Highlights of Peru
To get to know Peru, it is not only important to visit varied destinations. The activities you can do there are equally important. Go Local! Travel has therefore selected the best activities for each location. This way you can really get out what’s in it, without having to sort it all out and arrange it yourself. For each destination you will find a short description of the location, activities, accommodation and the possibility of extending the route. Below is an example of a widely used route through Peru. Of course, with the unique locations you can give even more personal accent to the trip.
| Lima, capital of Peru, a few kilometers from the Pacific Ocean. Lima is not really quiet with more than 7 million inhabitants. The inhabitants of Lima are a mixture of all times and all parts of the world: Indians, whites, blacks, mestiezen and mulatten. If you really want to taste Lima, you can take one of the hundreds of Micro’s (a kind of city van) to the colonial center. In El Centro and Miraflores there are plenty of opportunities to eat out or dance. |
|---|
Activities: The hustle and bustle of Lima doesn’t make it one of the most attractive cities to stay in during your trip. On our trips you will mainly stay here after a flight to continue the next day. A visit to the historic centre is worth while, as well as a visit to, for example, the vegetable market or the fish market of Callao in the early morning.
Stay: Depending on the program, you will stay in the easily accessible San Miguel district. If you are in Lima longer, stay in the tourist centre of El Centro or Miraflores, centrally located so you can easily get anywhere by taxi or public transport. You stay in a cozy family hotel with an enthusiastic and friendly owner. Your room is with its own bathroom.
| Paracas or Isla de Ballestas, also called the Galápagos of the poor. These islands are home to large colonies of sea lions and penguins, which you can see from very close range. In addition to sea lions, penguins, cormorants and pelicans, you can also spot flamingos and dolphins with a bit of luck. |
|---|
Activities: From Lima it is about 4 hours by bus. By boat, you will look for the animals that stay here and you can see the colonies of sea lions and penguins up close. After this tour there is an optional lunch with a visit to the Paracas Reserve.
Stay: The stay in Paracas is in a nice little hotel with a swimming pool, a few meters from the bay Paracas.
| At 1.5 hours from Paracas you come from the animal kingdom in the oasis of Huacachina with a visit to the desert. Wine lovers here have the option to take a look at a vineyard. |
|---|
Activities: Private transport takes you from Paracas to Huacachina, the oasis near Ica, a drive of approx. 1.5 hours. Once there, there is a buggy ride through the high sand hills of the desert: an adventurous must. The plus is that you do this trip in the setting sun: very beautiful, and a bit more cool than in the middle of the day!
Stay: In Huacachina, stay in the desert oasis in a hotel with swimming pool and views of the sand dunes.
| An impressive city that served as its capital during the Inca era. This UNESCO city has remained in a very good condition and still breathes a lot of history. Back to the Incas as well as the Spanish. In this city you will not only find nice restaurants and nightlife, but you will also see a lot of people in their traditional clothes. The city is at 3400m, so don’t plan the first day too much… |
|---|
Activities: Cusco is the start for many outdoor activities such as rafting and mountain biking. Furthermore, it is the start for a tour through the sacred valley and the trekkings to Machu Picchu. The many interesting museums and buildings ensure that you can also get through the days in the historic centre very quietly. To give you a sense of home, you can also visit the local markets and take a salsa lesson.
Stay: Of course in a historic building, but inside it has a very fresh and modern look. The nice seats and patios give it a relaxed atmosphere.
| Arequipa is the second major place in Peru. The location is fantastically surrounded by three large volcanoes (a.o. Misti). Arequiipa is also on the UNESCO list and when you enter this white city, you will be clear why. Very special is the convento de Santa Catalina district. It is a city in a city and gives a cosy atmosphere with 250 coloured houses. |
|---|
Activities: Of course a city tour can not be missed here. Very special are the reality tours, where you will see not only the beauty, but also the real life in this Peruvian city. When you are at home with the people, you can also take a cooking class here. From the bridges you have very nice views over the volcanoes. Visit an Arequipan picantería, the monasteries of Santa Catalina and Recoleta, the photogenic yanahuara district or the ‘museum of Juanita, the ice princess’.
Stay: You are staying here in a family hotel. Due to the standard beautiful weather we have attached importance to a good garden to rest in after a visit to the city.
– One of the deepest canyons in the world – located at approx. 4.5 hours from Arequipa. The adjacent Colca Valley is also called the Fire Valley, because it is located in the middle of volcanic area. You will visit this canyon with a group tour and travel 100 miles on the first day to the town of Chivay in the valley. You will see the Misti, Chachani and Picchu Picchu volcanoes and travel through Pampa Cañahuas National Park (3400m). With any luck, you’ll see herds of llamas, alpacas and the wild, protected and rare vicuñas walking around here. You will stay in a beautifully located hotel in the small Andean community of Corporaque. After the tour, take an optional walk and optionally visit La Calera’s hot springs. The next day you will see the condor in the early morning (the world’s largest flying bird with a wingspan of more than 3 meters and a length up to 1.10m). With any luck, he’ll sail just a few meters past you. Optionally, you can take a walk of approx. an hour, at the edge of the canyon, where we can encounter lizards, eagles, more condors, foxes and the large, rabbit-like vizcachas.
