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.
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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
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Top tourist hot spots worth the crowds
29 June 2010
The hordes come to these places for a reason. Don’t hate them just because they’re popular...
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Travel literature review: Lunatic Express
22 June 2010
The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman Rating: 3 out of 5 Reviewed by Lucy Birchley Lucy is a Communications...
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Classic Train trips
1 June 2010
Hand the porter your luggage, climb aboard and relive the golden days of railroading on these spectacular...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Advise & Thoughts: Colombia Trip Dec 26 - Jan 25
by singleguyabroad 0 replies, last post 31 July 2010
So im going to Colombia with a few girls for a month. I will be in Peru for 2 weeks prior checking out Lima and Machu Pichu. We plan to…
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Working round the weather October to Match.
by TheSpade 4 replies, last post 30 July 2010
I'll be arriving in Brazil in October, I don't have a set plan but I think I'd like to spend some time there then visit Argentina, Bolivia,…
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Paracas vs. Ica vs. Huacachina
by butterpats 2 replies, last post 31 July 2010
Obviously very subjective but .... hoping to move from Ayacucho to do Paracas Nature Reserve and Ballestas. Am middle-aged woman travelling…
Peru
Our Top Picks For Peru
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1 Lake Titicaca
Home to floating islands and singular cultures, the world's highest navigable lake is, literally, breathtaking
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2 Arequipa
The 'White City' is a colonial-era jewel within reach of smoldering volcanoes and deep canyons
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3 Lima
Peru's sprawling capital has expansive museums, thumping nightlife and some of the continent's most spectacular food
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4 Río Amazonas
Isolated villages, remote rainforest and well-equipped wildlife lodges can be found on South America's greatest river
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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)
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11 South America Backpacking with Indie Travel Podcast – podcast
Blog: Heather on her travels - 24 July 2010
In Podcast 11 I talk to Craig and Linda from Indie Travel Podcast about their 4 months travelling with friends in South America, visiting Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay. They pick out the highlights of their trip, and give some advice on travelling by bus, how to avoid scams and pickpockets and how they [...]
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Happiness is an ill-planned roadtrip: Paucartambo’s Virgen del Carmen
Blog: The Brink of Something Else - 22 July 2010
Happiness is cheesy 80s music and a bottle of Pisco on a late night drive. It’s waking up in the pouring rain in a borrowed tent you failed to notice the night before was less than waterproof. It’s sunburn and rich lamb soup on a muddy Andean morning. Buying warm beer and swapping slightly off-colour [...]
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Mission Impossible: Learning Quechua in Cusco
Blog: The Brink of Something Else - 15 July 2010
Image: unojofuerte via flickr Sorry about the radio silence the last few days, everyone – Yamanyá Backpackers will be opening its doors in 12 days (!) so I’ve had my hands quite full (as an even cursory look at our still below par website will tell you). Uni also started back this week. What sound [...]
