Peru Main Attractions

Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, Nazca Lines and More...

Lima: The Peruvian capital is not one of the most exciting cities in Latin America, but it is the ideal starting point for the weary traveller arriving from Europe, as it has excellent hotels and restaurants in the upmarket districts of Miraflores and San Isidro. The city is improving all the time (as long as you avoid rush hour traffic!) with neighbourhoods such as Barranco emerging as the newly fashionable areas with café culture and good nightlife. Walking along the seafront malecón as the sun sets across the Pacific is one of the highlights of a stay. On the cultural front, the city’s main square, with its Government Palace and cathedral, is well worth a visit, as are several good museums, notably the pre-Columbian exhibits of the newly renovated Museo Larco.

Nazca Lines: Hold onto your stomach contents as you take a light aircraft flight over these fascinating features etched into the desert sand on the southern coast a day’s drive from Lima. These archaeological oddities dating back to 400BC continue to mystify in much the same way as our own Stonehenge does; why and how do the huge monkey, hummingbird and other shapes exist?

Lake Titicaca: The world’s highest navigable lake, straddling the border with Bolivia, is aesthetically spectacular and anthropologically fascinating. We’ll arrange you a boat trip across the vivid waters to the floating reed islands of Uros and Taquile, where you will meet people whose lifestyle couldn’t be further removed – in all senses - from our own. The nearby town of Puno has comfortable hotels but we can also arrange for homestays or a trip to stay in the remotest of hotels on Suasi Island.

Cuzco, The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu: At the heart of any trip to Peru is the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, “lost” for so many years among the Andes and rediscovered, at least by the outside world, by Hiram Bingham one hundred years ago. Everything about it is memorable, the journey to it, its setting, its history, and its iconic beauty. Of course you won’t be the only visitor, which is why we’ll advise you to stay a night in the area to make the most of your time there before and after the day trippers do their day tripping.

The impossibly atmospheric cobbled city of Cuzco, heart of the Inca empire, is worth several nights’ stay. For a start, it’s great fun – you’re bound to have several late nights here – but it also has an incredible setting, nestled among the mountains, and bags of history and culture to absorb.

Between Cuzco and Machu Picchu, the peaceful hills and fields and small towns and markets of the Sacred Valley of the Incas also merit a stay if time allows, or at least a day’s visit en route.

The Amazon Rainforest: Whether you choose a liveaboard cruise or a jungle lodge for your time in the Peruvian Amazon, you’re sure to see a fantastic array of wildlife. Easily accessible via flight from Cuzco or Lima, the main rainforest areas are Puerto Maldonado or Manu in the south and Iquitos further north. 

Arequipa & Colca Canyon: Towards the country’s southern tip, the attractive ‘White City’, as Arequipa is known, is a lovely relaxing antidote to the capital. Ideally located as part of a route from Lima through to Lake Titicaca, Arequipa and her surroundings will also be one of your favourite elements of Peru. The highlight of the city’s colonial architecture is the Santa Catalina convent, a peaceful place to stroll around before heading out into the dramatic scenery of the Colca Canyon, deeper than the Grand by some distance. Here, you’ll stay in a rural lodge and get up with the dawn in the hope of seeing the Andean condor, after which you continue by road to Puno, for Lake Titicaca.