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Mention Peru to most and their first response will almost certainly be: Machu Picchu!

For better or worse the famed citadel has become virtually synonymous with its host nation. But despite Machu Picchu's unarguable majesty, there is so much more to the rest of the country than these attention-stealing ruins. Pre-Columbian cultures left their indelible mark the length and breadth of Peru while the Incas were still in metaphorically short pants.

Beyond archaeology there's world-beating cuisine and a buzzing arts scene in Lima, inconceivably vast Andean landscapes, oh and we haven't even mentioned the Amazon rainforest, which occupies a good two-thirds of the country's territory. Sure, come for the ruins. But leave plenty of time for the rest — you won't regret it.

The Peruvian Amazon

An essential travel guide to the Peruvian Amazon

The Andes mountain range runs north to south through Peru, a giant spine splitting the country into distinct geographic regions. To the west of the Andes lies the coastal strip, a rain shadow area of deserts and large coastal cities. Head east of the Andean highlands and you’ll drop down into the vast and sparsely populated Peruvian Amazon, first to the cloud forested foothills, known as the selva alta, or high jungle, before plunging down into the lowland jungles further east...read more

6 days

Classic Peru & Machu Picchu

The classic route to Peru's most popular highlights
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9 days

Machu Picchu & Amazon cruise

Small-ship luxury cruise with Machu Picchu
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9 days

Machu Picchu & Amazon lodge

See Peru from rainforest eco-lodge to mountain empires
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12 days

Highlights of Peru

A grand tour of Peru's mountain civilisation
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12 days

Qhapaq Ñan trek to Huanuco Pampa

Explore Peru's grand route of the Incas
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8 days

Active Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu trek

Explore Peru's grand route of the Incas
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15 days

Iguazu Falls & Andean Highlights

A grand tour of Peru and Brazil
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18 days

Northern Peru beyond Machu Picchu

Amazon river cruises and archaeological wonders
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  • Lima

    Lima

    Peru's unfairly overlooked capital
    Many tourists arrive in Lima only to fly straight out to Cusco, Arequipa or other popular tourist destinations in Peru...
  • Cusco

    Cusco

    Capital of the Inca
    Once the capital of the mighty Inca Empire, Cusco is today the beating heart of Peru's tourism industry...
  • Sacred Valley

    Sacred Valley

    Peru's spiritual heartland
    The Urubamba River descends from Cusco, eventually connecting with tributaries of the mighty Amazon...
  • Lares Valley

    ...
  • Salkantay

    ...
  • Vilcabamba

    ...
  • Ausangate

    ...
  • Ancascocha

    ...
  • Machu Picchu

    Machu Picchu

    Peru's archaeological rock star
    Machu Picchu is the top attraction in Peru and, in 2007, was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World...
  • Arequipa

    Arequipa

    Peru's elegant White City
    Peru's second city is an elegant, refined counterweight to Lima's grey skies and frequently frenetic streets...
  • Colca Canyon

    Colca Canyon

    Flight of the condor
    Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon but a fraction of the width, Colca Canyon cuts a dramatic scar across Peru's southern Andes...
  • Lake Titicaca

    Lake Titicaca

    Shimmering heart of the Andean universe
    A tranquil expanse of turquoise water seemingly at the roof of the world, Lake Titicaca was revered as the birthplace of Peru's original civilisations and the centre of the indigenous cosmos...
  • Puerto Maldonado

    Puerto Maldonado

    Accessible Amazonian adventures
    Puerto Maldonado, in Peru's southern Amazon, is the most accessible entrance to the jungle...
  • Iquitos

    Iquitos

    The jungle city
    Famous for being accessible only by air or boat, Iquitos lies in Peru's distant north-eastern Amazon with a distinct frontier vibe to match...
  • Manú National Park

    ...
  • Peruvian Amazon

    ...
  • Chavín de Huántar

    Chavín de Huántar

    "Birthplace of South American culture”
    If you have an interest in the formation of Andean civilisation, Chavín de Huántar is vastly more significant than the famed Machu Picchu, but with a fraction of the crowds...
  • Choquequirao

    Choquequirao

    Machu Picchu without the crowds (for now)
    Machu Picchu 2...
  • Trujillo

    Northern historical heartlands
    ...
  • Chiclayo

    ...
  • Chachapoyas & Kuelap

    Chachapoyas & Kuelap

    The great cloud forest citadel
    Constructed by the Chachapoyas people, a formidable and mysterious pre-Inca civilisation who referred to themselves as ‘Warriors of the Cloud’, Kuélap was probably first settled sometime in the fifth or sixth century AD and gradually built up over almost a millennium...
  • Huaraz

    Huaraz

    Peru's mountain exploration base
    Huaraz is Peru’s premier destination for trekking and mountain climbing in the Andes...
  • Tarapoto

    Tarapoto

    ...
  • Caral

    Caral

    In 1994, archaeologist Ruth Shady Solis stumbled on a strange mound in Peru’s grey lunar desert...
  • Chan Chan

    Chan Chan

    With its strange, honeycomb-like walls and labyrinth of wavelike parapets, this sprawling adobe capital looks at first to have been made by extraterrestrials...
  • Sipan

    ...
  • Tucume

    ...
  • Luya Province

    ...
  • Ollantaytambo

    ...
  • Leymebamba

    ...
  • Utcubamba Province

    ...
  • Nazca

    ...
  • Tambopata

    ...
  • Piura

    ...
  • Mancora

    ...
  • Gocta Falls

    ...
  • Cajamarca

    ...
  • Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve

    ...
  • Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve

    ...
  • Tambopata National Reserve

    ...
  • Inca Trail

    ...
  • Waqrapukara

    ...
  • Huanuco Pampa

    ...
  • Qhapaq Ñan

    ...
  • Cordillera Blanca

    ...
  • Cordillera Huayhuash

    ...
  • Paracas

    ...
  • Vicos

    ...

Places to go in Peru

Peru Tours

Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu (and 2 more)

Machu Picchu, Nazca Lines, and Lake Titicaca

In-depth discovery of Peru's culture and history

13 daysFrom $2,959
Ecuador, Peru

Galapagos Cruise & Machu Picchu

See the two gems of South America

13 daysFrom $4,790
Ecuador, Peru

Machu Picchu & Galapagos 4 Day Cruise

Four days aboard the Galapagos Legend

12 daysFrom $4,079
Ecuador, Peru

Machu Picchu & Galapagos 5 Day Cruise

Five days aboard the Coral I & II

13 daysFrom $4,899
Ecuador, Peru

Galapagos and Machu Picchu 8 Day Cruise

Eight days about the Galapagos Legend

16 daysFrom $6,829
Ecuador, Peru

Galapagos, Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca

The scenic gems of South America in one trip

15 daysFrom $4,899

Peru Travel Companies

Central America, South America

Lost World Adventures

Custom tours to Latin America
Central America, South America, Antarctica

SA Vacations

Personalised travel experiences since 2002
North America, South America, Antarctica

SA Expeditions

Tailor-made guided tours to North and South America
South America, South Asia, Southeast Asia

Rainforest Cruises

Exotic Riverboat & Small Ship Cruises
Peru

PeruNorth

Boutique trips to Peru's lesser-visited corners
South America, Africa, South Asia

The Adventure People

The Most Inspiring & Exciting Adventure Holidays On Earth.
South America

Midland Travel

Experts for Galapagos and Ecuador
South America

Suedamerica Tours

Adventure travel for explorers

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