Peru’s Historic Nazca Lines and Sandy Ica

Posted on Monday, 29 August 2022 by Joe

Nazca and Ica are popular tourist destinations in southern Peru and for good reasons!

I visited Nazca and Ica in April 2017, travelling north from Arequipa. Following are some favourite photos and videos from the trip.

Nazca: Nazca Lines and Historic Sites

Nazca is famous for its ancient, world heritage-listed Nazca Lines. The best way to see these desert designs is via a light plane tour from nearby Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (April 2017: USD$70 / 238 soles + 30 sol departure tax).

In plane awaiting take-off at Nazca's Maria Reiche Neuman Airport

In aeroplane awaiting take-off at Nazca’s Maria Reiche Neuman Airport

The Hummingbird Nazca line as viewed from aeroplane

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Antonio Núñez Jiménez and the Fundación de la Naturaleza y el Hombre Museum and Library

Posted on Sunday, 14 October 2018 by Joe

Fundación de la Naturaleza y el Hombre

The front of the Fundación de la Naturaleza y el Hombre museum and library

Two blocks from the constructivist Russian Embassy in Havana’s Miramar district, an unimposing building houses the Fundación de la Naturaleza y el Hombre (Foundation for Nature and Humanity) museum and library. Continue reading →

World Heritage Listed Camagüey, Cuba’s Third City

Posted on Wednesday, 29 August 2018 by Joe

Camagüey, Cuba’s third largest city was founded in its current location in 1528. The city’s labyrinthine streets in its UNESCO world heritage-listed historic centre are worth wandering. Camaguey is also a good base for exploring its eponymous province, Cuba’s biggest, including Reserva Ecológica Limones-Tuabaquey, Nuevitas and Refugio de Fauna Río Máximo, the Western Hemisphere’s largest flamingo nesting site.

Camagüey’s central square; the building on the right features an image of Che Guevara and a common official Cuban phrase ‘until victory always’ (hasta la victoria siempre)

Rocío and I first visited Camagüey for an afternoon in between the bus from Holguín and the train to Nuevitas. Returning Christmas day after a night on a hut floor, we desired a shower and proper bed. From our worst Cuban accommodation we chanced upon our best: Casa Juanita y Rafael, a lovingly decorated guest house with super high ceilings and a beautiful courtyard (25 CUC/US$25 per night). The courtyard included a fish pond in Camagüey’s symbol, a large ceramic vessel called a tinajón.

Our guest house (casa particular) courtyard featured Camagüey’s symbol the tinajón (large ceramic vessel)

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Baracoa, a Special Place in Eastern Cuba

Posted on Monday, 20 August 2018 by Joe

Boats in Baracoa Bay with El Yunque (The Anvil) mountain in the background

Baracoa in Cuba’s far eastern Guantánamo Province has unique a history, location and environment. Founded in 1511, the city is the island’s oldest Spanish settlement and Cuba’s first capital. Historically, people could only visit Baracoa by sea or air with the first mountain-piercing road connection opening in the 1960s. Continue reading →

Arequipa, Home away from Home

Posted on Friday, 23 March 2018 by Joe

Arequipa's Coat of Arms on the Portal de la Municipalidad

Featuring Misti Volcano, Arequipa’s coat of arms on the main plaza’s southern portal, Portal de la Municipalidad

Arequipa, Peru’s second city and location of its Constitutional Court was home base for a significant part of my trip. Its mild climate, manageable size, affordability, world heritage-listed historic centre, volcano backdrop and South America’s best food made the city a great place to stay. I also met Rocío here. Continue reading →

Traditional Wititi Dancing in Arequipa

Posted on Monday, 12 March 2018 by Joe

Originating in the Colca Canyon, Wititi dancing is important and unique enough to be included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Most visitors to the Colca Canyon see touristic Wititi dancing in town squares or at folkloric evenings but at Arequipa’s Yanahuara Plaza I was lucky enough to watch an informal performance.

A woman in Collagua dress dances with a Wititi Continue reading →

Two Amazing Day Trips from Macusani, Carabaya Province, Peru

Posted on Sunday, 25 February 2018 by Joe

In October 2016 Rocío and I undertook two amazing day tours in the southern Peruvian Andes Mountains as part of our 2016 Interoceanic Highway Trip. We saw stunning scenery, prehistoric history and witnessed something extremely rare: a condor hunting and dive-bombing. From Macusani, guide Ulices and our Hilux driver took us one day to Ayapata District and the next to Corani District.

Video of the condor hunting and dive-bombing near Lake Qañuqota, Ayapata District

Located in Puno Region’s north, Carabaya Province is rarely visited by foreigners. In fact, in ten days, we did not see a single foreign tourist. This is despite being situated between touristic cities Puno, Cusco and Puerto Maldonado. One reason for limited tourism is elevation. Carabaya Province’s capital and largest city, Macusani, lies an inhibiting 4,315 metres high.

While hiking to Pitumarka we met a fun couple relaxing against a stone wall seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Ayapata District Continue reading →

Prehistoric Rock Art in Carabaya Province, Puno Region

Posted on Sunday, 25 February 2018 by Joe

Rocío and I visited multiple prehistoric rock art locations on our second Macusani day trip. Amazingly, no site had signs or barriers around them. Without our guide Ulices we wouldn’t have known they were there.

Between Macusani and Tantamaco Ulices showed us prehistoric rock paintings with white, red and orange pigments. Either the artists only used these colours or the other pigments had faded with time. Ulices didn’t know the painting ages, responding in Spanish that they were possibly as old as 3,000 BC.

Geometric rock paintings of different patterns Continue reading →

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