I loved my time in Peru, having spent a whole month there, however when you visit other countries in South America, you truly realise how unique it really was! I feel like you could create a lifetime bucket list just from Peruvian experiences, before you get to the famous Machu Picchu trek that people globally know Peru for.
So this guide will cover some of the more unique experiences you can try in Peru to give you a different story to share afterwards.
Sand Boarding in Huacachina
I remember being nervous when standing at the top of the dune, the guide then explained that most people actually lie down on the board, so I went with that, tearing down the sandy hill at what felt like very fast speeds (but may have looked slow from those standing by).
Eventually I built up the courage to sandboard down standing up, while I’m happy I did (not just for the photo). I loved this day, it was such a bizarre experience and something I didn’t plan on or know anything about before arriving in Huacachina.
In fact, I only heard about Huacachina from someone in a hostel, who said it was an oasis in the middle of the desert, sold!
Ayahuasca Retreats
I remember discussing with a tour representative in our hostel about the different activities we could book. A lot was focused around the rainforest, heading to the North part of Peru, but we already planned on taking a tour of the rainforest via Bolivia, so we weren’t too keen on that.
They then began discussing ayahuasca, a psychoactive plan that people take in order to have a mind altering experience. There are actual Plant based retreats in Peru, Ayahuasca retreats where they specialise on this activity, offering you a place to stay and guidance on how to safely take it.
They have master ‘Shipibo healers’ who guide you through the traditional experience and ceremony, while you will commonly do this alongside a number of other people travelling, making this a bit of a shared experience and something to bond about afterwards.
A friend through SEO tried this and stated how eye-opening it was for them. I’ve not been brave enough, but if you fancy it then Peru is the place to go!
The Budget Gallapagos
Ok, let’s start by calling it by its real name, the Ballestas islands. I was looking at potential trips over to Gallapagos, but they were charging extortionate prices. This was 12 years ago and apparently they’ve more than doubled since.
But sat in that hostel, we spoke to others who had come from that way and they all shared stories of the ‘poor man’s Gallapagos’, basically the cheaper version.
Ok, you don’t really land on the islands; you sail off the coasts and admire the sealife, mainly sea lions and birds. It was a nice experience and was surprisingly cheap, so it won’t set you back much if you’re working on a tight budget or looking to make it last for a longer time in South America.
The person on the boat will also do their best at explaining about the animals, but expect minimal knowledge of the English language, so unless you’ve learned the Spanish language, you’ll mainly have to guess what the different birds are.
This activity can be booked the day before, we called up a number from a website and they were happy to book us in, but it’s normally better to do this in advance to avoid any disappointment.
See The Nazca Lines
There were a number of helicopter tours to see the Nazca lines from above, but we decided just to do some treks to the area and look from afar, as you can still clearly see the markings, made some point around 2,000 years ago.
400km South of Lima, the Nazca lines are in the coastal desert land and the dry plateaus, while I also remember on an archaeological tour of the sight, they also took us to a small museum, in-between Ica and Nazca, the Museo Maria Reiche, not that it’s worth going out of your way to see it, but it’s generally an included part of your tour.
