About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

Where is Machu Picchu?                 

Somewhere in South America, right?

I’ll admit Machu Picchu’s exact location was a bit fuzzy to me before we

visited last month.

This world famous Inca city is located in Peru

in the Cusco Region nestled among gigantic mountains and often blanketed in mist.

Machu Picchu is undeniably one of the great wonders of ancient civilizations, ranking right up there with China’s Great Wall and the pyramids of Egypt.

How do you get there?

My daughter and I flew from the USA to Lima, Peru where we saw the top tourist sites, ate lots of fresh seafood ceviche and rested for a few days before we flew to Cusco.

What do you need to know about Peru Travel?

Only 3% of Peru is flat.  Cusco sits at an elevation of 11,2– feet so you should take it easy,don’t overexert and drink lots of water.

We didn’t stay in Cusco overnight because our tour company, AdventuresByDisney, had it all planned so we would stay healthy and adjust to the altitude slowly.  We settled in at a deluxe ranch in the Sacred River Valley with a renowned chef, pool, spa and charming individual bungalows in lush gardens.

When we had seen many of the sights in the Sacred Valley, we spent a full day at the well preserved ruins of the pre-Columbian city built in the 15th-century. We hiked along the Inca Trail to the Sun Gate, up and down steep and irregular steps, then strolled through the noble architecture of temples, plazas, public paths, palaces and then ascended to the green terraces to contemplate the “lost city of the Incas.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marybeth Bond