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Hot water bottle in hand, I snuggle up to the frosted window and open my eyes to a sublime view of Peru’s Andean countryside. The rugged peaks of the Andes, the sacred “Apu,” stand out across this vast emerald valley. Alpaca graze the slope behind my cabin.

I sit and listen to their soft humming sounds until an eruption of giggles breaks the silence. The children have woken up and they’re playing with the herding dog, their weather-reddened cheeks puffy with smiles. How lucky am I to be waking up in this magical place — the remote village of Chaullacocha, Peru.



*** Like many good , I have a serendipitous encounter with a taxi driver to thank for starting my time in Chaullacocha. I was seeking a to show me beyond the popular Cusco highlights (Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, etc.), so he brought me by a tour office, they made a few calls, and voila — I got connected with Domingo of .

Over coffee and cheesecake the next day, Domingo spoke about his unique off-the-grid astrophotography tours, homestays, and glamping treks, and it felt like the stars had aligned! EN ROUTE TO CHAULLACOCHA With Domingo’s promise of seeing the “real Peru,” we headed towards the home of Augustín: a father, alpaca farmer, and leader of the rural Chaullacocha community about 3 hours east of the Sacred Valley. From the passenger seat, my eyes traced swirls of ancient mountain footpaths and scores of purple flowering potato plants. The landscape here tells a story of millennia-old trad.

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