Introducing Peru
Clinging to the Andes, between the parched coastal desert and the lush expanse of the Amazon rainforest, Peru offers such a wide range of experiences that it can be difficult to choose between them. Solemn pilgrimages honor gods both Christian and indigenous. Neon-lit discos get jam-packed with reveling youth. Ancient ruins divulge prehistoric secrets. There are museums to visit, lakes to ogle, waves to surf, labyrinthine cities to explore.
Advertisement
This is a country where practices run deep – 5000 years, to be exact. Yet it is a place continuously energized by fresh influences. In Peru, you can groove to African beats, admire impressive Catholic churches and examine indigenous textiles inspired by pre-Columbian tradition.
Meanwhile, prepare to send your vision (and camera) into overdrive. Peru is home to snow-capped mountains, giant sand dunes, flocks of brightly hued tropical birds, postcard-perfect volcanoes and rocky Pacific outcroppings inhabited by argumentative sea lions.
And let's not forget the food – a bounty of sublime concoctions made from ingredients native and contemporary. You'll need weeks to savor the vast selection of delicacies: from rare strains of potato to guinea pig to succulent ocean mollusks.
Welcome to Peru – it's going to be one tasty trip.
Make it happen
Ready to go? These recommended tours make it easy:
- the Classic Inca Trail hits all the highlights, including Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley
- the Peru Raft, Bike & Hiketour is perfect for those who want a bit of outdoors action
- Peru Panorama exposes you to the country’s best vistas and cultural experiences, including the Inca Trail and Lake Titicaca
Last updated: Mar 28, 2010
Tips & articles
-
Peru: travel books to read before you go
28 August 2010
This excerpt from Lonely Planet’s Peru guide provides a selection of travel literature to get you in the mood for...
-
Essential backpacker trails
16 August 2010
In an excerpt from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences, we take to the trails that still inspire travel novices and...
-
I see dead people: preserved bodies around the world
9 August 2010
So much of travel is about coming face to face with history – literally, in some cases. Introducing six folks...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
RTW Trip Advice Please
by bettyb00 2 replies, last post 05 September 2010
Hello All We are heading in Jan next year, we will be away for just the 12 months. Before I book the flights I want to check out a couple…
-
volunteering in lima, cuzco
by anthony873 1 reply, last post 05 September 2010
Hi all, I am wanting to volunteer whilst in Peru. I want to work with the physically handicapped children. Is there anyone who has volunteered…
-
South America - First Time From Canada
by 30countriesb430 7 replies, last post 04 September 2010
Hi everyone! Myself and 2 of my friends are planning a 4 week trip around South America in January. We're all from Canada and are guys…
Advertisement
Peru
Our Top Picks For Peru
-
1 Lake Titicaca
Home to floating islands and singular cultures, the world's highest navigable lake is, literally, breathtaking
-
2 Arequipa
The 'White City' is a colonial-era jewel within reach of smoldering volcanoes and deep canyons
-
3 Lima
Peru's sprawling capital has expansive museums, thumping nightlife and some of the continent's most spectacular food
-
4 Río Amazonas
Isolated villages, remote rainforest and well-equipped wildlife lodges can be found on South America's greatest river
-
5 Máncora
Warm water and rippin' waves attract surfers, kitesurfers and sun worshipers all year long
Fast Facts about Peru
- Native varieties of Peruvian potatoes
almost 4000
- Famous for
Machu Picchu, Shining Path, Nazca Lines, guinea pigs as culinary delicacy rather than pets, pisco, pan pipes (zampoña), Mario Vargas Llosa, llamas
- He said it
Since it is impossible to know what's really happening, we Peruvians lie, invent, dream and take refuge in illusion. Because of these strange circumstances, Peruvian life, a life in which so few actually do read, has become literary - Mario Vargas Llosa
- Navigable tributaries in the Amazon Basin
8600km
- Head of state
Alan Garcia Perez
- Number of taxis in Lima
one in every seven cars
- Population
28.2 million
- Average daily visitors to Machu Picchu
2500
- Estimated hectares of coca production
56,000
- Languages spoken
Spanish, Quechua (official languages), Aymara, many Amazonian languages
Related Groups
Our favourite Peru Blogs (beta)
-
Yes we canyon! Colca Canyon, Peru
Blog: Chronicles of a year-long break-up - 2 September 2010
There are very few things that merit getting up at 3am in the morning, being shaken to bits for four hours and having your eyes and airways lined with dust. Standing at Cruz del Condor, gasping as a condor with a 3 metre wing span glided over our heads, we knew we had found one [...]
-
Does Microfinance Empower Women?
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 31 August 2010
Julie Shea, KF12 I can’t recall a time in my life that I felt something was unattainable because I am female. I would by no means argue that women in the United States and Denmark (the two countries I call home) have achieved complete equality, but nonetheless, I have never considered myself a feminist.
-
Viva indeed! Arequipa, Peru
Blog: Chronicles of a year-long break-up - 30 August 2010
It’s 6pm on August 15th in Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa. On the street below our window a small Cassanova in a cream three piece suit twirls his six-year-old seňorita. Her colourful skirt billows out around her and for a moment her partner is lost in a cloud of pinks and blues. When he re-emerges [...]
