Classic Route: The South of Peru.

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Lima

 Lima is the capital from Perú, with a population of 9 millions, is one of the main cities in South America, with a beautiful colonial architecture and the best food in the region, Lima is next to the Pacific Ocean and is a good surfing spot as well. You can start your trip around Perú from this city. This route goes from Lima to La Paz and includes places like Ballestas Islands, Nazca, Cusco, the Inca Trek to Machu Picchu Titicaca lake and La Paz, Bolivia, one of the favorite destinations for travelers.

Huacachina Desert

Pisco and Ballestas Islands.

  
Ballestas Islands are located at Paracas National Reserve, 260 Km. south of Lima, next to Pisco town. To get here you have to take  the local bus from Lima to Pisco (4 hrs.)  and then a taxi to Paracas (20 min.), the excursions starts at 8 am. every day. You can also spend a night in Pisco and do the tour next day. The bus  company is called Soyuz and departs every day at every hour, the bus station is at Mexico avenue, Lima. Soyuz is a good bus company but always be careful with your belongings. To do the tour to Ballestas Islands you have to hire a local tour operator in Pisco or in El Chaco pier in Paracas,  the tour to Ballestas Islands takes 2 hours in a speedboat and you can see sea lions, penguins and pelicans.  There are not many good hotels in Pisco, the one I recommend is Posada Hispana, is good, safe and has a great restaurant, is just at 2 blocks from the main square. There was an earthquake in this town on 2007 and its not totally rebuilt yet, be careful to walk on your own at night.

Sea Lion at Ballestas Islands

 

Huacachina desert.

 An awesome place to visit is Huacachina desert, at 1 hour from Pisco and just 5 minutes from Ica city, at 303 Km. south of Lima. Take the Soyuz bus from Pisco to Ica and then a taxi to Huacachina. Huacachina has a little oasis and beautiful huge sand dunes; here you can take a dune buggy excursion and also sand boarding. There are many local tour operators in Huacachina  is an amazing adventure, there are also some hostels and restaurants here, some tour companies can organize a 2 days and 1 night dune buggy excursion with camping in the desert.

Huacachina

Sand Boarding at Huacachina

Nasca. 

The Nasca lines is one of the main attractions in Perú, one of the theories is that it  was an astronomical calendar made by the Nasca civilization, before the Incas, the only way to see the lines is from the air, in Nasca there are many local companies that offer flights to see the lines, it´s a 30 minute flight and is worth to do it, if you are interested in history. There are many hostels and restaurants in Nasca, is a place to stay for one night and then continue traveling. To get to Nasca you will need to take the bus from Ica, is about 3 hours by Soyuz bus. From Nasca you can take the overnight bus to Arequipa, one of the nicest cities in Perú. The best bus companies to get to Arequipa are Cruz del Sur and Oltursa, bus departs every night and get to Arequipa early in the morning, this buses are really good and safe, they give you food, blankets and pillows and they have  movies.

Nasca Lines, the hummingbird

Arequipa.

Condor at Colca Canyon

Arequipa is located at 2400 masl. is one of the most beautiful cities in Perú, it has a nice architecture, good weather, the best food in Perú and is located next to Misti Volcano. About 4 hours from Arequipa is Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world , with amazing landscapes and local fauna. Here you can try to spot a Condor, the biggest bird in Perú. To get to Colca Canyon you need to get a tour, a great tour operator is Giardino tours, on Jerusalem Avenue, there are many good tour companies here. About places to visit in Arequipa, you can visit the city center and the Cathedral, the Santa Catalina convent, located in Santa Catalina street and the Santuarios Andinos Museum, this is the museum of Juanita Mummy; this was an Inca princess that was sacrificed at Ampato mountain. About hotels and restaurants, I recommend Hotel La Casa de mi Abuela, on Jerusalem avenue and El Hotel Las Mercedes at La Marina Av., both are nice and quiet, excellent rooms and the staff is very helpful. There are many good traditional restaurants here like Arequipay , on Jerusalem Street, Chicha on Santa Catalina Street and El Patio del Ekeko, on the city center next to the main square. Arequipa has some nice traditional restaurants called ¨Picanterias¨, I recommend two of them, Nueva Palomino and La Lucila, you need to take a taxi to this places. About security, Arequipa is a safe place to walk around but be careful at night and with taxis, better go with someone else or ask for a taxi at the hotel.

Colca Canyon, Arequipa

Puerto Inca.
A few hours from Arequipa is Puerto Inca, a nice beach next to the Inca ruins that were used by the Inca to rest, there is a little hotel with bungaloes here and you can also camp and have a bbq and a few beers after a swim. You can drive from Ica to Puerto Inca as well.

Our truck in Puerto Inca

Cooking at Puerto Inca, then bbq and a nice fire

Cusco.

 Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire and is the most beautiful city in Perú, is one of the main destinations in South America and there are loads of things to do here like trekking, rafting, visit Inca ruins, enjoy the city and visit Machu Picchu. Cusco is located at 3400 masl. and has a population of 400,000 people, to visit Cusco you have to take a flight from Lima or Arequipa. If you are coming from Bolivia or Puno you can take a bus from Puno to Cusco, this takes about 7 hours and the landscape is amazing. There is also a train that goes from Puno to Cusco and viceversa, this takes 10 hours and is more expensive but is an amazing journey.

