Charming, stunning and magical. Just a few words to describe these iconic Peruvian locations. Everywhere you look in this incredible part of the country you are greeted with some of the best views available and quite frankly pictures don't do them justice. Ticking off the wonders of the world, love history and culture or maybe you want to explore the mountains this part of Peru gives you all of that and more. If there is just one part of Peru that you had to visit i would recommend that this be it. A short flight from Lima (if you can grab a window seat, you will be greeted with some incredible views of the Andes) takes you to Cusco. For hotel we stayed at Hotel San Agustin. It was a lovely mid range hotel with a great central location. After getting settled in we headed out for lunch at a restaurant called Jacks, which our guide had recommended. The restaurant offered a wide range of foods, i opted for the Alpaca burger. The burger was nice. It was tender and well cooked. As you might expect it tasted pretty similar to Lamb. The highlight of lunch however came just after we had ordered (most of my table also opted for the Alpaca burger). When a lady holding a baby alpaca and walking another on a lead walked by the window. Clearly she was using the alpacas for tourist photos, but the timing of her walking pass and us ordering lunch was just perfect. After lunch we had a gentle walking tour of the city centre. It needed to be gentle so that we could ease ourselves into the high altitude. In order to avoid getting too sick our guide recommend that we drink electrolytes throughout the day, along with plenty of water and taking it easy on the first day. Locals will offer Cacao leaf's for chewing or tea, but our guide said that this was more of a placebo effect in his opinion. Of course there are medications available and if you do suffer badly you should seek medical help. During our walk we were shown Inca walls, which had withstood many earthquakes and were told how they were able to still stand. We also visited the impressive looking cathedral, main plaza and San Pedro market. San Pedro market is not to be missed by any foodie and definitely a highlight of the city. The market offers an array of fruit (several i had not seen before and which kind stall owners let you sample), meat, cheese, potatoes (more variety then i knew existed) and more. You really need to give yourself a couple of hours to fully make the most of the market and it's incredible people, but you could easily spend longer. Just remember to bring your appetite. After having my fill of local produce, i headed back to the hotel for the night eager to see what else was in store for me. The next day started with a visit to an alpaca sanctuary. Where we were able to feed and stroke a wide range of alpacas, meet some local women, learn about their weaving and even see a couple of condors. It was a lovely little visit which had more then i expected. After our little sanctuary visit we headed to the sacred valley, but not before we made a quick detour to a viewpoint overseeing Cusco. The viewpoint provided some great views of the city and had a replica of Christ the Redeemer, just watch out for the road up to it. It is very bumpy and feels like you are going off road. However the views are worth it. As we entered the sacred valley the weather had turned grey and drizzly, but i feel that this enhanced the already captivating views. As it meant that the low clouds formed made for some dramatic scenery and the lush greens really stood out. After taking a break for pictures we headed to the astonishing terraces of Pisaq. If you visit the sacred valley this is a spot not to be missed. Even though the weather was not great for our visit it didn't take away from the majesty of the place and our guides knowledgeable explanations of the area really added to the whole experience. Just remember to take things at you own pace as the altitude is quite high and you may struggle with steps etc more then you think. Also bear in mind that many of the roads are winding and bumpy, so if you suffer from travel sickness you may want to take some medication etc with you. Added bonus of the area for nature lovers is that there are plenty of bird life in the area such as hummingbirds. So why not take a moment to see what you can spot. We then headed out of the sacred valley for a bite to eat. Honestly the sacred valley was one of my favourite places in Peru that i had the luxury to visit. I would recommend giving yourself half a day to a whole day to explore it. If like me you are interested in history and captivating views, well it's not to be missed. After we stopped off at an organisation which Intripid supports, which was all about getting local women into work. We were treated to a lovely home cooked meal, incredible people and an warm welcome. We were shown their handicrafts and shown how they made them (of course we were able to buy a few if we wanted) and given a small glimpse into everyday life for those who live in and around the Andes. I could have easily spent a lot longer here with these wonderful people but Ollataytambo was waiting for us. Ollataytambo is a really charming town full of character. Unfortunately it was a bit of a flying visit for us, but i could have easily spent a few days exploring this town. While there we visited the main areological site (just in time before it closed), which was really impressive to see. Just watch out for the llamas (give them the right of way) and be prepared for a lot of steps. If like us you get there later in the day you can get some spectacular sunset views. After a