The Top 10 Wonders of Peru

On the 9th January 2015 I embarked on my South American trip to boldly start the life of an adventurer, and where better to start than Peru? Having spent two and half months traveling through this culturally rich and by all accounts diverse country, we decided to put together this top 10 list of places you absolutely must visit. The list falls in order of when we visited the places, it may help you make your own itinerary. Good luck!

1. Lima

Miraflores district of Lima

If you're starting your trip in Peru, it's likely that Lima will be your starting point, serving as the country's capitol. I found that flights to Lima were cheaper than anywhere else in South America (from my home country England). From the luxury seafront districts of Mirraflores and Barrancos to the seemingly endless slums known as pueblos jóvenes, Lima will provide an eye opening introduction to the segregation between the classes and a worthwhile experience all round. 

2. Paracas

Sea lions on the Ballestas Islands

Paracas is a small seaside town that serves as base for those wishing to visit the Islas Ballestas (aka the "poor mans Galapagos") as well as Paracas National Park. Both tours are easily arranged through any hostel in the town and can be done in one day or separate days. I highly recommend doing both. On the boat ride to the Island we could see dolphins, and then as we circled the island, we saw thousands upon thousands of birds, basking sea lions and even a few lonesome penguins.

The trip around the island lasts a couple of hours and unfortunately you cannot leave the boat to explore by foot. The experienced boat staff get you extremely close to the action, so this won't be a problem. We were able to take lots of close-up photographs. Once back on the mainland, after a short break we departed on the second part the day's adventure to the Paracas national park where we saw flamingos and some fantastic desert scenery including the sacred red beach a long the coast, you should definitely check it out 

During my time in Paracas I stayed at Paracas Backpackers House, it had a chilled out friendly vibe, close to the bus stop (check Cruz del Surr coach timetable) and it's only a couple of minutes walk from the beach. Prices around $6 a night for a dorm. The town itself is great for relaxing and having a few Pisco Sours but beware the restaurants tend to close early in the evening.

 

3. Huacachina

Huacachina at sunrise, with Ica in the distance

Maybe it's the roaring engines of buggies traversing the dunes; perhaps it's the screams of the adrenalin junky travelers sand-boarding or it's the bartenders offering discount all-day happy hour pisco sours. Whatever it is, it won't be long before you're sucked into this desert paradise. You'll find little culture here but what you will find is some good ol' fashioned fun.

Huacachina is an oasis town with the soul purpose of entertaining tourists. Around  the circuit of the the oasis you will find restaurants, bars and hostels. It should only take ten minutes to navigate the loop but often time will elude you as you're sucked into one group of partiers after another.  My only advice is to embrace it - you will not regret your time here (although if you don't stay hydrated in this parched environment, you will regret that hangover). Cassidy stayed at Hostel La Harina, which gave you discounts on your room if you booked sand boarding through them. They also had a nice pool and bar area. 

To get to Huacachina you should first locate a coach to the neighboring town Ica, once there catch a taxi to Huacachina, approximately 15-30 minutes away. As a side note, I recommend waking up early one morning to scramble up the tallest dune. The sunrise was spectacular and well worth the 05:00 AM wake up. 

 

4. Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are a set of ancient geoglyphs found in the Nazca desert in Southern Peru. You can read a wiki on them here. 

I booked my Nazca lines aerial tour through the Banana Adventure hostel in Huacachina. Most of the hostels can book tours directly for your convenience. Like most of the tours I did in Peru the whole booking and transportation process was pretty smooth, I was picked up from the Hostel and dropped off at the airport. The price was reasonable (but expensive in comparison to most of Peru's tourist attractions) at approximately $160 dollars, including transportation from the hostel. 

