Peru Hiking Elopement

Hiking elopement in the Andes of Peru

When Annie reached out asking if I would photographer her elopement, I assumed we would be hiking a mountain near her home of Canmore because she and Devon are so outdoorsy. They both spend as much time as possible outside, and she even had a mountain biking bachelorette party! To my surprise and excitement I found out that she and Devon dreamed of having a Peru hiking elopement, and I obviously jumped at the chance. On their first date, A+D talked about there bucket list places to travel to and Peru was on both of their lists. When they decided to elope, they figured Peru would be a cute full circle moment and they would be able to do an amazing honeymoon after saying “I do”! Annie and I once bonded over a disastrous backcountry ski trip where we both struggled and cried a lot, but fortunately, can now laugh about it. I was glad that our trip to Peru went smoothly!

Meeting up in Cusco

They didn’t have a specific place in mind for eloping in Peru, but we settled on meeting in Cusco since it is the main jumping off point for hiking in the Andes. Then I found an amazing company, Peru Eco Expeditions, who specialize in private tours and hikes and found a perfect hike for their elopement. Being at very high elevation (4500m) they didn’t want anything too strenuous, so we found a 10km hike that went past a ton of beautiful lakes and didn’t have a ton of elevation gain. Our tour guide Daniel picked us up from our hotels and we wound our way along a long bumpy road for a few hours going over mountain passes and seeing so many charming little towns along the way to the trailhead.

Hiking to the lakes

When we arrived at the trailhead, Daniel hired a mule from one of the locals and she long with her mule led us up the mountain. The mule helped carry extra water and our lunches (or possibly us if we struggled but fortunately we all felt great)! We lucked out with a bluebird day, because being at such a high elevation means the mountains can often be socked in with cloud. Daniel was phenomenal at answering all our questions, from the flora and fauna, to the history of the area, and the folktales about the different mountains. There was not a single question he couldn’t answer and had such a passion for talking about his native country.

Ceremony Spot

Once we arrived at the first lake, Daniel set up a picnic blanket and we enjoyed a homemade lunch that Daniel’s family has prepared for us. Delish! After that, Annie and Devon changed into their wedding attire and started exchanging vows in front of the vast Andes. Annie was particularly thrilled that there was a herd of Llamas watching their ceremony. They exchanged heartfelt vows and rings without another soul in sight. For a fairly popular trail we were able to have this spot all to ourselves without onlookers. After we did a few more photos at the ceremony site, we continued along the trail to take photos at the other lakes along the trail. The benefit of this hike was that is was a loop rather than an out-and-back, allowing for more photo opportunities! We ended the hike just as the rain came and the mountains slowly slipped behind the clouds.

Having spent so much time in the Rockies, I figured these mountain would feel similar, but boy was I wrong. The immense size of the mountains was humbling, and I have never felt so small amongst a landscape. Being up at 4800m above sea level was incredible and the whole experience was just inspiring.