Why
holiday in Peru?
This
country is supremely and exquisitely varied, bizarre, vibrant
and spectacular, not only South America's most colourful, diverse and fascinating country but arguably the world's most striking tourist destination.
Peru is culture overload champion but historically fascinating too, with Inca versus Spanish stories scattered throughout the Andean areas in addition to Inca remnants.
Key targets for Peru tourism are the landscapes, ranging from the lush Amazon Rainforest through the arid Nazca desert and its very strange graphics to the
high plains, trails and Lake Titicaca amid the magnificent Andes mountains.
Sensational architecture can be found in Lima, the 'White City' of Arequipa, Cusco while Machu Picchu is simply stunning in location and sophisticated construction, particularly if you are staggering in off the Inca Trail.
All this and the people are brilliantly colourful, the food interesting, the weather's good if you pick the right month and generally Peru tours are cheap.
Downsides:
- There are plenty of 'rateros' [thieves] around Peru, groups and individuals,
ready to divest tourists of their worldly goods, tho' usually without
violence so observe travel
safety suggestions.
- Altitude sickness can be a problem in some of the best holiday spots,
such as Cusco, Puno/Lake Titicaca, the Altiplano and Machu Picchu.
Peru Weather:
Best:
May, June, September, October.
OK: April, July, August [winter]
Worst: December-February [rains; apart from miserable conditions the Inca Trail may be a washout]
Length
of stay:
Minimum worthwhile stay, not incl. flights: 8 days [Lima-Cuzco-Machu
Picchu], but beware of flight delays.
Recommended: 2 weeks - 8 weeks if you want to experience the Amazon
areas, the lowlands, the mid Andes [Arequipa etc], the high Andes
[Puno and Cuzco], and do some serious trekking.
Main attractions:
***Machu Picchu [aka Pichu] is undoubtedly the greatest archeological site in South America and one of the planet's top five,
a strange, superbly built little Inca sanctuary on a tabletop mountain
surrounded by towering, tranquil Andean peaks, the Urubamba river and cruising condors. It was never found by the Spanish conquistadors and Machu
Picchu remains awesome in spite of the visitor numbers. Get there early!
Go by train, or train and walk for a few days, but you should definitely
stay overnight so you can visit the site early and/or late when
the train-travel visitors are still rattling the rails. Machu Picchu Pictures.
There is an expensive, luxury hotel beside the site that allows travellers to get into the site 3 hours before the 1,500+ train tourists arrive; or head for the boomtown
of Aguas Calientes downhill and a few kilometres along the rail track.
You must now walk the Inca Trail with
an official guide or group and trekkers must be registered
for the walk beforehand - a nightmare for casual arrivals/gap
year travellers [tho' for a few dollars in Cusco they may be had,
unofficially]. Inca Trail Pictures and more information
Alternative? See Choquequirao, below.
***Cusco [aka Cuzco], a gorgeous little town with lower walls built by the Inca and upper parts
pure Spanish colonial, full of spectacular buildings, colourful locals, foreign restaurants and overlooked by the magnificent Inca fortress of Sacsuhuayman. Cusco Pictures and more information.
***Lake Titicaca/Puno/the Altiplano[high plains]. Puno
is a not very attractive town but has lively markets, colourful people
and is the port from which to explore Lake
Titicaca; it's also a transit point between Bolivia and Cuzco.
On Titicaca are:
- The floating village of Uros, close to being the
world's weirdest habitation.
- The colourful island of Taquile, where
men do the knitting.
- And all around the bleak and blasted Altiplano, surrounded by snowy Andean peaks and dotted with
wandering herds of llamas, alpaca and a few Inca ruins.
Lake Titicaca Pictures and more information .
***Arequipa is a lovely colonial city
and good staging point on the way to Machu Picchu to avoid altitude
sickness. The nearish Colca Canyon has spectacular views and condors passing.
**Nazca Desert and those dozens of
strange, mysterious drawings visible only by plane [about $50].
Short flights are available. Also grave robbed mummies lie scattered
around. You gotta see it but it won't take more than a day or two.
**Lima. OK for a couple of days, museums
and cultural events but we don't feel it's vale la pena so take a look at Lima in transit and watch your pockets.
**Ollantaytambo for superb Inca monuments
and peace and quiet, nestled in a lovely Andean valley near Cusco.
