Discover the top activities in Peru by combining well-known landmarks with lesser-known gems and marvels.
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| The Top 12 Activities in Peru |
1. Have dinner at Mil, Peru most avant-garde high-altitude restaurant
Virgilio MartÃnez, the owner and renowned Peruvian chef, has described the recently opened restaurant as a “laboratory that looks at Peruvian culture, produce and identity.” It has stunning views of the Sacred Valley's Moray ruins, which are thought to have been an Inca site for agricultural experimentation. Mil serves only food that can be grown at elevations of 11,500 feet or higher, while the owner's other restaurant, Central, which is ranked sixth in the world, specializes in cuisine from all over Peru.
2. Visit Kuélap, the best ruins in northern Peru, before the crowds arrive.
The ruins of Kuélap, located atop a mountain in northern Peru, date back approximately a millennium before the Inca civilization and provide intriguing insights into the Chachapoya people. Constructed approximately 500 AD, this historic stronghold features imposing defense walls, more than 420 circular residences, and sweeping views from its strategic location. The journey time to the location is now only twenty minutes thanks to a cable car, so over the next few years, there will likely be a significant increase in the number of visitors.
3. Visit Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán to discover more about the gold-loving ancient Mochica.
One of the best museums in South America, but one that is seldom visited, is the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, which is situated in the sleepy town of Lambayeque. A remarkable collection of priceless artifacts, including intricately crafted shell necklaces and gold ceremonial masks, are on show. All of them were found in tombs belonging to Mochica royalty, a people known for their exceptional metalwork and who lived along the northern Peruvian coast.
4. Take in the sun at Punta Sal, the most picturesque beach resort on the northern coast.
Punta Sal is one of the most beautiful beach resorts in Peru, with warm, clear waters and white-gold sands. This exclusive beach is a picture of tranquility, the perfect spot to dip your toes into the sand under the shade of a palm leaf sun umbrella, and it's only a 30-minute drive from the increasingly congested backpacker haven of Mancora. You can anticipate having this little piece of paradise to yourself when the summer is over.
5. Take in the work of the craftspeople in Ayacucho, the Peruvian craft capital.
Peruvians are most familiar with the charming colonial city of Ayacucho, which is nestled high in the Andes Mountains and is known as the nation's craft capital. An artisan tradition is proudly upheld here. Direct sales from the artists or at the city's many craft markets, you can purchase anything from retablos, wooden alter decorations packed with finely crafted models made from gypsum mixed with cooked potato, to textiles with "3D" designs.
6. Learn about pisco at the hip Museo del Pisco.
This classy hangout's sole purpose is to introduce the general public to Peru's humble brandy liquor, which is produced by distilling fermented grape juice. A vast selection of piscos from the best pizzerias in the nation will lead you through fruity pisco sour variations and cocktails featuring regional ingredients like purple corn, muña, and coca leaves. There's nowhere better for an educational drink than Arequipa, Cusco, or Lima, where locations are currently available.
7. Visit Museo Larco to see X-rated pre-Columbian pottery.
Mueo Larco, arguably the most well-known museum in Lima, is crammed with pre-Columbian ceramic artifacts from all over the nation. Explore displays of two millennia-old ceremonial vessels made of gold and silver, offering a glimpse into the past, or explore endless storerooms housing an additional 30,000 ancient treasures. The striking collection of sensual ceramics is something you won't want to miss since it provides a glimpse into the surprisingly open-minded views of ancient Peru on sex.
8. Hike the less-traveled route to Machu Picchu
A trip to Machu Picchu, the most well-known ruins in South America and a prime example of Inca architecture, wouldn't be complete without making the pilgrimage along the ancient Inca highways. There is a daily limit of 500 hikers on the traditional Inca Trail, so it is worthwhile to look for an alternate route. Lesser-walked routes include the Lares, Salkantay, and even the one that links Machu Picchu to Choquequirao, another mysterious Inca site.
9. Explore Choquequirao expansive temples and terraces.
Machu Picchu and Choquequirao are only 30 miles apart, but the experiences of visiting them are very different. Though it only receives a dozen visitors a day, the latter is an amazing collection of deep agricultural terraces and ceremonial temples that are believed to be larger than Machu Picchu. Although currently only reachable by a strenuous two-day hike, there are plans to install a cable car, so it's unlikely that these blissfully unexplored ruins will remain that way for long.
10. Take a plane to see the Nazca Lines from above.
The Nazca Lines have long puzzled archaeologists, having only been discovered in the 1930s when commercial planes started flying here. Claims of alien involvement have been sparked by the size and geometric accuracy of these 1,200 geoglyphs carved into the desert plain; however, scientists think the 2,000-year-old lines were created by the Nazca culture and used in ceremonies asking the gods for rain. Fly over the lines for thirty minutes from the nearby airport to get a bird's-eye perspective.
11. Trekking to the most striking waterfalls in Peru
The 2,529-foot Gocta Waterfall was "discovered" by a German explorer in 2005, but the people who live in the community of Cocachimba at its base were already aware of it. However, they were afraid of it because they thought it was home to a mermaid that would lure men to their deaths. A three-hour hike from the village brings you to these two-step falls, a truly unforgettable sight of feverish spray, even with vengeful mermaids to spare.
12. Visit the strange floating reed islands of Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca
The Uros Islands are made up of about sixty reed islands floating in Lake Titicaca. It's difficult to imagine anything more bizarre than that. Constructed from totora reeds and requiring reconstruction every thirty years to stay afloat, each is inhabited by native families who now rely on welcoming tourists and peddling charming trinkets made from – you guessed it – totora.