Lima
Lima’s 140-sq-meter Plaza de Armas, also called the Plaza Mayor, was not only the heart of the 16th-century settlement established by Francisco Pizarro,…
Must-see attractions in Peru
Lima
Housed in a pristine 19th-century mansion with Spanish tile floors, this worthwhile private museum showcases a vast collection of minerals, as well as…
North Coast
This museum, once the regional archaeological showcase, is now overshadowed by the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, but it still houses an excellent…
Huaraz & the Cordilleras
If you continue north from Caraz along the Callejón de Huaylas, you will wind your way through the outstanding Cañón del Pato. It’s here that the…
Cuzco
In Inca times, the plaza, called Huacaypata or Aucaypata, was the heart of the capital. Today it’s the nerve center of the modern city. Two flags usually…
North Coast
Located in Ferreñafe, this splendid museum displays replicas of the 12m-deep tombs found at the Sicán site at Batán Grande, among the largest tombs found…
Iglesia de La Compañía de Jesús
Cuzco
Built upon the palace of Huayna Cápac, the last inca to rule an undivided, unconquered empire, the church was built by the Jesuits in 1571 and…
Amazon Basin
The wildlife-rich Río Tambopata is a major tributary of the Río Madre de Dios, joining it at Puerto Maldonado. Boats go up the river, past several good…
Amazon Basin
For three generations the Guerra family has been operating this traditional rum distillery in Yanamono, in the middle of nowhere in the northern Peruvian…
Machu Picchu
The Inca Trail ends after its final descent from the notch in the horizon called Intipunku (Sun Gate). Looking at the hill behind you as you enter the…
Cuzco
Inside a Spanish colonial mansion with an Inca ceremonial courtyard, this dramatically curated pre-Columbian art museum showcases a stunningly varied, if…
Parque Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene
Amazon Basin
About two hours south of the Río Madre de Dios and along the Río Heath (the latter forming the Peru–Bolivia border), Parque Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene has…
Huaraz & the Cordilleras
This outstanding museum, funded jointly by the Peruvian and Japanese governments, houses most of the intricate tenon heads carved with horror-stricken…
Francisco Grippa Studio-Gallery
Amazon Basin
In undeniably the most eye-catching edifice in Pevas, the art works of Francisco Grippa, one of Peru's most famous contemporary painters, are a sight more…
Cuzco & the Sacred Valley
The real ‘lost city of the Incas,’ Vilcabamba – also known as Espíritu Pampa – is what Hiram Bingham was looking for when he stumbled on Machu Picchu. The…
Choquequirao
Discovered only in 2002 by archaeologist Percy Paz, these steep terraces on the backside of the ruins feature unique stonework resembling that found in…
Ayacucho
Sprawling for several kilometers along a cactus-forested roadside are the extensive ruins of Wari, the capital of the eponymous empire, which predated the…
Casa Museo Joaquín López Antay
Ayacucho
This captivating little museum is really part art gallery and part an explanation of the process of retablo making. Retablos, ornamental, originally…
Machu Picchu
This Quechua word loosely translates as the ‘Hitching Post of the Sun’ and refers to the carved rock pillar, often mistakenly called a sundial, at the top…
Puerto Maldonado
This bridge, since 2011 carrying the Carr Interocéanica across the Río Madre de Dios – connects Puerto Maldonado by paved road to the outside world for…
Ayacucho
Officially a restaurant, this surreal Aladdin's Cave is more a museum of curios than anything else, for the owner is primarily a collector of magical…
Iquitos
The sight of Iquitos' sophisticated riverside walkway, edged by swanky bars and restaurants and yet cut off from the rest of the world by hundreds of…
Machu Picchu
Behind and connected to the Principal Temple lies this famous small building. It has many well-carved niches, perhaps used for the storage of ceremonial…
Mariposario Tambopata Butterfly Farm
Puerto Maldonado
Peru has the greatest number of butterfly species in the world (some 3700) and you can see many of them here at this well-run butterfly conservation…
Amazon Basin
One of the best clay licks in the Reserva Nacional Tambopata, where you can see the colorful cacophony of feeding macaws for which the Tambopata region is…
Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock
Machu Picchu
An excellent viewpoint to take in the whole site. It’s one of a few buildings that has been restored with a thatched roof, making it a good shelter in the…
Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis
Ayacucho
Visually striking stone church containing retablos (ornamental religious dioramas) and an attractive adjoining convent dating to the 17th century. Located…
Lima
Located on the 1st floor of a towering and dark office building, this contemporary-art museum has a glass facade that reveals just enough of the stark…
Ayacucho
One of the prettiest plazas in the Central Andes, flanked by many gorgeous mansions, including the Prefectura. Ask at the tourist office for details on…
Machu Picchu
The ‘temple’ derives its name from the massive solidity and perfection of its construction. The damage to the rear right corner is the result of the…
Machu Picchu
Just above and to the left of the ceremonial baths is Machu Picchu’s only round building, a curved and tapering tower of exceptional stonework. This…
Machu Picchu
Important buildings flank the remaining three sides of the Sacred Plaza. The Temple of the Three Windows features huge trapezoidal windows that give the…
The Inca Trail
The Inca Trail descends to the ruin of Sayaqmarka, a tightly constructed complex perched on a small mountain spur, which offers incredible views.
North Coast
Houses many objects excavated from Huacas del Sol y de la Luna and has descriptions in Spanish and English.
Amazon Basin
A lovely lake enfolded within Parque Nacional Manu, with an observation tower to aid wildlife-watching.
Amazon Basin
Preferred over Cocha Juárez these days as a lake to spy wildlife such as the giant river otter.
Amazon Basin
A stunning waterfall close to Puerto Yurinaki, about 50km northeast of La Merced.
North Coast
Built around AD 1300 and covering 20 sq km, Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and the largest adobe city in the world. Although…
Lima & Around
Situated about 31km southeast of the city center, the archaeological complex of Pachacamac is a pre-Columbian citadel with adobe and stone palaces and…
Ollantaytambo
Both fortress and temple, these spectacular Inca ruins rise above Ollantaytambo, making a splendid half-day trip. (Admission is via the boleto turístico…
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