Top 10 Places To Visit In Peru
James Bustamante is Native to New York but born to Peruvian parents. He has been traveling throughout Latin America since early 2003 and finally made his home in Peru. James has made his way by eating and traveling through almost every country in Central and South America.
Last Updated on April 27, 2022 by James Bustamante
What are some of the best places to visit in Peru for your next vacation? The country has many exciting destinations like Cusco, The Sacred Valley, The Amazon, and Lake Titicaca. It also boasts some of the most important landmarks in Latin America like Machu Picchu, The Kuelap fortress, Ollantaytambo ruins, etc. Below we’ll go over what to include in your Peru tours on your next visit.
Chachapoyas City
High in the mountains, we find the capital of the Amazonas region, known as Chachapoyas. The city in itself, while unique with local customs, celebrations, and exciting culture, serves as a gateway to the surrounding areas. From Chachapoyas, we can access some of the most picturesque rainforest landscapes and mysterious archaeological sites.
The city dates back to its foundation in 1538, when the Spanish decided to establish a presence in the Amazonas region. As a result, Chachapoyas today offers plenty of hotels, tours to the surrounding natural and archaeological sites, restaurants specializing in regional cuisine, and an attractive main square.
The main attractions are the pre-Inca stone city of Kuelap which rivals Machu Picchu in sheer size, and the sarcophagi of Karajia.
The scenery owes its beauty to the valleys, mountains, and forests in this mysterious part of the country. There are also biodiverse flora and fauna for travelers to photograph throughout the trip.
The most beautiful natural wonder near Chachapoyas is most likely Gocta falls. These waterfalls can be seen from the comfort of a boutique hotel that faces them directly. You can sit down and have a Pisco sour while photographing the 2,297 (700 meters) foot waterfall.
Puno And Lake Titicaca
Another fantastic place to visit in Peru is Puno and Lake Titicaca. Puno is just an hour’s flight away from Cusco. You can also take a bus from Cusco to Puno, and the trip takes around 8 hours depending on the weather.
Once you reach Puno, you’ll see a beautiful waterside city that behaves as a gateway to Sillustani and Lake Titicaca. The highest navigable lake in the world rests at over 12,468 feet (3,800 meters) above sea level. Booking a lake tour lets you visit the more than 85 floating Uros Islands. This part of the tour is quite interesting; you see firsthand how the locals live in artificial islands that naturally navigate across the lake.
You’ll find that Puno has a more laidback approach to tourists than other highland cities like Cusco. You’ll be able to find more local merchants willing to part with their products at a more affordable cost. Markets tend to be even cheaper than what you can find in Lima for textiles, bags, sweaters, and other souvenirs.
Puno houses communities of women who are considered master weavers. People from around the globe, including various upscale fashionistas, come to Puno for unique handwoven products to sell or use.
Puno also differentiates itself from Cusco by culture, customs, and even ethnic languages. At the same time, the most spoken native language in Cusco is Quechua, the language of the Incas. Puno is a mix of both Quechua and Aymara cultures.
When looking for places to visit in Peru, we recommend spending at least two nights in Puno to get the full experience.
The City Of Iquitos
The Loreto region is one of the largest in Peru, its capital is the city of Iquitos, and it is located in the northern section of the country. Iquitos is the largest city on the planet without access by road. Travelers anxious to start an Amazon rainforest adventure will have to take a flight from Lima to reach the city.
The city in itself has plenty of character. There is a significant mix of traditional homes and more modern architecture. For example, you can find a section where the houses are wooden huts on stilts over the river while also seeing the colonial architecture and more modern buildings near the main square.
Iquitos is not just a city full of activities, restaurants, and bars. The locals even make the markets enjoyable. The Belen Floating market, for example, is a place where you can find everything from exotic fruit to crocodile meat (as well as live crocodiles). Iquitos is also the gateway to the Amazon nature reserves. For example, to reach Puerto Maldonado, you’d need to board a boat from Iquitos for a few hours.
