Posted by PERU SAFARI – THE START
Peru Safari – The Journey Begins!
Following up from my earlier post – LIMA & BEYOND it is day two of 15 days travelling the South of Peru, before we head inland into the Andes and enjoy the splendors of Peruvian life!
It is an early rise (5:00am) and a quick shower & coffee before we start to transfer all the equipment, food, drinks & personal luggage into the truck. We had dropped the “guests trucks” at the hotel the previous night during the Safety Briefing.
Safely parked in the secure underground parking lot of the hotel. This allowed the guests to bring their luggage down at their leisure the night before, and to get their vehicles setup comfortably for their journey.
A final check of the apartment, we make sure we have everything on board the vehicle, and we head out to the hotel to collect the clients.
Once there, we get to work bringing each vehicle from the parking lot to the front of the hotel. It gives the guests time to have breakfast early, and once they are finished we can make a clean departure from the hotel.
For anybody who has driven in Lima before, you will realize just how congested the city becomes very early in the morning. By 7am there is gridlock on all the arterial routes into the city.
Therefore, important we get away nice and early to avoid any delays.
Our first day is probably the longest drive in terms of being behind the wheel. We will cover a distance of over 500 kms, which thankfully is a very easy drive.
Most of it is driving the long coastal Pan American Highway from Lima down to our primary destination of the day at Huacachina.
This amazing oasis located in the desert just west of the town of Ica is absolutely stunning!
Firstly, we will stop en-route to take a coffee & rest stop at one of the few restaurant / cafes along the route. It is a chance to stretch our legs after a good 3 hours drive, and a chance for our first group photograph.
During the journey to the coffee stop we provide some guidance whilst driving in Peru. Especially for many of our guests who have never driven outside of their own countries. We have two-way radio communication with all vehicles.
The lead vehicle (Guide Truck) is equipped with a Satellite Phone, GPS & all the Safety Equipment required throughout the trip.
Safety is always paramount, and thankfully we have never had to use the equipment!
The one noticeable thing we observed as we drive south down the highway, the limited amount of vehicles. Yes there are the distribution trucks & fuel tankers travelling between cities, but not many cars to hinder our progress.
This helps our drivers ease their way into driving in a foreign country. It provides confidence for when we start to hit the urban streets again when we travel from place to place.
Coffee is finished, pit stop taken care of, group photographs sent to the head office to be uploaded onto our Social Media sites & App. This is so family members can see the progress as we travel each day.
Time to get sand in our shoes!
We hit the road and make our way in convoy to Huacachina for our first surprise stop of the day. Our first activity before lunch will be the Dune Buggy ride over the sand dunes of Huacachina.
An exhilarating high adrenalin ride, and a must for anybody who travels all the way down to this place!
A huge amount of fun was had by all the clients, and sand in every part of your body. In some places you don´t want sand, but a thoroughly enjoyable excursion. It has certainly worked up an appetite for everybody, and the food at the restaurant is absolutely amazing.
A beautiful restaurant setting right at the side of the Oasis Lagoon, with the huge sand dunes in the distance.
After a couple of hours at Huacachina it is time to board the vehicles and head out towards out next destination.
Nazca and Nazca Lines are famous for the geoglyphs, formed depressions and incisions in the soil of the Nazca Desert. They are formed around 500 BC & 500 AD, and cover approximately 20 square miles. The best way to see them is from the air!
Our drive through Nazca Desert is amazing. How baron the land is for miles all around, but yet the mountain range of the Andes are very close by. The scenery is truly stunning as we make our way inland towards the town of Nazca.
This town will be our stop for the evening, but before we check into the hotel, we have one more little surprise!
We are going to visit the burial ground of Chauchilla, and view the mummies! They have become unearthed over decades of sand movement and winds.
They are well preserved due to the arid terrain around where they are buried. It can be an eerie experience especially at the time the sun is about setting for the day.
A Well Earned Rest Awaits!
Our hotel is not too far away in Nazca, so we hit the road for the last time today and head back. We are going to be staying at a wonderful hotel called Hacienda Majoro, with an amazing setting for a hotel.
Llama & Peacocks wandering the hotel grounds, a quite relaxing accommodation to ensure all of us have a very restful sleep after the long drive.
We will have a nice relaxing drink by the pool bar, before enjoying dinner in the amazing restaurant. A thoroughly enjoyable first day driving, and the fun has only just started.
Tomorrow it will be Flights over Nazca Lines!
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