Nowadays, Lima is the economic and political center of the country and houses almost 30% of the total population of Peru. Its surviving pre-columbian constructions and colonial temples and houses give the city a magnificent architectural mixture. The downtown area is were you can appreciate this mixture by visiting the Cathedral, San Francisco, Santo Domingo, San Pedro, as well as the beautiful nineteenth century houses that have stunning balconies.

A little further ahead, on the way to Miraflores, another important area of the city, you can find the Pucllana Indian Tomb, an impressive pre-Columbian ceremonial complex. Intense cultural and entertaining activities have characterized this city since the sixteenth century, and now it offers you a number of museums and art galleries as well as modern shopping centers and exciting nightlife.

Another interesting aspect of the city is its rich ethnic fusion that can be seen in its ingenious and playful people, in their traditions, and also in the wide array of culinary options.

In 1991 UNESCO declared Lima mankind’s historical monument, so don’t miss the opportunity to visit this fabulous city.

Cusco is considered one of the most ancient cities of the continent. The name Qosqo in quechua means “the earth’s navel”. There are many myths about the creation of the city. However, it is known that the city existed before the Inca Empire (5000BC). The Spanish foundation of the city took place in 1534. Later it was the seat of the first Bishop of South America and the center of a great cultural activity. Cusco had one of the most outstanding arts school of the world: the Escuela Cusquena.

The basic characteristic of the city is its perfect blend of the urban with the pre-columbian monuments. Among the most outstanding places, is the Korichancha temple, which is located near the Main Square. This was the center of the cult to the Sun God or Inti. On top of this temple, the Spanish built the Santo Domingo Convent. The Compania de Jesus is considered one of the most beautiful churches of the continent. The Cathedral and La Merced Churches are some of the Spanish legacy. Walking along the streets of the city, there are wonderful things to visit as the craftsmen area known as San Blas. Its temple is a magnificent piece of colonial art.

In and out Cusco there are great things to see. For example, the Sacsayhuaman ruins or the complex of Ollantaytambo and the town and indigenous handricaft market of Pisac in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. And ofcourse Machu Picchu, an awe-inspiring city. There are also religious festivities that you can enjoy such as the Procession of the Corpus Christi or the Inti Raymi. Come to Cusco. Nothing you have ever done is even close to a visit to Cusco.

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of the Incas
"Machu Picchu, one of the new 7 wonders of the world".

The ruins of Machu Picchu are the most important attraction of Peru. The lost city of the incas is located at 120 kilometers of Cusco, in the Urubamba Valley. Since its discovery back in 1911, by the researcher Hiram Bingham, there have been many hypotheses regarding the construction of the city. However, it is known that the Incas built the city in this rough area of the jungle to avoid access and possible attacks from their enemies.

Machu Picchu was the most important Inca center for worship and astronomic observation. Machu Picchu has two big important areas: to the south, the agriculture area is made up of terraces, aquaducts, etc. To the north, the urban area is the city with its temples, observatories, workshops, and sacred burial plots. There are two ways to reach Machu Picchu: by train (5 hours from Cusco) and through the trekking route known as the “Inca Trail” (a 4 day journey). The trail is one of the most spectacular routs in the world, part of the 23 000 kilometers of road that the incas built all around South America.

The climb to the Huayna Picchu is one of the best experiences. The name Huayna Picchu means “young mountain”, compared to Machu Picchu “the old mountain”. From the top of the young mountain you have an extraordinary view of the Machu Picchu complex and of the path that leads to the terraces on the edge of the abyss as well as of some small ruins of temples.

Beyond the myths, Machu Picchu is the testimony of the knowledge and the greatest artistic expression of the Incas. This city catches the attention of all its visitors who admire its magnificent beauty.

Machu Picchu, one of the new 7 wonders of the world.

Puno is one of the most important cities on the edge of the Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake of the world. The city of Puno is considered the Folk Capital of America because of its 300 typical dances. The Sikuri and the Diablada are typical dances performed during festivities such as that of the Virgen de la Candelaria, the city’s patron. This festivity is held in February and gathers thousands of people.

