Must-see attractions in Peru

  • Intihuatana

    Machu Picchu

    This Quechua word loosely translates as the ‘Hitching Post of the Sun’ and refers to the carved rock pillar, often mistakenly called a sundial, at the top…

  • Puente Guillermo Billinghurst

    Puerto Maldonado

    This bridge, since 2011 carrying the Carr Interocéanica across the Río Madre de Dios – connects Puerto Maldonado by paved road to the outside world for…

  • Otto Malena

    Ayacucho

    Officially a restaurant, this surreal Aladdin's Cave is more a museum of curios than anything else, for the owner is primarily a collector of magical…

  • Malecón

    Iquitos

    The sight of Iquitos' sophisticated riverside walkway, edged by swanky bars and restaurants and yet cut off from the rest of the world by hundreds of…

  • Marcahuasi

    Central Highlands

    This little-known archaeological site sits above San Pedro de Casta on a 4-sq-km plateau at 4100m. It's famed for its weirdly eroded rocks shaped into…

  • Cathedral

    Central Highlands

    Huancavelica’s most spectacular religious building, built in 1673, has been restored in attractive maroon and white. It contains what some say is the best…

  • Sacristy

    Machu Picchu

    Behind and connected to the Principal Temple lies this famous small building. It has many well-carved niches, perhaps used for the storage of ceremonial…

  • Museo Kuntur Wasi

    Northern Highlands

    This excellent museum at the foot of the Kuntur Wasi ruins houses many objects from the archaeological site including amazing gold crowns and jewelry. Be…

  • Mariposario Tambopata Butterfly Farm

    Puerto Maldonado

    Peru has the greatest number of butterfly species in the world (some 3700) and you can see many of them here at this well-run butterfly conservation…

  • Collpa Chuncho

    Amazon Basin

    One of the best clay licks in the Reserva Nacional Tambopata, where you can see the colorful cacophony of feeding macaws for which the Tambopata region is…

  • Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock

    Machu Picchu

    An excellent viewpoint to take in the whole site. It’s one of a few buildings that has been restored with a thatched roof, making it a good shelter in the…

  • Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis

    Ayacucho

    Visually striking stone church containing retablos (ornamental religious dioramas) and an attractive adjoining convent dating to the 17th century. Located…

  • Impakto

    Lima

    Located on the 1st floor of a towering and dark office building, this contemporary-art museum has a glass facade that reveals just enough of the stark…

  • Plaza de Armas

    Ayacucho

    One of the prettiest plazas in the Central Andes, flanked by many gorgeous mansions, including the Prefectura. Ask at the tourist office for details on…

  • Principal Temple

    Machu Picchu

    The ‘temple’ derives its name from the massive solidity and perfection of its construction. The damage to the rear right corner is the result of the…

  • Camino del Inca

    Central Highlands

    A well-preserved Inca road runs from Jauja to Tarma. The most spectacular section is from Tingopaccha (30 minutes from Jauja by taxi) to Inkapatakuna (30…

  • Temple of the Sun

    Machu Picchu

    Just above and to the left of the ceremonial baths is Machu Picchu’s only round building, a curved and tapering tower of exceptional stonework. This…

  • Temple of the Three Windows

    Machu Picchu

    Important buildings flank the remaining three sides of the Sacred Plaza. The Temple of the Three Windows features huge trapezoidal windows that give the…

  • Sayaqmarka

    The Inca Trail

    The Inca Trail descends to the ruin of Sayaqmarka, a tightly constructed complex perched on a small mountain spur, which offers incredible views.

  • Museo Huacas de Moche

    North Coast

    Houses many objects excavated from Huacas del Sol y de la Luna and has descriptions in Spanish and English.

  • Cocha Otorongo

    Amazon Basin

    A lovely lake enfolded within Parque Nacional Manu, with an observation tower to aid wildlife-watching.

  • Cocha Brashco

    Amazon Basin

    Preferred over Cocha Juárez these days as a lake to spy wildlife such as the giant river otter.

  • Catarata Bayoz

    Amazon Basin

    A stunning waterfall close to Puerto Yurinaki, about 50km northeast of La Merced.

  • Tschudi ruins. Chan Chan, north of Trujillo, Peru.

    Chan Chan

    North Coast

    Built around AD 1300 and covering 20 sq km, Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and the largest adobe city in the world. Although…

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    Pachacamac

    Lima & Around

    Situated about 31km southeast of the city center, the archaeological complex of Pachacamac is a pre-Columbian citadel with adobe and stone palaces and…

  • Ollantaytambo ruins

    Ollantaytambo Ruins

    Ollantaytambo

    Both fortress and temple, these spectacular Inca ruins rise above Ollantaytambo, making a splendid half-day trip. (Admission is via the boleto turístico…

  • Reserva Ecológica Chaparrí Wildlife

    North Coast

    This 34,000-hectare private reserve, located 75km east of Chiclayo, was established in 2000 by the community of Santa Catalina and the famous Peruvian…

  • Sillustani

    Lake Titicaca

    Sitting on rolling hills on the Lago Umayo peninsula, the chullpas (funerary towers) of Sillustani stand out for miles against a desolate altiplano…

  • Toro Muerto Petroglyphs

    Arequipa & Canyon Country

    A fascinating, mystical site in the high desert, Toro Muerto (meaning ‘Dead Bull’) is named for the herds of livestock that commonly died here from…

  • Islas Ballestas

    South Coast

    Grandiosely nicknamed the ‘poor man’s Galápagos,’ the Islas Ballestas make for a memorable excursion. The only way to get here is on a boat tour, offered…

  • Revash

    Northern Highlands

    This historic site protects several brightly colored funerary buildings tucked into limestone cliff ledges high above a valley near the town of Santo…

  • Túcume

    North Coast

    This archaeological site, around 30km north of Lambayeque on the Panamericana, is not particularly well known, but it's the most impressive collection of…

  • Monasterio de San Francisco

    Lima

    This bright-yellow Franciscan monastery and church is most famous for its bone-lined catacombs (containing an estimated 70,000 remains) and its remarkable…

  • Lagunas Llanganuco

    Cordillera Blanca

    A dirt road ascends 1350m from Yungay, winding over 28km to the Llanganuco Valley and its two robin-egg blue lakes, which are also known as Laguna…

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    Palacio de Gobierno

    Lima

    To the northeast of Plaza de Armas is the block-long Palacio de Gobierno, a grandiose baroque-style building from 1937 that serves as the residence of…

  • Iglesia de las Nazarenas

    Lima

    One of Lima’s most storied churches was part of a 17th-century shantytown inhabited by former slaves. One of them painted an image of the Crucifixion on a…

  • Yalape

    Northern Highlands

    This largely unexcavated archaeological site dates from around AD 1100 and is located 17km south of Chachapoyas near the village of Levanto. A visit here…

  • Huaca Pucllana

    Lima

    Located near the Óvalo Gutiérrez, this huaca is a restored adobe ceremonial center from the Lima culture that dates back to AD 400. In 2010 an important…

  • Lugar de la Memoria

    Lima

    An ambitious state project to preserve the memory of victims of violence during Peru's tumultuous period from 1980 to 2000. This new postmodernist museum…

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