Peru is an incredibly diverse country in South America. It's most famous for the ruins of Machu Picchu, but Peru also boasts a great foodie scene in the capital city of Lima, history in the former Inca capital of Cusco, the soaring condors of Colca Canyon, the colonial city of Arequipa, the mysterious Nazca Lines, the floating villages in Lake Titicaca, and the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest.
Peru is a great destination for outdoor activities like hiking and trekking, as well as an excellent place for history lovers thanks to its mix of indigenous and Spanish colonial history.
Peru quick facts
- Population: 34.05 million
- Language: Spanish (Aymara and Quechua are also official languages)
- Currency: Peruvian sol (PEN)
- Capital city: Lima
- Country size: 496,200 square miles
- High season: May through August
Peru bucket list
- See the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu (maybe even hike the Inca Trail to get there!)
- Eat fresh ceviche and drink Pisco sours in Lima
- Hike up the colorful Rainbow Mountain
- Visit Incan sites like Saqsaywaman and Moray in the Sacred Valley
- Explore Arequipa, the second-largest city in Peru
- Complete the popular Laguna 69 trek
- Visit the desert oasis of Huacachina and go sandboarding
- Fly over the Nazca Lines, mysterious petroglyphs in the desert
- Visit the floating villages of Lake Titicaca
- Get off the beaten path in the Peruvian Amazon
Getting around in Peru
Peru is a large country, and while it’s possible to take long-distance buses between many destinations, it’s easier, faster, and not much more expensive to take domestic flights. For example, there are tons of flights every day from Lima to Cusco, which is just a 1.5 hour journey by plane.
Within cities such as Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa, you can walk to many places or take local buses. Ubers are also very inexpensive. To get to more far-flung destinations in Peru, it often makes more sense logistically to book an organized tour that includes transportation.
There’s also a train connecting Cusco, Ollantaytambo, and Aguas Calientes (the town where Machu Picchu is), which is an incredibly scenic way to travel through the Sacred Valley.
