Why Peru Is Unlike Anywhere Else in South America
Our next group trip is a bit different. We start in the Andes, get lost for a bit in the mountains and then make our way north to Lobitos. But why are we even here to begin with? This week we put the question to our team…
Our next group experience is a bit different, we start in the Andes with a Q’ero Shaman, then tour around the Sacred Valley, visit Machu Picchu and spend an epic night in Cusco. After that we head north to Lobitos for a week of surfing, community and incredible food. You can explore more on that here.
But why are we even in Peru in the first place?
This week, our team takes a stab at answering— Why Peru?
Harold Koechlin
Our head of surf, born and raised in Peru with 30 years experience leading adventure tours all over South America. We thought he would be a best suited to kick us off.
We asked: What’s something about Peru most people don’t understand until they experience it?
HK: I think most people don’t realize how massive and diverse Peru really is until they start traveling through it.
You can spend time in Lobitos surrounded by desert, great waves, amazing sunsets, and this quiet little coastal community. But we have in contrast and at the same time the Andes, and the Andean culture. Which is drastically, completely different. The geography is itself a factor of change.
Machu Picchu at first light
The size of the Andes, the mountains, how big they are, makes our diversity more drastic. The distance between regions, the isolation— it’s shaped the culture in a really deep way. Food changes. Daily life changes. The way people speak and relate to each other. Every region feels like its own world.
Through stone windows
And then beyond the Andes, you still have the jungle, which feels completely different again.
It's something you have to experience to really realize. Because if you just see a map, you just see a flat surface, you don't really understand how huge it is, how many different climates, landscapes, ecosystems there are. I think that’s what makes traveling through Peru so special. It’s not one experience. The country keeps unfolding the more you move through it.
The Sacred Valley at dusk
Early Bird Registration for the August trip to Machu Picchu + Lobitos is open until May 25, 2026
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Majestic Cusco at night