Travel to Peru
Our Peru destination guide aims to give you all the information you need to have an amazing experience in this amazing country. Find affordable travel and backpacking ideas with advice for amazing things to do and how you can be more than just your average traveller. You can also get recommendations for budget travel tips, advice on places to stay and how visit Peru on a budget.
Get inspired to visit Peru today.
- Capital: Lima (Population: 8,000,000 approx)
- Currency: Nuevo Sol (PEN) £1 = 4PEN / $1 = 2.5PEN (approx)
- Area: 1,300,000 sq km (approx)
- Population: 30,000,000 (approx)
- Language: Spanish, whilst also some Mayan + local languages
- International Calling Code +51
- Climate: There is a warm climate nearly all year round
- How to Get to Peru: Most international flights arrive into Lima which is the capital of Peru. You can also cross overland via bus
- Visa: A tourist visa is granted on arrival at the border / airport, you can stay for 180 days if you are a British passport holder. This should be more than enough time to travel and see more of this country whilst also they will not ask for proof of funds or ask to see if you have an outbound flight
About Peru
Peru is a spectacular destination located next to the Pacific Ocean bordered by Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. Here are just some of the reasons you should book a trip here:
- So many historic sights
- See Machu Picchu - one of the wonders of the world
- Explore cities like Cusco and Lima
- Peru has beaches!
- Great value for money
- Meet other travellers from all over the world
Peru was at the heart of one of the most extensive empires the world has ever seen - the Incas - and even earlier it was the setting for some of mankind’s earliest experiments with irrigation, large-scale agriculture and urbanization. Anyone visiting the vertiginous kingdom will come away awed by a sense of historical vertigo - and a living connection to that history - that simply has to be experienced to be believed.
Peru was in fact the setting for one of human kind’s earliest founding civilizations, dating back as far as anything in Europe, Africa or Asia. Pyramid-like structures and similarly grand architecture was developed long before the Pyramids of Egypt and the supposed cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia were established. The ancient civilization of Northern Peru remains an elusive chapter in global history not least because so much of what counts as ‘history’ has been restricted to the European perspective.
It is on that basis that the story of the Americas generally is seen in terms of Aztecs (in Central America) and Incas (South America). But those two great empires were in truth merely the contemporary societies that the Spanish encountered when they first set foot on the continent in the 16th century. The story of South American civilization - and Peru in particular - goes way back beyond the admittedly sensational story of European colonization.
Recent archaeological work by the Andean Centre for archaeological research, CIARA, has found that the Caral ‘empire’ across the northern territory of present day Peru was a continuous civilization spanning 1,200 years and dating from a point approximately 4,500 years ago. From a western perspective, a striking feature of the archaeological finds from the Caral is the complete absence of any military remains.
There is no evidence whatsoever of any form of organised combat. It seems the very nature of civilization in this - one of the oldest collective settlements in mankind’s history - was considerably more peaceful than has been the case anywhere else ever since. What the secret of that peaceful way of life was remains a mystery. Clearly, there is much that we could learn from Peru’s ancient inhabitants.
Travelling & Backpacking in Peru
Wrapped around by clouds and shrouded in myths, local legends and a rich history that we may even occasionally catch a glimpse of, Peru is truly unique. It represents a timeless landscape that is the stuff that living dreams - and living history - are made of. And finally, most obviously, and so most easily overlooked, there are Peru’s mountains. So easily rendered as the mere backdrop to other activities, the mountains themselves are a mecca for climbers and outdoor enthusiasts generally.
Peru Boasts:
- 50 peaks over 6000 metres (19,685 ft)
- 1769 Glaciers
- 12000 lakes and lagoons
- The highest dune in the world at 2080m is The Cerro Blanco near the coastal city of Nazca
- Two of the world’s deepest canyons: Cotahuasi (3600m) and Colca (3400m) near Arequipa
Peru is built for tourists and there are lots of opportunities for you to explore this amazing country. Although Peru is a small country there is certainly a lot to see and do, thousands of people visit every year and it is easy to see why. With peaks exceeding 5000m, coastal deserts, rain-forests, ancient sites and unqiue destinations, Peru appeals for so many reasons.
