Each year, hundreds of thousands of people – locals and foreigners alike – flock to Cusco, Peru, for Inti Raymi, one of the biggest annual festivals in South America. A solstice celebration of ancient Incan origin, it survived colonial Spain’s attempt to stifle it in the 16th century to become the grandest traditional display of Inca culture that still flourishes in living colour today.

“The months January and February in Cusco are known for the rain,” said Raymond Scholten of Chaska Tours, an ecotourism and adventure tour operator – your whl.travel local connection – based in this famous city of southern Peru. “Everybody is prepared for the rain, but this year the amount broke all records. It rained endlessly for almost…