Peru. Marvel through a lens

@imagin3.photography

A Photographer’s Journey From Lima to Machu Picchu

3rd of May- 23rd of May 2025

Peru is not a passive travel destination.

It demands effort. It tests your lungs, your legs, your patience on 12-hour bus rides.

But if you give it that effort, it gives you back something extraordinary.

This is how my journey unfolded — from a chaotic arrival in Lima to standing above the clouds at Machu Picchu with a camera in hand.

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LIMA

Lima – A Lesson Learned Fast

A warning about Lima: be very careful when you land.

I had just arrived from a long flight and was doing a last-minute Larry attempt at booking accommodation outside the airport. It was late, I was tired, and I was buried in my phone trying to sort somewhere to stay.

A local man called Jose started giving me recommendations. I tried politely to shake him off but he kept hovering, peering over my shoulder, clearly gathering information.

I finally booked a place and went to order an Uber. It was 47 soles. Jose saw this and offered to take me for “fifty”.

With the convenience of him standing right there, I agreed.

Halfway to Miraflores it hit me.

I never confirmed the currency.

Sure enough, when we arrived he slapped me with a $50 USD fare — 183 soles.

Beware of this scam. Confirm the currency. Don’t be an idiot abroad like myself.

eSIM Tip

Another mistake? Sorting SIM and bookings on arrival.

The airport is manic. The last thing you want to be doing is organising connectivity.

Get a local eSIM before you land. It’s cheaper and you avoid stress.

Where to Stay

Miraflores is a great area. It felt safe, reasonably priced, and had everything I needed before heading north to the mountains.

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Huaraz – Straight Into the Andes

Huaraz is a humble city nestled amongst the Andes north of Lima. It sits at 3,052 metres above sea level.

I stayed at Aldos Guest House. Cheap and cheerful. 75 soles (21 USD) for a private room. Basic, but perfect.

Aldo himself was a legend. He organised all my hikes, sorted gear hire, and even picked me up from the bus station at 7am when I arrived.

The town has loads of shops selling hiking gear. Most of it is knock-off stuff — but honestly? The jackets I bought kept me completely dry. I still own the fake North Face jacket I got and love it!

Acclimatisation – I Ignored the Advice

I recommend taking a full day to acclimatise.

We didn’t.

Instead, we went straight to Pastoruri Glacier at 5,250m. Light headed, struggling for breath, questioning life decisions.

The bus ride out and back is long, so bring a book, download music, or sleep.

Entry to national parks is usually 30–50 soles.

Hike summary

Distance: 3.5 km return

Time: 2 hours return

Elevation gain: Flat surfaces. Hard due to altitude

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Laguna 69 – Major Highlight

Altitude: 4,604m

This hike can be demanding at points. The guides run on a schedule, if you’re too far behind at certain checkpoints, they’ll turn you back.

It’s manageable though.

And the views?

Unreal.

The water is unbelievably turqouise. The mountains surrounding it are monstrous. It’s easily one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Pack sandwiches for the top. It’s a long day and there’s no lunch stop on the hike itself.

Weather can flip quickly. It got cold. I got hit with rain out of nowhere. Ponchos are sold near the start of the trail if you’re underprepared.

Also watch out for the bulls. Some of them absolutely refuse to move.

Photography note:

I used my Tamron 70–180mm f/2.8 here. It actually worked beautifully for compression shots, especially the waterfall backed by huge mountains. The wide angle would 100% be best here.

Make sure to get landscape photos whenever the weather suits as it turns fast and you might miss out. I didn't capture this myself but in hindsight I would have taken a landscape photo from the streams near the start of the trek incorporating both stream/waterfall/mountain in one shot.

The hike is majorly worth it.

Hike summary

Distance: 14 km return

Time: 6 hours return

Elevation gain: Flat surfaces. Sometimes steep. Hard due to altitude

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Laguna Parón

Altitude: 4,155m

An easier trek with sweeping compositions and optional kayaking (15–20 soles). Even with cloud cover, the contrast between bright turquoise water and dark mountain ridges creates strong, layered imagery. Unfortunately we were met with lots of cloud so it was hard to get the perfect shot of the famous peak.

Was amazing to see with my own eyes nonetheless. The tour stops a couple times for food and drinks which is needed.

Hike summary

Distance: short

Time: 40 mins one way

Elevation gain: Can climb higher but uneven large rocks to climb

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Southbound

The next part of the journey we used a company called ‘Peru Hop’ https://www.peruhop.com This is a hop on/hop off bus service.

I got the 8 stop ticket from Lima to Cusco. This service was quite brilliant. Not only did they pick you up directly from your hotel and take you to the main bus but they had guides onboard who would answer any questions and also organised tours. Sometimes these tours were free.