Puno is located on these cold High plains at 4000 m.s.n.s The city also known as the land of camelidae, was the home of the Tiahuanaco culture many thousands of years ago. This culture has some of the most beautiful legacies such as the Puerta del Sol (The Sun gateway), a temple sculpted in stone. During the time of the Spaniards, Puno was very popular for its Laykakota mines. Centuries later, Puno together with Arequipa became the main textile center of alpaca fibers. Many interesting places surround the lake and the city. One of them is Sillustani.

This archeological site is approximately 30 minutes away from Puno, across the Umayo lagoon and it is famous for its Chullpas, big-coned shaped towers made of stone. Chucuito and Pomata are cities that surround the south side of the lake and are an interesting circuit to admire magnificent renaissance-baroque style churches.

Enjoy the dances, lakes and beautiful landscapes of Puno.

Lake Titicaca is in the heart of the region of Puno and on one of the most important points of the South American continent. This wonderful lake connects Peru and Bolivia. It is around 283 m. deep and 190 km. long if you consider the territories of both countries. It is the highest and one of the longest navigable lakes in the world.

Despite the altitude of the place, the temperature of the water is around 10 degrees Celsius, ideal for aquatic life. The lake houses a great number of animal species such as wild ducks, different birds and fish. The totora, an edible plant used to build floating islands, houses and caballitos de totora (typical boats) is the most representative.

From all the islands on the Peruvian side of the lake, Taquile, Uros, Suasi and Amantani are the most important. Uros is made up of may floating islands, which are currently inhabited by the Aimaras, the heirs of customs of the lost town of Uros. The villagers fish with rustic nets and live in huts. Taquile and Amantani on the other side is in the center of the lake, four hours from the city of Puno. This islands are very special; their inhabitants speak Quechua (the language of the region) and not Aimara. The people are mainly fishermen and weavers that wear beautiful multi color attires and the chumpi or the llicllas. On the islands there is not any noise, policemen, electricity or dogs. We recommend taking the challenge of staying a night in Amantani and enjoy a few quiet days away from the overwhelming modern world.

Arequipa is the second most important city of Peru. It is on the south of the country on a fertile valley and on the shade of the Misti Volcano, which is the emblem of the city. Arequipa was founded in 1540 and is a magnificent work of art. It has one of the most beautiful main squares of the country and many beautiful monuments of baroque, neo-classic and renaissance styles.

Arequipa is known as the “Ciudad Blanca” (White city), due to the color of the volcanic rock sillar, used in the construction of churches and colonial houses. The Cathedral is on the Main Square and has two magnificent towers. In the nearby streets, is the Santa Catalina Monastery, a wonderful work of art in convent construction. This cloister housed many young female nobles and was kept closed for more than 400 years until 1970 when it was opened to visitors. The most outstanding religious complexes are La Compania and San Francisco. The first was the home of the Jesuits in the 17th Century. San Francisco has a church, a convent, a small temple and a handicraft fair called Fundo El Fierro.

Other very important places are the Colca and the Cotahuasi Canyons. The city also has several museums, among which is the one of the Juanita mummy, an inca virgin discovered in 1995. Recently UNESCO declared the city as mankind’s Historical Monument. Arequipa is a clear blue-sky city where many poets and important political people have been born.

The Natural Reserve of Paracas is the only protected area of the Peruvian coastline. This wild sanctuary a few minutes from Pisco is located in northern Ica, and has an extension of 335 thousand hectares of desert and beautiful beaches, housing endangered species such as sea wolves, the funny Humboldt penguins, the guano island birds and the flamingo or parihuana. This bird is the symbol of the peninsula because the colors of its feathers inspired the national flag.

Despite its animal wealth, Paracas also has other wonders such as The Cathedral. This rocky slope has the shape of a religious temple created by the strength of the tidewaters. Near the north of the bay, on the sand of the desert across the sea is the famous image of the candelabrum, a mysterious figure similar to the Nasca lines. For its location and size (120 meters in height), it is thought to be an emblem of orientation for sailors of those times. Among the borders of the reserve is the site museum Julio C. Tello. This museum has one of the most important remains of knitted fabrics from the Paracas culture (600 BC) as well as the well-known multicolored hand-made blankets weaved with camelidae fiber and dyed with vivid natural colors.

If you want to have a close contact with the animal life of the area, we highly recommend visiting the Ballestas Islands. These are located a few minutes from the coast.

