Peru’s Forgotten North: Hidden in Plain Sight

Peru’s Forgotten North: Hidden in Plain Sight

  • January 27, 2023
  • by Inga

Peru has an abundance of cultural riches, starting with the crown jewel of the Inca empire, Machu Picchu. Add Cusco, the historic capital of the Incas, the blue waters of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable body in the world, and the vast Amazon jungle and it’s no wonder that Peru’s treasures of the forgotten north …

Hiking the Santa Cruz Trail in Peru: Day 4

  • January 30, 2017
  • by Inga

Day 4 of backpacking the Santa Cruz Trail in the Cordillera Blanca dawned with welcome sun to help us dry out. For more information on planning a backpacking trip on the Santa Cruz Trail, see other articles listed at the end. In the morning the group who had camped near us was up and out …

Hiking the Santa Cruz Trail in Peru: Day 3

  • July 13, 2016
  • by Inga

We were on our 3rd day of backpacking the Santa Cruz Trail in the Cordillera Blanca, a mountain range in Peru, and were ready to tackle the Punta Union, the highest point on the trail. My husband and I were hiking independently but had camped in a designated campsite near a guided group. For more …

Hiking the Santa Cruz Trail in Peru: Day 2

  • May 26, 2016
  • by Inga

We had completed our first day of backpacking the Santa Cruz Trail in the Cordillera Blanca, a mountain range in Peru, and were ready to tackle the second day. My husband and I were hiking independently but had camped in a designated campsite near a guided group. To see how we planned for our independent …

Hiking the Santa Cruz Trail in Peru: Day 1

  • February 01, 2016
  • by Inga

Located in the Cordillera Blanca, the spine of the Peruvian Andes closest to the coast, the Santa Cruz trail cuts through the Quebrada Santa Cruz Valley in Huascaran National Park. Snow-covered peaks, hanging glaciers, gushing waterfalls, aquamarine lakes and fascinating sub-tropical flora all await discovery. After acclimating to the altitude in Huaraz, located at 10,000 feet, …

Planning an independent backpacking trip on the Santa Cruz Trail, Peru: Part 2

  • May 30, 2015
  • by Inga

I had trouble finding detailed information about how to hike the 31 mile (50 km), four-day Santa Cruz Trail in Peru. For being such a popular trail, planning a backpacking trip on the Santa Cruz Trail was difficult. Most people do it as a guided hike, but the track is well signed, and backpackers with …

Planning an independent backpacking trip on the Santa Cruz Trail, Peru: Part 1

  • May 29, 2015
  • by Inga

I had trouble finding detailed information about how to hike the 31 mile (50 km), four-day Santa Cruz Trail in Peru. For being such a popular trail, planning a backpacking trip on the Santa Cruz Trail was difficult. Like most of the backcountry trails in the mountainous areas of this region, it’s an Inca trail, …