Once there we were directed to a desk and asked to wait approximately an hour before our flight. The plane itself was small and able to house only three travelers on top of the crew which made for an intimate experience. However, you may find you get a slightly larger plane which can fit more people if that's what you require. We met the pilot and co pilot and were escorted to the plane. At this point I should point out, I felt safe in their hands. This wasn't a Peru bodge job. The pilot instructed us to put the provided headphones on to cancel out some of the engine noise and finally we set off. Throughout the flight information was fed to us by the pilot through the headphones on where to look to spot the geoglyphs. Some are harder to spot than you would imagine. All round worthwhile experience, however in my opinion you can skip this if you are on a tight budget. 

5. Colca Canyon

 

Colca Canyon

Colca canyon at 13,650 ft deep is known as one of the deepest canyons in the world, to put some perspective on that, it's nearly twice the depth of the popular Grand Canyon in the USA. Another attraction of the canyon is the endangered Andean Condor that you can spot gliding over the canyon on one of the stops before the hike commences, or if you're lucky, on your hike down to the bottom. 

I booked my tour through the hostel in the close by city Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru. They offered us a day tour and 1, 2, and 3 night options. We decided upon the two nights and I urge you to do the same. If you decide to do the 1 night option, you'll have to do some serious hiking on both days and you'll miss out on being able to chill in the sunny oasis on the second day. On all of the over night options you hike the same distance and you won't get the chance to relax in the "Oasis" with your new friends if you do the 1 night option.  

Our guide Omar (search "Omar M Tourist Guide" on facebook) was funny, knowledgeable and just a fun guy to lead our group. I'm sure he would appreciate bookings directly rather than making them the hostel which takes a cut of the premium. Just be careful if you have a few drinks before the descent, as did we, it's a long way up and you start early to avoid the relentless heat after sun rise. 

6. Lake Titicaca

a floating island in Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca and the Uros islands are home to the Uru people, an indiginous tribe that date back before the time of the well known Incas. Still today the floating reed islands are the home of these people. I found the whole trip captivating and intriguing; how do you live on a floating island?

As a tourist you can visit some of the islands by arranging a tour with an agency or booking directly though your hostel/hotel. If you ask around, It's even possible to spend the night on an island and live with an Uros family. In Southern Peru, the tours start from a town called Puno on the edge of the lake. I found my way here on the way from the southernmost city of Arequipa to Cusco, the base for most trips to Machu Picchu.

The Uru people survive mostly on fishing and tourism. Don't be surprised when you visit the first island and all the women start pressuring you into buying souvenirs.  It's okay to say no!

7. Machu Picchu

View of Machu Picchu from atop Huayna Picchu Mountain

No trip to Peru would be complete without visiting the most well known ancient Inca city, a Unesco World Heritgage site and one of the new wonders of the world. Machu Picchu is worth all the hype; it's a must see.

There are several ways to reach the city in the clouds and you should do some research as to whether your budget can reach the Inca trail as this is by far the most expensive option. Cassidy and I completed the Salkantay trek; it's less popular than the Inca Trail yet we found it extremely challenging and at the same time completely rewarding. In fact I made a video log of the trip for friends and family, you can watch it here. It will give you a good understanding of what to expect if you choose to do this route. 

Make sure you spend some time acclimatizing as at the highest point you reach a whopping 15,200 feet. Chewing coca leaves helps with this if you do suffer from altitude sickness.The Salkantay trek takes you close to the summit of the second tallest mountain in the Andes, it in itself is an awesome experience for those that enjoy a decent hike.

You can expect a complete package including breakfast, a two course lunch and dinner each day. The whole trip, including the three meals a day, accommodation (tents and one night in a hostel), guide, ziplining and transportation costs around $270 US (if you decide not to do the zip lining you will save a further $50 dollars). I booked my tour through Viajes Peru agency in Cusco.  

8. Santa Cruz Trek (Huaraz)

 

Hiking in the Cordillera Blanca Mountain Range

After completing the southern sights of Peru, we were left slightly perplexed as to where to go next. Having done some "WWOOFing" (worldwide opportunities in organic farming) on a farm near Lima we didn't really have a clue where to go. I decided to look at the notes from another traveler. Although I have no way of thanking him, I extend good Karma his way as the recommendation of the high mountain town of Huaraz was an unexpected highlight of our trip. 

