TOP 10
With so many options, here's our Top 10!
1) Cuzco and Machu Picchu
2) Nazca Lines
3) Arequipa and the Colca Canyon
4) Lake Titicaca
5) Huaraz and Huascaran National Park
6) Lima
7) Trujillo and Chan-chan
8) Cajamarca
9) Puerto Maldonado and Tambopata
10) Manu Biosphere Reserve
PERU: A-Z
Arequipa
Population: 619,000. Altitude: 2,335 meters. The city is known
as "The White City" because its buildings are made of white
volcanic stone (sillar). The city is located at the foot of
the El Misti volcano (5,822 meters), flanked by Chachani (6,057
meters) and Pichu-Pichu (5,669 meters) mountains. It is located
1,000 kilometers from Lima. Rafting tours are available.
Ayacucho
Population: 101,000; Altitude: 2,740 meters. The city is located
between the central sierra and the southern puna. The archaological
site of Wari are 22 kilometers from the city. At one time Wari
had 40,000 inhabitants.
Colca Canyon
Located in Arequipa Department (and 130 kilometers from Arequipa).
The canyon is 100 kilometers long and 3,400 meters deep. Extended
day treks or horseback rides can be arranged. The river falls
from 3,500 meters at Chivay to 2,200 meters at Cabanaconde.
The canyon is said to be twice as deep at the Grand Canyon in
the United States.
Cuzco
Population: 275,000; Altitude: 3,400 meters. Cuzco is located
on the eastern slopes of the Andean mountain range at 3,400
meters. It is connected by land to Ayacucho, Itahuania, Puno
and Bolivia. The city was the capital of the Inca empire. The
city is 1,660 kilometers from Lima.
Huaraz
This Andean city is surrounded by forests, lakes and snow-capped
mountains. It's also the gateway to Huascaran National Park.
Huascaran National Park
Covers 340,000 hectares. The park includes the entire Cordillera
Blanca above 4,000 meters. This is a UNESCO World Biosphere
Reserve. The park charges visitors $1/day. According to the
South American Handbook, the park office is in the Ministry
of Agriculture in Huaraz.
Inca Trail
Located in Cuzco Department. Access is from Chilca (Kilometer
76) and Qoriwayrachina (Kilometer 88) on the Cuzco to Machu
Picchu railway. This is a four-day trek by foot. You can also
take the train. Note that the government closes the Inca Trail
from December until March as is the rainy season.
Iquitos
Population: 350,000. Located in Loreto Department and in the
middle of Peru's Amazon basin, the city is a gateway to trips
into the Amazon. There are daily flights from Lima. (Are there
still flights from Miami?) Loreto is the largest region of Peru
and covers 30 percent of the nation. Iquitos is 1,000 kilometers
northeast of Lima.
Lima
Population: 8 million, Capital of Peru. The city is build on
both sides of the Rimac River, at the foot of the Cerro San
Cristóbal.
Machu
Picchu
The stone citadel of the Incas, Machu Picchu was declared a
Historic Sanctuary in 1981. Located 112 kilometers from Cuzco,
the park is located in the high jungle between 1400 and 3,600
meters. There are more than 90 species of ferns, orchids and
palm trees. Fauna includes the spectacled beer, the grey deer,
sloth and monkeys. The small rock cock, Peru's national bird,
can be fond here. UNESCO has declared Machu Picchu a World and
Natural Heritage Site.
Manu National Park
- The largest park in Peru covers 1,881,200 hectares (or 20,000
square kilometers) -- roughly the size of Wales. It has greater
biodiversity than any other reserve in the country. The rainy
season lasts from November to March. The annual rainfall in
the low area is 4,000 mm. The park protects ecosystems from
Andean pasture land to the tropical rain forest. Fauna includes
the spectacles bear, the Andean deer, the small ash deer, the
giant sloth, the river wolf, the jaguar and the black alligator.
