Peru

About Peru

Peru is to be found on the western flank of the South American landmass, facing the Southern Pacific Ocean, sandwiched between Chile and Ecuador, with Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia taking up its eastern borders.

The weather varies from dry desert on the western coastal plain, to tropical in the eastern lowland jungle, and temperate to seriously cold in the craggy heights of the Andes!

Here is the mystical home of the legendary Incas. Historically the city of Cusco is the original capital of the Incan world, but to its north it is Machu Picchu, the most famous Incan city, which is visited by thousands of tourist every year.

To drive from Aquas Calientes and up into the mountains along the hair-raising hairpin road and to glimpse the first breathtaking sight of the terraces that form part of this new Seventh Wonder of the World is something to put at the top of your ‘to do’ list in this part of the world. Other ways of accessing Machu Picchu are by train or by walking.

Another few items for the list must surely be a trip to the highest navigable lake in the world – Lago Titicaca with its floating islands - and 100 miles westwards from here to Nevado Mismi, where a glacial stream from the Mismi is attributed as the source of the mighty Amazon River.

The capital city of Lima is an architectural mixture of modern and old Spanish and houses many fine galleries, theatres and a variety of museums catering for anything from archaeology and anthropology to Peruvian art and religious culture.

For those who crave adventure, the diverse terrain of Peru lends itself to a wide variety of sports from surfing and sand boarding to rafting down the exhilarating white waters of the Apurimac River, or the Santa River which is fairly easy for the newcomers. 4 x 4 enthusiasts are also catered for, as are the mountaineers amongst you!

Peru has so much to offer, that you will find you want to return again and again as one holiday just cannot satisfy your appetite for this South American jewel.