The service is also great value for your money. The Peru hop is quite easy to navigate once you get the hang of it and they are there to help with any last minute changes you might have.

Another option is to just book your buses yourself. These are about $30USD a pop. Recommended bus companies are Cruz del sur as they are rated on their comfort. The overnight buses aren’t easy by any means.

PARACAS

HUACACHINA

Paracas offered a coastal reset. I didn't explore this place properly. I used this time as a rest.

Huacachina feels cinematic. An oasis town wrapped in towering dunes that glow gold at sunrise and sunset. I was amazed as we approached and saw the monstrous dunes.

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Desert Glamping with Duna Camp Huacachina

We booked our dune experience through Duna Camp Huacachina — and it elevated Huacachina from a quick stop into a genuine highlight of the trip.

The experience included:

• Secure luggage storage

• Showers before departure

• Transport deep into the dunes in a modified Land Cruiser

The dune driving alone felt like a rollercoaster with steep drops, sharp climbs and endless sand ridges.

We stopped at panoramic viewpoints overlooking the oasis before trying sandboarding down steep dune faces. Seated rather than standing, but still fast and exhilarating. They even towed my friend Sasha behind the landcruiser on a doughnut. It was classic as yuou would imagine. She was getting peppered by sand and I could not stop laughing.

Hidden among the dunes was a beautifully styled private glamping setup:

• Styled seating

• Charcuterie boards

• Wine in ice buckets

• Fire pit under the stars

• Solar-powered lighting and WiFi

Dinner was genuinely excellent. As darkness fell, the desert became silent and still.

Pro Tip: Arrange extra drinks beforehand as you’re deep in the dunes.

Sunrise here is exceptional. Long shadows sculpt the sand and the landscape feels untouched. I got some amazing silhoutte shots as the sun rose.

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Arequipa & Colca Canyon

Arequipa is framed dramatically by volcanoes including El Misti. The colonial architecture combined with that mountain backdrop makes it one of Peru’s most photogenic cities.

Walk the streets for beautiful cafe and food spots and also spots to take magnificent pictures of the architecture accompanied by the mountains as a back drop.

Colca Canyon plunges to 3,270m which nearly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon.

Watching condors glide through that scale of landscape is humbling. The one-day tour was enough for me, though multi-day treks are available for those wanting a deeper experience.

Stopping through the local towns was also eye opening and very much worth it. Watching the kids dance in the street in all their colours doing traditional dance was mesmerising. The animals and birds accompanying people as well as the unique architecture was also very cool. Lots of cobble and stone which I enjoy shooting as it gives such texture.

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The Salkantay Trek. https://www.salkantaytrekking.com

Salkantay Trekking

Day 1 - Moderate Amount of kms.

This was Mayne 30 minutes up hill on pretty earshot terrain and then easy from the on out. Salkantay Trekking have the exclusive access to the Sky Domes which you will see in the photos. There is actually a hostel right behind the property these domes are on and you can also stay there. We made it to the sky domes around lunch time.

There is an optional hike up to Hamantay Lake. I very much recommend this. It is a daunting looking steep hill but it is actually not so bad once you get into a rhythm going up there. The sites are beautiful. I wish my drone was working and I wish I had a wide angle lens. Something about 24mm would have been perfect for here and Peru in general really. After the hike we had made our way down and it was time for dinner.

The food provided by Salkantay Trekking was very good I must say. It had strength Peruvian cuisine ties also. The chefs went above and beyond with their presentation of everything. Admittedly I booked this trek very last minute and they had mono sky domes available but I stayed in a dome tent (which was extremely cold in the night). The domes are a great feature of this trekking companies itinerary and I feel quite worth it with the views of the stars without light pollution and surrounding mountains.

You can get your passport stamped at the little shops here.

The stars were incredible here. The night domes had a front row seat!

Day 2 - Tough, very tough.

The Following day we were up for a 6am departure. We were warned the night before about how hard this day would be. It is very long and the start has some reasonably tough up slopes, one being called ‘the gringo killer’. Out of our tour group of 10, only 4 of us gave the hike to Salkantay Pass a crack and the others took horses/donkeys.

The hike to Salkantay Pass was hard but it wasn’t anything that I would warn people not to try. The temperature drops quite dramatically so initially I would be warm for this first part of the hike but remember when you de-layer you will have to carry the rest and the hike for this day is extremely long. The thing I under estimated was the length of the hike that was still to come afterwards.

Salkantay Pass is beautiful, once the fog and low cloud disappeared the mountain revealed itself and it was right next to us. Great spot for some snaps, especially with the Salkantay sign revealing 4600 meters altitude. The mist and fog in the air made for some dramatic shots also. The rest of the hike on this day is long and begins to get hot as we descended in altitude and the sun came out to play. My bag ended up being very heavy with all my morning warm clothes as well as my camera equipment. When we got to the lunch spot around just over half way the team on the tour including myself were very knackered already.

