Lonely Planet Best of Peru

Best of Peru

TOP SIGHTS, AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Peru’s Top 12

Need to Know

Hot Spots For

Essential Peru

Month by Month

Get Inspired

Itineraries

Family Travel

Lima

Top Museums

Eating in Lima

Pachacamac

Downtown Lima Walking Tour

Sights

Activities

Tours

Shopping

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

Where to Stay

Paracas & the Islas Ballestas

Islas Ballestas

Reserva Nacional de Paracas

El Chaco (Paracas)

Pisco

Nazca

Nazca Lines

Sights

Tours

Eating

Arequipa

El Misti

Monasterio de Santa Catalina

Architecture Walking Tour

Sights

Activities

Courses

Tours

Shopping

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Cañón del Colca

Visiting the Canyon

Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca

Chivay

Yanque

Cabanaconde

Lake Titicaca

Islas Uros

Chullpas

Isla Taquile

Puno

Juliaca

Lampa

Pucará

South Shore Towns

Cuzco

Cuzco’s Cuisine

Festivals & Events

Qorikancha

Sacsaywamán

Cuzco Walking Tour

Sights

Activities

Courses

Tours

Shopping

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

Where to Stay

The Sacred Valley

Pisac Ruins

Ollantaytambo Ruins

Chinchero

Pisac

Urubamba

Ollantaytambo

Machu Picchu

Visiting Machu Picchu

The Inca Trail

Aguas Calientes

Trujillo

Chan Chan

Huanchaco

Sights

Tours

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

The Cordilleras

Cordillera Blanca

Chavín de Huántar

Santa Cruz Trail

Huaraz

The Amazon Basin

Parque Nacional Manu

Reserva Nacional Pacaya-Samiria

Iquitos

Lagunas

In Focus

Peru Today

History

Outdoor Activities

The Natural World

Food & Drink

Music & the Arts

Survival Guide

Directory A–Z

Accessible Travel

Accommodations

Climate

Customs Regulations

Electricity

Food

Health

Insurance

Internet Access

Legal Matters

LGBT+ Travelers

Maps

Money

Opening Hours

Public Holidays

Safe Travel

Telephone

Time

Toilets

Visas

Women Travelers

Transportation

Getting There & Away

Getting Around

Language

Behind the Scenes

Our Writers

Welcome to Peru

Peru is as complex as its most intricate and exquisite weavings. Festivals mark ancient rites, the urban vanguard fuels innovation and nature bestows splendid diversity.

Machu Picchu | THE WORLD IN HDR/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Peru is a place of ancient beliefs where age-old pageants unfold to the tune of booming brass bands. Its rich cultural heritage is never more real and visceral than when you are immersed streetside in the swirling madness of a festival. Deities of old are reincarnated as Christian saints, pilgrims climb mountains in the dead of night and icons are paraded through crowded plazas as once were the mummies of Inca rulers.

Visitors flock to the glorious Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, yet this feted site is just a flash in a 5000-year history of Peruvian settlement. Explore the dusty remnants of Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian ruins in all the Americas. Fly over the puzzling geoglyphs etched into the arid earth at Nazca. Or peruse Lima’s great museums that reveal in full detail the sophistication, skill and passion of these lost civilizations.

Save time for adventure too. Giant sand dunes, chiseled peaks and Pacific breaks are a few heartbeats away from rush-hour traffic: this vast country translates to paradise for the active traveler. Take it in small bites and don’t rush. Festivals can swallow you whole for days. And that’s when you realize that in Peru the adventure usually lies in getting there.

Plan Your Trip

Peru’s Top 12

1 Machu Picchu

One of the most famous ruins on the planet

A fantastic Inca citadel lost to the world until its rediscovery in the early 20th century, Machu Picchu stands as a marvel among ruins. With its emerald terraces backed by steep peaks, the sight simply surpasses imagination. This wondrous feat of engineering has withstood six centuries of earthquakes, foreign invasion and howling weather. Discover it for yourself: wander through the stone temples and scale the dizzying heights.

ANTON_IVANOV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

WILDZERO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

2 Lake Titicaca

Floating reed islands and traditional living

Less a lake than a highland ocean, Titicaca is home to fantastical sights – none more surreal than the floating islands crafted entirely of tightly woven totora reeds. Requiring near constant renovation, the reeds are also used to build thatched homes and elegant boats. There are plenty of islands to choose from, such as Isla Taquile, where rural Andean life from centuries long gone lives on, and the quinoa soup recipe has been perfected.

SAIKO3P/GETTY IMAGES ©

PHILIP LEE HARVEY/LONELY PLANET ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

3 The Cordilleras

The starting point for outdoor adventure in Peru

The dramatic peaks of the Cordilleras make up one of the preeminent hiking, trekking and backpacking spots in South America. Every which way you throw your gaze, razor-sharp white peaks tower over expansive mantles of green valleys. The Cordillera Blanca is one of the highest mountain ranges in the world and boasts the enigmatic 3000-year-old ruins of Chavín de Huántar.

