Ken Yow ← Central & South America

05Central & South America · Peru

Peru

In Peru the altitude slows you down until you notice things properly. That turned out to be the point.

Ancient Andean stone terraces emerging from morning mist with layered green mountains behind — Andes, Peru

From the notebook

From Cusco to the coast

A journey through Cusco's historic heart, aboard the train into the mountains, among the remarkable stonework of Machu Picchu, and along Lima's Pacific cliffs.

01 · Cusco

The old capital

Cusco's Plaza de Armas and cathedral beneath a clear blue sky — First view across Plaza de Armas

Cusco Cathedral overlooking the busy Plaza de Armas — Cusco Cathedral

Wide view across the arcades and cathedral of Plaza de Armas — The heart of old Cusco

Ken and Jocelyn sharing breakfast beside a window overlooking Cusco — Breakfast overlooking the plaza

Steep cobbled lane lined with whitewashed buildings in Cusco — Climbing the streets of San Blas

Narrow Cusco street rising toward the surrounding mountains — A city built into the hills

Illuminated colonial arcades and church tower in Cusco at dusk — Plaza de Armas after sunset

Cusco Cathedral and its bell tower glowing after sunset — Evening light on the cathedral

Plaza de Armas reflected in wet paving beneath evening lights — The plaza at night

Night view over a lively street and plaza in central Cusco — Cusco from above

Warmly lit narrow stone lane in old Cusco — A quiet lane after dark

Map showing the route from Cusco through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu — The road toward Machu Picchu

Panoramic view of Cusco and the surrounding dry Andean hills — Cusco spread across the valley

Visitor map of Cusco's historic centre — Finding our way through Cusco

Open highland landscape and ancient stone walls above Cusco — The heights above the city

Monumental zigzag stone walls at Sacsayhuamán beneath a blue sky — The walls of Sacsayhuamán

Close view of precisely fitted monumental stones at Sacsayhuamán — Stonework without mortar

Broad grass terraces and stone ramparts at Sacsayhuamán — Across the ceremonial grounds

View along the massive fitted stones of Sacsayhuamán — Along the ancient wall

Layered stone terraces at Sacsayhuamán with mountains beyond — Terraces above Cusco

Women in colourful traditional dress carrying alpacas in a colonial square in Cusco — A lively afternoon in Cusco

Plaza de Armas in Cusco with its fountain, cathedral, and church beneath a clear blue sky — Plaza de Armas, Cusco

Cusco cathedral and the hillside city seen across the broad cobbled Plaza de Armas — Cusco beneath the Andes

Traveller walking with a cane along a narrow Cusco street at night — An evening walk through Cusco

02 · Sacred Valley

Through the Sacred Valley

A woven display filled with colourful varieties of Andean corn — Colours of Andean corn

Traditional market display of grains, seeds, potatoes, and corn — Harvest from the highlands

Rows of colourful handmade figures displayed on woven textiles — Craft traditions of the valley

Visitors gathered beside a stone courtyard in the Sacred Valley — A pause in the high country

Ancient agricultural terraces stepping down a Sacred Valley mountainside — Terraces following the mountains

Close view across broad Inca terraces and retaining walls — Stone upon stone

Sunlit agricultural terraces descending toward the green valley — Looking into the Sacred Valley

White church standing alone on a broad Andean plateau — Church on the high plateau

Andean woman in traditional dress beside her alpaca — A warm welcome

Roadside sign for the Salineras de Maras salt mines — Onward to Maras

Steep overview of hundreds of white salt pools at Maras — Salt cascading down the mountain

Geometric salt evaporation pools filling a mountain ravine — The salt pans of Maras

Close view of cream and amber salt pools at Maras — A patchwork fed by mountain water

Sunlit ochre and white salt pans at Maras — Working terraces of salt

Monument to an Inca ruler and attendants against a clear sky — Guardians of the Andes

Unpaved road crossing farmland beneath the snow-dusted Andes — Across the high plain

Concentric circular agricultural terraces at Moray — The circles of Moray

Sacred Valley farmland with a snow-capped Andean ridge beyond — Snow peaks beyond the fields

Carved stone seats arranged on the grass at Moray — Stone markers at Moray

Visitors climbing the immense terraces of Ollantaytambo — Entering Ollantaytambo

Close view of enormous fitted stone blocks at Ollantaytambo — The enduring Inca wall

High view over the terraces and settlement at Ollantaytambo — Temple terraces from above

Steep rock mountain rising behind the town of Ollantaytambo — Mountains enclosing the valley

Town and archaeological site enclosed by sheer Andean mountains — Ollantaytambo beneath the cliffs

Stone stairways and terraces ascending Ollantaytambo — Climbing through the fortress

