Nomadillo

Maras, Sacred Valley, Peru
March 2024

Many areas of the sacred valley are linked by walking paths, making it possible to hike from town to town. That's exactly what we did on a full-day hike from Urubamba to Maras, and back.

Our first stop - the Maras Salineras, an ancient (still operational!) terraced salt mine that's been in use since pre-Inca times. Water from a salty underground spring fills the pans, then evaporates, leaving behind crystallized salt, which is then harvested.

Next, we passed through the town of Maras, where we came upon a Carnaval celebration in the main plaza. Everyone was in full festive spirit! There were dances, colorful outfits and lots of water balloons being thrown around. The water fights are part of a tradition to invoke rain for the harvest season. We were not spared from them and soon ended up partially doused in water.

From Maras, we made our way to Moray, a terraced site, designed by the Incas to imitate variable climates on each layer - an ancient potato lab. Here, the Incas tested and perfected their farming techniques.

A huge variety of crops was found here: different potatoes, multiple types of corn and quinoa. It's very likely that many modern vegetables were first experimented and selected right here: in the Moray terraces of the Sacred Valley.

Nazca lines, Nazca desert, Peru
February 2024

Driving through the highway, it was almost easy to miss the giant lines that crossed the desert on both sides of the road.

We had to climb one of the observation towers to see how the lines combine together to form giant shapes of animals (spiders, monkeys, sharks, llamas), plants and trees.

Archeologists believe that these were created by the Nazca culture sometime in 500 BC, but their purpose remains a mystery - maybe they are part of an astronomical calendar, pathways for rituals or religious ceremonies.

The Nazca lines are so mysterious, that they've sparked some wild ideas, like aliens using them as runways.

We spent a night in the Nazca desert, right next to a cat-shaped geoglyph.
Safe to say, we didn't get abducted by aliens or see any signs of UFO activity 🛸

Huacachina, Peru
February 2024

The coast of Peru is a long arid desert, with few coastal towns that become rarer as you move further from Lima.

That is why, arriving at the oasis town of Huacachina felt like a mirage in the middle of the Nazca desert.
One of the few remaining natural oases in America, Huacachina welcomed us with lush palm trees and a desert lake, surrounded 360° by majestic sand dunes.

Not hard to imagine how this place inspired a lot of legends - featuring an Inca princess bathing in the desert, mermaids luring unsuspecting tourists into the lake, and the lake water having magical healing properties.

We could not miss a sand buggy and sand boarding tour with Kira early in the morning, when the sun wasn't too hot.
Our vehicle rolled up and down the gigantic sand dunes (up to 500m tall) that surrounded Huacachina.

The face of Kira was unrivaled only by those of the other tourists..
Who has ever seen a Husky on a Sand Buggy tour through the desert ?! 🏜️🐺