North Argentina is an extremely mountainous region featuring absolutely stunning mountain drives filled with adrenaline and vertigo. On these steep mountain slopes, called cuestas, you are challenged to take on sharp curves, frequent gear changing and minding the other traffic by honking at dead angles and measuring the passage for vehicles approaching head-on. If that is not exciting enough, just imagine marveling at the wonderful landscapes of Argentina and deep canyons and cliffs that on more than one occasion will take your breath away.

To prepare you for your high mountain drives, Dos Manos Travel Agency has compiled a list of the top 5 Mountain Tours in North Argentina, with their characteristics and whereabouts:   

1. Cuesta del Portezuelo(Catamarca)

Bordered on one side by the Sierra de Ancasti and the other by extremely deep ravines, the Cuesta del Portezuelo offers amazing sights of the natural beauty of the Central Valley of Cajamarca. The best way to get there is taking the turnoff on National Highway 38. On extremely narrow and zigzagging roads you will climb from 700 m.a.s.l. to the summit at 1800 m., where you have a good chance to see condors circling around you. The spectacular drive itself offers plenty of opportunities to stop besides the road to take in the magnificent scenery, which is especially beautiful in the flowering season. 



2. Cuesta del Obispo(Salta)

The mountain drive is reached 57 km. from Salta, on the Provincial Route 33. A wide road that is under permanent conservation goes up the slope from Chicoana at 1270 m.a.s.l. to its maximum altitude at the Piedra del Molino (the Mill Stone) at 3340 m., in the National Park Cardones. Meters before the summit there is a viewpoint where you can see the dizzying hillside in its entire glory. When weather conditions are favorable you can observe the Valle Encantado (the Enchanted Valley) with its many multicolored hills, a lake situated between high meadows and there are even cave paintings. When you keep going on a road known as the Recta Tin Tin, made during the Inca period, you arrive at the picturesque town of Cachi and eventually to Seclantás, very famous for its artisanal production of ponchos.

Read the rest of this page »

Every year in Cusco the week leading up to Easter ´Semana Santa´ sees the streets full of animated and excited processions which will this year, 2013, be taking place from Sunday the 24th to Sunday the 31st of March.

The first day, ´Domingo de Ramos´ (Palm Sunday) is when Peruvian families in Cusco and other cities, will go to church together; to bring palms and seek blessings. The next day, Monday, is a special day exclusive to Cusco with celebrations reserved for ´El Senor de los Tremblores´(The Lord of the Earthquakes), the patron saint of the city of Cusco. Tribute is given to ´El Senor´ in the form of a beautiful statue of the saint, adorned and carried as part of a procession through the old streets of the city. This parade begins at around 2pm and goes until the evening, when the saint is taken to the cathedral in the Plaza de Armas to be blessed; thousands of people come to the plaza to see this sight, and the huge square is full every year.  This is something you would not want to miss, when you are in Cusco or elsewhere in southern Peru these days.

Read the rest of this page »

With a weekend to spare in Cusco – Peru, I thought I’d get down to some furious activity in and around Cusco city. I opted for a Sacred Valley tour on Saturday, before a Sunday afternoon’s quad biking. Needless to say it was a great weekend!

SACRED VALLEY TOUR

The Sacred Valley tour took us first to a small artisan centre just outside Pisac, where we wondered around the stalls and checking out the vast array of potential souvenirs and alpaca-wear that was on offer.

We then head to the Pisac ruins – a very impressive set of ruins and terraces on an isolated mountaintop. The guide we had was excellent and told us of old Inca traditions along with the functions of each site. A short stop in the town followed, before our transfer for lunch.

Read the rest of this page »

Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina

Carnival all over South America is approaching this weekend, and so wherever you are on the Spanish-speaking side of the continent, these are the best places to go:

Cajamarca, or, The Sacred Valley of the Incas (Cusco), Peru

Here you can take part in the cutting of the ‘yunsa’ – a big tree adorned with prizes up for grabs when it falls, and witness the extravagant processions and traditional music and dances. Cajamarca is known as the capital of Carnival in Peru, and is well worth the visit. Water fights will also be a bit feature in Peru, especially in the Andes. Kids and adults alike will be throwing water balloons on unsuspecting victims as they roam the streets. Just outside Cusco, the Sacred Valley has many towns that will be celebrating in the same way as Cajamarca, with a ‘yunsa’, just slightly more low key, so if you’re in the south, head to Cusco’s Sacred Valley and visit villages like Calca, Pisac, or Urubamba.

Read the rest of this page »

For the first half of February the highland town of Puno, Peru, near Lake Titicaca at an altitude of 3,870 meters above sea level, becomes the Folk Capital of the Americas. The festival gathers more than 200 groups of musicians and dancers to celebrate “La Fiesta de la Candelaria”. During the first week, the churches are decorated and there are banquets and fireworks displays. Later, the virgin is led through the city of Puno in an impressive procession, when troupes of musicians and dancers take the scene, performing and dancing throughout the city.

The Candelaria festival is linked to the pre-Hispanic agricultural cycles of sowing and harvesting, as well as mining activities in the region. The dance of the demons, or La Diablada, the main dance of the festival, was allegedly dreamt up by a group of miners trapped down a mine who, in their desperation, resigned their souls to the “Virgen de la Candelaria.” The dancers, blowing panpipes and clad in spectacular costumes and outlandish masks, make their offerings to the Earth, “La Pachamama”. Experience the Candelaria Festival in Puno Peru with Dos Manos Travel Agency this February. You can depart with us from Cusco, or meet with us in Puno! Contact us here or write info@dosmanosperu.com for more information and to register! This is a cultural and fun experience that you do not want to miss.

