Hummingbird Adventure Travel

02/18/2024

LEGS UP AN INCAN WALL!

Who wants to do yoga in Peru?

SEPTEMBER 8-15th 2024

Join me and my guest yoga instructor Jenny Loftus (my yoga instructor in Denver!) for a week in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and of course … MACHU PICHHU!

02/16/2024

"It's a small world, but we all run in big circles." - Sasha Azevedo

FUN STORY!

The woman on the right signed up for the May 2023 Women’s Trip to Peru. She had been there before 15 years ago on a similar trip and was excited to go back. Little did we know that her Peruvian guide back in 2007 is the same guide that I work with! The two reunited after 15 years, spending the week together again in the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco!!

08/29/2023

05/20/2023

So thankful for my clients who trust me to offer a space of growth, adventure, and exploration in Peru!

05/18/2023

MUÑA: A FAVORITE AMONG PERUVIAN HERBS 🍃

High in the Andes, there are numerous Peruvian herbs and plants known for their medicinal properties and delicious flavors.

🌿✨ They have been in use since the time of the Incas, who used them to fight different diseases, as well as to flavor their meals.

One of the Peruvian herbs you will most love is muña, a mint-like Peruvian medicinal plant that makes for excellent tea. Muña, also sometimes called Andean mint, is known for its ability to stay such a vibrant color even during the bitter cold months of dry season, and for its lovely small white flowers.

04/25/2023

📝TESTIMONIAL TUESDAY AGAIN!

I approach teaching yoga with the same motivation as when I bring people to Peru … an act of service.

So grateful that my yogis trust me to guide them in their own journey of self discovery.

“It was 2018 and I had never done yoga before. I felt a little scared and self-conscious about trying it out. Leigha gave my boyfriend and me private sessions and was so gentle in her approach to guiding us through the poses and helping me feel comfortable in my body. She is knowledgeable yet still fun-loving and doesn’t take it too seriously. I am so happy that I had Leigha to introduce me to yoga, because now I feel like I can confidently and comfortably go and take yoga classes in Denver.” - Emma T

04/24/2023

Hi friends! A little reintroduction here …

My name is Leigha Brooke (I prefer Brooke) and I’ve led small group adventures to Peru for almost ten years. I have also taught yoga for 22 years and incorporate spirituality into each day we are here.

Speaking of yoga, I’m doing legs up the wall now at my apartment in Cusco because I just got back from one of the most intense treks of my life (Choquequirao trek) 🌸

At first I only brought groups (3-6 people) to trek in the northern region of Peru on a circuit in the Cordillera Huayhuash mountain range. It’s strenuous to complete the entire circuit which takes 8-9 days, but a more mellow option is the “mini Huayhuash” which can be done in 2-4 days.

In 2018 I made it to the South of Peru,  which is where Cusco Machu Picchu in the sacred valley are located. I know that most people have Machu Picchu on their bucket list, and believe me, it is not overrated! It’s a MUST  if you love, history, natural beauty, and sacred spaces.

I’m so thrilled that I have enough feel for the region after five years and many trips here, that I can share sacred transformational experiences in Peru.

04/20/2023

Again, I have the best clients! I’m so lucky to enjoy Peru with others year after year! 🇵🇪

03/27/2023

Pachamanca
(from Quechua pacha "earth", manna "pot")

🍠🌽Atraditional Peruvian dish baked with the aid of hot stones.

I have always loved traditions and rituals. One ritual I enjoy in Peru is preparing a Pachamanca. After our full treks, we usually come back to our little town of Chiquian and celebrate with this tradition. Here you can see my friends prepping the oven built into the earth by digging into the ground in our front yard.

1) Preparation begins with the heating of stones over a fire, and the meat is then placed on top. The fire is covered with grass and earth, and the resulting oven is opened up after around two hours. Usually, a large quantity of meat is cooked, perhaps a whole sheep, to serve several people.

2) This important part of Peruvian cuisine, which has existed since the time of the Inca Empire, has evolved over time, and its consumption is now widespread throughout modern Peru, where regional variations have appeared in the technical process of production, but not in the ingredients or their baking.

The preparation is not only not limited to Peru, but also exists with minimal variants in other Andean countries, such as Ecuador.

