BBC Article On Travel Insurance - Read It Before You Go!

This recent article from the BBC sums up why we tell our clients to purchase travel insurance, take a read before you travel with us or anyone else. 

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110718-is-travel-insurance-right-for-you/1

Paucartambo Festival Videos on our YouTube page!

Videos from the Paucartambo festival this weekend, Gary, Malka, Seppe and Robert went to visit, and Saby from operations was actually dancing;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=Adb5YwG3Jq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=h5Ow9KwEFhw

Anne and Hugh´s Travel Diary - Nazca

 

We arrived late in the afternoon at the village of San Pablo to visit the Museo Maria Reiche. This is the former home, research base and now resting place of the German born Dr. Maria Reiche, Phd, who devoted her whole life to studying the Nasca Lines and fighting to get them protected and preserved for all time.

It is a fascinating place with copies of her original notes and diagrams on display, along with photos and graphs explaining how the Nasca constructed an underground irrigation system that fed a series of deep well water channels in the area.

The Museum was added onto her original one room house, which still contains the original furniture she used. If you look inside, it has been set up to show her (a sculptured manikin of her), sitting at her typewriter desk working, with all her sketchs and survey drawings (copies of the originals now stored in the Peruvian National Archives) hanging from the wall.

On the east side is a new gallery with Nasca Pottery and aerial photographs of the Nasca Lines.  In the garden at east end is the tomb where she was laid to rest after she passed away.

Her work was instrumental in getting the Nasca Lines recognised as a World Heritage Site.

From here it was a short drive up out of the valley this small museum and town was in, out onto the broad flat Nasca Plains.  Here we stopped at a viewing tower set up to allow people to look down on the Nasca Hands and the Nasca Bush.

This is one of the driest places on the Earth.  It has not rained on these plains for centuries, which is why the Nasca Lines have lasted such a long time.  Recently there was an unseasonal heavy rain storm in the hills to the east.  The flash flood that resulted from this deluge did do some damage, which the aerial photos I took next morning will show.

We then proceeded south east to the City of Nasca, arriving just after sunset.  Our hotel here was a Casa Andrea, quite lovely and comfortable.

After checking in we went out to a local restaurant for supper before turning in for the night.

Good night to all from Nasca, Peru

Read more about the mysterious Nazca Lines here http://www.escapedtonazcalinestours.com/

Annual Construction of the Qeswachaka Inca Rope Bridge

Robert from the Cusco sales team recently went to see the unique annual Inca rope bridge construction near Cusco and shares his experiences and photos with you. Check out the link below:

http://www.escapedtoperu.com/english/qeswachaka-inca-rope-bridge.html

Colca Canyon - Condors and Natives

Blog post by Gary

My wife Malka and I have recently returned from a trip to the Colca Canyon area of Peru and I felt like sharing some of our experiences and knowledge of this lovely area with you all.

Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world and is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the US. The deepest canyon is said to be the Cotahuasi which is actually next door to Colca! The main attraction for our clients visiting this area is the ease with which they can see the largest land-living bird, the Andean Condor. Each morning during the dry season the Condor Cross viewpoint is visited by hundreds of tourists eager to see the spectacle of often half-a-dozen or more condors swooping on morning thermals. 

I personally have been very lucky in that many times I have seen more than 10 of these majestic birds flying around, but be aware that at other times you may only see a couple of them, you cant get nature to order of course but this place is the most accessible point in Peru to view the birds.

Malka and I were taking it easy while we were there and I had a break from the office but we did re-visit and stay at some of the hotels we use for our clients, not just as somewhere to stay but also to re-check the standards and services of each hotel. For value for money our favorite is the Colca Lodge. The awkward transfer to this hotel is more than made up for by the comfortable rooms, great spa and the best feature, their own hot springs right in the hotel grounds. It is a real pleasure to wander down to the pools in the cold evening air in your fluffy robe and slippers, immerse yourself in the soothing hot water with spectacular views of the valley and stars, and enjoy a cocktail before dinner. A great experience which we recommend to all our clients.

For those looking for luxury however the Casitas de Colca is a superb, high-end pampering experience. This Orient Express property is simply sublime with guest having their own houses to stay in, each one with a sumptuous level of comfort and facilities. If you want to splurge on luxury this is the place, have a look at my video of the room we were in with its own private outdoor hot pool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcRX6S_VDvQ

The little villages in the Colca valley are fascinating too, many still cling to age-old traditions and the rivalry between the two sides of the valley and canyon are still evident in the hats that the women wear. The two cultures, the Collaguas and the Cabanas, have different styles of hats, one being more of a cap style and the other with a wider round brim. The women always wear them, and not just for the tourists. As you walk arounf the villages you will see what rural people have done for hundreds of years, in many areas of the Colca valley life continues in much the same way as it always has. 

