Pinkuylluna Ruins (Ollantaytambo)

Pumamarca Ruins

Without a doubt my favorite new tree! The mighty Floripondio (Brugmansia) tree boasts the most wonderfully beautiful and fragrant flowers imaginable. I saw several of these trees in Ollantaytambo and this one just prior to departing for a backpacking trip to the Pumamarca Ruins.

I was told that it would take about 2 hours to hike from town to the Pumamarca ruins. In reality it took closer to 3 hours and we arrived in the dark. The hike from town to the ruins goes largely up the valley and above the Urubamba River. You pass above the 'Inca Stairs' and eventually meet a dirt road that travels up from the valley floor and into the ruins. Technically camping in the ruins is not allowed...

One of several Quechua homesteads we passed on the way up to Pumamarca. We also passed families with goats laden with firewood, homesteads with barking dogs, and elderly Quechua women along the trail.

We spent the night camping in the ruins, telling ghost stories, learning the history of the Ruins, and stargazing into the Milky Way. We were told that the ruins had been used as a prisoner camp during Manco's rebellion against the Spanish. Thankfully we were not visited by any ghosts. The stars were incredibly bright, clear skies, and we were treated to views of over a dozen shooting stars. Truly a wonderful and spiritual experience I will not forget soon. Over the course of the night we made multiple offerings to Pachamama in gratitude for our surroundings and the connectedness to the place we all felt.

Not a bad place to sleep or wake up!

Backpacking out. Thank you.

Paracas Nature Reserve

After a morning trip to the Ballestas Islands (a must see) our tour group headed to the Paracas Nature Reserve. This large area where the desert meets the ocean was originally protected in 1975 and hosts an area of natural features and an incredible diversity of wildlife.

You need a car for this trip as the distances involved are great and the majority of sites to spend time at are spread apart. As you can see from the above pictures the majority of time was spent along cliffs above the sea. There were an amazing number of birds flying overhead throughout our trip and the breeze from the ocean made the desert heat quite tolerable. 

Due to the high value of the Guano, and the abundance of it in the area deposited by seabirds, this area was heavily influenced by human activity from colonial days up until it became protected. Obviously, climate change and ongoing offshore development will continue to influence this area, however, during the late 1800's and early 1900's, when demand for Guano was its height, this area was pilfered for resources without regard and was forever changed.