able to serve 5 million people upon opening in 2020.

We had an amazing, eye-opening, thrilling 6 weeks of travel in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. Our bond as a family has strengthened and although we were really excited to get home, we are already dreaming about our next travel experience together!

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

Adventure Life guides are the unsung heroes whose efforts create amazing experiences for our travelers. They will become like family as they guide you through Peru, and we wanted to give you the opportunity to get to know a little about them before your trip!

Ancient ruins, charming people, delicious food, wildlife-rich jungles...Peru truly has something to offer any traveler! With so much to see and so many ways to see it, deciding on one of our Peru trip itineraries can prove challenging. Here are a few recommended ways of exploring the country based on specific personal interests and preferences.

Thinking of traveling to Peru but concerned about safety? We have some recommendations for safe travels as well as some information that may settle those concerns.

We received the most charming holiday card in the mail last week from our travelers, Sandi and Joe Costa, who joined us on a custom Peru adventure in October. And while I'd like to take credit for the Mick Jagger sighting, I'll admit, that wasn't part of the original itinerary. Enjoy a little holiday cheer, compliments of the Costas... …

The Inca Trail is not the only extraordinary trekking opportunity in Peru! That is a good thing as passes fill up months in advanced. There are actually a number of excellent alternatives, and they have the advantage of being less known, and less crowded... Salcantay, Cacchicata, & Cordillera Blanca are just a few of these Peru treks.

Hiking the ruins of Machu Picchu itself can be enough for some travelers. But there are some amazing peaks to trek while at the ruins -- and offer a rare perspective to the legendary Inca ruins. The catch? There's a fee, and you'll want to do a little planning in advance to save your spot. Here are some helpful details.

Huayna Picchu

Huayna …

Peru was an amazing place, full of friendly people, the most beautiful countryside, and Incan ruins everywhere!

Starting off our staff travels for 2010, Adventure Life's fantastic office manager and gate-keeper, Lynessa Nelson, is readying for a Peru adventure with her husband, Matt. Next week, Lynessa and Matt will hop on a plane from the Missoula airport to Lima, Peru. The first leg of their Peru journey is on the floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca, …

You may remember our post about the definitive changes to the Choquequirao Trek due to the construction of a cable car. By the end of 2015, the firstaerial tramway in all of Peru will be built to Choquequirao. It is anticipated that up to 3,000 people each DAY will be deliveredby thecable car to this historic site that currently gets just a …

Peru's Machu Picchu continues to mystify and intrigue its visitors (yours-truly included) and scholars -- even a century after Hiram Bingham first introduced the legendary Inca ruins to the rest of the world. Most recently, a group of Peruvian archeologists discovered a unique tomb located on a hillside at the ancient city. Its placement -- high …

We're not the only ones who are all a-buzz with the swiftly approaching centennial celebration of Hiram Bingham's rediscovery of Machu Picchu. National Geographic joins us in our enthusiasm for this mysterious landmark and is giving Machu Picchu much love with a great online feature. Highlights includes Top Ten Secrets of Machu Picchu, great reads …

We are thrilled to see Adventure Life's Andean Multisport Peru trip featured in Outside Magazine's annual Best Trips issue. Check us out in their Hot-List that gives you 23 great reasons to "Get Out There." Our Andean Multisport trip is specially designed for those adrenaline junkies who suffer from a bit of been-there-done-that. Spend 10-days on …

Update June 23, 2010: Over the weekend, strikes came to an end, and things have returned to normal.

Over the past ten days, there have been 3 strikes in the Cusco-Machu Picchu region that have disrupted the transportation systems, requiring Adventure Life to adjust itineraries for our travelers in the region. After eleven years of providing trips …

Machu Picchu reopens as scheduled, April 1, 2010. Celebrations were held in Machu Picchu Town (Aguas Calientes) and in Cusco -- not to mention in our Adventure Life office. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is also opened.

Access to Machu Picchu is very limited -- the rail is the only practical way to the ruins, other than your own two feet on the …

We have updated information regarding the re-opening of access to Machu Picchu and Machu Picchu Town (also called Aguas Calientes). Following up on our blog post from earlier this month -- there are changes to the original schedule that may affect your upcoming Peru trip.

The short version:

The damage on the lengthy, "backroad route" …

UPDATE: As of Feb. 22, 2010, there are changes to the original schedule regarding re-opening access to Machu Picchu. Click here for details.

Many of you are familiar with the heavy rainfall that hit southern Peru at the end of January. Peru is no stranger to such downpours, but this season the rainfall that hit the region, flooded the Vilcanota …

MSNBC has a great article on Machu Picchu. An excerpt is below. Follow this link for the full story!

Machu Picchu may have been less of a city, than a spiritual destination for the Inca. New research argues the ceremonial path into the city was conceived as a replica of the path followed by the first Incas in cosmological myth.

On our ninth day in Peru we hiked Huayna Picchu because after hiking 25 miles what’s another 4 or 5? I was apprehensive because it sounded very technical but it was just climbing more narrow stairs on a steep slope. We made it to the top, took some pictures, and started back down. We passed more people going down than up so it took longer to …

After our quick visit to Lima we flew to Cusco Peru to meet up with the rest of our group and meet our guide. Our guide’s name was Juan Barrios and he was a Cusco native. He met us at the airport along with the rest of our group: Liz and Aaron; Laurie and Ken. We went off to our hotel for a quick lunch and then met up with the group to start …

Why would two, relatively same (although my children do call me crazy) decide to go to Peru and hike the Inca Trail for almost 25 miles from Km 82 to Machu Picchu? To celebrate our 30th anniversary and prove we (or maybe just me) were still in shape. The actual anniversary date isn’t until July but that is the height of tourist season. And …