At last Peru can weave its magic once more

With a new Peruvian exhibition at the British Museum set to open, Chris Moss offers 20 inspirational reasons to visit a South American country like no other

2021-11-06 -

When the UK’s red list finally expired at the end of October, it put seven Latin American countries back on the map. One of them, Peru, is celebrating the bicentennial of its independence this year – and, if we hurry up, we can squeeze in a festive trip to toast what is, arguably, everyone’s favourite South American destination.

It’s not only that Machu Picchu is the most famous archaeological site in the Americas. It’s also that the culture that gave rise to the citadel is still very much alive in Peruvian music, food, languages, art and design. Then there’s the topography. The Andes veer close to the Pacific coast at tropical latitudes, as does the Amazon. Thus, a journey from Lima to Puerto Maldonado or Chachapoyas takes travellers through a multitude of landscapes – including deserts, fertile valleys, Andean peaks, high plains and teeming headwaters – and biomes bursting with wildlife and flora.

Here in the UK, we have the perfect appetite-whetter for a trip in the shape of the British Museum’s Peru: A Journey in Time exhibition, which opens on

Thursday. Intricate and beautiful pottery, metalwork, textiles and other artworks have been borrowed from the mother country to showcase the evolution of indigenous Peru from 2,500BC to AD 1,500, including the Paracas, Nazca, Moche and Wari peoples – as well as the more famous Incas. The show will feature archaeological sites well outside the tourist gauntlet of the Sacred Valley, a reminder that some of the most impressive ruins are found near the coast – ideal for road trips and easy to combine with beaches and pleasant seaside towns.

We’ve waited almost 20 months for the chance to return to Peru, so here are as many reasons to go right now and beat the rush before Cuzco and the Unesco sites get busy again – and before the independence party is over.

COLONIAL TREASURES

We’ve already had a few 200th birthdays in South America, but this one is a biggie. Lima was the seat of Spanish imperial power and nearby Callao was the most important port for shipping bullion to Europe. José de San Martin, having played a leading role in the liberation of Argentina and Chile, arrived in Peru in August 1820. His troops besieged Lima, while Cochrane attacked Callao. Independence was officially proclaimed on July 28 1821, though skirmishes would continue for five more years.

Lima is full of colonial palaces as well as republican-era edifices. The 16th-century Casa de Aliaga, opposite the Government Palace, was the home of conquistador Francisco Pizarro’s exchequer. A member of the Aliaga family, who are still in residence, shows guests around the lavishly decorated salons and hallways resplendent with oil paintings, antique furnishings and hand-painted tilework.

Last Frontiers (01296 653000; lastfrontiers.com) offers a 10-day Peru itinerary with a historical flavour, taking in the Casa de Aliaga, the Larco and Pedro de Osma museums in Lima, a hacienda in the Sacred Valley and a full day visiting Machu Picchu, from £3,265pp, including international flights

ANCIENT RUINS

A pre-Inca cultural epicentre can be found in the area around Trujillo, on the coast. The Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna, built between AD100-AD800, are believed to form the religious and ceremonial centre of the Moche culture; remarkably well preserved, they are filled with ceramics, precious metals and colourful friezes. The ancient Chimu capital of Chan Chan and El Brujo are other major archaeological complexes a short road trip away. Pura Aventura (01273 676712; puraaventura.com) offers a 13-night Pacific & Andes trip, combining Trujillo with Lima, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, from £4,865pp, including accommodation, some meals, private guided excursions, internal flights and transfers. International flights are extra and will cost £700-£800

SOUTH AMERICA’S

FINEST FOOD

Whether you choose to blow a wad on one of Lima’s award-winning fine-dining restaurants (Maido, Astrid y Gastón, Central, Isolina and Rafael are superb) or find yourself being catered to on a homestay, your taste buds will be tingled by fish and shellfish ceviches, moreish causas (potato layer cakes), hearty soups, offal stews, tropical fruits and indigenous takes on Chinese cuisine. While the Pacific is the obvious source of produce, the Peruvian kitchen is also stocked from the Amazon and Andes, from deserts as well as jungles; the Altiplano (high plain) is a vital source of potatoes and tubers. Journey Latin America (020 3553 9647; journeylatinamerica.co.uk) has a 12-day Taste of Peru culinary holiday, taking in Lima, Nazca, Ica, Paracas, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cuzco, starting from £4,370 pp, including flights, accommodation and all excursions

A DASHING NEW HOTEL IN AN UNSUNG OLD CITY

The new Relais & Châteaux Cirqa hotel occupies a restored 16th-century former monastery in the unsung second city of Arequipa, which is roughly the same age as Lima. Eleven stylish suites are decorated with antique furniture, and outside is a tranquil terrace, a patio with heated plunge pool and therapy spa room, plus an organic rooftop garden that services a rural-style picantería in the heart of the city, serving excellent home-made cuisine. Arequipa is known as the White City: many of its oldest buildings in the Unesco-listed historical centre were built from white and pink volcanic rock. Highlights include a majestic cathedral, an Inca mummy and the stunning backdrop of three volcanoes – including El Misti, which is almost 20,000ft high. Abercrombie & Kent (01242 547 760; abercrombiekent.co.uk) has a 12-night Explore Peru itinerary, including Arequipa and a stay at the new Cirqa hotel, for £5,485pp, including flights, transfers and accommodation

TACTILE TEXTILES

Peru has a rich tapestry of 51 indigenous groups speaking dozens of languages; people selfdefining as indigenous or mestizo/cholo (mixed race) constitute as much as 80 per cent of the population. A fascinating way for travellers to connect with nonHispanic traditions is via arts and crafts. A dedicated tour includes Lima’s Amano Museum of Pre-Columbian Textiles, meeting rural weavers and visiting a textile-artist’s atelier.

Aracari (020 7097 1750; aracari.com) has a six-night Textile Tour, in Lima and the Sacred Valley, from £1,863pp, including guides, accommodation and transfers; flights are extra

HIKING IN THE HUAYHUASH If you’ve seen the 2003 film Touching the Void, you’ll know how breathtaking the snowcapped peaks of the Huayhuash range are. One famously photogenic section, not far from the ridge where the British climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates fell through a deep cornice, affords a dazzling view of turquoise lakes framed by glaciers and rock. There are multi-day hikes out of Huaraz (a good place to acclimatise), with or without porters. The going is tough, with steep climbs and thin air on the passes.

Andean Trails (0131 467 7086; andean trails.co.uk) has a 16-day trip, including the Huayhuash circuit, from £1,888pp, including all in-country transport, airport transfers, accommodation, tour guide, cook, three meals daily and park entrance fees; flights cost extra

A BASE CAMP TO EXPLORE THE SACRED VALLEY A drawback of many trips focused on Machu Picchu is how they speed visitors through the Sacred Valley, often by train. Instead, take your time and stay at Explora Sacred Valley, a fullservice lodge with high-end hotel cuisine and guest rooms, offering a daily menu of more than 40 activities – hikes, easy walks, bike rides and drives – designed to open up the landscapes, villages and archaeological sites.

Audley (01993 683873; audleytravel.com) offers a five-night stay at Explora from £3,442pp, including accommodation, meals, excursions, park fees and return transfers to Cuzco; flights extra. You can also book with the lodge; a three-night package is £2,442pp; see explora.com

A LUXURIOUS NEW BOAT TO CRUISE ON THE AMAZON Launched on April 3 this year, luxury riverboat the Aqua Nera sails out of the port city of Iquitos into the northern Amazon region. The interior design of the 205ft-long ship nods to the late 1800s Amazon rubber boom and the cultures of

Peru, Portugal and Spain, with expansive windows looking out onto the rainforest. Naturalists lead small group excursions and the kitchen serves refined cuisine using Amazonian produce prepared by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, one of Peru’s finest chefs. Aqua Expeditions

(00 65 6270 4002; aquaexpeditions.com) offers seven-night cruises starting at £7,212pp; flights cost extra

INCAN HISTORY IN DEPTH If you really want to educate yourself about Peru’s preColumbian and post-conquest history, it pays to have a seriously qualified guide. It’s important in the Sacred Valley to see the likes of the Maras salt mines, Moray circular terraces and Inca citadel of Ollantaytambo. Nor is Lima a mere stopover; the Huaca Pucllana is an extraordinary adobe and clay pyramid in the heart of residential Miraflores. Martin Randall (020 8742 3355; martinrandall.com) offers a 13-night expert-led group tour (10-22 participants) of ancient sites in Lima, Trujillo and the Sacred Valley, from £5,740pp, including local flights, accommodation, most meals, lecturer and tour leader; international flights extra. Next tour: Sept 7-20 2022

The culture that gave rise to the famous citadel is alive in the music, food and art

10SOUTH AMERICA’S HIGHEST RAILWAYS Peru is one of the few countries in South America where long-distance railways have survived. These range from the low-budget Ferrocarril Central Andino, which links the Pacific port of Callao and Lima with the central highlands city of Huancayo and Cerro de Pasco at the top of the Andean mountains (a 12 to 14-hour odyssey hardcore journey for committed railway fans) to luxury services that travel up and down the Sacred Valley and across the Andean high plain.

Latin Routes (0208 546 6222; latinroutes.co.uk) offers a 10-day Luxury Highlights of Peru holiday, including journeys on the Belmond Andean Explorer and the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu, from £4,899ppp, including accommodation, tours, selected meals and domestic flights 11

AMAZONIAN ADVENTURES The Río Tambopata – a tributary of the mighty Madre de Dios River, which flows to the Amazon – is the gateway to the wildlife-rich forests of the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. Many people come here to lounge in a lodge, but a rafting trip combined with camping is more exciting. Jaguar sightings are not impossible and capybara, tapir, peccary, giant otters and caiman are common, as are birds and butterflies. Rapids range from grade II-IV, so the trip is ideal for those who have already done some rafting. The expedition ends with a night at the Tambopata Research Centre, beside one of the world’s largest macaw clay licks: cliffs where the birds gather daily to consume salt in the soil.

KE Adventure (01768 773966; keadventure.com) offers a 14-day group trip ( five to 12 passengers) from £4,995, including flights. Next departure is July 2-16 2022

RAMBLES AROUND THE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN A great add-on to any holiday in Peru is Vinicunca, aka Rainbow Mountain. Ice-melt mixed with assorted minerals has given Vinicunca its surreal-looking layers of red (mainly iron oxide), purples (goethite, limonite), yellow (iron sulphide) and green (chlorite). The photogenic mountain is reached via a three-hour road trip from Cuzco and a six-hour trek and is at its photogenic best in the morning and late afternoon. GAdventures (0845 528 Treasure taster: 0471; gadventures.com) set the scene with a

offers a seven-day adventureaccented visit to the British trip starting and Museum’s Peru

finishing in Cuzco, including exhibition, which features artworks mountain biking, hiking, ziplining such as this gold and the Rainbow Mountain, from llama figurine £729 per person. Flights cost extra

THE OTHER LOST CITY OF THE INCAS

For those after a serious hike, Choquequirao is a remote Incan citadel in the Salkantay mountain range close to Cuzco. The complex was built during the 15th-century reign of emperor Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, and not properly excavated or opened to visitors until recently. Choquequirao is reachable via a four-day trek, but if you have the time, it’s best to do a longer, slower hike and enjoy the beautiful scenery and smaller sites located along the path.

Exodus (0203 131 2785; exodus. co.uk) offers a 15-day trip, combining five nights in hotels with seven nights camping, from £2,949 per person, including all breakfasts, seven lunches and dinners,

tour leader and flights 14

TRANQUIL TITICACA

Lake Titicaca shimmers at 12,507ft above sea level and spans 2,232 sq miles – making it larger than Cyprus. The vast dome of cloudless sky, the deep-blue water and the snow-capped mountains of the Cordillera Real that frame the whole make it an affectingly spiritual place. Lots of tours include the lake, which usually means a trip to the touristy reed-islands, but there is nothing like bedding down for a few days and just sitting, or standing, and staring. Titilaka (00 51 1700 5111; titilaka.pe) is a five-star resort on the lip of the lake, offering amazing food, lots of excursions and plenty of spaces for coffee, yoga or stargazing. Doubles from £805 a night

HIDDEN KUÉLAP

At the edge of Peru’s central Amazon region, Kuélap, built in the 6th century by the Chachapoyas, is a walled settlement atop high peaks. It was home to more than 5,000 people in its heyday and its architecture and location are at least as jaw-dropping as Machu Picchu’s. You can walk it or split the visit between boot leather and a cable-car. The trip to the site, from Chiclayo or Cajamarca, is an adventure in itself, with stops at the Gocta Cataracts – a waterfall only “discovered” by outsiders in 2002 – and Leymebamba Mummy Museum. Steppes Travel (01285 880980; steppestravel.com) offers a 15-day guided trip to northern Peru that incorporates Kuélap, a trek to the Gocta falls and time spent discovering the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca. From £5,650 per person, including flights, accommodation, guides and some meals

BIRDS OF THE ANDES

You don’t have to be a twitcher to appreciate the birds that enliven Peru’s many biomes. More than 1,800 species have been logged here, including the spectacular Andean cock-of-the-rock, boisterous hoatzin, rare long-whiskered owlet and many varieties of hummingbird. An expert-led tour of the Western Andes and Ballestas Islands will take in mountains, forests and bofedales (high-altitude peat bogs) to view white cotinga, Inca terns and Humboldt penguins. Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek. co.uk) has a 10-day Surf and Turf birdwatching tour, from £2,995, including flights and most meals.

Next departure: May 12-21 2022

PERUVIAN BEACHES Archaeology needn’t mean arduous treks. Fly north to see the ancient sites of Trujillo and Chiclayo, including the mysterious pyramids at Túcume and the tomb of the Lord of Sipán at Huaca Rajada – a magnificent tomb that contained a king and his entourage buried pharaoh-like with gold artifacts and utensils for the afterlife. After four days ruin-roaming, fly up to Talara to spend three days relaxing on the beach at Máncora in the boutique hotel of Kichic.

Select Latin America (020 7407 1478; selectlatinamerica.co.uk) offers an eight- day tour of the north, from £2,397 per person, including domestic flights, accommodation, guided tours and half board. International flights cost extra 18

COLCA CANYON

If you get tired of going upup-up in Peru, you can always head down. Nearly 11,000ft deep and 62 miles long, Colca Canyon was formed by a river, grinding down ancient volcanic deposits. Beyond the steep-sided main fault are arid steppes and fertile grassland terraced by farmers to grow superfoods like quinoa and amaranth. A tour takes in 2,000-yearold villages, the ruins of pre-Incan Uyo Uyo, and viewpoints where you can see condors drifting on the thermals. Reef and Rainforest (01803 866965; reefandrainforest.co.uk) has a 12-day tour that combines the Colca Canyon with the classic Inca Trail hike, Lake Titicaca and a flying visit to Tambopata, from £3,621 per person, including some meals and transfers. Flights cost extra

19LAID-BACK CYCLING Slow travel and road cycling are both on trend. While you might think the Andes make for lung-busting pedalling, one savvy local operator is offering tours around the Sacred Valley using full suspension e-bikes. The trips are perfect for fit families or cycling groups, combining rides to quiet corners of the region well away from the coach parties, with camping, cooking classes, kayak excursions, rafting and a hike to the off-radar Waqrapukara Inca ruins. Amazonas Explorer (00 51 9541 65014/ WhatsApp; amazonas-explorer.com) has an eight-day Active Machu Picchu Adventure holiday to the citadel, from £1,705 per person, including transfers, some meals, bikes and guides. Flights extra. Book directly or via Cazenove+ Loyd (cazloyd.com) in the UK

MUSIC TO TUNE INTO You now have a selection of tantalising tours to choose from. Maybe you have the British Museum show booked and perhaps you’ve sourced a bottle of fiery pisco. To get you in the mood, why not listen to some Afro-Peruvian tunes? The distinctive roots music can be traced back to black slaves brought to work in mines and as domestic servants along the Pacific coast from the 16th century. It later drew on Andean and Spanish traditions, as well as homegrown nueva canción. If you spend time in Lima, there’s a chance of seeing a live show at a peña (folk club) such as Don Porfirio in Barranco. In the meantime, listen to Palabras Urgentes, the new album from Grammy-winning Susana Baca, just released by Peter Gabriel’s Real World record label.

For more information, visit www. peru.travel/en and lata.travel.

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