From the port in Puno you will visit the Uros Islands. The Uros formed an ancient tribe that tried to isolate itself from the bellicose Collas – and later from the Incas. They moved up Lake Titicaca and built floating islands of totora reeds to live on. Today, there are still several hundred members of the Uros tribe, now all speaking Aymara, living on the islands, where houses, watchtowers, churches and boats are made of reeds. The islands need to be continuously cared for: while the reeds rot from below, new layers are placed on top of them. Then head towards the islands of Amantaní and Taquile, at approx. 3 hours sailing from Puno. The inhabitants of these islands still live in a traditional way, for example without motorized transport. On picturesque Amantaní you will spend the night with a traditional host family and experience a beautiful sunset. It will be appreciated if you bring some fruit and vegetables, as it is scarce on the island. The next morning you will sail to nearby Taquile with its traditional textile work. Men walk around here with knitting needles and women weave colorful clothing, from which you can make up the social status and marital status of the wearer. After a nice walking tour and lunch (not included) you will sail back to Puno.
Stay: In Puno we selected a centrally located hotel with spacious rooms. From here you can easily walk around Puna and to the lake. In the family there are comfortable cottages specially decorated for tourists.
The world famous Inca ruin Machu Picchu always visits you through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. First it goes by private transport to the village of Pisaq with its famous market and ruins, then we follow the Urubamba River to the town of the same name and finally we arrive in the ancient village of Ollantaytambo where we visit the impressive Incafort. From Ollantaytambo take the train to Aguas Calientes, the village near Machu Picchu. The next day you get up at 5 am to take the first bus to Machu Picchu. At 6 am you enter the ‘Lost City of the Incas’, just in time to see the first sunlight shining over the surrounding ridges. A magical moment. After an optional tour, you’ll have the day ahead to explore the ruins. In the afternoon take the bus back to Aguas Calientes and from there the train to Ollantaytambo. There you go back to Cuzco or you go to an estate just outside the village of Urubamba. Here you will spend the night in the beautiful rural surroundings of the Sacred Valley. In the sunny Sacred Valley of the Incas you can stroll through a rural setting, take a trip to the village of Urubamba with its typical market, optionally visit a Dutch foundation that works with poor people from the area, or visit the salt mines of Salineras, for example.
Northern Peru Cajamarca
The city of Cajamarca is located in the northern highlands of Peru and is the capital of the region of the same name. Cajamarca is close to the equator and has a mild, dry and sunny climate. The soil there is fertile. The city is known for its cheese and other dairy products. Cajamarca is also known for its churches and the Inca baths (hot water baths). Above all, for the Peruvians Cajamarca is the city where the Inca empire fell. The capture and execution of the Inca Emperor Atahualpa took place here. Activities: an excursion to pre-Inca construction otuzco. pre-Inca aqueduct Cumbemayo. The aqueduct dates from the 15th century BC and is considered one of the oldest structures in the South American continent. Rock engravings. Stay: You stay in a beautiful historic property with a lovely courtyard, the hotel is located in the center itself.
Northern Peru Leimebamba
Leimebamba can reach a small village through beautiful valleys with small villages where time seems to have stood still. Leimebamba is already a lot lower than Cajamarca and the area here is more reminiscent of a tropical environment than the Andes mountains in Cajamarca. Many hanging gram tombs have been discovered around the village of Leimebamba over the past decades. The pre-Inca people ‘the Chachapoyas’ thus buried their ancestors.
What to do: for example, visit the museum of Leimebamba where many mummies can be seen. Many hanging tombs are still well intact because the location make it difficult for grave robbers to access them. Nice walks in the area.
Stay family hotel in original style where you have a nice room with free view and a nice balcony
Northern Peru Chachapoyas
Chachapoyas brought. Along the way, visit the hanging tombs of Revash, near the town of Santo Tómas. In the museum in Leimebamba you have already read and seen a lot about these tombs, here you can see them in real life. The hanging tombs look like cottages and they hang from the ledges of high cliffs in the landscape. What to do: Visit south America’s largest stone structure, the Kuélap also called the Machu Picchu of Northern Peru from the 10th and 11th centuries. It is in a beautiful, green area and few Western tourists have been here. A walk to the waterfall Gocta (770m high). Stay outside the centre in an atmospheric hotel again in original style including the beautiful wide balconies to relax.
Northern Peru Chiclayo
Chiclayo a unique town and surroundings is hidden here. From Chachapoyas to be reached by night bus. Visit to Peru’s most beautiful museum: Tumbas Reales de Sipan, with The Lord of Sipan as the showpiece. In the museum you will see an extensive collection of gold and silver objects, ceramics and textiles that are members of the pre-Inca culture. What to do: Apart from the museum, for example, you can go to Tucumé. On top of one of the viewpoints you have a magnificent view over this complex with walls, squares and a total of 28 pyramids. No major finds have been made on this site, but a visit to the complex as a whole is well worth a visit. Next to the site is a small, interesting museum to see. Stay: in this larger city, the hotel is also a bit more modern than in many other locations in Northern Peru. The temperatures can go up nicely here so cooling down in a swimming pool is nice.