The “Meeting of the Waters,” where the Rio Negro flows alongside the Rio Solimoes for 10 miles (6km) until joining to form the Amazon River.

Brazil: Anavilhanas Archipelago & Jaú National Park

Located about 70 km north of Manaus – the city which serves as the point of departure for most Brazil Amazon tours – Anavilhanas is the largest freshwater archipelago in the world and the site of a national reserve. During the rainy season, water levels rise and submerge most of archipelago, which is comprised of 100,000 hectares and over 400 islands, giving it the appearance of a floating forest interspersed with canals. The Anavilhanas archipelago is inhabited by multiple species of birds, butterflies, monkeys, snakes, as well as caimans, pink dolphins, and manatees that have adapted to the seasonal rise and fall of water levels.

The nearby Jau National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest forest reserve in South America and covers 23,000 square km. Access to the park is restricted, but travelers lucky enough to enter will have a chance to see unique plant and bird species that some scientists believe to be directly descended from the Pleistocene era (the last ice age).

Peru: Puerto Maldonado & Tambopata National Reserve

With over half of its territory comprised of Amazon rainforest, Peru is unsurprisingly a growing destination for Amazon travel in South America. The 3 main sites for ecotourism include Puerto Maldonado, Iquitos, and Manu, all of which are in close proximity to important national reserves. Among these, Puerto Maldonado stands out for its incredible biodiversity as well as its accessibility combined with increasing options for sustainable tourism.

Located downriver from Puerto Maldonado, the Tampopata-Candomo Reserve was created in the late 1970s specifically to preserve the zone for scientific study and sustainable tourism. This part of the Amazon is unique in that its hilly topography creates various microclimates such as cloud forests, humid forests, and subtropical rainforests, resulting in an astounding array of flora and fauna, including 165 species of trees, 1,000 species of butterflies, and 750 species of birds. A typical Puerto Maldonado Amazon tour will include canopy tours on walkways overlooking the rainforest and an excursion to Sandoval Lake, where travelers can observe macaws, caimans, turtles, giant otters, common kingfishers, and countless other species.

Tambopata Research Center, a remote Puerto Maldonado Amazon lodge with a focus on research and conservation.

Ecuador: Yasuni National Park

Ecuador boasts some of the most recently developed and exciting prospects for Amazon travel. Yasuní National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on 2.5 million acres in northeast Ecuador, has been identified by scientists as the area with the most biodiversity on the planet, holding world records for documented numbers of plant and animal species, including tree, amphibian, and bat species.

The Napo Wildlife Center, an Ecuador Amazon lodge, typifies the Amazon tour experience. Located with Yasuni National Park and managed by the Kichwa de Añangu community, travelers have an opportunity to explore rivers and the nearby Añangucocha lagoon, visit parrot clay licks, zipline through canopy towers, taste regional food specialties, and learn centuries-old medicinal techniques from the healers and shamans in the community.

Accommodation options for Amazon tours in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador include Amazon cruises or jungle lodges. Either option provides opportunities for exploring the river and rainforest on daily excursions. To start planning your own unique South America vacation in the incredible Amazon, contact one of our expert travel advisers at Latin America For Less.

A trip to Machu Picchu is sure to amaze. With its immense history and beautiful landscapes, it is no wonder that nearly half a million people visit the site every year. Travelers from all over the world set out on Machu Picchu tours and capture the citadel on film and video, ensuring that their memories will last a lifetime. Make your Machu Picchu memories unique by checking out some of these unique ways our clients and staff have documented their time at Machu Picchu.

These clients ate their Wheaties before their Machu Picchu tour – they are holding it up with one hand!

Aleks, our Destinations Manager, enjoys Peru’s famous Inca Kola from above the ruins.

How high can you jump for your Machu Picchu picture?

Flashback! Our expert travel advisor Bianca first visited Machu Picchu in 1989! She has since been back an astounding 18 times and has taken some amazing photos on each of her visits.

Though they didn’t have any crazy photo poses, the clouds in this Machu Picchu picture make it absolutely beautiful and unique!

Planning ahead, this family made shirts to create this one-of-a-kind Machu Picchu picture!

Though it is hard to top the natural beauty of Machu Picchu, you can complement it by creating a one-of-a-kind photo, a great reminder of your amazing Peru vacation. Start planning your trip to Machu Picchu today by contacting one of our expert travel advisors.

Which Machu Picchu pose is your favorite? Let us know by leaving a comment!

The beautiful handcrafted Uros of Lake Titicaca.

Today the lake is visited not only for its legend but also for its beautiful and unique scenery. The vast deep turquoise waters with a mountain backdrop are stunning, but the lake’s out of the ordinary decoration, Uros, are the true sight. Uros are floating islands made of woven totora reeds which are home to the Pre-Incan people, and are scattered across the waters of Lake Titicaca. The perfect way to explore the waters and reed islands is with a Lake Titicaca tour.

