The majority of tourists who come here leave unharmed, but , unfortunately some do get robbed and hurt. It all depends on how careful you are. Try to keep your valuables in the Hotel safe and try not to look so much like a tourist, don't walk around with your camera, cellphone and everything dangling all over the place.

Cusco ( Inca Trail Machupicchu ) VS Chachapoyas Leymebamba ( Inca Trail Lake of The Condors )
Machupicchu is not all Peru
Lake of The Condors ( Leymebamba Chachapoyas )
Archeological complex composed of six mausoleums, presents architectural features of the Chachapoyas Civilization and is decorated with paintings in which were found close to one hundred bales funeral, fine fabrics, wooden carved ceramics, decorated quipus mates, crowns and various objects of great value. It is located in the district of Leymebamba. To reach the site, it is necessaryto to go by horse an average of ten hours from Leymebamba.
To visit all the archeological site, 3 days are required not only becuase of the location of the archaeological ress but also because of the rough area.
It's called "Lake of the Condors" because the first people who discovered it, stated that over the impressive lake, whose waters are blue-green, in previous years Condors flying could be appreciated . Around this beautiful lagoon are the old buildings (mausoleums) and in its interiors were found funerary bales, objects and crafts, which have now been transferred to the museum of Leymebamba.
This is a horseback expedition to the mausoleum where 219 mummies were discovered and documented on the Discovery Channel in 1998. This site is located on a cliff above a huge alpine lake. In the rainy season this is behind a waterfall from the cliff above. This appears to be a very sacred site where dead leaders were mummified and brought here from far away. In Leymebamba we will see these mummies and a large treasure of artifacts in the museum donated by the Austrians.

Mountain Lodges of Peru http://www.mountainlodgesofperu.com runs the best trips to Machu Picchu. You can even take an equestrian ride through a desert, to the beach, and up to the ruins! Stay in deluxe lodges each night to relax and eat a great meal in the local style.

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Argentina (last there: Feb - May 2008):
1) La Cumbre (near Cordoba) and La Cumbre Hostel. Definitely try paragliding (parapentes) and the 2 day horseback trip (cablegatas) arranged through the hostel. The paragliding was amazing. I loved running off a cliff! The horseback trip takes you through scenic pampas grass covered hills to a 100 yr +old family owned finca. Homemade gnocchi and red wine for dinner. La Cumbre is something I will rave about for years to come.

2) Talampalla Canyon (sometimes spelled Talampaya) I especially liked the town of San Agustín de Valle Fértil, La Rioja region. Small enough to be friendly, and established enough to have an ATM. Stayed at Campo Base Valle de la Luna hostel. Love those red sand deserts. Heard Andean Condors flying. Yes, I saw them, but they were close enough, and it was quiet enough to hear their wingbeats. No, I wasn't playing dead.

3)recommendation re: $$ in Argentina: don't rely on traveller's cheques, ATM all the way. For some reason, the TC's are a pain in the a$$ to cash. Banks don't take them, you have to go to special money cambios and there may only be one, if any, in town. That cambio may not be open every day, and may have special rules about cashing...blah..blah...blah. In Chile, the TC's were just fine at any bank and the ATM's worked great too.

This is a great, affordable volunteer program I participated in, in Ecuador.
It's a volunteer and learn to surf trip all-inclusive trip.. and you can even apply for scholarships and save a lot of money! I highly recommend it..

www.ecosurfvolunteers.org

Nadine