Two Backpackers

Machu Picchu Pictures

| by Jason | 38 Comments » | Peru, Photo Essays, South America

The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru is perhaps one of the most spectacular sites you can visit in South America. From the complexity of building the city on top of a mountain ridge surrounded by mountains, to the unbelievable story of how it remained intact and untouched for hundreds of years all contribute to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

This compilation of Machu Picchu pictures was taken during our visit to the cultural Inca site in 2024. (more…)

Photo of the Day: 12-Sided Inca Stone

| by Jason | 1 Comment » | Photo of the Day

Peru, more specifically Cusco (Cuzco) Peru is most famous for it’s connection to the great Inca empire. Today, the city still stands atop an ancient stone work built by the Incas. A great example of their craftsmanship can be found within Cusco city. This stone is referred to as the 12-sided Inca stone. The Incas used several styles of stone work, this one emphasizes the carving of a rock to fit amongst other rocks perfectly without using mortar. The perfect alignment of the rocks is some of the most impressive stone work we have ever seen.

Photo of the Day: Nazca Lines Hummingbird

| by Aracely | 1 Comment » | Photo of the Day

The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert of Peru. They have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The high, arid plateau stretches more than 80 kilometres (50 mi) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana. Although some local geoglyphs resemble Paracas motifs, scholars believe the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca culture between 400 and 650 AD. The hundreds of individual figures range in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks or orcas, llamas, and lizards.
The lines are shallow designs made in the ground by removing the ubiquitous reddish pebbles and uncovering the whitish ground beneath. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric shapes; more than seventy are designs of animal, bird, fish or human figures. The largest figures are over 200 meters (660 ft) across. Scholars differ in interpreting the purpose of the designs, but they generally ascribe religious significance to them, as they were major works that required vision, planning and coordination of people to achieve. – Wikipedia

Photo of the Day: Flowers of Machu Picchu

| by Jason | No Comments » | Photo of the Day

We captured this photo during our Salkantay hike to Machu Picchu. Once we passed the Nevado Salkantay we descended deep into a valley of thick forest. The vegetation changed from rocks and snow to colorful flowers and lots of plants. We don’t know the names of these flowers, so if you do, please let us know.

Photo of the Day: Nevado Salkantay Peruvian Andes

| by Jason | 5 Comments » | Photo of the Day

Salcantay (Nevado Salcantay) or Salkantay (Nevado Salkantay), Sallqantay in Quechua is the highest peak of the Cordillera Vilcabamba, part of the Peruvian Andes.  It is located in the Cusco Region, about 60 km (40 mi) west-northwest of the city of Cusco.  It is the 38th highest peak in the Andes, and the twelfth highest in Peru.  However, as a range highpoint in deeply incised terrain, it is the second most topographically prominent peak in the country, after Huascarán. – Wikipedia

We captured this photo during the Salkantay Pass, which was day 2 of our hike to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay Inca Trail.  This trek provided us with the most incredible picture set we have ever taken, even with our cameras starting to fail us.

Photo of the Day: The Cliffs at Miraflores Lima

| by Aracely | 2 Comments » | Photo of the Day

The Cliffs in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima, Peru offer the best restaurants, bars and shopping while providing incredible views of the ocean. Paragliders will zoom over your head as they sail near the cliffs, being rewarded with the best views available. This is the tourist hot spot in Lima.

Photo of the Day: Colca Canyon Peru

| by Aracely | 7 Comments » | Photo of the Day

Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru. It is located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Arequipa. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States at 4,160 m. However, the canyon’s walls are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon. The Colca Valley is a colorful Andean valley with towns founded in Spanish Colonial times and formerly inhabited by the Collaguas and the Cabanas. The local people still maintain ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces. – Wikipedia