Huaraz is located in the region of Ancash. It is the most important city in the “Callejon de Huaylas”, also known as “Beautiful Prairie”. The Callejon is 432.99 km2 long and is made up of two mountain ranges: the Cordillera Blanca, the latter considered the highest in the world. You can do good trekkings in this area. One of the mountains that draws more visitors is The Huascaran (6768 m.a.s.l.) This snow-capped mountain is called “the ceiling of Peru” for being the second highest in South America.

In pre-Columbian times, the territory was the cradle of Chavin, one of the first American cultures (1000 to 500 B.C.). The biggest legacy of this culture is Chavin de Huantar, an archeological complex made of stone where you can find the Cabezas Clavas (keystones of protecting blocks shaped as human heads), litho sculptures that have human and animal features, and the Lanzon Monolitico, a 5 meter-high daggerlike rock. Chavin de Huantar was declared Mandkind’s Historical Monument in 1985. If you come to Huaraz, do not miss the interesting collection of stone monoliths and other pieces of high historical value exhibited at the Ancash Archeological Museum on the Main Square. Also take the time to visit Caraz and Carhuaz two small towns to the north of the city.

If you are looking for more relaxing activities, come to the hot springs and the more than 600 lagoons that surround the city. One of the more visited laggons is Llanganuco, famous for its beautiful forest of quinoa an puya Raimondi. Here the visitor can camp and do adventure sports.

Trujillo is a wonderful colonial style city whose houses show different architectural styles. Trujilllo is the most important economic and cultural center of the north located on the Valley of the Moche River in the region of La Libertad. Founded in 1534, it took its name in honor of the Spanish city of Trujillo de Extremadura, the place where Francisco Pizarro was born. In the old times, the Mochicas, Lambayeques and Chimus inhabited the area. The Chimus left the most beautiful pre-inca piece of architecture: the City of Chan Chan. It is considered the biggest adobe construction of America. In the outskirts of the city, there are other significant cities as valuable as Chan Chan. They are El Brujo, la Huaca Dragon and the Huacas of the Sun and the Moon. These constructions are very old pre Columbian constructions. During republican times, the city developed thanks to agriculture, and big ranches producing sugar cane and cotton appeared.

But Trujillo is not only monuments and ranches; it is also a very joyful city, known as the home of Marinera, the most elegant dance of the country and a symbol for its people. The Peruvian Stepping Horse (Caballo Peruano de Paso) is another of Trujillo’s symbols. If you visit the city, you must also go to the beaches, famous for the ancient Caballitos de Totora and for having the best waves for surfing. Trujillo has so many attractions that it is the place to visit on the coast of Peru.

Know the king of the rivers and the amazon region, a vast forest supplying the world with oxygen. The amazon is home to a vast, unforgettable array of unique sights, sounds and cultures.

Travel by motorized canoe deep in the lowlands of the amazon jungle to our jungle lodge. Explore the jungle with local nature guides and experience all the wonders and mystique that the amazon region has to offer.

About half of Peru is located within the amazon Basin, however, due to its isolation, not a lot is available to the casual traveler. During our voyage you will have the chance to see divers wildlife such as several species of monkeys, capibaras, caimans, tucans and many bird species typical of the river or forest edge such as Black Skimmers, kingfishers, swallows, and flycatchers.

Enjoy the pure nature of the amazon region.

The lines consist of patterns and pictures etched in the ground, crisscrossing a wide area of flat desert. Some lines measure up to 10 km (7.5 miles) in length, and yet remain perfectly straight. The depictions of birds, insects and animals are only recognizable from the air. Who drew the lines, and why, is something modern archaeologists can only theorize about, but current beliefs suggest that they may be part of complex agricultural calendar. From the ground we can make out very little, and the best view is from our light aircraft, from where we get a panoramic view.

You can visit the local aqua ducts and the Pre-Inca desert cemetery site of Chauchila, with 1500 year-old mummies, bones and pottery on the desert floor. There are also interesting museums and an artisan’s workshop, where modern masters create Nazca style pottery, and a traditional gold-mining centre. This entire desert area was once the home for the ancient Paracas and the Nazca cultures, which preceded the Incas by more than half a millennium.

If you are curious about the ancient mysteries in the world, Nazca is definitely a place you have to visit.