Destinations in Peru

Cusco was the heart of the Inca Empire, the largest empire in the Western Hemisphere before the Spanish conquest. At 3,400 meters above sea level in the Peruvian Andes, this UNESCO World Heritage city is a unique blend of Inca and colonial architecture where Inca stone foundations support 17th-century baroque churches.

• Machu Picchu — a New Wonder of the World
• Inca Trail — the most iconic trek on the planet
• The Sacred Valley of the Incas

Lima is a metropolis of 11 million inhabitants that combines an impressive pre-Columbian historical legacy with a gastronomic scene that has placed Peru on the world culinary map. The Historic Center, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to the Cathedral, the Convent of San Francisco with its catacombs, and the Government Palace.

• Central, Maido and Astrid y Gastón — among the world’s best restaurants
• Miraflores: clifftops and city life above the Pacific
• Barranco: art, bohemia and the Bridge of Sighs

Built in the 15th century by the Inca Pachacútec, Machu Picchu was abandoned during the Spanish conquest and 'rediscovered' by the Western world in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. Today it is Peru's most recognizable symbol and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, receiving nearly one million visitors per year.

• The Inca citadel — UNESCO site and Wonder of the World
• Inca Trail, 4 days — the most famous trek on the planet
• Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu (epic views)

Arequipa earns the nickname 'White City' from the sillar, a whitish volcanic rock extracted from Mount Misti with which its churches, convents and colonial mansions were built. The Historic Center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 and is considered one of the best-preserved historic centers in Latin America.

• Santa Catalina Monastery — a city within the city
• Colca Canyon — twice as deep as the Grand Canyon
• Condors in flight at Cruz del Cóndor

The Peruvian Amazon is one of the richest and most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Peru harbors 10% of the world's mammal species, 20% of birds and 10% of reptiles, the vast majority in the Amazon basin. Cities like Iquitos (Loreto) are the gateway to a jungle that holds millennial secrets.

• Iquitos — the largest city on earth with no roads in
• Pink river dolphins on the Amazon
• Piranha fishing and night walks

Lake Titicaca, at 3,810 meters above sea level on the border between Peru and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world and one of the largest in South America. For the Incas it was the sacred lake where, according to mythology, the Sun, the Moon and the first humans emerged: Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo.

• The Uros floating islands — found nowhere else
• Taquile Island — UNESCO-listed textiles
• Titilaka Lodge — luxury facing the sacred lake

Huacachina is one of Peru's most surprising landscapes: a small green-water oasis surrounded by dunes reaching 100 meters high, just 5 km from the city of Ica. Sandboarding and buggy rides through the dunes at sunset are the region's most thrilling activities, making Huacachina a mandatory stop between Lima and Cusco.

• Huacachina — the only oasis in South America
• Sandboarding and dune buggies on giant dunes
• Nazca Lines — a UNESCO archaeological mystery

The Ballestas Islands, nicknamed the "Peruvian Galápagos", are an archipelago off the coast of Paracas where thousands of Humboldt penguins, sea lions, guano birds, boobies and pelicans coexist. Speedboat tours to the Ballestas leave from the Paracas pier every morning, allowing visitors to get close to these marine wildlife colonies in their natural habitat without setting foot on the islands (which are a protected reserve).

• Ballestas Islands — penguins, sea lions and birds by the thousand
• Playa Roja — volcanic feldspar sand found nowhere else
• National Reserve — desert and ocean across 335,000 hectares

The Cordillera Blanca, with 27 peaks exceeding 6,000 meters, is the highest tropical mountain range on the planet. Huascarán (6,768 m) is the tallest mountain in Peru and the second highest in South America. The Huascarán National Park, declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is the setting for some of the most spectacular treks on the continent.

• Laguna 69 — turquoise water below Chopicalqui
• Santa Cruz trek, 4 days — a global top ten
• Huascarán (6,768 m) — the highest peak in Peru