Discover the 21 Treasures of Cuzco Peru, Lima & Surroundings
Discover the 21 Treasures of Cuzco Peru, Lima & Surroundings
West Coast The country of Peru is located in South America and is home to a diverse range of environments, including the desert plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west, the peaks of the Andes mountains stretching from the nation’s north to southeast, and the tropical Amazon Basin rainforest with the Amazon river in the east. There is still much to discover in Peru, even if Machu Picchu and Cuzco are the country’s most visited tourist attractions. Thank you for reading our content!
Photo Source : traveldreamdiary.com
Informations
Temperature: Characterized by two major seasons the wet season, that starts from November till March and a dry season from April to October. The peak season is June to September; weather conditions are favorable making it the best time for hiking around the Inca trail and Machu-Picchu Mountains.
Language: The official language is spanish. People speak English in places frequented by tourism.
Currency: Peruvian Nuevo Sol (PEN) aprox. 1$= 3.8 PEN 1€=4,6 PEN
Food Prices: Meal in a cheap restaurant=3 USD, Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant=20 USD
You can find more information about the visa here.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a fee at no extra cost to you. Click here to view our complete affiliate disclosure.
Things to do
Machu Picchu
Situated atop a 2,430-meter (7,970-foot) mountain crest in southern Peru’s Eastern Cordillera is Machu Picchu, an Inca citadel dating back to the fifteenth century. It is situated 80 kilometers northwest of Cuzco in the Machupicchu District of the Urubamba Province, above the Sacred Valley. It is traversed by the Urubamba River, which carves a canyon with a tropical mountain environment through the Cordillera.
Photo Source : Cezar Dargent on Facebook
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake 3,812 meters above sea level. It has been the world record holder for the highest waterway for large-tonnage ships since 1862. With a surface area of 9,710 km2, it is also the biggest lake in South America. It forms the border between Bolivia to the east and Peru to the west. After Maracaibo, Titicaca is the second-largest lake in South America.
The lake is divided into two bodies of water by the Tiquina, a narrow strait. The larger one is known as Lake Chucuito in Bolivia and Lake Grande in Peru, while the smaller one is named Lake Huiñaymarca in Bolivia and Lake Pequeño in Peru.
Photo Source : OanaAlexandra on canva.com
Nazca Lines
The nearly 1500 enormous scratches in the Peruvian desert near Nazca and Palpa, known as the Nazca Lines, are only discernible and visible from the air. The city of Nazca, which is not far from the plain, is the name of the lines, the desert, and the culture. The lines are thought to have originated in the cultures of the Paracas and Nazca. In addition to figures that range in size from ten to several hundred meters, the Nazca plain displays dead straight lines, triangles, and trapezoidal regions. These images include people, monkeys, birds, and whales. Owing to their massive size, the only ways to observe them are from a great distance, such as from airplanes or the nearby hills.
Photo Source : OanaAlexandra on canva.com
Colca Valley
97 kilometers north of Arequipa, in Peru, lies the Colca Valley, a valley close to Chivay. The third-deepest canyon in the world is Cañón del Colca, at 1,300 meters, behind Montenegro’s Tara Gorge. The Cañón del Colca is too young, geologically speaking, having formed less than 100 million years ago. The earliest occupants of the area, the Collagua civilization, are remembered by rock drawings and caverns that originally housed the so-called “colcas,” or grain storage containers.
Photo Source : OanaAlexandra on Facebook
Sacsayhuamán
Situated on the outskirts of Cuzco, Peru, the ruins of the Inca citadel Sacsayhuamán are among the most significant sites from the Inca era. It is situated roughly 3 kilometers above the city.The complex was partially devastated during the Spanish invasion, and since then, earthquakes have severely harmed the building structure.Pedro Cieza de León claims that 20,000 laborers toiled on it during the course of its 70-year construction in the latter half of the fifteenth century.
Photo Source : Perú Millas Travel on Facebook
Moray
The complex of Incas The Moray complex is made up of many terraces at varying elevations. Three deeper natural sinkholes of varying sizes used as construction sites. With the exception of the biggest depression, the systems are round and concentric. Up until fifty years ago, potatoes and barley were produced on the property. Each terrace has a different microclimate superimposed on top of the macroclimate due to the terracing and round design. Moray may have functioned as an agricultural research site for the Incas to examine how these microclimates affected plant development.
Photo Source : Caminos Misticos Peru on Facebook
Tambomachay
The Peruvian water sanctuary of Tambomachay is located about 8 kilometers north of Cusco. Situated at an elevation of 3700 meters, the institution has Inca origins. Water flows via four graded tiers of canals. A fee is required to visit the well-developed tourist complex, which is accessible from a parking lot on 28B. Immediately across from 28B lies the ruins of the minor Inca stronghold Puka Pukara. Tambomachay is also the name of a rural community located roughly 10 miles away.
Photo Source : Destinos Perú Ya on Facebook
Plaza de Armas de Lima
Lima was born in the Plaza de Armas, often known as the Plaza Mayor. It is the oldest square in Lima, having been the site of Francisco Pizarro’s 1535 founding of the city. The Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Cathedral are among the structures that round the square and exhibit the historical grandeur.
