Join Louis Bryant, Bay Area resident, photographer, guide and leader as he reflects on his Peru photo tour. Or join Rustic Pathways on a photo tour of your own choosing.
Peru is a charming place to visit. Aside from visiting and witnessing the reverential Machu Picchu and seeing an alpaca or two what else do you think of when you here Peru? I know what comes to mind after spending about thirty days in a country that possesses thirty of the world’s thirty-two climates.
I think it was the trickiest place to prepare for because four days you will be submersed in the roasting Amazon Rainforest and the subsequent week you’ll be winding down the side of a glacier-capped mountain. The variety of weather was only the tip of the iceberg for the interesting facets of Peru.
One place of character and beauty is Ollantay, which is located in the Sacred Valley of Peru. We slept under heavy alpaca blankets in a humble pueblo named Pachar where our students were paired off with families for a full immersion experience. The days consisted of Spanish class in the mornings and community service in the afternoons. Here goliaths surrounded our presence and made the existence of man seem minuscule.
Aside from the service and language classes we were exposed to many parts of the Peruvian and Incan culture. We ventured through ruins, marketplaces, villages, farms, mountains, rivers and lagoons. We saw smiles from boys and girls, mamis dawned in their chompas and monteras, and men escorting their bulls. I distinctly remember hearing running water, there was always water – even in the desert oasis Huacachina! We ate cuy (guinea pig), alpaca, fresh fish, smoothies with frogs, and chomped on chichi morada.
I couldn’t write something about Peru without exposing my experience about Machu Picchu – it is everything that people say it is. The mystique, the presence, and the beauty in craft are beyond description and even the photos used to depict the occasion.
After departing the wonder we visited a pueblo located near a lagoon – Huancaya. This is where I gained first hand knowledge on how to experience altitude sickness. The pain was relentless throughout the night but I could not help but appreciate that experience because I believe seeing such pristine beauty was worth every distressing moment.
The last great memory I have in Peru is when our last week was approaching and the amazing experience we had at Huacachina. The surrounding desert humbled our presence as you would gaze upon a horizon stretched across with massive dunes that resembled a frozen sea of sand. Being there was certainly an experience I think every man, woman and child should experience. Surround yourself with desert and feel the presence and absence of self.
More about photo tours at Rustic Pathways
Learn about Rustic Pathways photography tours
See our Capture photo tour collection:
- Capture | Australia photo tour
- Capture | Costa Rica photo tour
- Capture | Costa Rica Surf photo tour
- Capture | Fiji photo tour
- Capture | India photo tour
- Capture | Mongolia photo tour
- Capture | Morocco photo tour
- Capture | Myanmar photo tour
- Capture | Peru photo tour
- Capture | Peru photo tour 2
- Capture | Tanzania photo tour
- Capture | Southeast Asia photo tour