Peru Holidays

Lima: The capital's Miraflores and Barranco districts pair clifftop views with some of South America's best restaurants, many just a short taxi ride apart along the coastal boardwalk. Paragliders regularly launch from the clifftop park above Miraflores at sunset.

Cusco: Cobbled Inca foundations sit beneath colonial Spanish buildings across the old historic centre, with the main square rarely more than ten minutes from any hotel in town, whichever direction you set off.

The Sacred Valley: Lower altitude than Cusco and dotted with working Inca terraces and market towns like Pisac, ideal for the first night or two of any trip before heading higher.

Aguas Calientes: The small town beneath Machu Picchu, reached only by train, with hot springs to soothe tired legs after a long day of walking the ruins.

Lake Titicaca and Puno: The world's highest navigable lake, home to the handwoven floating islands of the Uros people and their small reed boats moored along the shore.

Arequipa: A white volcanic-stone city framed by three volcanoes, and the gateway to the Colca Canyon for anyone with a few extra days to spare on their itinerary.

Classic Inca Trail: Four days of mountain paths ending at the Sun Gate for a first sunrise view of the citadel below, still misted over from the night before. Porters and guides handle the camping logistics entirely, leaving trekkers free to focus on the walking itself.

Rainbow Mountain: Striped in natural mineral bands and sitting above five thousand metres, so it needs extra acclimatisation beyond Cusco alone before attempting the climb. Most operators run a rainbow mountain peru tour as a single long day trip rather than an overnight stay.

Sacred Valley ruins: Ollantaytambo and Pisac hold some of the best-preserved Inca terracing outside Machu Picchu itself, both an easy day trip from Cusco or the valley floor. Ollantaytambo doubles as a functioning town, still laid out on its original Inca street grid.

Uros floating islands: Handwoven from totora reeds and still inhabited by families who rebuild them constantly as the reeds slowly rot from underneath. Visitors can even try paddling a traditional reed boat a short distance from the main island.

Nazca Lines flight: A small aircraft is the only way to see the full scale of these mysterious desert geoglyphs, etched centuries before anyone could view them properly from above. The hummingbird and monkey figures remain the most photographed of the dozens of shapes.

Colca Canyon condor watching: Early morning thermals bring Andean condors soaring past at eye level, best seen from the Cruz del Condor viewpoint before the crowds arrive. The canyon itself runs twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in places.

Lima food tour: A guided walk through Barranco and Miraflores covers ceviche, anticuchos and pisco in one unhurried afternoon of eating and walking. Most guides tailor the stops around dietary needs without much notice required.