Six places to visit in Peru

Cusco, Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley Overview

Machu Picchu is South America’s most popular tourist attraction, and was recently designated one of the world’s new seven wonders. One’s journey to Machu Picchu starts in the former seat of the Incan Empire, Cusco, with its historical buildings, before heading through the geographically and archeologically rich Sacred Valley.

Lake Titicaca 

The world’s highest navigable lake at 3810 meters, and one of the largest at 10,000 kilometers in volume, its sapphire-blue waters are known as the birthplace of the Incan gods, and home to pre-Incan civilizations, such as the Aymaras living on the man-made Uros Islets, that have changed little over the millenniums.

Nasca Lines

It was lost to the world until it surprised pilots in 1921 flying over this flat and desolate region of southern Peru. They looked down and saw lines and carvings extending as wide as 65 kilometers, featuring such forms as a monkey, a spider, a pelican, hummingbirds, a whale, a dog, and perhaps even an astronaut – or space alien.  Archeologists are still debating the what, how, and why of these fascinating tokens of a lost civilization.

Arequipa and the Colca Canyon

Arequipa and the Colca Canyon represent the urban and rural Southern Peru at its most intoxicating. Arequipa, is the “white city,” so named because so much of its extensive and exquisite architecture has been carved out of ashen volcanic rock.  The pristine Colca Canyon offers opportunities for whitewater rafting, rock climbing, hiking, encounters with communities unchanged by colonization, and even dinosaur tracks.

Huaraz

Perched at 3,028 meters, Huaraz has always been a Mecca and magnet for rogue adventurers ready to risk everything scaling a rock or a glacier. Forget about Huaraz as a city, still barely recovered from a devastating earthquake over thirty years ago. This area, made famous by the film Touching the Void, also offers some of the greatest opportunities for mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, bird-watching, paragliding, skiing and spectacular sightseeing.

Iquitos

For many, Iquitos is gateway to Paradise. From monkeys to macaws, herons to hawks, and turtles to toucans, flora and fauna overwhelm the visitor. Chartered boats provide the opportunity to see many of these creatures, as well as the eye-opening foliage and flowers which serves as their home. Iquitos is home to the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, home to 100 species of mammals, 500 species of birds, and 250 species of fish.  There are also local museums and opportunities for shopping.