03/19/2023

WORLD'S GREATEST PLACES TO VISIT 2023
by TIME MAGAZINE … Ollantaytambo, Peru 🇵🇪

https://www.timeout.com/news/these-are-the-places-you-should-visit-in-2023-according-to-time-magazine-031623

03/16/2023

Great 20 minute listen by the BBC on the recent political climate of Peru, as well as how it got here 🇵🇪

NO NEED TO BE AFRAID TO TRAVEL THERE!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct39vf

03/12/2023

Snacktime! One of my favorite things about day hikes is planning, prepping, and then eating my hiking treats. Is it just me, or does everything taste better in nature?! Here I am around 14,000 ft. about to munch on an egg tortilla filled with green onions and sprinkled with oregano. Buen provecho!

03/09/2023

🍋💧Morning Ayurvedic Ritual with warm lemon water

3 Likes, 2 Comments - Leigha (.travel.peru) on Instagram: "🍋7 Reasons to Start Your Day With Lemon Water!! Aids in digestion. Acid helps break down food...."

02/23/2023

Did you know that Lima is known as one of the “GREAT FOOD CITIES OF THE WORLD”?’

02/22/2023

This train from the town of Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes is a popular way to arrive to Machu Picchu. We will take the train back but enter hiking a leisurely route of the Inca trail to enter Machu Picchu, which is known to be one of the ways the Incans entered. This magical beginning to our two day ritualized excursion to Machu Picchu sets the tone for the immense spiritual connection to this Wonder of the World.

02/22/2023

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT SMALL GROUP CUSTOMIZED TRIPS TO PERU 🏔️⛰️

02/16/2023

TBT to 2015, one of my favorite day hikes in Peru to a little over 14,000 ft. in 9.3 miles. I love the entire ritual of a long day hike like this to a stunning secluded lake.

The ritual starts the night before, prepping my backpack, making sure I have filtered water and snacks ready with my various layers of clothing. The morning of the hike I wake up at 5:00, excited to boil my eggs, have some coca tea, and go to the town square to wait for the first local bus of the day

To arrive at the trailhead, we take the local bus “combi” for 30 minutes from Chiquian to Aquia, along with the locals who are commuting for work or to sell their goods.

The walk begins from the town square in Aquia. We walk through crooked streets and narrow alleys often laden with horse p**p. At the end of town is a large stadium, historically used for bull fighting, but always empty. Then we continue through a tiny path covered in mud to finally get to the trailhead.

This trailhead is actually not a “trail”, but how the local mountain people walk to and from their small thatched homes into town. I have never seen another “hiker”, and typically pass 2-5 people the entire day. Once the journey up starts, there are many changes in landscape along the way. I always know when we are close, because there is a large waterfall right before the last push over huge boulders to arrive at the lake.

For me, the ritual beginning the night before the hike, until we arrive back to Chiquian by combi after the hike, is what I love. Each part of the process excites and motivates me, brings me peace and calmness, and fills my cup. I hope to share this hike with you one day!

02/13/2023

Friends
Friends
It took me 6 years of going to Peru before I finally made it to Cusco. I was so used to the pristine lakes and empty trails in the north of Peru, that I was fearful Cusco would just feel like Disneyland. Well, as it turns out, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu are NOT overrated. Yes, there are more people there, but you can still find solitude and stillness. I have made it a point over the years to find trails off the beaten path and share them with those who come to Peru with me. I know that part of my purpose is to share the beauty, magic, and spirit of places like Peru with others. I have been to Peru more times than I can count, and it never gets mundane. There is always something new that is fascinating or something old that still enchants me … I can’t wait to go back in May!

02/09/2023

ACTIVE TRAVEL! It's always been a part of my life as an adult. This was 2009 in Czech Republic when I was in graduate school and the assistant to the director of the study abroad program for the Linguistics Department at the University of Utah.

One of our students dropped out of the program last minute, and the family that was to host them was still expecting an American student. Well, even though I was 30 and supposed to help run the program, I decided to go live with the host family so that they would have an American participant as planned. BEST DECISION EVER!

The father worked from home and was an avid mountain biker That summer he offered to take me mountain biking almost daily in the Bohemian Forest in exchange for English lessons while we biked. I even stayed after the Linguistics program was over with them and was able to combine my love of cultural exchange, being in nature, and being active.

This is still what I aim to give to people with my trips to Peru - a combination of cultural exchange, a connection to nature, all while being active.

02/06/2023

TRAIL RUNNING!!

This photo was taken along the route of my favorite trail run right outside of Chiquian.

