Andean Peru and Bolivia have some of the best hiking opportunities in Latin America, if not the world. This trekking holiday combines two popular and spectacular trails, on in each country, and although reaching high altitude, are not technically difficult and within the abilities of most keen walkers.
The Salkantay trek, an Inca path which ends close to Machu Picchu, can really rank alongside the better known Calssic Inca Trail for its dramatic scenery, and has the added attractions of passing remote farmsteads, fields rich with tropical crops, and what is probably the best first-time view of Machu Picchu across ranges of rugged mountains.
The Choro Trail in Bolivia, leading from high altitude La Paz down into the semi-tropical pre-Amazon valleys, has the appeal of being mostly downhill. You can easily appreciate the influence of altitude on the landscape: from a skeletal rocky pass towered over by icy crags through cloud forest and on down to the tropical plantations of the Yungas n the foothills separating the high Andes from the Amazon region.
n both cases you'll come across hardy people leading tough lives in small remote communities and farmsteads - a lesson in resilience for us in the First World.