There are an estimated 5,000 species of flowering plants. Manu
was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Lake Titicaca
The Lake Titicaca Reserve comprises the Puno and Ramis sectors,
covering an area of 36,180 hectares. At 3,900 meters in altitude,
the lake is considered to be the highest navigable lake in the
world. Bird life includes the neotropical cormorant, the high
Andean plateau woodpecker, the lesser rhea and the toad duck.
The Uros build their rafts and "floating islands" from the totora
reed, which grows in the shallow areas of the lake. Traveler-friendly
destinations include Amantani and Taquile Islands.
Nazca
Nazca is 140 kilometers south of Ica by the Pan-American Highway
or 450 kilometers from Lima. The Cerro Blanco overlooks the
town. This is the highest (2,078 meters) sand dune in the world.
The figures are 22 kilometers north of the town of Nasca and
are thought to have been created by three different groups:
the Paracas People (900-200 BC), the Nascas (200 BC - 600 AD)
and from settlers from Ayacucho around 630 AD. There is a small
museum created by Maria Reiche, which opened shortly before
her death, 5 kilometers from town at Kilometer 416.
Paracas
A marine park on the Paracas Bay, this national reserve is located
260 kilometers from Lima or 15 kilometers from Pisco Puerto
on the Pan-American Highway. Paracas Reserve comprises 335,000
hectares of land and sea. Plankton and phytoplankton breed in
this marine biosphere, richly oxygenated by the convergence
of the El Niño and Humboldt currents. Whales and sea lions are
home here. The reserve was established in 1975 and designated
a World Heritage Biosphere. There is an archaeological museum,
open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Puno
Population: 91,000; Altitude: 3,827 meters. The city of Puno
lies on the banks of Lake Titicaca at 3,870 meters. Tour agencies
in town organize trips to the Uros "floating islands" on the
lake. The place to visit is a series of pre-Inca tombs called
Sillustaini. The round-trip trip takes about four hours which
includes two hours at the site.
Pucallpa
Located on the Ucayali River, three hours from Iquitos. The
rainy season is at its peak between December and March. Tourist
attractions include Yarinacocha Lagoon, Cashibococha lagoon,
Imiria and Chauya Lakes and the Challachaqui Botanical Gardens.
Trujillo
This coastal city is located in the northern part of the country.
One hour north is the "El Brujo" archaeological complex with
its famed polychrome reliefs, Minutes away is Huanchcaco Beach,
renowned for its surfing.
Tumbes Mangrove Swamps Sanctuary
Located in Tumbes Department, the sanctuary was established
in 1988 to protect the mangroves, home to American crocodile
and the frigate or tijereta bird.
WHERE CAN I ... ?
Where can I go rafting?: Rio Urubamba - Cuzco; Huambutio/Pisaq;
Urubamba/Boca de Sapo; Rapidos de Huran; Rio Canete - Lima;
Rio Santa - Ancash; Rio Apurimac - Cuzco; Rio Tambopata /Madre
de Dios; Rio Majes - Arequipa; El Rio Colca
Where can I go surfing?: Mollendo Beaches (126 kilometers
from Arequipa); Islas San Gallan, in the Paracas; Villa, El
Silencio, Cabelleros, Senoritas, Pico Alto, Punta Rocas, San
Bartolo, Penascal, Pueerto Viejo and Cero Azul, all south of
Lima; Pasamayo, 44 kilometers north of Lima; Huanchaco, 12 kilometers
from Trujillo; Malabrigo-Chicama - 70 kilometers from Trujillo;
Cabo Blanco, in Piura Department, 186 kilometers from Piura;
Punta Sal, two hours from Tumbes
Where can I go hiking?: Cordillera Blanca; Inca Trail;
Cordillera Huayhuash; Colca Valley, Paracas
Where can I go rock climbing?: Camacho, Vichuya - Lurin
Valley; Quebrada Chanchacalla, Cumbemayo, Tinajani |
