Peru
SACRED VALLEYS AND RAINFOREST BIRDING
One of the biggest challenges of visiting this mountainous and culturally rich country is fitting into one trip all that there is to experience. Internationally-renowned Machu Picchu is the can’t-miss exploration site where humbling reminders of Inca culture come to you through ascending the stone steps or marvelling at the sheer scale and precision of the ancient architecture. Here, the Giant Hummingbird – the world’s largest – may also put in an appearance, as do grazing llamas. The nearby Sacred Valley impresses in its own right with more jaw-dropping Incan architecture, as does Cuzco and its narrow streets bordered by walls of Incan stonework. Fine art, but on an almost unimaginable scale, enchants with the Nazca Lines carved into huge stretches of rock. This southern site also hosts colonies of Humboldt Penguins, South American Sea Lions and the resplendent Inca Tern. Reminders of Chimu culture are had at Chan Chan in the Trujillo region. Tropical wildlife in the damper eastern inland zone delights in many forms, the most impressive being perhaps with the Sword-billed Hummingbird. Peru may be a small country, but it has a big collection of stories to tell.
NO UPCOMING TOURS AT THIS TIME
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
Between May and October, especially if you plan to go on a trek
GOOD TO KNOW
There are 8600km of navigable tributaries in the Amazon Basin
SIGNATURE MOMENTS
Feeling the spiritual energy with a shaman in an Inca fortress
Connecting with a peaceful landscape in the Sacred Valley
Making the ethereal climb up the steps of Machu Picchu
BE SURE TO TRY
• Causa Rellena
• Caldo de Gallina
• Cuy
RECOMMENDED READING
Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams
A Sacred Landscape, the Search for Ancient Peru by Hugh Thompson
Trail of Feathers, In Search of the Birdmen of Peru by Tahir Shah
VISAS
There are no visa requirements for Canadian or American citizens visiting Peru.