Both Puno and Copacabana are great spots to depart for your Lake Titicaca adventure, but also both provide a chance to indulge in the culture and history of their region. A trip to Lake Titicaca can include both Bolivia and Peru, allowing you to discover multiple destinations during your South America vacation. From La Paz to the Copacabana through Lake Titicaca on to Puno and Cusco, you can explore the beautiful landscapes of both Peru and Bolivia while visiting the magnificent lake.

Copacabana:

The shores of Copacabana, Bolivia

The quaint town of Copacabana is easily accessed by bus from La Paz. Take the short four hour ride from Bolivia’s busy capital to the relaxing shores of the Copacabana on your Bolivia vacation. The city is situated on the shores of Lake Titicaca and is typically used as a jump off point to explore the lake. The charm of Copacabana has been retained over its years of rapid growth, due to the lake’s growing popularity, making it a relaxing place to stay during your Lake Titicaca tour. Copacabana is more than just a connecting point for the lake; you can also explore the culture and history of the city. Make a visit to the city’s cathedral home to the Virgen de Candelaria or the Dark Virgin of the Lake. The city also is home to some of the best festivals, especially the Fiesta de la Candelaria in early February which is the third largest festival in all of South America.

Puno:

A beautiful sunset over Lake Titicaca

Located in Peru’s altiplano off the shores of Lake Titicaca, the city of Puno is the ideal place to start your visit to the magical Lake Titicaca. With close proximity to the Cusco region it is also a great complement to your Cusco and Machu Picchu travel. Though the main draw for Puno is to visit the lake, the city itself is also a great place to indulge in Peruvian folklore. Over 300 ethnic dances can be seen in Puno and a variety of handmade goods and crafts make exploring the streets, markets, and shops of Puno a perfect way to get a feel for the city and its people.

During your travel to Lake Titicaca explore the beauty of both Peru and Bolivia, sure to be an unforgettable South America vacation. Start planning your adventure today by contacting one of our expert travel advisors who will help you to see the wonders of Lake Titicaca and many other great South America destinations.

Chambi’s photography is deeply anthropological. This photograph of an Andean worker in Machu Picchu was published by Hiram Bingham in 1922. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Martin Chambi was born in 1891 in a small village near Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca to a Quechua-speaking family. His father was a laborer for a mining company, and when he died the young Chambi relocated to Arequipa, where he became an apprentice and learned his trade. Given his humble origins, Chambi’s subsequent economic prosperity was rather extraordinary for the times.

Once trained, Chambi began his career in Cusco in 1923 and he established a studio on Calle Marquez near the Plaza de Armas. He quickly became the favored photographer among members of Cusco’s high society, who commissioned him to do portraits and to photograph weddings, baptisms, and other social events.

Chambi’s true passion, however, was Andean culture – indigenous people, their culture and enduring customs, and the landscapes that they inhabited. At a time when indios were regarded as dirty, poor, and inferior, Chambi’s pictures captured the dignity of his subject and the elegance of traditions retained despite centuries of oppression.

In addition to taking studio portraits of indigenous subjects, Chambi traveled into the Sacred Valley, using horses to cart around his heavy camera equipment, which included a 44 lb (20 kg) tripod. His daughter Julia, once old enough, accompanied him on some of these trips through the countryside, which lasted 15 to 30 days at a time, and she later became a photographer as well.

As the official Chambi website notes, “Surely without intending it, Chambi became in effect the symbolic photographer of his race, transforming the telluric voice of Andean man, his millenary melancholy, his eternal neglect, his quintessentially Peruvian, human, Vallejo-like pain into the truly universal.” (http://martinchambi.org)

Today, the Chambi family is working to create an institute in Cusco to preserve the vast collection of photographs, glass plates, and equipment that Chambi bequeathed to his descendants. If you are in the process of planning your Peru vacation, or already in Peru and wondering what to do in Cusco or Arequipa, you can visit ongoing exhibitions of Chambi’s work. In Arequipa, the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (MAC) is wrapping up an exhibit that features portraits of Arequipeño high society and also photographs of the “White City” and surrounding landscapes. Meanwhile, in Cusco, travelers have until November to see the Chambi exhibit at the former palace of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui located on Calle Maruri.

It is a truly remarkable experience to see these photographs, which include street scenes, impressively scenic landscapes, Inca archaeological sites, and images of people, wealthy and poor. They recall a past that is strangely familiar – when we travel through these places we recognize the passage of time, but we are also able to see some of these same scenes in Peru today.

