More pictures from Peru. These photos are taken from our hike on the Inka trail that leads to Machu Picchu. It was a great 4 days of beautiful hiking through forests and ruins.
After an amazing hike to Machu Picchu we decided to take a trip to Puno and the Lake Titicaca Islands. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. By volume of water, it is also the largest lake in South America. We got there by bus, Cruz del Sur, and arrived super early in the morning to get to the boat docks. We started off and our first stop was the Uros Islands which were quite unique. These islands are called the floating islands, these floating islands are protected within the Bay of Puno and are home to 2000 or so Uros. They live by fishing, weaving and now, tourism. They catch fish for themselves and to sell on the mainland.
After the Uros Islands we ventured over to the Amantani Island and had the pleasure of staying with a family on the Island. We went up on a hike to Mama Pacha and Pachamama. In Inca mythology, Mama Pacha or Pachamama is a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting. The locals still perform rituals at this site which have been done for thousands of years.
After the visit to the Islands we needed to get to the mountains for some tranquility. We made our way over to Lima and then another bus ride to the beautiful Cordillera Blanca. When we got there we gathered all our backpacking gear from the rental shops and ventured around the markets for some food for our trip. We got some advice from some locals and a bus ticket to the start of the trek. We had somewhat of an epic adventure on our 4 day backpacking trip in the Cordillera Blanca.