little exploration, it was time to grab dinner. This is where i opted for Guinea pig pizza (readily available in many tourist hot spots). This is a great way to try Guinea pig with out having to brave trying a whole roasted one straight away. In terms of taste, i didn't find it to different from ham. Maybe it was because it was sliced thin like ham and therefore you didn't always get a lot of meat in your bite. However i am glad i tried it and would recommend it. After dinner it was onto the train to Aguas Calliantes. Normally short train rides like this are nothing special however for this train ride the operating company put a lot of effort into to make it special. Firstly they lead you from the waiting area to the train station with a procession of dancers and singers. Making you feel like you are in the middle of some kind of festival. I wasn't expecting this and although surprised and a bit confused to start with, i really enjoyed this. The other little surprise came once the train had departed. This time we were honoured with a short performance by train staff. Telling the love story between two people. The performance really made everyone feel surprised and happy. Creating smiles and laughs throughout the carriage. Honestly these little surprises really made for an enjoyable journey. Also the incredible views really made this a journey to remember. After a short 1.5hrs we were in Aguas Calliantes. A town made for tourists wanting to visit the famed Machu Picchu. However also a town that has it's own charm and incredible views due to it being nestled in the very imposing mountains. After settling into the hotel it was of to bed ready to explore the famous Machu Picchu for myself the next day. A 6am start saw me and the group catching the early bus to Machu Picchu. At that time in the morning the clouds were low and there was a layer of mist making every thing look dramatic and mysterious. We found our bus quite easily (each ticket will tell you what time and bus you get, it is very well organised) and headed up the winding mountain roads. Once we got there it was around 8am and we met our lovely guide. A quick note about the tickets: there are 3 different routes up to Machu Picchu and your ticket will be for a specific one. They follow a strict one way system for each route, so be sure to follow the correct route. As you would imagine you are greeted with awe inspiring views all the way along the route, with majestic mountains and beautiful greens really adding to the almost unrealistic blue of the sky. Truly an experience not to be missed. The icing on the cake really is when you reach to famous sight you've probably seen on postcards (yes it really does look just like them). The incredible view you get of Machu Picchu really makes the journey up worth it (despite the altitude making it harder), and you really get a feel for why it is one of the seven wonders of the world. For me having a guide really added to my experience, since they were able to explain exactly what i was looking at and add a bit of history and context to it all. Which really added to the story of the place. After a little exploration of the ruins it was back down the mountain, still being greeted with incredible views all the way. To fully explore this wonder you need to give yourself around 3 hours, (depending on the route you take this may vary slightly) and be prepared for stairs, steps and high altitude. Having said that it certainly is not to be missed and a highlight for me of visiting Peru. The next day saw us hike up to an altitude of 5000m at Palccyno. Smaller then it's more famous counter part Rainbow mountain, but just as stunning and less crowed. Going from Cusco it is a lengthy 4 hour drive, however the stunning scenery will make you forget about the long drive. You will be greeted with majestic mountains and valleys (which for us had a lovely dusting of snow on, very unusual for the time of year), and more alpacas and llamas then you thought possible. As for the hike itself it wasn't a difficult hike, but the altitude does make it harder. So make sure to take things at your own pace and take plenty of breaks if needed. Also make sure to wear good shoes as there are stairs to climb and rocky areas and some areas are a little steep. However the effort is worth it as you are able to see not one but 3 rainbow layered mountains, have great views of the red valley and at the highest point can be among the imposing stone forest. We also were incredibility lucky that when we had reached the third mountain the sun had melted away the snow from one side, meaning that it was still half covered with snow. Making for some great photos. The other photo opportunities you have while hiking is to take photos with some of the local farmers Alpacas which they dress up for photos. Just give them a few coins as a thank you and they are happy for you to take as many photos as you like. Over all Palccyno is an amazing hike (from what i've been told slightly easier then Rainbow mountain), with few tourists and amazing views. You should give yourself a minimum of 2 hours here, maybe longer depending on how well you cope with the altitude. Once back in Cusco i made a quick visit to the sun temple. There may be very little of the original temple left, but it was still pretty. Particularly the bell tower which has some good views. There are some great pieces of art as well as historical artifacts and well worth a visit. You probably need around half an hour to 45 minutes here as it is a small site. With that our time in and around Cusco came to an end with a 7 hour bus ride to Puno the next day.