Hangovers at the Ballestas.

Despite most of us feeling a bit delicate from the night before we took a boat trip around the Ballestas Islands at Paracas. The wildlife was stunning as the islands were completely covered in all types of birds, including penguins and Zaks' favourite the Peruvian boobies! There were also some pods of sea lions too.

Adventures in Huacachina.

Today was such a fun day! First we went for a drive in the dune buggy, followed by sand-boarding, then we watched the sunset before setting up camp in the middle of the desert. Here we cooked up a massive bbq and drank as much pisco sour until it ran out. Needless to say we were all shit-faced and it was awesome.

Nazca Lines.

The Nazca lines are enormous designs inscribed in the desert by the natives around 700AD. The best way to see them is from the sky so we took a small plane flight. The flight itself was a bit of a rollercoaster and the old man sitting in front of us had to use his sickbag! By the time we got back we were all a bit queazy.

Chauchilla Indian Cemetery.

En route we stopped off at the Chauchilla Indian Cemetery where we saw tombs of the Nazca civilisation that were dug into the ground. Some of the tombs date back to 700AD but because of the dry desert air everything has been preserved really well. It was a very interesting but creepy place to visit.

Colca Canyon.

Today we got up early to go to the Colca Canyon. It is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and if you go there at the right time and are lucky enough then you get to see the giant condors glide through it .... and for once we were! The picture doesn't do it any justice but the buggers just wouldn't sit still for us!

Mi casa su casa.

We went to visit the Inca ruins at Raqchi and stay with a local family for the evening. First we had a traditional lunch, took a walk around the ruins, watched how the locals make their famous pottery and then got dressed up in traditional costume and took part in a native ritual. (we also looked ridiculous!)

Trek. Day 5. Machu Picchu.

After flooding tents, snow storms and mudslides we finally made it to Machu Picchu .... alive! The weather was still really bad which was a bit disappointing but the place itself was still amazing. Our guide took us on a full tour around the ruins and then we took a walk to the Inca Bridge before getting the train back.

Trek. Day 4. Part 2.

Just when we thought we were out of harms way we got to the bottom of the mountain and came across a mudslide. The bus couldn't get through so the boys got off the bus and moved some of the boulders out of the way. It was a crazy drive that should have taken 3 hours but ended up taking 13!

Trek. Day 4. Part 1.

The weather got worse overnight and as we set off on the bus the snow got heavier and heavier. And at one point we almost slid off the side of the mountain. We all had to get out the bus and walk in the freezing cold while trying to clear the road. It was a bit scary for a while but we managed to get down safely.

Trek. Day 3.

Day 3 of the trek didn't start too well as our tent flooded during the night and our clothes got wet. Also, the bad weather meant that our normal route was too dangerous to take so we took the road instead. We got to the thermal springs within a couple of hours and spent the rest of the day bathing in pools of 40degree water.

Trek. Day 2.

Day 2 of the trek and we were up early to set off on a full day of hiking up the mountain. The walking was much harder but the view from the top was amazing. After lunch we made our way downhill through little villages and set up camp in the grounds of a school.

Trek. Day 1.

Day 1 of our trek to Machu Picchu and the weather was beautiful. We set off on our hike with our guide Johnathan while all our bags were taken up the mountain for us by llamas and ponies. We walked for a few hours before we reached our camp site. By then it was really cold so we ate and rugged up in our tents.

Isla del Sol.

Today we took a boat trip out onto Lake Titicaca to the Isla del Sol. We began by taking a look at some inca ruins and then took a walk from one side of the island to the other. The weather and scenery were beautiful and the walking was an insight as to what to expect for our upcoming trek.

Dragoman to Copacobana.

Today we joined the Dragoman tour from La Paz to Lima for the next 22 days. We got on the truck and drove to the small town of Copacabana on Lake Titicaca, which was to be our last stop in Bolivia before crossing the border into Peru.