In this interview, Steve Roll of Travelojos talks with Ben Box, author of the South American Handbook, about Peru’s struggle against the perception that Cuzco is all there is to Peru. Ben points out some interesting alternatives to Machu Picchu and shares why he thinks it’s safe to visit certain regions of Peru and Chile that remain unaffected by the recent natural catastrophes.

STEVE ROLL – The area surrounding Peru’s main attraction, Machu Picchu, was hit hard by floods last month and won’t be available to tourists until April. Even before …

If you can’t tell by how much time we’ve spent talking about it, Huanchaco is a great place. There are basically two options for long-term accommodation: staying in a hostel or renting a room. Whether you’re in need of a base camp for surf trips up the coast, wanting to volunteer in the nearby area, or just needing a break from traveling, here’s a guide to finding “home” in Huanchaco. Huanchaco is home to many great cheap housing options. What is offered everywhere varies wildly, but the best options have a private, secure room with kitchen access and wifi.

How to get from here to there in Trujillo and Huanchaco… Welcome to Nuts and Bolts: Trujillo and Huanchaco. This article is an attempt to explain some of the key features of the Trujillo/Huanchaco bus system. It also will highlight locations and directions to popular places to visit in the area.

Huanchaco’s proximity to Peru’s third largest city, Trujillo, makes it a good base if you’re looking to spend a few months (or even just a few weeks) making a difference in someone’s life. Trujillo has seen its population grow rapidly in the last few decades as impoverished rural farmers moved there looking for work, and the pueblos jovenes (young towns) that they built on the city’s edge often still lack basic infrastructure. Enter Trujillo’s many NGOs, and the volunteers that keep them running. In this article, I’ve only included NGOs that we’ve had personal contact with, or which have been referred to us.

While based in the surfing village of Huanchaco for six weeks, we volunteered in Trujillo for a organization called Fairmail. Fairmail produces postcards and the kids produce the pictures for them. Each person in the program gets a cut of the postcards sold with their photo on them. Fairmail puts the money in a special account for each kid and dispenses it properly. Some kids help out their families and others buy surf boards. They are learning how to survive in a vicious world.
The job requirements were to be …

The tourists were airlifted out of Aguas Calientes, and the world has breathed sigh of relief that Machu Picchu was unharmed and will be reopened again soon. But it hasn’t stopped raining in Peru.
The last few weeks have brought unnaturally heavy rains Peru’s highlands, including Cusco and the Sacred Valley. The strange storms have caused continual flooding and landslides, and while it appears the worst of the weather is over in the southern highlands, the storms are spreading. In the region of Huánuco (near Huaraz), more than …

In Trujillo it’s every vehicle for its self, and the pedestrians are dead meat.

Machu Picchu may be closed for now, but Peru still awaits!