The cloistered community grew to such a size that it became a walled city within the city and covered approximately 65,616 ft² (20,000 m²) of land, including gardens, streets, alleys, stairways, a central square, and a church.  Nuns comprised only about a third of the convent’s population; also residing within the citadel were wealthy widows who sought to isolate themselves from society, small children that were to be educated by the nuns, and numerous servants, usually poor indigenous women, who cleaned, cooked, and attended the nuns.

A street inside the walls of Santa Catalina Monastery, offering a glimpse into the past of this richly historical city.

In 2000, Arequipa’s historic center (including Santa Catalina) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its beautiful architectural monuments, crafted from Spanish designs by creole and indigenous masons. Many of the city’s buildings, including houses, churches, and government buildings were constructed of sillar, a volcanic stone that is soft and light and whose pearl color has given Arequipa is other name: “The White City.”

Arequipa’s Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas is a typical example of the style of architecture known as mestizo barroco. Photo Credit: Matthew Barker, Latin America For Less.

Apart from its historic treasures, Arequipa features a distinctive geography that creates exciting options for adventure travelers. The nearby El Misti Volcano rises to 19,101 feet (5,822 meters) above sea level and forms a looming presence that has understandably marked the local psyche. In the celebrated phrasing of author Jorge Polar Vargas and in reference to the fiery temperament of Arequipeños, “No se nace en vano al pie de un volcán;” roughly translated: “Not for nothing is one born at the foot of a volcano.” Today, travelers interested in climbing the volcano and camping along its steep sandy slopes can take one of two routes, Pastores or Aguada Blanca.

El Misti Volcano is a looming presence in the Arequipa skyline. Photo Credit: Matthew Barker, Latin America For Less.

Arequipa is also the access point for visits to Colca Canyon, one of Peru’s top destinations located approximately 100 miles (160 km) northeast of the city. This canyon drops down to 13,650 feet (4,160 meters) – twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.

Travelers come here to see the agricultural terraces and ancient villages such as Chivay that have been inhabited since pre-Inca times, to embark on single or multi-day treks through the canyon, and to admire magnificent Andean condors as they glide gracefully on warm air currents. Another option for trekking is Cotahuasi Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world reaching a maximum depth of 3535 meters, 335 more than Colca Canyon.

A condor gliding on a thermal current in the Colca Canyon.

To learn more about travel to Arequipa, visit the Peru For Less website or contact one of our expert travel advisors.

Cusco, Peru

Los Carnavales is held on the Plaza de Armas beginning on Sunday, February 19, and generally goes on for a week. On Sunday morning, kids, adolescents, and adults, swarm the plaza and the surrounding streets. Buckets of water, foam spray, and balloons filled with a mixture of water, flour, and oil fly through the air, and any and all passersby can become a target. Visitors to Cusco that choose to walk through the plaza should proceed with caution and be prepared to be drawn into the revelry.

Carnival chic in Cusco.

The celebration becomes more ordered later in the day, with lively parades of dancers and musicians performing on the streets. T’impu, a dish specially prepared for this occasion is served in Plaza Regocijo. It consists of a plate piled high with pork, beef, potatoes (including chuño, a dehydrated potato), carrots, yucca, sweet potato, peach, cabbage, and rice, accompanied by a bowl of broth.

Oruro, Bolivia

130 miles south of La Paz, the Carnaval de Oruro has been declared a UNESCO “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.” The number of participants is staggering: 28,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians (plus several thousand others in auxiliary roles) perform before an estimated audience of 400,000 spectators, almost double Oruro’s population. The carnival celebration here is one of the oldest and most traditional on the continent and provides a living example of the syncretism between European Catholicism and thousand-years-old Andean rituals that honor the Pachamama (Mother Earth).

The 4-day Carnaval de Oruro begins on Friday, February 17.

La Diablada, or the devil’s dance, is the distinguishing feature of this carnival, with roots that can be traced to the 1780s. The intricately choreographed dance enacts the victory of the Archangel Saint Michael over Lucifer; it also serves as an allegory of the Spanish conquest and the conversion of the indigenous population to Christianity. Identifiably Andean characters, such as the China Supay and the Condor, also make an appearance. The devils are world-famous for their elaborate costumes, which feature masks (some of which are blue-eyed, perhaps representing the Spanish conquerors), horned headgear, and beaded corset and capes.

Costumed dancers personify the conflict between demons and angels, Lucifer and Saint Michael.

Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, has its own diablada as part of the Fiesta de la Candelaria, which takes place in early February.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The “Marvelous City” draws nearly 5 million visitors annually to the largest Carnival celebration in the world. Thousands of people fill the Sambodromo stadium to witness dancers, musicians, and acrobats perform their moves in a vibrant parade of floats and costumes, each more elaborate than the next.

Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval draws about 5 million visitors and is the biggest party in the world.