The main tourist hot spots of Peru include Machu Picchu and the Sacred Trail which are undeniably spectacular but there is much to see and experience away from those often overburdened World Heritage Sites. The sites of Tucume, El Brujo, Sacsayhuaman, Tambo Machay, and Puca Pucara are all spectacular in their different ways.
For example, Tucume is at the heart of the Lambayeque Valley which runs alongside Peru’s Northern shoreline. The area is rich in historical relics - the valley is home to over 250 ancient pyramids as well as an intricate network of ancient waterways - many of them as yet unexcavated. The Inca site of Moray and the pre-Incan remains at Chan Chan and Pachacamac are also, in their different ways, every bit as compelling. Whether you are backpacking through Peru or traveling in luxury, there is no shortage of spectacular sites in Peru.
There are so many cultural highlights, you could visit the desert, explore the Amazon rainforest or seek our history and archictecture in cities and rural areas. Destinations you might want to add to a visit list, these include the Amazon, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Urubamba Valley not to mention the vibrant cities of Cusco and Lima.
A lot of travelers find Peru to be their favorite country in South America and with so many things to do it is easy to see why. The lush forests and rolling hills could just as easily be a fairytale land as they could be the backdrop to a Jane Austen novel. What could possibly be better than kayaking together down a glistening river, flanked by snow-capped mountains, or hiking up a hill to find that perfect spot to throw down a picnic blanket and watch the sunset?
Top Activities & Experiences
When travelling in Peru these are some of the top things you might want to do:
- Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (you can also take a train ride and do this trip in one day)
- Travelling off the beaten track and visiting the Amazon region where there are remote villages, wildlife and adventure trips
- Seeing the Nazca Lines which can also be seen from space!
- Learning to surf or just relaxing on beaches in Máncora (Peru might not strike you as a beach destination but this place will not dissapoint)
- The Parque Nacional Manu is a top place to visit, experience a real life cloud forest and see lots of wildlife
- Go sandboarding on sanddunes located in Huacachina
- Huaraz is a good destination if you are looking to join a trekking trip, the views are spectacular here too
- Travel to Southern Peru and see the largest lake in South America Lake Titicaca
- See the UNESCO World Heritage site of Chan Chan where there are ancient ruins to explore
Best Cities to Visit
- Explore Lima and find tasty local food, cafes, restaurants, museums, beautiful buildings and great nightlife
- The old Inca capital Cuzco is a really pretty city to visit, you'll walk anvient cobbled streets and get a feel for life in Peru here
- Arequipa has beautiful white buildings made from volcanic stone, there are picture opportunities around every turn
- Huaraz has views and treks to take your breath away
Peru Travel Tips
Here are some tips to make your trip to Peru even better:
Accommodation:
There are numerous hostels and hotels in Peru with budget and expensive options, if you book a program through our website accommodation is usually provided in the price. Hotels / hostels are very cheap.
Transport:
There are lots of ways to get around Peru, you can pre-book an experience or you could also try by bus, private van, boar (to some locations) or take internal flights. There are so many bus routes and daily flights which are both cheap. Bus is the cheapest form of transport but journeys can take a long time. There are buses for all budgets, public transport is good whilst there are also luxury buses which include air conditioning and food.
Food:
Even more earthily, the agricultural roots of civilization may be seen in the claim that such modern day staples as the potato and the tomato originated from - and were first cultivated in - the high plains of Peru. Likewise, quinoa is a traditional Peruvian staple. The modern Peruvian speciality of Cuy - or Guinnea pig as it known in English - may seem oddly exotic to Western tastes today, but it is only a few hundred years ago that the same would have been true of the humble potato. History has a way of not going away. It is important to eat locally when seeking cheap food and avoid the restaurants in the tourist areas of the country.
Health & Safety:
Peru is a safe country and the locals are very accustomed to foreign tourists. Try to travel with others and don't go wandering into any remote areas at night especially in a city like Lima. On some trips you can see an ancient Shamen ritual, but please be careful with local drink as its strong and also drugs its best to avoid. It is important to aclimatize to the alltitude of Peru, drink lots of water and eat healthily.
