Pin Your Footsteps - Travel Blog

10/10/2026

https://www.pinyourfootsteps.com/saraguro-ecuador-travel-guide/

Hidden in the southern Ecuadorian Andes, between Cuenca and Loja, Saraguro is a destination where history, Indigenous identity and rural life remain closely connected. While many travellers cross this region on their way between Ecuador’s larger cities, the town and its surrounding communities offer a fascinating opportunity to discover a different side of the country.

Discover Saraguro, Ecuador, with its Indigenous culture, traditional villages, waterfalls, Baños del Inca and stunning Andean viewpoints.

28/09/2026

The Salkantay Trek is a varied route through the Peruvian Andes, usually taking 3-5 days to reach Machu Picchu. The trail climbs to around 4,630 m at Salkantay Pass, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, before descending into warmer valleys and cloud forest.

21/09/2026

The Ausangate Trek is one of the most spectacular and remote trekking routes in the Peruvian Andes. Located around Ausangate Mountain (6384m), the fifth-highest peak in Peru, the route passes through dramatic valleys, turquoise glacial lakes, colorful mountains, and high-altitude passes, with several sections reaching over 5,000 meters above sea level.

Unlike the more famous treks around Cusco, Ausangate offers a much wilder and quieter experience. The landscape is shaped by glaciers, snow-capped peaks, and traditional Andean communities, with alpacas and llamas often seen along the trail. The combination of altitude, remote landscapes, and constantly changing scenery makes Ausangate one of Peru’s most impressive multi-day treks.

19/09/2026

The Amazon is home to an incredible variety of wildlife. Capybaras, the world’s largest rodents, live near rivers and wetlands and are excellent swimmers. They are highly social animals and often live in groups. The rainforest is also home to many species of monkeys, sloths, river dolphins, caimans and colorful macaws.

Among the smaller creatures, tarantulas are surprisingly common. Despite their intimidating appearance, most Amazonian tarantulas are not dangerous to humans and mainly feed on insects and other small animals.

18/09/2026

Puerto Maldonado sits where the Andes finally give way to the lowland Amazon. Around Tambopata, old river bends have been cut off from the main river, creating hidden oxbow lakes like Lake Sandoval, now home to giant river otters, caimans and countless birds.

But one of the strangest things here is the clay licks: at dawn, hundreds of macaws can suddenly descend on the same patch of riverbank to eat clay. The minerals are thought to help supplement their diet and neutralize toxins from the fruits and seeds they eat.

14/09/2026

Peru loves fiestas!
🇵🇪

06/09/2026

The Andes around Huaraz are incredibly diverse. Within a relatively small area, the landscape changes from dry, warm valleys and agricultural terraces to high-altitude grasslands, deep glacial valleys, turquoise lakes and snow-covered peaks. The contrast between the dry Cordillera Negra and the glacier-covered Cordillera Blanca makes this part of the Andes especially dramatic.

Altitude creates its own climate zones here. As you climb above 3,500–4,000 m, vegetation becomes increasingly sparse, temperatures drop, and the landscape turns into a world of ichu grass, rocky slopes, glaciers and permanent snow. It’s remarkable to see such a huge range of environments compressed into just a few thousand metres of elevation.

03/09/2026

Llaca lake is a beautiful turquoise glacial lake at 4,474 m in Huascarán National Park,. It sits at the end of the Llaca Valley, surrounded by dramatic peaks including Ranrapalca (6,162 m) and Ocshapalca (5,888 m).

01/09/2026

Laguna Rocotuyoc is one of the lesser-known gems of the Cordillera Blanca, sitting at around 4,500 m above sea level. Surrounded by the dramatic peaks of the Andes, its turquoise waters and nearby Laguna Congelada make it a perfect acclimatization trip from Huaraz.

26/08/2026

One of the most fascinating things about Huayhuash is how quickly the landscape changes with altitude. Within a few hours, you can go from green valleys and grazing llamas to completely barren terrain above 5,000 metres, where almost nothing grows. The high passes often feel like another planet, with glaciers, volcanic-looking rocks and frozen lakes all around you. What makes it even more impressive is that many of these landscapes are shaped by ancient glacial movement—the huge U-shaped valleys and chains of turquoise lakes are essentially the fingerprints of glaciers that have been retreating for thousands of years.