🇵🇪 Peru

Machu Picchu, the Amazon and one of the world's great food scenes.

Peru packs desert coast, the high Andes and the Amazon into one country. Most first trips start in Lima, one of the best food cities in the world, then head to Cusco and the Sacred Valley for Machu Picchu. Add Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, or the Amazon around Iquitos if you have time.

Altitude is the thing to plan around: Cusco sits at about 11,000 feet, so take it slow for the first day or two. Spanish is the main language, with Quechua widely spoken in the Andes.

Language: Spanish (Quechua and Aymara also official)
Currency: Peruvian sol (PEN)
Known for: Machu Picchu, ceviche, the Andes, the Amazon, Lake Titicaca
Seasons: Andes dry season May to September; Lima is gray from June to October

Cities in Peru

Lima · Peru's capital: ceviche, colonial churches and cliffs over the Pacific
Aguas Calientes · The town at the foot of Machu Picchu
Arequipa · The white city under three volcanoes
Cusco · The old Inca capital and gateway to the Sacred Valley
Huaraz · Base for treks in the Cordillera Blanca
Iquitos · The Amazon city you can only reach by air or river
Máncora · Surf and sun on the northern coast
Nazca · Home of the Nazca Lines
Paracas · Desert coast, sea lions and the Ballestas Islands
Puno · Lake Titicaca and the floating Uros islands
Trujillo · Colonial center and the ruins of Chan Chan
Chiclayo · Northern city of Moche treasures, and Pope Leo's former diocese
Pucallpa · River port on the Ucayali in Peru's Amazon