The world-famous Amazon river runs right next to the Iquitos. You can take boat trips along the river, where you’ll be able to spot alligators, monkeys, various Amazon birds, fish for piranhas, and you might even get to see an Anaconda or rare pink dolphins.
The Amazon rainforest is one of the best places to visit in Peru thanks to its biodiversity, warm people and unique culture.
The Huacachina Oasis
When looking for places to visit in Peru you can head to the south of Lima, just outside the city of Ica, we can find the Huacachina Oasis. This popular tourist destination is an oasis centered between massive dunes giving it a surreal feel. The oasis has palm trees, a lagoon, wildlife, accommodations, restaurants, merchants, and sand as far as the eye can see.
Huacachina is also a destination for adventure lovers. You can ride buggies through the desert, sandboard down immense dunes, and rent quad bikes. The dunes are so giant that you’ll have a perfect chance to take pictures of the surrounding desert landscape once you reach the top.
The Huacachina oasis is a perfect place to spend a couple of days while you visit the surrounding locations like Ica, Paracas, and even Nazca. In addition, I recommend visiting the local Pisco producers and wineries this region is known for.
The Mysterious Nazca Lines
The mysterious and impressive Nazca lines cross through both the valleys of Palpa and, of course, Nazca. The Nazca people carved these enormous lines that depict various shapes like animals, geometric patterns, and even humanoid forms. Not much more is known about the Nazca lines. Many scholars believe they were part of an ancient holy road that the Nazca cultures used.
It is impressive how the Nazca lines maintained their shapes over the years. The fact that the lines remained uncovered for so long is partly due to the dry, windless climate of the Nazca desert. Today, the Nazca lines are maintained and studied by groups of archeologists and scholars.
The Nazca lines tour from the air is the best way to experience and appreciate the sheer magnitude of these geometric lines and shapes. The flight is usually an hour-long, and assuming the weather is favorable, you’ll see the lines very clearly.
If you are apprehensive about flying over the lines, don’t worry. There is an observation tower you can visit on the Panamericana Sur highway. Of course, the views are not the same, but you get to see three of the central figures of the Nazca lines.
While in the Nazca desert, you can also take a few hours to visit the ancient Nazca channels. The aqueducts allowed the people of Nazca to bring water and plant potatoes, cotton, and fruit in the arid desert.
The City of Lima
Lima is the largest city in Peru and its capital and is considered a lively city. However, the sheer size of Lima is also quite impressive, and it houses over 10 million inhabitants throughout the metropolitan area. The Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Lima in 1535.
The architecture is also quite impressive while boasting colonial buildings throughout the city center. You’ll also find cathedrals, churches, monasteries, museums, and even catacombs dating back to colonial times. You can also find ancient ruins within the city, like the Huaca Pucllana, A Pyramid that predates the Incan culture.
The city is known for its rich history and world-class cuisine. Some of the best restaurants in the world reside in Lima, like Central and Maido. Lima is also known for its upbeat nightlife and great bars that are open until the next day.
A Lima food tour is a perfect way to go through all the dishes and restaurants on your bucket list. Travelers from all over the world to taste Peruvian Ceviche and even take a ceviche-making class.
Take a stroll through the historic city center, visit the bohemian district of Barranco or eat at some of the finest restaurants in Miraflores.
The Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley was once at the center of the Incan empire. The valley lies in the Andes mountains; it is located just one hour and a half away from the city of Cusco and two and a half hours by train from Machu Picchu.
The Sacred Valley was vital to the Incas for various reasons. Among them are geographical location and climate. In addition, the Inca used the Sacred Valley for planting several crops and experimenting with their harvest.
The Sacred Valley has many locations, like the Ollantaytambo ruins and Pisac. This section of the highlands is also famous for the many adventure-style activities one can join. From riding ATVs in the Maras salt ponds to trekking through the highlands, rock climbing, and even water rafting through the Urubamba river.
