My family, Mum and Dad, sister and boyfriend and younger sister, recently came over to Peru for a 2 week visit. This was their first time in Peru so I had spent months meticulously planning a trip that would give them a taste of its wonderful people, landscapes, food/drink and leave them wanting to come back for more.

After a couple of days in Lima feasting on the vast array of mouth-watering seafood we headed to the classic Peruvian destination, the Inca capital of Cusco. On arrival we were greeted by dark rain clouds being pierced by brilliant rays of sunshine. This is a typical scene in the Andes at the beginning of the wet season and when combined with the backdrop of valley walls over 4000m it makes an impressive site. After settling into our hotel nestled along one of the narrow streets of Cusco’s bohemian San Blas area, we spent the afternoon acclimatising to the altitude and exploring streets and plaza’s buzzing with life. Cusco has many interesting buildings, all with their own tales to tell, but of the most interesting must be the main Cathedral, built by the Spanish, which dominates the main plaza and the ruins of the Koricancha, a sacred Inca temple.

The next day we headed up to Cusco’s most impressive ruins, Sacsaywaman. The walk up to the ruins takes about an hour (there is also a road) and is good training for those undertaking the Inca Trail. As with most Inca ruins it is debated as to what their original purpose was but it seems likely that Sacsaywaman was a religious centre. The site is huge and offers great views out over the city of Cusco giving a striking contrast between the ancient and the colonial.

The following day we headed into the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a must for anyone visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu. The valley is a beautiful site; steep green mountains drop into a lush, fertile valley which is dominated by the Urubamba River, a fast flowing torrent which is great for white-water rafting. Our first stop on the tour was the ruins of the Pisac Temple which cling precariously to a steep mountain side overlooking the local town and market, a colourful affair which has been running since the time of the Incas. We then passed through village after village before arriving to Ollantaytambo and another site of impressive ruins, with yet another set of steep steps. After spending the day admiring the incredible masonry of the Incas we relaxed with a beer before catching the evening train to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu from the train station at Ollantaytambo.

Today was the day that we went up to Machu Picchu. A 4.30am wake-up call made us ponder whether it was worth it, but after a hearty breakfast and the shuttle bus up the ‘Old Mountain’ (the literal translation of Machu Picchu) we had our answer……. undoubtedly! The setting of Machu Picchu could not be more impressive, we spent hours exploring an almost deserted ruins (the advantage of an early start). My sister, her boyfriend and I made the climb up Wayna Picchu, the famous peak in the background of all the classic Machu Picchu shots. 400 people per day are allowed to climb Wayna Picchu in two groups of 200. It is a taxing climb but well worth it for those who don’t mind heights as the views are incredible; though one piece of advice would be to try and get in the early group as the mid afternoon sun is punishing. Later we spent time just sitting and soaking up the atmosphere of this magical place. We returned to Cusco for the evening by train, sleeping and reflecting on an amazing few days. The next day we were to head into the Amazon rainforest and the question on everyone’s mind was how can it get any better than this?