I started running for exercise in high school and really got into it when I lived in Washington, DC where I discovered trail running through Rock Creek Park. After moving to Utah and living 5 minutes from the Shoreline trail in the foothills, I became an avid trail runner. I even came in second place in my first trail race at Snowbird in 2013. But because of my right knee, I always had problems with pain for days afterwards if I pushed “too hard”, so racing was not for me.

Trail running is a way to commune with nature, move my body, and then mix in some potent endorphins. I have not been able to run for the last few months due to my knee worsening, but surgery is on the horizon, and hopefully this will get me back on the trails, running alongside my doodles for a least another decade.

02/03/2023

21 years of teaching yoga and I still love showing up in the world as a yoga instructor, a guide, leading the practice. I also love showing up as a student, the receiver, the one who can surrender into the practice.

My yoga teacher reminded me that every time we step onto the mat and are guided by a teacher, of course we have autonomy, we are self directing. But because we are being guided into who knows what; each practice we have no idea what poses we are going to be led into .. This is in and of itself is a beautiful act of SURRENDER.

So sometimes being the student, following, can be an act of SURRENDER.

Sometimes being a leader in our own bodies can also serve us. Can we lead ourselves in a sense of what brings flow. What brings freedom. What brings a sense of abundance and trust.

Can we let these be our guides instead of “accomplishing a task”, or finding a pose and “doing it right”, or the holy grail of, “I am going to accomplish THIS.”

Can we find more Freedom, Surrender, and Flow.

02/01/2023

🥶 I know it’s been pretty cold here in Colorado, and I only recommend going out to play with the proper clothing and layering. THIS IS A LONG ONE, BUT SUPER HELPFUL IF YOU NEED A “WHY” TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF IN THE COLD:

1️⃣ BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

▶️ Doing exercise will not only help you fight off any symptoms of a cold or flu but reduce the likelihood of you even being affected. Your immune system works harder and is more prepared to fight off foreign invaders and their nasty symptoms.

2️⃣GREAT CARDIOVASCULAR WORKOUT

▶️Cold weather forces your body to work harder during training, and this also applies to your cardiovascular system. As the heart works harder to pump blood around the body during cold weather exercise, this invigorating workout helps to keep your heart health in tip-top shape.

3️⃣ IMPROVES YOUR MOOD

▶️Shorter days, not enough light and endorphins?
Exercise can boost your mood at any time of year, but it has a particularly profound effect during winter, sending those all-important feel-good hormones soaring, and keeping the winter blues (shorter days, less light = less endorphins) at bay. In fact, research has shown that a good workout can be up to four times more effective than taking antidepressants, for improving symptoms of depression. As well as being an effective mood booster and pick-me-up, getting outdoors in the fresh air in cold weather can help replenish vitamin D levels in the skin.

4️⃣BURN MORE CALORIES

▶️Think of a wintertime workout as a supercharged version of your normal sweat session, why? Because whatever workout you do, the cold weather will max out your caloric burn. This is due to the body working much harder to keep its core temperature regulated. As the body works to stay warm, the metabolism is kicked into overdrive and your body burns through more calories and fat.

01/31/2023

💙TESTIMONIAL TUESDAY 💙

01/30/2023

I have to confess. Before I did a 13-day trek in Peru in 2013, I did NOT like sleeping in a tent. Anybody feel me? In fact, I had only really done some car camping in Utah and 2-3 nights max in a tent. I did not even own a tent or know how to set one up! So when I decided to go to Peru for the first time and trek, I went to REI and bought this tent. My friend Abby suggested that I practice sleeping in it before we went to Peru, so we drove to Big Cottonwood Canyon, hiked, and then slept in our tents for a night (top pic of me that afternoon below!)

Now that I’ve figured out the right combo of a good sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and camping pillow, I can enjoy sleeping in nature. And after the first night or so, get very deep, restorative sleep . Anyone else love sleeping outside in a tent?!

01/26/2023

Morning Rituals … I find that having a morning ritual helps me prepare myself for the rest of the day. I love how it helps increase my energy, productivity, and positivity. One of the things that I do is meditate. I go into Benny’s closet and shut the door, as darkness helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (think “rest and restore”). I sit on my yoga bolster and set my watch for 10 minutes. Lately I enjoy putting my EarPods in and listening to vibrational meditation sounds by “Meditation with Raphael”.

Some Science-Backed Benefits of a Solid Morning Routine include:
🤎Reduces stress and anxiety.
💛Improves focus and drive.
💚Less thinking power needed in the morning.
💙Helps you feel more grounded, connected, and confident.