Read the rest of this page »

Having flown to Cusco from Lima, I knew that I had missed out a bit of the traditional travellers trail in southern Peru. One place I really wanted to visit over a weekend was Lake Titicaca. Luckily, Dos Manos were able to sort this out around my Spanish classes in Cusco, which was fantastic.

This trip involves 2 overnight buses, which although put me off slightly, was actually extremely comfortable, thanks to the cama seats that were booked for me. I set off at 10pm on a Friday evening, having eaten and got a few snacks for the journey. Rather sleepy, I arrived around 5am in Puno, from where all the trips to Lake Titicaca operate. I was met, and given a choice between breakfasting in the bus terminal or heading to a nearby office to rest some more.

Read the rest of this page »

Hiking the Inca Trail had always been a huge ambition of mine.  Directly after arriving at the Amauta Spanish school in Cusco I met a group of students that were booking for later that same week, through their in-house travel Agency Dos Manos Peru! Admittedly I was quite relieved that there was still space; I guess the trail doesn’t get so booked up in the wet season.

The staff of Dos Manos made the whole booking process very easy for us and was very professional in accommodating special requests and dietary needs of one of my fellow hikers. Our guide, Simón, gave us a briefing two days before we left, allowing us time to buy last minute necessities. He described the trail, what our plans were, what would happen each morning before walking and the type of food we could expect. I received a great feeling of confidence and excitement and really lived up to the moment of the first day:

Day 1
We were picked up very early that fateful Friday from the Amauta Spanish School, and travelled to Ollantaytambo, a town 75km from Cusco for a snack breakfast. This is often a compulsory stop due to the need to pick up porters. Since we were a relatively small group this was a quick affair and we were quickly on the road again, heading for Km 82 where the trek would really start!

After a lengthy entrance process (where our passports were cross-checked with our tickets for name/number discrepancies) and a bridge crossing, we were off! The first morning passed pleasingly and the walk itself was not challenging; quite flat before a slight incline to lunch.

Read the rest of this page »

After having hiked for two long days (see here my travel story) we were already half way on our trek to Machu Picchu.

Day 3
By the traditional route, day 3 is the longest day and it also has the most optional detours to see different ruins. So instead of staying in Wiñay Wayna, the traditional end-point of the third day, we decided to take some of these detours and enjoyed these greatly preserved ruins at regular intervals during the day, breaking up the 1000m descent into the cloud forest. On the other hand we got into Machu Picchu a bit later on Day 4, since we had further to walk.

Dejà-vu struck first thing in the morning, as we had to climb out of the valley in which we had spent the night. The 400m climb that you could see from day 2’s descent kicked off a long day. The group got to the top without a problem, but from there it was still a long haul to lunch on the top of the third and final pass; you could almost hear a chorus of stomachs rumbling as we came through the mist and arrived at lunch.

Lunch also marked the end of any significant uphill walking on the Inca Trail, which was a nice feeling! With careful baby steps we came down to the campsite for a relatively early finish, and that night, somehow, we played football with Simón, Lino and the porters. This was a really nice way of showing our appreciation for their astonishing support on our journey. After the game we had a small presentation ceremony where we gave each person a token of our thanks.

Read the rest of this page »

The Inca Trail is without a doubt one of the most famed and challenging treks in Peru and known worldwide for its cultural content and natural beauty. Every year thousands of tourists flock to Cusco to embark on a four day trek to Machu Picchu, along a truly exceptional mountain trail, made hundreds of years ago by the Inca civilization. Besides the ancient trail itself surrounded by unique flora and fauna, trekkers will pass a range of magnificent archeological Inca ruins all with their own characteristics: 

Qorihuayrachina
The classic Inca Trail starts at Km88 at the location of the Qoriwayrachina, which was only discovered recently in 2001. The name is Quechua for ‘where the wind was used to refine gold’, and the site beholds many fascinating monuments and altars made out of stone.

Llactapata
Located at 2840m. above sea level, the next interesting site you can visit is thought to have been used primarily as an agricultural plantation. Llactapata, which is a combination of two Quechua words, ‘llacta’ meaning town and ‘pata’ meaning height.

Read the rest of this page »

Nowadays, there is so much information available on the web about a tour to Machu Picchu that is it very easy to confuse yourself. Hopefully this article of definitive answers to some commonly asked questions will clear a few things up for those planning to visit the “Lost City of the Incas” in Peru.

1. Is it necessary to use a travel agency to go to Machu Picchu?

No, this is not a requirement. Technically you could travel to Machu Picchu organising everything yourself. However, the huge advantage of reserving with an agency is that they organise absolutely everything for you, at the same or even cheaper price for the complete excursion.



It so happens to be that in Cusco you have to buy every single bit of your tour to Machu Picchu from many different websites and offices, that are scattered all over town. Trains, buses, entrance tickets, guides and possibly hotels all require advanced booking one way or another, implying a very time consuming process. To make matters worse, the maddening red tape and communication in Spanish generally turns out to be a nightmare to the foreign visitor. To avoid any inconveniences and bad holiday experiences, it is highly recommendable to leave all the organizing up to an established travel agency in Cusco. You will be able to communicate with the same contact person about your entire travel itinerary, ask any question you like while counting on years of experience backed up with a travel service guarantee.

In addition agencies may also get discounts for certain items of the trip, such as trains and hotels, due to the volume of passengers they manage. Therefore, if you were to do everything separate from an agency, you may find out it is actually not cheaper at all.

Read the rest of this page »