Prepare for quite the day on the legs. The downhill can be killer on the legs. Near 17:00 we arrived at the Mountain View lodge. These cabins were amazing. I recommend getting a quick shower and then taking the time to actually enjoy the view from the room before the sun goes down. Get all your photos and appreciate being in the middle of a beautiful ridge in the hills of Peru. Once the sun goes down that might be your last chance to enjoy the view as you will be away early morning for day 3’s hiking.

Day 3 – Jungle Air & Heavy Legs

Day 3 felt different. After the brutality of Salkantay Pass, we dropped down into warmer, thicker air and the landscape completely changed. Gone were the icy ridge lines — replaced with greenery, coffee plants, and that humid jungle feel that makes your shirt stick to your back before you’ve even taken a proper stride.

My legs were still feeling Day 2, especially on the downhill sections. Downhill sounds easy until you’ve been walking for hours with a camera bag digging into your shoulders. The descent absolutely tests your knees.

From a photography perspective, this day was less about dramatic peaks and more about layers and detail. The mist hanging in the valley early on created beautiful depth. I found myself using the longer end of my lens to compress the rolling hills and isolate pockets of light cutting through the cloud. The greens were rich and saturated, totally different colour palette to the cold blues and greys of the previous days.

The day finished with us visiting a local coffee farm. We learned how to roast coffee. Our guide gave us all the information about how it is made, the illegal side to the Coca plants (Erythroxylum coca).

There were small villages along the way and moments of local life that felt far more intimate than the big mountain scenes. Day 3 is storytelling photography. Less epic postcard. More atmosphere.

By the time we reached camp, the light was soft and golden. If you’ve got energy left, step away from the group for ten minutes before sunset. The ridge lines glow beautifully just before the light drops.

Thermal baths is not worth it. It’s a long drive for pretty much nothing. You are better to rest up more as you have another big hike the following day.

The jungle domes we stayed in while cool... beware of the spiders. The Turantulas are huge and creep in the night. Keep doors closed and your wits about you.

Day 4 – Anticipation Builds

Day 4 isn’t as physically brutal, but it carries a different weight of anticipation.

You know what’s coming.

The trail rolls through more vegetation and sections of original Inca pathways, and the air feels thicker and warmer again. It’s easier walking, but your body is still carrying three days of fatigue. Mine definitely was.

There is a major waterfall on this hike. The amount of water falling is quite phenomenal. It is part of the major hydropower for Peru. Take photos from up high if you can. Best finding view points as you decline.

Photographically, I treated this day like a prelude. I shot wide environmental frames of the trail winding through the hills - using leading lines wherever I could. It’s a great day to capture your trekking group as well. I managed to get some nice landscapes looking towards Machu Picchu. There was an epic little swing at one of the rest stops. Has an amzing view. By this point everyone is tired, dusty, and real. Those are the honest travel frames that often end up being favourites later.

I took a shot I love of a local older man working near the train track. Man was working very hard in the heat.

Tips expected to pay on Salkantay tour; Horseman 40 Soles, Chef 60 Soles

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Machu Picchu – The Crown Jewel

No image does it justice. Seeing this marvel was amazing. Make sure you stop and soak it all in.

Plan your shots before you get there! So overwhelming. Very busy but you cannot beat the

crowds.

Best Photography Timing at Machu Picchu

• Before 10am = fog risk

• After 10am = clearer visibility

• Midday = strong but clean light

2–3 hours inside is sufficient without a guide, though hiring one adds historical depth.

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How to Get Machu Picchu Tickets Without Booking Online

If tickets are sold out online, here is the reliable in-person method:

1. Travel to Aguas Calientes

You must physically be there.

2. Visit the Ministry of Culture Office

Located near the main square.

Arrive around 3–4pm the day before entry. Bring your passport.

You will:

• Queue for a numbered place

• Receive a return time

• Return later to purchase

Daily in-person allocation is limited and not guaranteed.

3. Payment

Bring cash (Peruvian soles). ATMs can run out - withdraw in Cusco beforehand.

4. Bus Tickets

Buy separately in town. Arrive at least 1–1.5 hours early for the bus queue.

Aguas Calientes to Cusco

Book train tickets early as these sell out. You then need to bus to get to Cusco.

Cusco - Decompress and relax

We stayed at the Wild Rover party hostel. It was chill and turned very social at night. Always something on and the food was quite good. It is up quite the steep hill so be wary when you venture into town, especially after the Salkantay tour. There is a famous arch near Wild Rover which was epic to shoot. Make sure you get to this.

After the Salkantay trek and Machu Picchu, Cusco felt like a reward.

No alarms. No altitude passes to conquer. No 5am departures.

