Travel Review: Luxury Peru Vacation, Lima, Cusco, Pisac, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu Hiking, Ica Sandboarding

The most memorable parts of our trip were (1) our hike of Machu Picchu Mountain, (2) sandboarding and wine tasting in Ica, and (3) our time in the Amazon Rainforest.

While we knew we wanted to visit Machu Picchu, hiking Machu Picchu Mountain was our travel company's recommendation, and looking back, we cannot imagine the trip without that experience. Despite the moderate to challenging nature of the hike (especially for two relatively inexperienced hikers that live at sea level), the views of Machu Picchu from the top of Machu Picchu Mountain away from the swarms of tourists were breathtaking and something we will never forget.

Ever since we were in high school, we knew we wanted to go sand-boarding in the Ica desert. Despite the travel time required to visit this part of Peru, it was a completely unforgettable experience. Our travel company arranged for us to stay in a gorgeous hotel on the ocean, which made this part of the trip feel very relaxing despite the even though we were only there for two nights. The sand-boarding and wine-tasting excursions were an absolute blast.

Finally, our time in the Amazon Rainforest was absolutely perfect. The staff and our guide at our lodge were amazing and made every part of our time so special. We saw tons of wildlife, including sloths, monkeys, poisonous dart frogs, pink dolphins, caiman, tarantulas, and even an anaconda on our last day. We even went fishing for piranhas, which was a completely surreal experience. There are several lodges to stay at in the Peruvian Rainforest, but our travel company listened to the experience we were looking for and selected the perfect location.