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.
Ready to go? Our recommended tours make it easy:
- Journey through the best of Peru
- Discover the hidden treasures of Northern Peru
- Explore Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
- Join on a tour to the famous Pachacamac Temple
Last updated: Mar 30, 2012
Tips & articles
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Top tourist hot spots worth the crowds
29 April 2012
The hordes come to these places for a reason. Don’t hate them just because they’re popular or you’ll miss out!...
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Where to go in June
21 April 2012
Planning to go tripping in June? In an extract from the January 2010 issue of Lonely Planet Magazine, we’ve got...
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Beginner’s guide to South America
6 April 2012
South America has long captivated travellers with its plethora of natural and cultural wonders. Take a quick inventory of continental...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Re: volunteer in Peru
by katieoverseas 16 May 2012
Peru is a great place to volunteer! I stayed in Cusco for a month volunteering with ProWorld a few years ago. Here's list of [http://www…
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Re: Looking for backpacking partner across south america
by sydneeh 16 May 2012
hey! my name is sydnee, i am 22, and I just graduated from ASU and was thinking the same thing! I want to travel in SA but i need a friend!…
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Bolivia-Peru-Ecuador-Colombia-Venezuela
by Huple 16 May 2012
Looking to travel through these countries for around 7 weeks. What in particular should I look to include? Any countries that I should…
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Peru
Things to do
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- Activities (192)
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- Restaurants (435)
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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
Our favourite Peru Blogs (beta)
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The Cordillera Blanca
Blog: Lost World Expedition - 14 May 2012
Leaving the narrow Cañon del Pato and the jagged mouthed tunnels behind, we climbed up into a big wide open valley between the two cordilleras. Whereas the Cañon del Pato is dry with very little vegetation, this valley is covered in a palette of greens stretching up both sides to the mountains. A few minutes [...]
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The Cañon Del Pato (Canyon of the Duck) Doorway to La Cordillera Blanca
Blog: Lost World Expedition - 9 May 2012
We’re winding our way along a narrow dirt road in the mountains of Peru, passing through tunnel after narrow tunnel. Each tunnel has been blasted through the rock mountain side, the mouth a big dark jagged abyss as we enter. Some are so long and the road twisting though the mountain side there is nothing [...]
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Slow Travel Peru – Falling in love with Cusco
Blog: The Art of Slow Travel - 6 May 2012
Editor’s note: This is a slow travel guest post by Sarah Shaw. Sarah is a travel writer and mixed media artist, currently working as an English teacher at a public school in Seoul, South Korea. She authors www.mappingwords.com, a travel blog that tells stories about people and places encountered abroad, in the form of narratives, [...]
