Peru turned out to be one of the greatest adventures.
It wasn’t intended that way. The biggest learning for me was, that tour operators and guides that depend on the income sometimes have no choice, but to go with you on that booked tour, although they know quiet well that it could be more dangerous than you the tourist would like it to be. In our case they knew that at the end of the season the weather already had started to turn bad. Snow and floodings in the mountains. They said nothing to us about that upfront, so we were ripped of the choice to say “no”.
The other thing that I learned is: use your own head! If you plan a tour over a 4700 m high mountain pass, you should consider the season, weather conditions, your personal fitness level and your clothing.
Thinking back I am thankful that nobody got seriously injured.
General safety tip:
Don’t rely only on what somebody else tells you. Make up your own mind. In the end it could be your life on the line – not theirs!
Route: Huaraz – Cusco – Salcantay trail – Machu Picchu
A detailed description of our journey will follow. For now some pictures:
