COMPELLING CUSCO
FLOAT ON
The Uros Islands
ON THE STEEP SIDE Cusco
THE RIGHT TRACK PeruRail Titicaca
Most visitors to Machu Picchu will spend some time at this Unesco World Heritage city, which sits at a breathless 11,154ft in the Andes and is dotted with ornate churches, steep narrow alleyways, Spanish colonial architecture and wide-open plazas.
It’s a tourist town and Peru’s nightlife capital (yes, there’s an Irish pub).
The city’s centrepiece on Plaza de Armas is the imposing 16th century cathedral which contains a copy of Da Vinci’s Last Supper with a traditional guinea pig dinner being served.
The ancient Hatun Rumiyoc Street is beautifully preserved and lined in extraordinary stone walls constructed without mortar. It leads to the artistic San Blas neighbourhood, home to artisans and tiny boutiques.
THE RAIL DEAL
Surely the world’s most spectacular rail journey, PeruRail Titicaca takes you through Andean mountains, alongside the raging Urubamba River, through colourful villages and over majestic peaks to Puno and Lake Titicaca.
On the 10-hour journey you’ll pause at La Raya where women bearing handicrafts and alpaca jumpers bring their llamas to the windows hoping for a sale, or at least a photo opportunity.
Puno sits at more than 12,500ft and your head will be heavy and your legs like lead, so plan accordingly. It’s worth it however, just to visit the Uros Islands on Lake Titicaca.
Home to the indigenous Uros people who live on the 120 floating islands made of totora reeds, they travel
between them aboard reed boats trading their fish for ceramics and essentials. perurail.com
HEAPS OF HERITAGE
Machu Picchu tops the Unesco World Heritage Site charts, but there’s so much more in Peru with
5,000 archaeological sites reflecting the nation’s indigenous Spanish and African influences.
Visit these and, while you likely won’t have the place to yourself, you certainly shouldn’t face the same level of crowds as at Machu Picchu.
Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna: The Temples of the Sun and Moon are Moche civilisation buildings, believed to be the religious and ceremonial centre of their capital. Built between
200-850 AD, they are remarkably well preserved, and are filled with beautiful ceramics, precious metals and colourful friezes.
Choquequirao: A remote Inca site in the Salkantay mountains near Cusco and similar in structure and architecture to Machu Picchu, it’s filled with ruins and terraces built during the reign of King Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui. Reachable via a two-day walk each way, it’s a fascinating reward for experienced hikers.
Kuélap: A 6th century walled settlement, in the Utcubamba Valley almost 10,000ft up in the mountains near Maria, in the southern part of the Amazonas region. Hailed as Peru’s ‘Machu Picchu No 2’, it was home to more than 5,000 people 1,500 years ago and can be accessed by a new cable car.
The Chachapoyas, known as the Warriors of the Clouds, developed South America’s largest stone structure, containing 450 homes and enclosed by walls up to 60ft high.
PEAK NATURE
Peru offers some of the planet’s best flora and fauna-spotting opportunities and, with 28 of the 32 climate types found across the world, it’s one of the leading countries for megadiversity and impressive geography.
The Amazon rainforest takes up nearly two-thirds of the landmass and Lake Titicaca, sitting at 12,507ft and spanning 3,232 square miles, is the world’s largest high-altitude lake. For good measure, there are 20 of the Andes’ 100 peaks within Peru too.
Endemic species include more than 3,000 varieties of orchid, 1,800 bird species and hundreds of types of reptile and mammal.
Last year a new species of frog
– named
Phrynopus remotum –was discovered 12,000ft up on the remote eastern slopes of the Andes. Other natural highlights include: Bofedals: high-altitude peat bogs in the Andes are a fragile habitat for rare animals including several threatened amphibians, waterbirds and species such as the Diademed SandpiperPlover and White-bellied Cinclodes.
The Chaparri: a private conservation area in the dry equatorial forests in the north, it’s a paradise for nature lovers with endangered species such as the spectacled bear, the guanaco, the white-winged guan and the Andean condor, plus 122 species of medicinal plants.
The Paracas Peninsula: Paracas National Reserve and Ballestas Islands are home to a diverse range of marine ecosystems.
HOTEL OF HIGHEST
Visitors on boat trips can see sea lions, dolphins Humboldt penguins, pelicans and other birds in large numbers.
HOT HOTELS
Peru’s upscale property portfolio gets ever more impressive.
Cirqa: A restored 16th century monastery in the heart of foodie Arequipa, it features 11 suites with a terrace, a patio with a heated plunge pool and a therapy spa room.
An organic rooftop garden serves as the base for a picantería (traditional lunchtime restaurant) in the heart of the city, serving homemade cuisine. From £174 a night. cirqa.pe
Aqua Nera: a 205ft Amazon luxury river cruise boat due to launch on April 3, it offers sun decks, pool, lounge, gym, cinema and 20 suites.
Sailing from Iquitos, guides will lead passengers on up-close wildlife encounters in the rainforest, with the galley serving refined cuisine created from native Amazonian produce by one of Peru’s leading chefs. Threenight cruise from £3,016 per person. aquaexpeditions.com Titilaka: a Relais & Châteaux boutique lodge on Lake Titicaca’s shore, it has 18 lake-view rooms. In 2020 four new dome suites were added, each with a private lake-view terrace and plunge bath. From £151. titilaka.pe
STYLISH Miraflores area in Lima
LOVING LIMA
The capital stretches along the Pacific Ocean and has a mash-up of 16th century colonial grandeur and 21st century design.
There’s a world-class foodie scene and national dish ceviche (raw fish marinated in citrus) has been exported globally. There’s an energy here – from the Malecon, running along the clifftops in the stylish Miraflores area to the Historic Centre. Here, the Plaza De Armas is surrounded by stupendous colonial buildings though the coolest district is Barranco with street art and glorious mansions.
One of these mansions is home to Peruvian photographer Mario Testino’s MATE Museum. It showcases local artists and a permanent collection of perhaps Testino’s most famous work as iconic black and white photos of Princess Diana sit alongside other colour images and a Versace dress worn by Diana.
Miraflores is also home to the ruins of Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca structure dating back to 200 AD.
PeruRail Titicaca is surely the world’s most spectacular rail journey
High-altitude peat bogs in the Andes are a fragile habitat for rare animals
BIG BIRTHDAY
The bicentenary of Peru’s independence from Spain will be celebrated on July 28. There will be exhibitions, festivities, musical and performance art concerts throughout the year, with special celebrations during July.