Cusco, Perú

I leave for Peru in a week, I have 3 finals left that I don't want to study for, and I still don't really know the specifics of my trip, so here I am. What I do know: I will be studying for one month at la Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola in Cusco. I am leaving on May 16. I am returning on June 24. I will be staying with a family. The program includes an excursion to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. That's about it. But that's all well and good because I have the internet to help me plan where to go in my free time (to some degree). So, I shall make a list of all the places I want to go and try to visit as many of them as possible before I come home. If you're interested, you can read about it here (hi, mom).

Regions of Peru

Number one: Machu Picchu

I will do an overnight trip here with CISabroad. Located in the Cusco region.

We'll see how my own pictures compare with these photos, complement of Google Images. Hint: they will not be nearly as good.

Number two: El Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley)

I will also go here with CISabroad. Located in the Cusco region.

Pisac Ruins in the Sacred Valley

Number three: Laguna Humantay

Located in the Cusco region.

Good thing Peru is so pretty because my photography skills are lacking. Shan't be too difficult to take a good picture.

Number four: Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain)

Located in the Cusco Region in the Cordillera Vilcanota.

Vinicunca / la Montaña de Siete Colores / Rainbow Mountain / 50 other names

Number five: Ausangate

Located in the Cusco region, in the same mountain range as Vinicunca.

Ausangate

Number six: Cañón del Colca

Located in the Arequipa region.

Number seven: Lago Titicaca

Located in the Puno region.

I hear they make some pretty rad reed boats here.

Number eight: Islas Ballestas

Located in the Ica region.

I think I would die happy if I could pet a sea lion, but I might just settle for seeing one.

Number nine: Choquequirao

Located in the Cusco region.

Looks like Machu Picchu, close to Machu Picchu, but not Machu Picchu.

Number ten: El Misti

I must take this opportunity to see a volcano. Located in the Arequipa region.

Why they built a city next to a volcano? I don't know.

Number eleven: Manú National Park

Located in the Madre de Dios region.

This is just a small list of the places I think I will be most likely to be able to visit in Peru this summer. I'm not quite sure how many free days I will have to travel on my own, but with luck I will make it to at least a few of these places. I'll leave the rest for future travels.

If you have actually looked through all of this, I hold a dear place in my heart for you.