Peru is most famous for the sacred archaeological site of Machu Picchu – visited each year by scores of intrepid hikers who brave the Inca Trail’s arduous slopes to explore the age-old ruins. The country’s attractions extend far beyond the mystical allure of this legendary location and include palm-fringed beaches, quaint Andean villages and archaeological treasures that predate Machu Picchu by hundreds of years – all imbued with the nation’s rich melange of indigenous and colonial cultures. Equally enticing are the exotic reaches of Peru’s Amazon rainforest; Lima’s superb eateries, exquisite architecture and effervescent nightlife; the glittering, mountain-ringed waters of Lake Titicaca; and the vibrant city of Cusco, referred to by the Incas as ‘the centre of the world’.
Peru’s capital is a fantastic city to tour, dotted with a multitude of cultural sites and beautifully preserved architecture. Founded by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, Lima was first named ‘City of Kings’ – a biblical reference to the ‘Three Wise Men of the East’ – before its name was changed by the Spanish colonialists. The most significant historical buildings are located around the Plaza Mayor, the most notable being the Government Palace, where one can still observe the changing of the guard performed by the Húsares de Junín. The beautiful Cathedral and the various small palaces and colonial balconies also play also their part in the beauty of the city. Another highlight is the famed Larco Herrera Museum, documenting the millennial cultures that preceded the Inca civilization and containing a priceless collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, including some of South America's finest pre-Inca erotic pottery.
Once called the ‘Navel of the World’ by the Incas, Cusco rises in the southern Andes of Peru, where colonial grandeur meets the enduring stonework of the Inca Empire. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it serves as the main gateway to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and surrounding ruins. At its centre, the Plaza de Armas—once Huacaypata—remains alive with cafés, arcades, and the 16th-century Cusco Cathedral, built from Sacsayhuamán’s stones. Nearby, the San Blas district unfolds with whitewashed adobe houses, blue balconies, and workshops where artisans craft metalwork, woodcarvings, and sacred art. Across the city, layers of history reveal themselves in landmarks such as the Korikancha, the Inca street of Hatun Rumiyoc with its twelve-angled stone, the Museum of Colonial Art, and the ancient shrines and water temples scattered through the surrounding hills.
Machu Picchu ligt meer dan 6000 voet boven de zeespiegel op de bergtoppen van Peru en is een van's werelds meest indrukwekkende archeologische vindplaatsen. Deze legendarische hoogstad werd verlaten door het Inca-rijk, heroverd door de jungle en verloren voor de mensheid tot haar herontdekking in 1911. Gebouwd door de Inca's op de top van „Machu Picchu” (Oude Piek), midden in een tropisch bergbos met uitzicht op de canyon van de Urubamba, is de 'Verloren Stad van Machu Picchu' een plek van buitengewone schoonheid en enorme archeologische betekenis. Het complex weerspiegelt het Inca-rijk op zijn hoogtepunt, met gigantische muren, terrassen en hellingen die op natuurlijke wijze in de doorlopende rotsteilingen lijken te zijn uitgehouwen. De fenomenale technologische vaardigheden van de Inca-ingenieurs zijn terug te zien in meerdere facetten van de site: de veeleisende precisie van de massieve stenen gebouwen, de waterkanalen die een diepgaand begrip van hydraulica onthullen, en Intihuatana, een gebeeldhouwde rituele steen die bekend staat als de „aankoppelpaal van de zon”, die diende als zonnekalender die het planten en oogsten reguleerde.
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