GALYNA ANDRUSHKOÍ/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

4 Arequipa

Cuisine and architecture in an ethereal cityscape

Crowned by dazzling baroque architecture hewn out of the local white sillar rock, Arequipa is primarily a Spanish colonial city that hasn’t strayed far from its conception. Its beautiful natural setting amid volcanoes and high pampa is complemented by a 400-year-old monastery, a huge cathedral and innovative fusion cuisine.

STEPHANIE VAN DEVENTER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

5 Cuzco

The ancient Inca capital

With ancient cobblestone streets, grandiose baroque churches and the remnants of masterful Inca temples, no city looms larger in Andean history than Cuzco, which has been inhabited continuously since precolonial times. Cuzco also serves as the gateway to Machu Picchu. Mystic, commercial and chaotic, this unique city is still a stunner. Where else would you find ornately dressed women walking llamas on leashes, a museum for magical plants, and the wildest nightlife in the high Andes?

MEHDI33300/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

6 Cañón del Colca

Scenic hiking, biking, rafting and zip lining

First colonized by pre-Inca civilizations, the cultural history of the Colca Canyon is as alluring as the endless trekking possibilities. Stretching 100km from end to end and plunging over 3400m at its deepest, the canyon has been embellished with terraced agricultural fields, pastoral villages, colonial churches, and ruins that date back to pre-Inca times.

VITMARK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

7 Nazca Lines

Mysterious giant geoglyphs

Made by aliens? Laid out by prehistoric balloonists? Conceived as a giant astronomical chart? No two evaluations of Peru’s giant geoglyphs – known as the Nazca Lines – are the same. The mysteries have attracted outsiders since the 1940s, but no one has been able to fully crack the code. The lines remain unfathomed, enigmatic and loaded with historic intrigue.

MATYAS REHAK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

8 The Amazon Basin

The world’s most biodiverse forest

The Amazon Basin is as close to visiting an alien planet as you can get on Earth. The abundance of plants and animal life can make it seem like new creatures are created here. The forest’s diversity is matched only by the uniqueness of its people, with tribes that have never interacted with external civilization. Set aside ample time to visit the national parks, which grow more intriguing the deeper you get.

TERRI BUTLER PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

9 Sacred Valley

Village markets and ancient ruins

Andean villages, crumbling Inca military outposts and agricultural terraces used since time immemorial are linked by the Río Urubamba as it curves through the Sacred Valley. Located between Cuzco and Machu Picchu, this picturesque destination is an ideal base for exploring the area’s famed markets, historic structures and remote agricultural villages.

SL-PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

BCHYLA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

10 Lima

World-class food and museums

Want to understand Peru’s ancient civilizations? Begin your trip here. The city’s museums hold the treasures of millennia. Want to understand modern living in Peru? It’s all about the diversity reflected in Lima’s cuisine. The coastal capital is replete with options ranging from street food to haute cuisine.

CHRISTIAN VINCES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

ANGELA VILLAVICENCIO VARG/GETTY IMAGES ©

TR3GIN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

11 Trujillo

Colonial architecture and modern culture

Old Trujillo boasts a dazzling display of preserved splendor. The city’s historic center is chock full of elegant churches, mansions and otherwise unspoiled colonial constructions, which are steeped today in a modern motif that lends the city a lovely, livable feel. Add the close proximity of impressive Chimú ruins such as Chan Chan, and the Moche pyramids at Huacas del Sol y de la Luna, and Trujillo easily trumps its northern rivals in style and grace.

CHRISTIAN DECLERCQ/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

PERU’S TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

12 Islas Ballestas

The Pacific Ocean’s most astonishing fauna

A barren collection of guano-covered rocks, the Islas Ballestas support an extraordinary ecosystem of birds, sea mammals and fish. They also represent one of Peru’s most successful conservation projects. Boat trips around the island’s cliffs and arches allow close encounters with barking sea lions, huddled Humboldt penguins and tens of thousands of birds.

CHRISTIAN VINCES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Plan Your Trip

Need to Know

Currency

Nuevo sol (S)

Languages

Spanish, Quechua, Aymara

Visas

Visas are generally not required for travelers entering Peru.

Money

ATMs widely available in larger towns and cities. Credit cards accepted in most establishments.

Cell Phones

Local SIM cards (and top-up credits) are cheap and widely available, and can be used on unlocked triband GSM 1900 world phones.

Time

Eastern Standard Time (EST), five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); same as New York City, without Daylight Savings Time.

When to Go

High Season (Jun–Aug)

o Dry season in Andean highlands and eastern rainforest.

o Best time for festivals and highland sports, including treks.

o Busiest time due to North American and European holidays.

Shoulder (Sep–Nov & Mar–May)

o Spring and fall weather in the highlands.

o Ideal for less-crowded visits.

o September to November good for rainforest trekking.