**Amazon River. Fly to Iquitos and get boats
to Amazon Rainforest camps from there. A bit grubby and a hot, sticky hassle
to get to, but better than miserable Manaus in Brazil. Beware that wildlife views are not as common as you might imagine,
but the buzzing, humming, screeching ambience is terrific. Amazon Rainforest Pictures and more information.
**Beaches! Great beaches, warm water
and lots of sun, but far up north and quite undeveloped. More information below under activities.
New
Peruvian destination - Choquequirao:
Machu Picchu has become so overrun with tourists recently that authorities,
with financial assistance from France, are working hard to excavate
and improve access to an alternative and even more isolated site.
Choquequirao -'Cradle of Gold' in the Quechua language, is 80kms
[50miles] away from Machu Picchu, hanging on to a mountain ridge
1,800m [6,000ft] above the Apurimac river and 3,000m above sea level,
near the small village of Cachora.
70% of the site is still embedded in jungle and access is a 2 day,
tough but spectacular walk, so this may be a good alternative to
hikers who can't get to MP due to new regulations, or prefer a more
mysterious and evocative, less busy destination. In 2004 100,000
walked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and another 365,000 went by
train, but Choquequirao only got 5,400 visitors!
Activities:
Trekking: 22km [3 days] to Machu Picchu is the best walk
ever; a local guide is now obligatory. Other more strenuous and unusual treks such as Choquequirao are also available.
Huaraz town, with plenty of good-value accommodation, is the favoured
starting point for magnificent Andes mountain walks from May to
September.
Wildlife: Mostly at Amazon camps though don't expect to see too much unless you're ready for night rambles or head for the Paracas
National Reserve for birds and sea lions.
White Water Rafting: If there's sufficient
rain!
Beaches: it's a bit of a hike up north but there are excellent beaches around
the town of Mancora, with fine surfing, horse riding, warm water,
lots of sunshine and plenty of accommodation. 110 kms from Ecuador
so it's a good stop off en route to Lima. Peru's best beaches are Punta Sal and Punta Veleros but they are
1,165 kms from Lima, so fly to Piura then do another 130kms on wheels.
Festivals:
Check guide books for precise dates:
Early Feb, Candlemas, Puno mainly +Cuzco, Arequipa, 2 weeks.
March/April, Holy [Easter]Week, esp. Cusco. Puno + All Peru, 1 week.
June 24, Inti Raymi, Cuzco, 1 week, a wonderfully colourful occasion
in an extraordinarily beautiful town.
July, Paucartambo, 74km from Cusco.
Inti Raymi Festival Tour [from Adventure Life]:
The Inti Raymi, 'Festival of the Sun', is a colourful religious ceremony in honour of the Inca sun god, Inti, marking the summer solstice. With a week of festivities, the actual day of Inti Raymi is June 24. Celebrate Inti Raymi with our expert guides during any itinerary that includes a stay in Cusco.
Electricity:
220v, mostly 2 flat pin plugs needed,
occasionally 2 round pins.
Visa
information:
These are granted on arrival for most
nationalities and last for 90 days.
Peru
Food:
Peruvian
specialities can be dodgy: Pisco Sour is made with raw eggs [salmonella!]
and ceviche uses raw fish that can contain dangerous parasites.
However Jeff Calton has an interesting comment about our [now deleted]
remarks:
I
was just reading your website and found it interesting and informative
UNTIL i read your quote about peru cuisine,,,,it is uninspiring
but there are usually good foreign restaurants. What a totally INSANE
thing to say.
Peruvian cuisine is being hailed as one of the world's great cuisines
along with chinese /french /italian. I do not know what you ate
or where you ate it, but that is the most mis informed piece of
information I have ever read. Lima is becoming a 'foodie'
destination for travelers who only want to eat and experience the
flavors of Peru.
It's true that the bugcrew were travelling on a very tight
budget at the time. We'll return to experience the foodie delights
when we have a fat wallet.
Some
survival advice:
- never carry a wallet in your back pocket or a shoulder bag/camera
loosely on your shoulder.
-
never put your camera or bag down in a Peruvian café or restaurant
without putting an arm/leg through a strap.
-
people showing you the way somewhere will probably expect a tip,
just like most people you photograph. Check in advance.
- acclimatise to the Andean altitude before setting off on the Inca Trail where some passes go over 4,000m.
South America
Tours | Peru
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Tours
Peru holidays are
a hassle for individual travellers, but worth it!
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