Outside the Sambodromo, the city devotes an entire week to the celebration, which continues through the night and day. From Ipanema to Copacabana to Jardim, blocos (dance groups) and samba schools take over streets, parks, and nightclubs, where spectators are invited to participate in this, the biggest party in the world.

Contact one of our expert travel advisors at Latin America For Less to start planning your fully customizable South America travel package. 

Although this is not a “romantic destination” per se, what could be better than declaring your love at the top of the world with one of the Seven Wonders of the World?

The impressive Inca stonework and the majesty of the site in itself are sure to remain engraved in your memory forever. This is the perfect experience to share with your loved one on Valentine’s Day.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Among the most impressive waterfalls in the world, the Iguazu Falls were recently declared one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the Worlds, and for good reason. Watching the 275 waterfalls cascading at full speed down hundreds of feet, you’ll feel the true power of nature.

The falls are most impressive (and romantic) at night when the sky is filled with stars and the moonlight reflects on the waterfalls, giving it a unique glow.

Amazon, Peru

Holding the most diverse ecosystem in the world, the Amazon Rainforest is a dream destination for all nature lovers. Exotic wildlife, fascinating indigenous populations, and spectacular scenery will leave you yearning for more.

And to add a touch of romance to your Amazon trip, consider taking a cruise along the mighty Amazon River itself. As you drift along at sunset, you’ll enjoy the overwhelming beauty of the area and watch the forest coming to life.

Cusco is a continuously growing tourist destination, and as such, it has developed a quite extensive infrastructure to welcome visitors and ensure they enjoy their stay. This includes myriad hotels, restaurants, shops, and more. So much so that travelers can be hard pressed when the time comes to choose their accommodations in Cusco.

Here are some of our favorite hotels in Cusco to help you plan a once-in-a-lifetime Peru vacation. There is a bit of something for everybody, from basic 2-star hotels for budget travelers to high end, lavish 5-star resorts for those looking to add a touch of luxury to their trip.

5-star Cusco hotel: Aranwa Boutique Hotel

This sumptuous boutique hotel opened its doors in October 2010 and is operated by Peru’s luxury chain of hotels, Aranwa Hotels Resorts & Spas. This should be enough to convince travelers that the Aranwa Boutique Hotel in Cusco is among the country’s most exclusive resorts.

Housed in a 16^th century mansion, this hotel embodies elegance and sophistication. From the discreet, professional service to the opulent décor, Aranwa Boutique Hotel offers a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of Cusco. For even more pampering, take a look at one of the best features of the hotel, its fully-equipped wellness spa.

Ideally located in one of Cusco’s up-and-coming upscale neighborhoods, the hotel stands in a narrow street right behind the Plaza San Francisco. This area is much quieter than Cusco’s Main Square, yet it is only a few minutes’ walk to the main attractions in town, as well as surrounded by exquisite restaurants, including Chicha, owned by Peruvian celebrity chef Gaston Acurio.

4-star Cusco Hotel: Casa Andina Private Collection

Part of the famous and dependable Casa Andina chain of hotels, the Casa Andina Private Collection Cusco is a safe bet for anyone looking for comfort at a reasonable price. All modern amenities are included to make sure guests feel right at home.

The hotel is housed in a beautiful colonial 18^th century mansion and is conveniently located only a couple blocks from the Plaza de Armas (Main Square). A tranquil courtyard and various patios bring a whimsical charm to this hotel, complete with spacious rooms fully equipped with modern services. This is the perfect spot to enjoy a romantic Peru vacation as you dine in the candlelit restaurant or relax by the fireplace in the reading room.

3-star Cusco Hotel: Boutique Hotel Casa San Blas

Beautifully located in Cusco’s bohemian district, San Blas, this charming hotel provides comfort and convenience. Within a 5-minute walk to the main square, it is also in the middle of a plethora of restaurants and handicraft shops, yet on a quiet street.

The unpretentious Casa San Blas Hotel is still among the most comfortable in the city, with an array of services to make your stay an unforgettable one. From the enchanting rooftop terrace overlooking the city to the delicious on-site restaurant, guests are immersed into a magical colonial atmosphere during their Cusco vacation.

2-star Cusco Hotel: Hostal Amaru

Perfect for travelers looking for a comfortable yet inexpensive accommodation in Cusco, Hostal Amaru is also conveniently located in the charming San Blas district. Offering basic amenities, the hotel is still cozy and grants guests with amazing views of the city’s rooftops from the rooms’ balconies.

Although simple, Hostal Amaru provides a range of useful services including computers with Internet, private bathrooms with hot showers, a safe deposit box at the front desk, and even laundry service.

To learn more about accommodations in Peru and start planning your exciting Peru trip, contact one of our expert travel advisors or check out all our recommended Cusco hotels on the Peru For Less website.