Peru is an inspiring cradle of ancient civilizations – and its topography also makes it a wonderland of adventure, too.
The icy mountain peaks of the Andes draw trekkers and climbers. The untamed desert coast is lapped by world-class waves that delight surfers. And explorers thrill to the Amazon, a vast mass of wetlands and rainforest brimming with monkeys, macaws, and rare felines.
If you want to make the most of your trip, here are our picks to the country’s very best experiences. And gear up – for Peru is one wild ride indeed.
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1. Spend a night on an island in Lake Titicaca
According to Andean belief, Lake Titicaca is the birthplace of the sun. When you lay eyes on the sapphire-colored waters of South America’s largest lake, it’s hard not to feel a certain magic. Spending the night on one of the floating islands, in whose small rural settlements villagers live life by the rhythm of the seasons, is a fabulous way to experience the lake’s unique vibe. The best part? Sunset, surrounded by the lake’s gleaming waters.
2. Hike the Inca Trail
A winding footpath climbs from the depths of the Urubamba Valley through vaporous cloud forests and alongside the ruins of ancient way stations. For the Incas, this roadway was the main entry point to the exquisite estate of Machu Picchu. For the thousands of travelers who hike the trail every year, the route becomes a sort of pilgrimage: a rugged four-day trek through gorgeous scenery, with the most spectacular archaeological site in Peru the reward for all the effort.
Planning tip: If you have plans to trek in the high season (June to September), be sure to purchase your entry ticket to the Inca citadel online and in advance, as tickets are capped – and you don’t want to be shut out.
3. Kayak through the Amazon rainforest
Peru’s Amazon Basin is known for its intense biodiversity and riotous rainforest – and Parque Nacional Manu protects one of its wildest, most remote corners. Located in the watershed of the Rio Manu, one of many tributaries that eventually lead to the Amazon River, this wet web of waterways is a feast of wildlife spotting – from tapirs and capybaras to ocelots and flocks of brilliant, cackling macaws.
Planning tip: Visiting during the high-water season (December to May) provides more possibilities to navigate through small tributaries by kayak, whereas the low-water season (June to November) is ideal for trekking through the rainforest.
4. Trek the snow-capped peaks of the Andes
A majestic mountain range the stretches down Peru’s spine, the Cordillera Blanca can make the most devoted couch potato want to strap on a pack and go. This collection of craggy peaks covered in dollops of gleaming white snow draws dedicated high-altitude trekkers who wind through alpine lakes and diminutive Andean villages. If the altitude doesn’t take your breath away, the vistas certainly will.
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Planning tip: From Lima, take an eight-hour bus ride to the mountain town of Huaraz: spending a night or two here will help you adjust to the 3000m-plus (10,000ft-plus) elevation. You’ll find plenty of guides offering Cordillera Blanca treks of all lengths and levels of difficulty. Whether it’s the one-day Laguna 69 hike starting in Cebollapampa, the popular four-day Santa Cruz trek or the grueling week-long Alpamayo Base Camp trek (both starting in Vaqueria), all of the options provide scenic adventures you’ll never forget.
5. Go surfing along the north coast
Peru’s lengthy coastline – more than 3000km (1864 miles) along the Pacific Ocean – offers a veritable buffet of experiences for the surfing set, with big swells and uncrowded breaks aplenty. For the best curls, wave riders head north up the coast from Lima to the languid settlements of Huanchaco and Chicama, both just outside the city of Trujillo (an hour-long flight or an eight-hour bus ride from the capital).
Planning tip: For guaranteed sun, take it further north to Máncora, where surf, seafood, and the slow pace of life make for an ideal mix.
6. Look for wildlife on Islas Ballestas
Off the Paracas Peninsula on the country’s southern coast, the small rocky outcroppings known as the Islas Ballestas don’t look like much from a distance. Yet hop in a boat and you’ll quickly see an array of wildlife: honking sea lions, preening Humboldt penguins, and colonies of Peruvian boobies.
The islands are known as the “poor person’s Galápagos” for good reason: they’re spectacular without breaking your budget. On your way back to shore – surely for a lunch of ceviche or parihuela (a seafood soup) – ponder the mysterious El Candelabro geoglyph, whose origins and meaning remain unknown.
7. Watch condors soar over the majestic Cañón del Colca
A four-hour drive from Arequipa, the Cañón del Colca is a wonderland of Andean panoramas, a deep canyon studded with idyllic villages and mountainsides carved by ancient terraces. And that’s before we mention the condors soaring above on wind currents.
From Chivay, visitors can explore the canyon on short day hikes or even trek to its floor (some 1219m/4000ft down from the trailhead) and back up again before nightfall. Yet we recommend soaking in the scenery (and perhaps the hot springs) over the course of a few days.
Planning tip: There’s one thing no traveler should miss while here: the local delicacy known as chupe de camarones, a spicy shrimp bisque.
8. See the mysterious Nazca Lines from above
One of the earth’s greatest mysteries lies on the arid Peruvian coast. The Nazca Lines consist of more than 70 ancient glyphs of animals and other shapes that are so big they can only be seen from the air. Created between 2500 and 1500 years ago, they had a purpose that remains unknown to scholars. Take a flight in a light aircraft over these pre-Columbian pictograms in the early-morning hours for the best experience.
9. Visit the giant sand dunes of Huacachina
Huacachina, a tiny oasis in the southern Peruvian desert that can be visited on a day trip from Lima, offers one of the country’s more unusual adrenaline rushes: the opportunity to motor to the top of a dune the size of a small building, strap on a board, then fly down the face of a towering wall of sand. Not up for boarding? Take to the dunes in a buggy instead.
Afterward, sitting at any of the bars or restaurants that line the lagoon may be your chance to hear of mermaids, Inca princesses, and forlorn lovers, all featured in the local legend of Huacachina’s origins.
10. Tour the mountaintop ruins of Kuélap
The Andes are dotted with the remnants of ancient cities, and Kuélap ranks among the most magnificent. This walled citadel was built by the Chachapoyas people on the crest of a mountain in the northern Peruvian cloud forest. At the site, the views of the Utcubamba Valley are staggering, the ruins unusual and the journey through timeless rural settlements to reach it unforgettable.
Planning tip: Visitors have three options to get to the top of Kuélap: by car (a two-hour drive from Chachapoyas), by foot (a six-hour trek round trip, beginning in Tingo Viejo) or a 20-minute cable-car ride.