Sacsayhuaman ruins, Cusco

 

Streets in Cusco

There are many options to do in Cusco, like visit Sacsayhuaman ruins (close to the city center), you have to pay an entrance fee and you can go walking (45 min.) or by taxi. The Sacred Valley, here you can find Inca ruins like Pisac and Ollantaytambo and the traditional Pisac Market, you need to hire a tour company for this excursion or drive there, you need also to pay an entrance fee, rafting and horse riding are good options as well. There are many tour campanies around the main square that offer city tours and Sacred Valley tours. The city is very beautiful to explore on your own, the architecture, Inca walls everywhere, museums like the Inca Museum, the Inca temple of Coricancha and the Cathedral, on the main square. There are very good restaurants here like Chicha in San Francisco square, Nuna Raymi at Triunfo St.,  Tupananchis at La Merced square, Los Perros at Teqsecocha St. for dinner, if you want a great breakfast will recommend Jacks Café ,  at Choquechaca St. and Café Ayllu on Marquez St., on the city center. Other good options are Fallen Angel, Macondo and Maikhana, an Indian food restaurant. For a night out I like Mushrooms bar and the Irish Pub, and then for dance Mama Africa and Mythology have the best parties. About hotels, there are many options, a good option with good prices are Casa Andina Hotels, Casa San Blas, Royal Inka and Eco Inn but  if you want a hostel I will recommend Loki and The Point, full of travelers and party

Cusco Cathedral

Machu Picchu.            

 Machu Picchu is one of the most amazing places in the world, is magic and beautiful, is an important part of the history of this country and one of the most visited places in South America. You can get to Machu Picchu by train from Cusco, is a 4 hour train journey that leaves early in the morning, you can buy the ticket with Peru Rail and buy your ticket to the ruins online. The train goes from Cusco to Aguas Calientes town, upon arrival you can take the bus to the ruins (25 min.) and hire a guide at the gate, you can also stay one night in Aguas Calientes and next day go to the ruins.

 There are many trekkings to Machu Picchu, the most popular is the Inca Trek, it takes 4 days and 3 nights to get to the Machu Picchu and is a great experience, on the way you can see different kind of landscapes and wildlife, it´s  a hard trek and you need to book it in advance with tour company. There are another treks like Lares trek (2 nights camping and 1 night in a Aguas Calientes) and Salkantay Trek (5 days / 4 nights). There are many good tour operators to do this treks like Qente, Enigma, Tanit Trails and Lets go adventures. There many guys on the streets who offer tours, most of them take you to what ever tour company to get a comission so I will recommend to go with a good tour operator and have a great time.  

Machu Picchu

There are another trekkings in Cusco, like the trek to Choquequirao, an  Inca citadel, as big as Machu Picchu and the Ausangate trek.

Cusco is one the most amazing places to visit in South America and you should stay a few days here to explore it properly, there are local communities around, rivers, mountains and Inca sites. Loads of traditions, history and nice local people to meet.

Machu Picchu

Puerto Maldonado (Jungle).

If you are in Perú you must visit the jungle, Puerto Maldonado is part of the amazon jungle and has really good lodges. To get to Puerto Maldonado you need to take a flight from Lima or Cusco or take a bus (10/12 hours) from Cusco by the new Interoceanica highway. Perú is on of the countries with more biodiversity in the world, it has more than 1700 species of birds, about 460 species of mammals and 360 species of reptiles. Here you can see animals like river otters, macaws, parrots, capybaras, monkeys and maybe a jaguar !. The best jungle lodges here are Inkaterra and Rainforest expeditions, Tambopata Eco Lodge,  but there are many good options with great jungle tours.  

Madre de Dios river, Puerto Maldonado

Monkey at Tambopata National Reserve

Puno and Titicaca lake.

 Puno is located at 3800 masl, at 7 hours from Cusco by bus (Tour Peru buses departs every morning at 8 am ) and 10 hours by train. You can also flight from Arequipa and Lima to Juliaca town and then take a taxi to Puno (45 min.).  Puno is next to Titicaca lake, one of the highest lakes in the world, it has about 170 Km. long and 65 wide, Perú and Bolivia share this lake.

View from Amantani Island

  Titicaca lake has many islands and you can visit the main ones like Uros floating islands, Taquile and Amantani Island, you can spend a night in Amantani and have an amazing experience with the local people, you can stay in their houses, eat with them, help them in the farm or join a local party to dance and have a drink with them. I think the best way to visit Titicaca Lake is do a tour of 2 days, visit Uros and Taquile Island and spend a night in Amantani Island, this a great and genuine experience and a good way to know the local culture. There are loads of tour operators in Puno, I recommend Edgar Adventures and Always Travel, both are really good. There are good restaurants as well like as Inka Bar and Ekekos, both on Lima street, the main street in Puno where you can find everything and is close to all the hotels. The hotels I can recommend here are Casona Plaza and Casa Andina hotels. If you prefer a hostel The Point has a good one in this city.