Peru Beyond Machu Picchu: One Traveler’s Journey Through the Inca Heartland
In Peru, small moments leave lasting impressions.
Women in bright pollera skirts weave effortlessly through market stalls; the smell of pan chuta and roasting corn drifts from tiny kitchens tucked down cobbled lanes. Llamas stir on the mountain slopes at first light. Before long, Peru stops feeling like an adventure and starts feeling like a story you’ve wandered into.
For Exodus traveler Erin Thompson, Machu Picchu may have been the headline act – “It had been on my bucket list forever, ever since I saw it in an old National Geographic magazine as a kid” – but it wasn’t the moment that defined her journey in Peru.
Instead, what stayed with Erin was her guide who switched effortlessly between English, Spanish and Quechua; the family on Lake Titicaca who welcomed strangers like long-lost friends and the group-wide joke about everything being ‘Inca-credible’.
Traveling across the country with friends Kerinne Levy and Jennifer Kadri on a small-group adventure, Erin discovered that Peru’s real magic lies not only in its landscapes, but in the way it draws people together.
“Every day just felt full,” she says. “Full of history, conversations, incredible food, little surprises and these moments where everyone would stop and just go, ‘Wow.’”
Arriving in Cuzco – once the capital of the Inca Empire and still the spiritual heart of the Andes – Erin’s first challenge was simply catching her breath.
“Coming from sea level, walking up hills felt like a workout at the beginning,” she laughs.
But altitude aside, Cuzco quickly became one of her favorite places on the trip.
“There’s something magical about the city. You wander these steep little streets and suddenly turn a corner to find this huge sweeping view across tiled rooftops and church towers. Then, around another bend, you discover a tiny alleyway with original Inca walls running through it. Every corner feels like a surprise.”
That layering of history – Inca foundations beneath colonial architecture, Quechua traditions thriving alongside modern city life – gave Cuzco a richness Erin hadn’t anticipated.
“Our guide, Edwind, would point out tiny details you’d have walked past otherwise,” she says. “He’d explain how certain carvings represented snakes or condors or tell us that a wall we were casually walking past was over 500 years old. It completely changes how you experience the city.”
Peru wasn’t her first Exodus adventure. In 2024, Erin and her friends had traveled on the Tour du Mont Blanc trip through the Alps, where they discovered not only a love of active travel but an unexpected sense of community from the outset.
“We’d never been on an organized group tour before Exodus,” she says. “At first, we honestly wondered if we’d just gotten lucky with an unusually wonderful group in Mont Blanc. Then Peru proved it wasn’t a fluke.”
“Small-group travel just works,” Erin says. “You’re surrounded by people who genuinely want to explore the world, try new foods, learn about cultures and be active. There’s already this shared mindset before the trip even starts.”
Instead of rushing between highlights on a crowded coach, the group traveled at a slower, more immersive pace.
“You’re not just driving past places and hopping out for photos,” she explains. “When you’re hiking the trails, meeting the locals and sitting around one dinner table together every night, you really get to absorb where you are.”
If Peru’s landscapes left a lasting impression, the food somehow managed to rival them.
“I knew Peru had a good food scene,” Erin says. “I just didn’t realise how good it would actually be.”
A hands-on cooking class became one of the trip’s unexpected highlights.
“We learned about the sheer variety of ingredients first – thousands of types of potatoes and corn. I’d never thought about food that way before.”
Under the guidance of professional chefs, the group prepared traditional dishes while learning about Peru’s deep culinary heritage.
“This wasn’t just a casual cooking demo,” Erin explains. “The chefs taught us plating techniques, how presentation matters and how Peruvians say you eat with your eyes first.”
“We were shaping beetroot into flowers for the quinoa salad,” she laughs. “It definitely raised my standards for future cooking classes.”
As a vegetarian, Erin expected limited options – but instead found thoughtful creativity.
“They made me a vegetarian ceviche with mushrooms, avocado, corn and dried plantain. Honestly? I thought mine looked even better than the fish version.”
The experience was elevated further by wine pairings and a sommelier who guided the group through Peru’s underrated wines.
“It felt unbelievably intimate,” Erin says. “There we were, this tiny group sitting together over incredible food and wine in the middle of Peru.”
Their trip to Lake Titicaca delivered something quieter and more personal.
“The homestay was probably one of the most moving experiences of the whole trip,” Erin says.
Traveling to the lake’s floating reed islands and staying with local families gave the group a glimpse into everyday life at high altitude.
“Learning how they build the islands layer by layer from totora reeds was fascinating. Then suddenly you realise people are actually living entire lives here – children playing, boats arriving with supplies, families farming and cooking.”
The group stayed with local ‘mamas’ on Amantani Island, who immediately welcomed them into their homes.
“They were so eager to show us their lives and traditions,” Erin says. “The hospitality was unbelievable.”
One particularly touching moment came when fellow traveler Sachiko Yokoyama shared origami with local children.
“She brought paper and started teaching them how to fold different figures,” Erin recalls. “It was such a lovely cultural exchange to witness. There’s so much warmth here.”
Of course, there was still the moment Erin had imagined since childhood: reaching Machu Picchu.
Walking sections of the original stone pathways, surrounded by orchids, cloud forest and ancient ruins, gave the journey a sense of continuity stretching back centuries.
“You realise you’re literally following the same route Inca messengers and pilgrims once walked over 500 years ago.”
Along the trail, Edwind pointed out lesser-known ruins like Runkurakay and Sayacmarca. Then came the final approach through the Sun Gate.
“When we arrived, there was thick cloud cover,” Erin remembers. “Everyone was quietly hoping it would clear.”
And then, slowly, it did.
“It genuinely felt like the clouds were parting to unveil Machu Picchu just for us. It drifted away until suddenly the entire citadel appeared beneath us. I still get chills thinking about it.”
What struck her most wasn’t only the beauty but the scale.
“I hadn’t realised how enormous Machu Picchu actually is. It would take hours to properly explore. And then you remember all of this was built high on a mountain ridge centuries ago. The ingenuity is unbelievable.”
Looking back now, Erin struggles to choose a single defining moment from the journey.
“It has something for everyone,” she says. “Adventure, culture, food, history, landscapes – whatever kind of traveler you are, Peru gives you something unforgettable.”
And like many who visit, she’s already thinking about returning.
“There are still so many hikes I want to do,” she laughs. “One trip definitely isn’t enough.”
But until then, the friendships forged on Exodus adventures continue.
Sachiko from Peru and several travelers from Erin’s Tour du Mont Blanc trip are now reuniting for another adventure in the Italian Dolomites.
“We joke that we’re collecting friends as we travel the world,” Erin laughs. “But honestly, it makes perfect sense. We all signed up because we love these kinds of adventures. Somehow these trips just keep bringing people together.”
Inspired by Erin’s adventure? Explore our Peru holidays and discover the spirit of the Andes for yourself.