There is also another side of the Sacred Valley that caters more to relaxation and meditation. Travelers worldwide come to the valley to join Yoga retreats, Ayahuasca ceremonies, and meditation groups. These activities take place with supreme views of an almost perfect landscape.
The valley tour starts at 8:00 am and takes you through beautiful colonial towns, local markets, remote villages, and impressive Inca sites like Chinchero, and that’s just what you’ll see in the morning. The tour ends back in Cusco by 6:30 pm at your hotel.
Cusco
Cusco was once the capital of the Incan empire. The Spanish conquistadors built what we know as Cusco today over the ruins of Incan temples and palaces. So today we see Cusco and see colonial buildings as well as ancient ruins. The city is an impressive mixture of both cultures now mixed with the modern-day. Travelers can walk to the mains square or “Plaza de Armas” and find themselves surrounded by restaurants, cafes, pharmacies, convenience stores, churches, and cathedrals.
Visit the San Pedro Market to find local fruits and vegetables, ceramics, meats, and textiles, and find your way to the “magic section” of the market.
There is also a section of vendors who bring fruit straight from the Amazon rainforest; they prepare and sell fresh juice. You can also visit some food stands specializing in local cuisines like fried trout, potato soup, guinea pig, or lambs head soup.
There are also Incan ruins just outside the limits of the city. For example, the Sacsayhuaman fortress is an important destination included in the city tour. The complex was built from enormous pieces of limestone boulders moved and chiseled by the Incas.
This highland city with an elevation of over 11,155 feet (3,400 meters) over sea level is a hub for travelers eager to start a day tour or a multiday trek.
It is essential to acclimate to the elevation before starting any intense activity, so make sure to take it easy for the first few days.
The Colca Canyon
In the southern region of Peru, you’ll find the Colca Canyon. This popular destination spans over 43 miles (70 km) and is considered the world’s second deepest Canyon.
The scenery along the Colca Canyon is also quite impressive, thanks to the local landscape and unique flora and fauna. However, one of the biggest attractions of the Canyon is the opportunity to see the giant Andean Condor fly over the 10,000 feet (3,140 meters) deep Canyon.
One route that leads to the Colca Canyon passes through a small town called Chivay. Travelers will spend one night in this little town where time seems to have stopped. You’ll have a chance to see how local highlanders live, work and spend their days. Don’t be afraid to try some local dishes like Alpaca steaks.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu will most likely be everyone’s highlight out of all the places to visit in Peru. The Inca citadel called Machu Picchu is situated at 8,000 feet (2,430 meters) above sea level. These Incan ruins were hidden for many years under the lush green cover of the cloud forest. Of course, the locals knew it was there, but Machu Picchu didn’t become famous until Hiram Bingham officially saw it during his expedition to Peru.
Today, the Machu Picchu hike is one of the most popular de activities for travelers coming to South America. People from all around the globe want to step inside the Incan ruins. They arrive by taking the Inca trail, The Salkantay trek, or simply boarding the train to the citadel. The Machu Picchu tour is an activity that just about every traveler visiting Peru plans to take.
Once you enter the complex, you will have time to explore the ruins, including houses, the Machu Picchu mirrors, The Temple of the Sun, The Temple Of The Three Windows, The Temple Of The Condor, The Sun Gate, Huayna Picchu, and many more.
Since Machu Picchu is located on top of a mountain, you’ll also have a chance to see the surrounding landscapes and adjacent mountains. The view can seem so perfect that it feels surreal at times.
Conclusion
Peru has many places for travelers to visit during their time in the country. From metropolitan Lima with world-class restaurants, bars, and colonial architecture to the warm Amazon rainforest flooded with unique flora and fauna, the picture-perfect highland scenery. Peru has several destinations to include in your following Peru tour itinerary.
Cover Photo by Miguel Angel Mamani M.
