I ran across this essay I wrote a few years ago during a tour of Peru.  It involved a "homestay" tour to Isla Amantani, an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca in Peru.  The people who live there have no electricity, no phones, no Internet, no newspapers.  Until recently, they have had no visitors.  My tour there was an eye-opener and is an example of how travel has the ability to make us all better people.  Please read my blog post on my tour to Peru.

After an amazing tour of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, we head up to Lake Titicaca via the Andahuaylillas Valley and the central highlands.   Our journey today will take about 8 hours, and we need the rest after some strenuous hikes at Machu Picchu.  I think this group is still overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of our Machu Pichhu experience, so this trip is a much needed relaxing day to reflect on our accomplishments.

The words "amazing", "unbelievable", and "wonderful" are overused these days.  But not when it comes to viewing the mystical Inca city of Machu Picchu.  Quite literally, there is nothing like it in the world.   On our small group tour to Peru, we spend 3 days at Machu Picchu to give it the time that it deserves to soak in the beauty and splendor of this amazing place.   Read the blog post and see the highlights of our tour of Machu Picchu.

On our tour to Peru and Machu Picchu, we spent a couple of days in the ancient Inca city of Cusco.   We had a terrific group of 16 travelers with us on our private tour of Cusco.  The 12,000 foot altitude can be a little bit of a challenge, but upon our arrival in Cusco, we took it easy with some coca tea, got settled into our more-than-comfortable rooms in our Colonial-style hotel.  We took a brief tour of the San Pedro market, a food market like you have never seen before, and had dinner at the wonderful Chi Cha, restaurant owned by the famous chef Astrid Acurio.  The next day we hopped on the bus for our private tour of Cusco.  Read the blog post for more.

Sixteen travelers have joined us on our tour to Peru.   Our first stop is in Lima.   I think people have some misconceptions about Lima.   I can tell you it is a modern, busy city with much to offer in terms of the arts, cuisine, history, architecture, culture and activity.   We are staying at a hotel that to be honest, is better than most hotels I stay in while in Europe.  Read the blog post to find out more about our tour of Peru.

We're off on one of our small group tours to Peru and Machu Picchu at the end of the week.   There will be 16 travelers and 2 guides on our adventure.  We have a lot planned for our tour of Peru and keep in touch by watching my regular Peru blog posts next week.  I will do my best to bring you the excitement of Lima, the Colonial atmosphere of Cusco, the mystery and awe of Machu Picchu, and the wonderment of Lake Titicaca.  Take a look at my blog post to see what's on our Peru itinerary.

When I ran my first Traveling Professor tour in 2009 to Paris, I was the tour leader and guide.   Things have changed since then.  A  law was passed requiring all tour guides to be licensed and authorized to conduct tours inside museums, monuments, and chateaux in and around Paris.   Only those possessing an official license are authorized to accompany tourists.  It can take months or years of study and the successful completion of challenging examinations to obtain a touring license.  Most municipalities in Italy and in Peru have followed suit.  Take a look at my blog post and see my comments regarding tour guides in Paris, Italy, Spain and Peru.

One of our most popular and fascinating tours is to Machu Picchu.   There are right ways to visit Machu Picchu and there are wrong ways to visit Machu Picchu.  It took us about a year to plan our small group tour and in this blog post I will pass on my expert advice on visiting Machu Picchu.   See what The Traveling Professor says about  transportation, hotels, and itinerary planning for a trip to Peru and Machu Picchu.

Whenever we take a small group tour to Peru and Machu Picchu, the ancient city of rock, Cusco is on the itinerary.  It is the heart of the Inca Empire.   The city is not modern.    We are constantly reminded of its ancient heritage by the gigantic stone ruins.   Also is evidence of the Spanish colonial era.   The only touch of modernity are the fine Cusco restaurants by famous chefs like Astrid & Gaston.   Everyone on my tours of Cusco are always fascinated and want to explore it more and more.   Take a look at my blog post to see what do do, where to eat, and where to stay on a tour of Cusco.

Peru is a spectacular place with a tremendous amount of  diversity.  There are 103 different ecosystems in the world and Peru has 84 of them. There are 32 different climate systems in the world and 28 can be found in Peru.  It is the the most ecologically diverse country in the world.  There are jungles, cloud forests, deserts, glaciers, mountains, and much more.   Lake Titicaca is just one of those fascinating places in Peru that never fails to amaze me.   Check out the blog post to see what we typically do on one of our small group tours to Peru.