My enchantment with Peru, and specifically the Sacred Valley, began just over two years ago, and only deepens as time goes by.
I’ve been fortunate enough to get involved with the good folks of Plants and Healers International, and am thrilled to be helping facilitate and plan their next botanical tour through Peru in April 2019. You’ll probably be seeing lots of updates, photos, and reminders of our upcoming trip between now and then!
How it all started…one seemingly random afternoon, I received a phone call from my dad, asking if my husband and I might be able to take some time off the following summer. Curious, I asked why, to which he informed me he had decided it was “bucket list” time, and he wanted to visit Peru and Machu Picchu with his family.
Having never really had Peru much on my travel radar previously, I immediately said yes to the prospect of this trip, and we began planning for the next year. Since it was a family adventure and none of us had visited Peru before, we would travel with a tour group so we could get the lay of the land, see many of the relevant sites and attractions, and have the experience and safety of a local guide.
In our 11-day tour, we would gain access to some of the most fascinating, mysterious, and sacred sites in the world…such an amazing treat! The journey would begin in Lima (really the only place you can fly into Peru if you’re headed to the Sacred Valley), and from there we would first head south down the Pacific coastline to Paracas and the Nazca lines, then back to Lima and onward to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Puno- the home of Lake Titicaca and the floating Uros islands.
From the very first mention of this trip, I knew it would be an epic journey…though just how truly special and life-changing, I had no idea.
We landed in Lima late in the evening after a long day of travel from North Carolina to the Atlanta airport, and onward to Peru.
The airport was packed, service dogs were sniffing all the incoming visitors, and the general vibe was one of busyness, and perhaps a bit of chaos. We were fortunate to find our bags at the luggage claim with relative quickness, and then met our tour guide waiting for us amidst the sea of people in the main arrival area of the airport.
After being escorted through the busy city and teeming traffic of Lima to our hotel for the evening, we settled in and got some rest. The next morning we left early with the group and traveled down the coast to Paracas, a place known for its coastline, the nearby Nazca lines, and the mysterious elongated skulls found in the region.
We flew over the Nazca lines (an absolutely incredible sight and adventure!), enjoyed fresh Peruvian ceviche, and took a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands, often referred to as “poor man’s Galapagos” for its extensive wildlife and biodiversity.
Sea lions lounged on giant rocks coming out of the ocean, penguins waddled around on the higher areas, and more birds than I have ever in my life seen at once flew above and were perched all over the land and its structures. All of this, and we had only been in Peru 2 days!
After leaving Paracas, we traveled back to Lima, where we took another flight over the magnificent Andes Mountains to Cusco, our base for our travels through the Sacred Valley. From here, we explored the city itself a bit (hellooooo chocolate museum!), and journeyed onwards to Ollantaytambo- the last living Inca village, where we took the train into Aguas Calientes, the town of Machu Picchu.
The train ride was only the second train I’d ever been on, and boasted the most incredible views. Leaving from the valley, surrounded by tall mountains and trees, the scenery shifted and changed as we traveled closer to the border of the valley and the jungle. While not fully in the jungle, Machu Picchu is a significantly lower altitude than the rest of the Sacred Valley, and since it is right along the edge of the jungle, there are many more tropical plants, birds, and other well-suited species.
Exploring Machu Picchu was like something out of a movie… I almost pinched myself a few times just to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. Not only were the grounds themselves stunning, the architecture, knowledge, and ancient wisdom that went into this sacred site was mind-blowing and palpable. Though we only had 3 hours to explore and shared the site with a couple thousand other tourists, this was a place and a day that will be rich in my mind and heart for years to come.
Though we had already explored so many beautiful and fascinating sites, there was still so much more on our agenda! That’s the thing about Peru- there’s just so much to see, do, and learn. I truly think you could explore there a lifetime and still not see and experience it all.
In Ollantaytambo, we explored the ancient archaeological site there in town, and while not as well-known as Machu Picchu, I’d say it is equally worth a visit.
We also visited the agricultural terraces and site of Moray, as well as the salt mines of Maras. The salt pools and formations along the mountainside in Maras are stunning enough on their own, but a tour through the site also gives the opportunity to see the locals harvesting salt- as has been done there for so many years, a chance to taste the salty water from the single flowing source, and a gift shop so you can take a bit home for yourself!
Our final days in Peru were spent in Puno, right on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where we visited the floating islands of the Uros, a culture that has lived on the lake for thousands of years.
These heart-centered and resourceful people literally construct the islands they live on from reeds that grow in the lake. They also build their houses and boats with the same reed, and use it as a food source as well.
Though the sites of Peru were awe-inspiring, thought-provoking, and life-changing in and of themselves, the other thing about Peru that has truly captured my heart is the people of this magical land.
Most everyone I met was kind, humble, joyful…and also patient with my just-the-basics Spanish skills. The people of Peru are connected with their land and their beliefs in a way I have never seen before. It is truly an amazing thing to witness.
Since my first guide-led trip in the summer of 2016, I have visited Peru twice more, and plan to continue to make the pilgrimage back as I am able, to continue to learn from this place, its plants, and its generous and loving people.
I am truly excited and grateful for the opportunity to return next spring with Plants and Healers International, and to share in this experience with others.
If you’re interested in joining us on this epic journey or have any related questions, I’d be happy to connect with you!
Please feel free to email me at info@plantsandhealers.org. We hope you’ll consider joining us as we connect with the beautiful plants and people of the Peruvian Andes!
About The Author
Anna Claire is a holistic clinical herbalist and medicine maker living in the mountains of Western North Carolina, by way of the beaches of South Carolina. From an early age, Anna Claire was inspired by and in awe of the natural world. She attended the University of South Carolina, earning a BS in Marine Science, with an emphasis on biology and marine mammals. Her studies next led her to explore graduate coursework in human nutrition, and finally, to the path of the plants.
Anna Claire is a graduate of the Holistic Herbalism and Advanced Clinical Herbalism programs at the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, and she also completed a 450-hour herbal apprenticeship with CoreyPine Shane, RH (AHG).
The quest for knowledge is an unending one, and continuing education in the plant realm is no exception. Anna Claire continues to enrich her herbal knowledge by attending (and sometimes organizing!) herbal events around the country. Anna Claire is the founder of Dancing Sage Wellness + Apothecary, where she works one-on-one with clients and provides a bevy of herbal creations and custom formulas.
When not found meandering the luscious wilds of Appalachia, brewing up potions in the apothecary, or whipping up new recipes in the kitchen, chances are you can find Anna Claire with her nose in yet another herb book!