Hiking the Salkantay Trek has been one of my highlights from my travels so far. Peru is all about hiking and I showed up totally unprepared. I signed up to do the trek the night before and before I knew it I was leaving a few hours later...

Eager to visit and somewhat selfishly have it all to myself, I spent a few good hours researching online and talking to locals. Here's a step by step guide on how to visit away from the tour groups....

Located in the Huascarán National Park around 1.5 hours outside of Huaraz, Laguna Churup is one of the few lakes that can be done on your own without a guide or a tour bus. If you're looking to hike somewhere without the crowds of tour buses...