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…
Must-see attractions in South Coast
South Coast
A tiny settlement 6km further up the valley from Lunahuaná, Catapalla is a traditional mountain village with quiet, traffic-free streets and a pretty…
South Coast
Provoking many visitors to make the trip all the way down from Lima, this former slave plantation with its stately hacienda offers a window into race and…
South Coast
Located on the site of the former cathedral, this museum funded by a multinational mining company is an excellent little repository of local…
South Coast
Just before the Lagunillas turnoff, a spur road branches off the main La Mina road and heads to the southwest for a few kilometers to a parking area near…
South Coast
This vast desert reserve occupies most of the Península de Paracas and houses remote beaches backed by dramatic arid landscapes and plenty of wonderful…
South Coast
This 43-hectare archaeological site is an outdoor gallery of pre-Hispanic art and is considered to be one of the most important collections of rock art in…
South Coast
Right next to the park visitor center, in front of the Paracas Necropolis burial grounds on Cerro Colorado, this recently expanded museum features…
South Coast
This beach is a short drive or walk south of Lagunillas on a dirt road and has gentle waters that make it the best swimming area in the reserve…
South Coast
A giant three-pronged figure etched into the sandy hills, which is more than 150m high and 50m wide. No one knows exactly who made the glyph, or when, or…
South Coast
A village unlike any other in Peru, El Carmen is a place where African and Latin American cultures collide with hip-gyrating results. It's famed for its…
Museo Municipal de Sitio Mallqui
South Coast
About 15km inland at El Algarrobal is the Museo Municipal de Sitio Mallqui, which hosts a surprisingly noteworthy collection of exhibits on the area’s…
South Coast
A rustic bodega producing both wine and pisco (Peruvian grape brandy), venerable La Reyna de Lunahuaná presides over the main plaza in Catapalla, about…
Centro Cultural Amador Ballumbrosio
South Coast
The home of El Carmen’s most famous dancing family is a museum to Afro-Peruvian culture. Music breaks out here spontaneously most weekends; pop in if you…
South Coast
A park on a cliff high above the town is dominated by the Cristo Blanco, a white statue of Christ raised in 2002. There are swinging seats, a knee…
South Coast
The reserve protrudes south a fair few kilometers below the Paracas Peninsula. Dirt roads branch off just east of Lagunillas to Yumaque Beach where there…
South Coast
This narrow bay southwest of the visitor center features a peculiar reddish sand that contrasts dramatically with the low yellowish cliffs behind and the…
South Coast
The most notable archaeological site in the Cañete Valley is Incahuasi, the rough-walled ruins of the military headquarters of the 10th Inca king Túpac…
South Coast
This early-Inca lowland outpost, about 45km northeast of Pisco, was named for the red paint that once completely covered its adobe walls. It’s one of the…
South Coast
Post-earthquake, Pisco’s main Plaza de Armas is a mishmash of the vanquished and the saved. The equestrian statue of José de San Martín, hand raised…
Santuario Nacional Lagunas de Mejía
South Coast
About 6km southeast of Mejía along an unbroken line of beaches, this 690-hectare sanctuary protects coastal lagoons that are the largest permanent lakes…
South Coast
Located 1.5km south of the entry point to Reserva Nacional de Paracas, this visitor center seems to be aimed for the most part at school groups rather…
South Coast
This museum located inside the train station gives the impression of stepping back in time. You can wander amid beautiful, though poorly maintained, 20th…
South Coast
The town’s oldest church collapsed during a massive earthquake in 1868. It's front wall has been reconstructed sans bell tower and fronts the plaza; the…
South Coast
This archaeological site marks the spot from where fresh fish was once sent all the way to Cuzco by runners – no mean effort! The ruins include some low…
South Coast
Unlike almost every other town in Peru, Tacna’s main plaza is not called the Plaza de Armas because the city was never formally founded by the Spanish. It…
South Coast
Around 7km south of Pucusana, off Km 64 along Carr Panamericana Sur, is the turnoff to the village of Chilca, famed for its muddy and mineral-rich lagoons…
South Coast
Located around 34km, or an hour's drive, south of the reserve entrance, this remote village has a large inlet protected by a peninsula sand bar that…
South Coast
Turkey vultures feast on the washed-up remains of yesterday’s marine carcasses on the lonely beach at Lagunillas, 5km south of the visitor centre, where a…
South Coast
Located just 1.5km from town, these large carvings in the mountainside show a collection of llamas or alpacas and are attributed to Tiwanaku settlers who…
South Coast
This local landmark just south of Playa Yumaque was once a majestic natural arch that jutted out into the sea but was destroyed by the 2007 earthquake…
South Coast
Patriotic like everything in Tacna, this museum above the town library broadcasts a grand, somewhat triumphant, air. Huge canvases depicting key moments…
South Coast
El Castillo de Forga was built in 1908 on a crag between two of the beaches just south of the city center by a rich arequipeño (inhabitant of Arequipa) in…
Gremio de Pescadores de Puscana
South Coast
This is quite a scene at any time of day with oil-skinned fishermen battling with huge whale-sized fish while snappy-beaked pelicans inspect their work…
South Coast
Have a peek inside Catedral Santa Catalina, which houses the body of 18th-century St Fortunata, whose hair and nails are said to be still growing. The…
South Coast
The small, musty Museo de Zela provides a look at the interior of one of Tacna’s oldest colonial buildings, the Casa de Zela. Here you can see some period…
South Coast
At one corner of the Plaza de Armas, the Casa Posada de Teresa Podesta is a stately colonial mansion with its innards still intact. It's also known as the…
South Coast
Lunahuaná is small with little of architectural significance outside of its main square, which is crowned by the Iglesia Santiago Apostal dating from 1690…
South Coast
On the Paseo Cívico, this 6m-high bronze fountain is said to have been created by the French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of tower fame) but these…
South Coast
Follow the sound of crashing waves to this blowhole located just one block west of the malecón. There's a tiny beach, plus a few restaurants with perfect…