Inca storehouses built high into the mountainside above Ollantaytambo — Ancient storehouses in the rock

Visitors crossing stone ruins high above the Sacred Valley — Across the upper terraces

Ancient walls set against the rugged cliffs of Ollantaytambo — Stone and mountain

Interpretive sign describing the archaeological site — Reading the story of Ollantaytambo

Wide view of Ollantaytambo's terraces beneath towering cliffs — The fortress from the valley floor

Long stone foundations at the foot of Ollantaytambo — Temple foundations

Ancient stone water channel carrying a clear mountain stream — Water still running

Three alpacas grazing beside the archaeological site — Alpacas in the valley

Wide green lawn, terraces, and mountains at Ollantaytambo — A final look at Ollantaytambo

A face in the mountain

Curving agricultural terraces seen from the road above the Sacred Valley — Terraces carved into the valley

Portrait view over patterned terraces and distant mountains — Looking down into the valley

Warm sunset illuminating mountain peaks above the Sacred Valley — Last light on the Andes

03 · The journey

The Machu Picchu train

Male performer in vivid red Andean clothing entertaining passengers aboard the Machu Picchu train — A performance aboard the Machu Picchu train

Female performer in traditional Andean clothing holding flowers aboard the Machu Picchu train — Music and colour on the journey

04 · Machu Picchu

A city above the clouds

Aguas Calientes with a rocky stream running between buildings beneath forested mountains — Arriving in Aguas Calientes

Aguas Calientes footbridge and stream framed by steep green mountain walls — Aguas Calientes in the mountain valley

Stone buildings and terraces at Machu Picchu against layered Andean peaks — First light across the stone city

Ken gesturing toward Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu behind him — A long-held view, finally seen

Wide elevated view over the stone buildings, lawns, and terraces of Machu Picchu — The citadel from above

Precisely built stone terraces rising beneath a brilliant blue sky at Machu Picchu — Terraces shaped into the mountain

Panorama of Machu Picchu's central lawns, stone buildings, and Huayna Picchu — The heart of Machu Picchu

Close panoramic view of Machu Picchu's stone houses and terraces — Among the ancient houses

Steep stone terraces and a thatched guardhouse beneath a deep blue sky — Climbing through the terraces

Agricultural terraces and stone buildings stepping down the mountainside at Machu Picchu — Terraces above the valley

Temple walls made from precisely fitted monumental stone blocks at Machu Picchu — Precision in stone

Guide pointing out a finely fitted carved stone wall at Machu Picchu — Reading the ancient stonework

Sacred stone structures framed by distant green Andean peaks — Sacred spaces among the peaks

Tall carefully fitted stone wall rising into the blue sky at Machu Picchu — Walls built to endure

Large ceremonial stone resting within a roped courtyard at Machu Picchu — A ceremonial stone

Visitors walking among stone buildings with the upper terraces beyond — Through the old city

Green ceremonial lawn and stone terraces beneath a wide Andean skyline — Open ground beneath the Andes

Llamas grazing between low stone walls and sunlit terraces — Grazing among the terraces

Llamas resting and grazing below the stone rooflines of Machu Picchu — Residents of the citadel

Visitors gathered around a monumental sacred stone with distant peaks beyond — The sacred stone and mountain horizon

Rugged stone wall and tower viewed against an intensely blue sky — Stone and sky

Carved ritual stone on a high terrace overlooking steep forested mountains — Above the Urubamba valley

Carved stone platform at the edge of Machu Picchu overlooking rounded green peaks — At the mountain's edge

Broad view of agricultural terraces and stone dwellings climbing the hillside — A city built into the slope

Long stone wall with recessed windows and mountain peaks visible above it — Windows toward the mountains

Layered stone terraces and buildings with llamas grazing near a lone tree — Life among the ruins

Narrow stone stairway rising between terraces and ancient walls — Paths through the citadel

White llama standing beside agave and ancient stone walls — A llama among the stonework

Sunlit terraces and buildings rising toward Huayna Picchu — The eastern terraces

Ken presenting the panoramic view of Machu Picchu beneath the high sun — A moment to remember

05 · Lima

Along the Pacific cliffs

Pacific waves rolling below the green clifftops and coastal road of Lima — Lima's Pacific coastline

Miraflores clifftops, apartment buildings, beach, and pale Pacific water — Looking along the Miraflores cliffs

Faro La Marina lighthouse framed by two tall palm trees in Lima — Faro La Marina, Miraflores

Smiling woman seated in a powered paragliding trike wearing a helmet and harness — Ready for a coastal flight

More of the Peru story — and the rest of the Central & South America collection — continues in the journal.

Open the Peru segment in the Central & South America journal →