This is a beauftiful place that the majority of visitors to Peru dont get chance to see, if you have the time in your itinerary i highly recommend it and as you can see, its not all about the condors!

Peru Vacations - Is It Worth Visiting Colca Canyon?

So, you’ve got to that part of your Peru vacation planning where you can’t decide which places to visit and what you may need to cut out in order to fit with your timeframe. It’s difficult as there are so many options in a country as diverse as Peru, that someone planning their trip can get overwhelmed.

One great option to include in your trip is a visit to the Colca Canyon in the south of Peru. This article will help you decide if you should include it in your Peru vacation or not.

What is the Colca Canyon?
The Colca Canyon was formed by the Colca river, and is located about 160km northwest of Arequipa. Most visitors use Arequipa as the base for trips to the canyon, which is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and is considered the second deepest in the world.

Who goes to the Colca Canyon?
The Canyon has plenty of options for outdoor types and adventurers as well as those who simply enjoy spectacular scenery and traditional towns and villages. There are many popular treks around the Canyon, from two day circuits on well maintained paths to seven day routes that require an experienced guide. Rafting, mountain-biking, climbing and horse-riding are also popular. You can also take a dip in the ‘La Calera’ thermal baths whilst enjoying the superb scenery.

Wildlife enthusiasts have a near guarantee of seeing the largest land-based bird in the world, the giant Andean Condor. Visitors to the ‘Cruz Del Condor’ viewpoint in the early morning can see these huge birds swooping past the lookout point over the precarious drop into the base of the Canyon, 1.2 kilometers below.

How much time do I need to visit the Colca Canyon?
Including travel from Arequipa and then on to Lake Titicaca or back to Arequipa, three days are a good length of time. However, if you want to take more time to investigate Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, there is plenty to do to fill up any additional days! Alternatively if you are pushed for time the canyon can be visited as an overnight trip. A day trip from Arequipa is not recommended due to the travelling time involved.

What else can you combine with Colca on a Peru vacation?
Based in the south of Peru, the Colca Canyon is near to the impressive Lake Titicaca that sits on the border with Bolivia. Visitors can visit the various islands dotted around the lake and see the hand-woven floating reed houses that the local people still live on.

Also in the south and easy to combine in a circular route from Lima is Cusco and the Sacred Valley; the ancient centre of the Inca Empire. From there it is possible to travel to the famous UNESCO World Heritage site of Machu Picchu, perhaps hiking the last 46 kilometers along the popular Inca Trail or one of the alternative routes.

Also relatively easy to include in your circuit are the Nazca Lines, a mysterious collection of ancient geoglyphs carved into the Nazca desert. Shapes range from simple geometric forms and lines to animal shapes like monkeys, birds and lizards. No-one is really sure why the lines exist, or who put them there.

The Colca Canyon is most commonly combined into a tour taking in Lima, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. To this route you can easily add the southern coast and Nazca Lines and/or the Amazon Rainforest depending on the time you have available.

Have you visited the Colca Canyon? What did you think?

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

Escaped to Peru sponsors Peru´s most successful cricket team

 

The Cusco-based Tour Operator Escaped to Peru, part of Escaped to Latin America, is proud to be a sponsor of the Peruvian national cricket team as they enjoy their best ever result in international competition in Costa Rica.

The Peruvian national cricket team has enjoyed its best ever tournament in Costa Rica and the Tour Operator Escaped to Peru is proud to have been a sponsor and is a constant supporter of the development of this sport within Peru.

The recent ICC Americas Division III tournament was held in San Jose, Costa Rica between the 14th and 18th of March and featured 6 Latin American teams seeking promotion to the second division. Peru competed against teams from Belize, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and the Falkland Islands and on pitches that were slow with huge boundaries all the teams battled with the local conditions and struggled to score runs. The Peruvian team played extremely well to beat every team except the eventual group winners, Belize.

Gary Sargent, the Managing Director of Escaped to Peru, is normally a member of the squad but missed this tournament due to work commitments. He explains "The current team is made up of mainly ex-pats like myself who have been nationalized". Gary goes on to say "We are actively promoting the development of cricket amongst Peruvian born young men and women and we are sure that within a few short years we will be able to field a complete team of native Peruvians". Until that happens the nationalized members in the side will continue to represent Peru in a sport that is not yet fully recognized by the Peruvian authorities despite being supported by the ICC, the world governing body.

Some of the private bi-lingual schools in Lima such as Markham and Hiram Bingham are running cricket coaching for their kids, both male and female, and recent junior tournaments bode well for the future. Anyone who is interested in finding out more about cricket in Peru can contact Gary via his office.