Peru is as complex as its most intricate and exquisite weavings. Festivals mark ancient rites, the urban vanguard beams innovation and nature brims with splendid diversity.
Peru’s rich cultural heritage is never more real and visceral than when you are immersed street-side in the swirling madness of a festival. Old Time Deities are reincarnated as Christian saints, pilgrims climb mountains in the dead of night and icons are paraded through crowded plazas. History is potent here and still pulsing, and there is no better way to experience it.
Visitors make pilgrimage to the glorious Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, yet this feted site is just a flash in a 5000-year history of peoples. Explore the dusted remnants of Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian ruins in all the Americas. Fly over the puzzling geoglyphs etched into the arid earth at Nazca. And spend time in Lima’s great museums, which reveal the sophistication and skill of these lost civilizations.
Few destinations have such madly diverse terrain. From the glaciated peaks of the Cordilleras to the sweltering untamed Amazon – the world’s most biodiverse forest – Peru dazzles with opportunities to explore outdoors. Trekking routes abound, rafting is increasingly popular, as is mountain biking and surfing. Then grab your binoculars to see a staggering array of bird and animal life.
One question haunts all Peruvians: what to eat? Ceviche with slivers of fiery chili and corn, slow simmered stews, velvety Amazonian chocolate – in the capital of Latin cooking, the choices dazzle.
Giant sand dunes, chiseled peaks and Pacific breaks a few heartbeats away from the capital’s rush- hour traffic: take this big place in small bites and do not rush. And that’s when you realize: in Peru the adventure usually lies in getting there.