Peru Destinations: Lima, the Coast, the Andes and the Amazon

Peru’s capital was founded on 18 January 1535 by Francisco Pizarro as the City of Kings, on the Pacific coast, and is today a city of about 10 million people. Most international flights arrive at its Jorge Chávez airport, which opened a new terminal in June 2025.

• The historic center: the Plaza Mayor, the cathedral, the Government Palace and the San Francisco convent, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988 (extended in 1991).
• Miraflores and Barranco: the districts where most travelers stay, on the cliffs above the ocean, with parks, restaurants and Barranco’s art scene.
• Huaca Pucllana: an adobe pyramid of the Lima culture, from about 200 to 700 AD, in the middle of Miraflores.
• Food: ceviche, the markets and some of the best-known restaurants in South America.
• Weather: it almost never rains, but from June to October the sky is usually grey and a light drizzle (garúa) is common; from December to April it is sunny and warm.

Most of our Peru packages start with a day in Lima:

Huacachina is a small lagoon surrounded by palm trees and huge sand dunes, about 5 km from the city of Ica and about 75 km (1 hour 10 minutes) from Paracas. The main activities are dune-buggy rides and sandboarding, especially in the late afternoon. The lagoon is a regional conservation area, and since 1983 its water level has been kept up with pumped water.

The valleys of Ica are the heart of pisco country: pisco was Peru’s first designation of origin, recognized in 1990, and many wineries around Ica offer tastings. Our 11-day and 12-day packages spend a day here before the Ballestas Islands.

The desert around Nazca, about 445 km south of Lima, holds the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. They were drawn on the ground between about 500 BC and 500 AD: more than 70 figures of animals and plants, hundreds of geometric shapes and more than 1,300 km of lines. Researchers keep finding more; in 2024 a survey using artificial intelligence identified 303 new figures.

• Overflight: the best way to see the figures, in a small plane, about 30 to 35 minutes from the Nazca aerodrome, or longer from Pisco. After a fatal accident in August 2026, the authorities suspended one of the airlines; choose an operator with a good safety record.
• The viewing tower: a metal tower beside the Panamericana highway, north of Nazca, from where you see the Hands and the Tree.

Nazca is not in our standard packages; ask us if you want to add it to a trip.

Arequipa, at 2,335 m, was founded in 1540 and is called the White City for its buildings of sillar, a pale volcanic stone. Its historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, and the El Misti volcano (5,822 m) rises behind it. Do not miss the Santa Catalina Monastery, a walled convent founded in 1579 that is almost a town in itself.

The Colca Canyon, about 160 km and 3 hours from Arequipa by a road that crosses the Patapampa pass at about 4,900 m, is one of the deepest canyons in the world, more than 3,000 m deep. Its valley is lined with pre-Inca terraces and villages, and from the Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint you can often see Andean condors in the morning.

Lake Titicaca, at 3,812 m on the border with Bolivia, is the largest lake in South America by volume and is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Puno, at about 3,830 m, is the Peruvian port. From there boats go to:

• The Uros islands: about 60 floating islands built by hand from totora reeds.
• Taquile: an island whose textile art was recognized by UNESCO in 2005; its men knit and its women weave.

In February Puno celebrates the festival of the Virgen de la Candelaria, with thousands of dancers, part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2014. From Cusco, the PeruRail Titicaca train takes about 10 hours 30 minutes across the high plain, and buses take 6 to 9 hours; flights land in Juliaca, about an hour from Puno.

Puno is not in our standard packages; ask us if you want to add Lake Titicaca after Cusco.

The former capital of the Inca Empire, at 3,399 m, is the base for the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and the treks of the region. Both the city of Cusco and Machu Picchu have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1983. Plan at least four or five days here: two to acclimatize and see the city, one for the Sacred Valley and one or more for Machu Picchu, on foot or by train.

Tambopata is reached by a flight of about 55 minutes from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado and suits trips of three or four days at a lodge. Manu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, is reached by road from Cusco through the cloud forest, so trips last four to seven days.