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In Peru, you can explore the lost city of Machu Picchu, visit the floating islands on Lake Titicaca, watch condors soar over the Colca Canyon, or venture into the Amazon. Although Machu Picchu is the most renowned of Peru’s archeological sites, the country is littered with the remains of other ancient cultures including walled citadels, pyramids of the Lambayeque people, and the gold-laden tombs of the Moche culture.

If you’d prefer something more active, you can go white-water rafting down canyons, mountain biking in the Sacred Valley, or take a trip into the Peruvian Amazon to canoe along waterways to the soundtrack of monkeys’ howls and whoops. In the towns and cities, you can visit traditional markets, explore Inca temples and Catholic convents, and get an insight into Peru’s rich culture and history in museums covering everything from Inca gold to the works of contemporary Peruvian photographer Mario Testino.

Peru offers a wide range of places to stay from sleek, modern hotels to historic townhouses and rustic lodges. You’ll find a choice of historic properties in the cities and you could choose to relax in the quiet cloister of a restored convent or 16th-century manor house in Cuzco.

In more rural destinations you’ll find options such as this sophisticated hotel and spa in the Sacred Valley, private casitas with a plunge pool in the Colca Canyon, or a luxury lodge on Lake Titicaca. In the Amazon, places to stay are generally simpler with thatched stilted cabins or a trip on an Amazon river cruise a possibility.

For some more ideas, browse our collection of places to stay in Peru.

Peru’s key highlights include Machu Picchu, the Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, and Cuzco. The country’s star attraction is the abandoned city of Machu Picchu, which perches on a high mountain surrounded by lush peaks. It’s a formidable sight, but extremely popular and we recommend complimenting your visit with less-visited Inca sites in the Sacred Valley.

You’ll find more Inca treasures in the imperial capital of Cuzco, while Arequipa has a swathe of Baroque cathedrals and convents. Tranquil Lake Titicaca is cradled by mountains and home to traditional communities, while the drama of the Colca Canyon is matched by the soaring condors overhead. Hot, humid, and verdant, Peru’s southern Amazon is the place to canoe down river and spot scarlet macaws, tapirs, and capybaras.

Along with the Inca Trail, Peru has a variety of other rewarding treks through the Andes. The Inca Trail, a four-day hike through the mountains to the lost city of Machu Picchu, is the most popular route in the country.

Alternatively, you could head through lush forest to the Gocta Waterfalls in northern Peru, take on a multi-day hike through a landscape of highland lakes and snow-capped passes on the Salkantay trek, or the five-day Ausangate circuit through untouched highlands to the Rainbow Mountain. For more information and ideas, take a look at our guide to trekking in Peru.

It takes around eight hours to fly from the East Coast of the US to Peru, and around eight and a half hours from the West Coast.

The time zone in Peru is UTC-5 hours. Daylight Savings Time isn’t observed.

The best way to get around in Peru is by road or rail. Peru’s scenery is dramatic and within a day’s drive you could travel from the coastal desert through the snow-capped Andes and down into the jungle.

We can arrange a private driver and guide to take you between destinations or you could travel by train on some classic routes through the country such as the spectacular Andean Explorer. Internal flights are also an option for longer distances.

Use our travel tool to find up-to-date visa and passport requirements for Peru. Enter where you’re traveling to and from (including any stopover destinations en route or flight layovers), along with your intended travel dates and passport details, for a full list of requirements.

• Entry requirements travel tool

Your doctor is best placed to offer up-to-date advice on immunizations for Peru. You can also check the suggested vaccinations on the . It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re up to date with the recommended vaccinations at home.

You’ll probably experience a little tiredness, a dry mouth, and perhaps a headache from the change in altitude when you first arrive in Peru. However, a few easy days is usually enough to recover. Our specialists will plan a trip that minimises any serious risk and helps you to acclimatize quickly to make sure you enjoy Peru to its fullest.

You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness to hike the Inca Trail. Although the trail itself is not too challenging, and you can hire porters to carry your bag, the altitude makes the hike feel tougher than it would at sea level.

The most popular route covers 43 km (27 miles) over four days, and you can expect to be walking for about six hours each day. If you exercise regularly or are a regular walker and leave yourself a few days to acclimatize before attempting the hike, you should be fine on the trail.