Just walking, eating, and letting the legs recover.

Cusco sits high (around 3,400m), so you still feel the altitude slightly, but compared to the trek it almost feels comfortable. The city itself is beautiful in that worn, textured way. Cobbled streets. Inca stone walls. Wooden balconies. Narrow alleys that open into bright plazas.

Photographically, Cusco is all about detail and contrast. Buildings and more street photography.

We spent most of my time just wandering without a strict plan. The contrast between old Inca foundations and Spanish architecture gives you endless photo composition options. Doorways are particularly great framing devices if you slow down enough to notice them.

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San Pedro Market

San Pedro Market is the bigger, busier option. It’s chaotic in a good way with rows of fruit, fresh juices, meat counters, souvenirs, locals doing daily shopping.

From a photography perspective, it’s colour overload. The fruit stalls are stacked high with oranges, dragon fruit, bananas, this a playground for detail shots and tighter compositions.

Food-wise? It’s fine. Plenty of options, but not the best meals I had in Cusco. It’s more about the atmosphere experience.

San Blas Market

San Blas is smaller and quieter. I preferred it.

Better food, fresher juices, and less chaos. It feels more local and relaxed.

The neighbourhood of San Blas itself is worth wandering. Steep streets and nice buildings.

Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley – High Altitude, Big Reward

Rainbow Mountain

Altitude: 5,200m.

This one is no joke. Take your time!

You feel it almost immediately. Short breaths. Heavy legs. That dull pressure in your head reminding you you’re very, very high up.

We went with my mate Darwin (@darwinvargassanchez on Instagram, +51940867385 on Whatsapp), and I can’t recommend him enough. Having someone you trust at that altitude makes a big difference. He paced things properly, kept spirits high, and knew exactly where to position us for the best views and fewer crowds.

The hike itself isn’t technically difficult it is the altitude that makes it tough. The trail gradually climbs, and the final push feels steeper than it probably is. You just have to move slowly and stay consistent.

When Rainbow Mountain finally reveals itself, it almost doesn’t look real. The coloured mineral stripes cut through the mountain in layers of reds, yellows, greens — especially vivid when the sun breaks through properly.

From a photography perspective, timing is everything. We started early, which meant softer light and fewer people in frame. Once the sun gets higher, the colours pop more, but so do the crowds.

I got some amazing shots with the Alpaccas/Lamas. Take cash as the owners of these animals want money which is only fair. There is also snacks up there. Take your passport to get a Rainbow Mountain stamp.

I found myself shooting wider here to capture scale to get tiny hikers against enormous patterned ridges. But the mid-range zoom also worked well for isolating the texture of the coloured bands. Again get your shots while you can because when mist rolls in it hangs around and can be the end of the good shots.

Hike summary

Distance: 4 - 7 km

Time: 3 hours round trip

Elevation gain: Easy surface but high altitude

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Red Valley – The Underrated Gem

What most people don’t realise is that Red Valley, which sits just beyond Rainbow Mountain, is arguably more impressive.

And far quieter.

The landscape shifts from multicoloured stripes to deep red rolling hills that look like something from another planet. The ridge lines stretch endlessly, and the lack of crowds makes it feel wild and untouched.

Photographically, I actually preferred Red Valley.

The lines in the terrain create natural leading compositions, and the depth you can capture from higher vantage points is insane. The red earth against a blue sky is simple but powerful. One lad stood with his pet Lama and it was a priceless moment.

Darwin knew exactly where to stop for the best angle spots slightly off the main foot traffic where you could frame the valley without people cutting across your foreground.

If you’re going to do Rainbow Mountain, do Red Valley as well. You’ve already climbed to 5,200m so you might as well squeeze everything out of it.

It’s tough on the lungs, but creatively? It’s worth every breath.

Hike summary

Distance: 4 - 7 km

Time: 3 hours round trip

Elevation gain: Easy surface but high altitude

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Overall Peru absolutely smashed the expectations I had. I was constantly amazed and with every stop there was new colours, people, incredible landscapes and settings. I would put this place safely in the top 5 of the 67 countries I have been to. Peru constantly has you in amazement!

A massive shout out to my travel partner Sasha, she was the driving force behind most of the planning and she smashed it. She not only smashed it there but on the hikes and letting me use her as talent in the photos. Wouldn't have been the trip it was without her!

Camera Gear Used – Imagin3 Photography

For this trip, I travelled light but strategically.

Camera Body

• Sony A7III

Lenses

• Tamron 70mm – 180mm f/2.8

• Sigma lens 28mm - 105mm f2.8

Why This Setup Worked

• The Sony A7III handled dynamic range beautifully in high-altitude light.

• The 70–180mm allowed for compression in mountain environments.

• The Sigma lens was ideal for storytelling and landscapes.