Situated on the northwestern Pacific coast, south of Columbia and Ecuador and west of Bolivia and Brazil, Peru is a wonderland of strange, beautiful discoveries, a destination of adventure seething with ancient mystery.
The Andes Mountain ranges await your climb, offering world-famous treks and spectacular hikes. If you prefer to simply sit back and enjoy the exotic landscape, you can visit Iquitos by plane and cruise the Amazon River Basin in the rain forest to experience the jungle firsthand, while still maintaining a comfortable degree of distance.
The ancient and mysterious Nazca Lines, in the Nazca Desert between Nazca and Palpa, are ground geoglyphs best viewed aerially, some of birds, cats and reptiles. The lines are thought to have been created between 200 BC and 600 AD by the Nazca culture, but their purpose is uncertain.
Cuzco, in southeastern Peru, close to the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountains, is the birthplace of the ancient Inca civilization and thought to have been Pre-Columbian America’s largest state. Peru’s Inca Empire has left much in the way of sacred ruins for travelers to explore today.
The 26-mile Sacred Valley of the Incas offers miles and miles of ruins, including megalithic stonework and huge monoliths, designed for shrines and temples but never finished. The extraordinary Temple of the Sun, called Coricancha or Golden Courtyard, originally constructed with gold and silver sculptures and adornment, was once a center for grand ceremonies and used as an elaborate tomb for royalty and kings.
If you want more in the way of ruins, consider a side trip to Chile, directly south of Peru, where the ancient civilization of Norte Chico was developed between the 30th and 18th centuries BC. Often cited as one of the oldest cultures in the Americas, the Norte Chco created impressive and monumental architecture with platform mounds and sunken plazas.
Lima, the Peruvian capital city, is situated on the desert coast over the Bay of Lima on the Pacific Ocean. The museums offer a detailed and reconstructed visual experience of ancient Peruvian history, culture, art and archeology, while the city itself is home to fabulous architecture and churches.