Known as the Alpes of Peru, Huaraz has a variety of activities to offer. The town itself is a brilliant place we were there in February which is classed as the off-season and there were only a handful of other backpackers around. The town is nestled in the Andes, surrounded by snow capped peaks, making it the perfect postcard destination, although the bus trip was long and winding (think of a large, rickety bus flying around blind corners less than two feet from a the edge of a giant cliff). Even at this time of year the weather was warm and sunny in the day and pleasantly chilly in the evening. Due to the altitude the weather can change quickly though.

With the town of Huaraz as our base we decided to book the adventurous four day Santa Cruz Trek. The tour package cost around 200 soles ($65 dollars) with a local agency. The value for money was incredibly good, considering it included all the usual stuff like meals, tents, a guide and transport.

9. Kuelap

 

Cassidy looking at a reconstructed house in Kuelap

Kuelap is a set of ancient ruins, considered to rival those of Machu Picchu. In fact, in terms of size Kuelap is larger than Machu Picchu, and archaeologists have estimated that more stone can be found in this fortress than in a single Egyptian Pyramid. Kuelap definitely doesn't get the attention it deserves, and neither do the people who used to live there: the Chachapoya. However, there is effort being made by Peru's tourism to promote Kuelap and make it "the next Machu Picchu", so I would recommend getting out there before it gets similarly overwhelmed by tourists.

From the town of Chachapoyas, Kuelap is about a three hour drive on narrow mountain roads. Day tours with english-speaking guides can be arranged from about $10-$15, either through a hostel or the numerous tour companies that line the main square. The town of Chachapoyas is a wonderful place to visit all by itself as well, with a large and varied market and beautiful cobbled streets. We stayed at Chachapoyas Backpackers and were very comfortable - the owner helped us in any way he could and a private (very clean!) room only cost us $15 a night. Keep in mind, however, that traveling to Chachapoyas during the rainy season will often make the 10 hour bus ride from Chiclayo into a 18-20 hour ordeal due to the bad roads and mudslides. Our best advice: bring snacks.

10. The Amazon Rainforest

a subsidiary river and our boat from our campsite.

The most authentic backpacking experience we had happened here in the Amazon rain forest in northern Peru. Traveling from Yurimagus to Iquitos, the city in the depths of the jungle, was quite the adventure in itself. More on this in a later blog post.

We traveled for four days by hammock boat along the Amazon river before we arrived in the city, this is the way the locals travel to and from the city because it's the most cost effective way. You will find that most backpackers fly from Lima because of the convenience, but this comes at a cost of course. The whole experience of catching the boat along the Amazon river is amazing, hanging your hammock up on an open deck and relaxing with whatever else the boat is transporting; chickens? Cars? Bananas? You name it, they're taking it.

Once we made it to the city, we found a local indigenous guide through a friend we met on the hammock boat. You can find guides through most of the hostels or sometimes they will approach you in the street. I should point out that the rain forest is a hostile place and choosing the right guide will make you feel safer, so pick wisely!

Our guide had lived in the jungle until he was eighteen years before venturing into the city. He explained how he had never seen a car before and thought buses were peoples homes. His father was a local shaman and also offered to do an Ayahuasca ceremony with us; you should certainly read in to this before deciding if you want to do the same.

In total we spent a week out in the jungle, several hours by boat from the city. From there we traveled another whole day by motorized canoe into the "primary" amazon rain forest, at which point we climbed out with our machetes and made our home for nights ahead. It was an experience that we will never forget. It wasn't all easy but I can't recommend it enough. Bugs are big in the day time but they double in size in the evening. Be prepared. Bring lots of bug spray and think brave thoughts.