After climbing for two days on the Inca Trail, we had just crested the highest point, Dead Woman’s Pass. After a brief rest in the swirling clouds at the top, we began the first, long stage of a downward hike. Thousands of stairs had been carved and formed from the surrounding countryside’s rocks and although hard on the knees, it was far preferable to climbing forever upward in the thin air.

Not too far down the opposite side, our porters set up camp and began preparing our lunchtime meal. Knowing that I had plenty of time, I stopped next to a herd of llamas grazing next to the trail. While they watched me warily (and I worried about them spitting on me), I managed to capture the moment where this curious llama paused in chewing his snack to check me out.

If you want to take a picture of a llama, Peru’s your country. While opportunities abound, you should realize that if you take a picture in sight of a llama’s owner, you can expect to have someone ask you to pay for the privilege. Judging by the red tags on their ears, these llamas were obviously owned by someone, but the shepherd was nowhere to be found. I like taking free pictures.