Photo Source : OFF GRID 4WD Australia on Facebook
Plaza de Armas of Arequipa
Historical Significance: Arequipa’s Plaza de Armas is notable for its beautiful colonial architecture and its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Key Features: The plaza is dominated by the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, which spans one entire side of the square. The square is also known for its beautiful palm trees and the surrounding volcanic stone buildings.
Photo Source : Oana Alexandra on Facebook
Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera
The Larco Museum is a private pre-Columbian art museum in Lima, Peru, situated in the Pueblo Libre neighborhood. An 18th-century viceroyal building now serves as the museum’s home. Its chronological displays give visitors a thorough understanding of 5,000 years of pre-Columbian history in Peru.The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Cusco, a subsidiary of the Rafael Larco Museum, now borrows part of its holdings.
Photo Source : Oana Alexandra on Facebook
Huascarán National Park
The Andes region in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca over 4000 meters is covered by the Huascarán National Park. Its total size is 3400 km². Nevado Huascarán, the fourth-highest mountain in South America and the highest peak in Peru at 6768 meters, is located in the national park.Here, the Puya Raimondi, a plant that may grow up to 12 meters high, thrives. It also boasts the purest turquoise lagoons you’ve ever seen. You believe that there is paradise here.
Photo Source : Oana Alexandra on Facebook
Q'enco Archaeological Complex
Located in the Cusco Region, Cusco Province, Cusco District, approximately 6 km northeast of Cusco, is Kenko, also known as Quenco, an archeological site in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The National Institute of Culture has designated the location as Cultural Heritage of the Cusco Region.Today, the only remnants of the Q’enqo archeological complex are engraved rocks that the Spanish were unable to remove. The enclosures, deposits, and liturgical baths are gone, and there are just faint remnants of the aqueducts and pathways.
Photo Source : Oana Alexandra on Facebook
Parque de la Reserva
In the heart of Lima, Peru, is a park called Parque de la Reserva. It is situated between Express Paseo de la Republica Street and Arequipa Boulevard, two of the city’s main thoroughfares, and is constructed in an uneven shape.The circuit is a sight to behold and is the largest fountain complex in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Kids and adults alike like the participatory nature of several of the fountains, which can emit a pleasant mist. Visitors are encouraged to navigate a maze of vertical water barriers to an inner circle at the Maze of the Dream (Laberinto del Ensueno). The most potent fountain in the park is the Magic Fountain (Fuente Mágica), which shoots a torrent of water 262 feet (80 meters) into the air. The Fountain of Harmony (Fuente de la Armonía) is a pyramid with sides made of water jets.
Photo Source : Christian 2 on canva.com
Huaca Pucllana
Built from seven staggered platforms, Huaca Pucllana, also known as Huaca Juliana, is a large adobe and clay pyramid situated in the Miraflores area of central Lima, Peru. It is thought to be a local shrine to a protective deity, a sacred site, or a sacred pukllana game. The name may have originated from the Quechua language. For the evolution of the Lima Culture, a society that emerged on the Peruvian Central Coast between the years 200 and 700, it played a significant ceremonial and administrative role.
Photo Source : Cristea Mihita on canva.com
St. Francis Basilica
Peru’s capital city of Lima has a Franciscan monastery church called the Basilica of St. Francis located in its historic core. Currently dedicated to Blessed Francisco Palau y Quer, the Lima Archdiocese’s cathedral is classified as a minor basilica. It is a component of the Franciscan monastery, which also houses two other churches.
Photo Source : Oana Alexandra on Facebook
Lima Cathedral
Peru’s capital city of Lima is home to Parque Lima Cathedral, also known as St. John’s Cathedral Basilica, a Roman Catholic church. The Lima Archdiocese’s cathedral is dedicated to the apostle and evangelist John and is classified as a minor basilica.The cathedral has great historical significance in addition to its religious and architectural significance. The tombs of significant personalities in Peruvian history, including the conqueror Francisco Pizarro and the archbishops of Lima, are located within. For both locals and tourists interested in learning more about Lima’s history and culture, the Cathedral is a must-see. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Lima because of its commanding presence in the Plaza Mayor.
Photo Source : JW Marriott Hotel Lima on Facebook
Park of love
Love Park (Parque del Amor), a park dedicated to Lima’s lovers, naturally draws couples hoping to take in the Pacific vistas, particularly around dusk. The park, which is in the Miraflores neighborhood, is reminiscent of Barcelona’s Park Güell because of its vibrant mosaic walls that are dotted with sayings about love. Victor Delfín’s sculpture, El Beso (The Kiss), in the middle of the park was first shown in 1993 and is still the most well-known piece of Peruvian art. Visit Love Park on Valentine’s Day if you’re in Lima to witness young couples compete in a statue-hosted contest to see who can kiss the longest.
Photo Source : OanaAlexandra on canva.com
Arequipa Cathedral
The Arequipa Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria, is a southern Peruvian Roman Catholic church. Dedicated to Mary, the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Arequipa holds the status of minor basilica. The church is the main building in Arequipa’s UNESCO World Heritage Historic City Center. It takes up the whole north side of the Plaza de Armas.
Photo Source : OFF GRID 4WD Australia on Facebook
Reserva Nacional
de Lachay
Located north of the Lima region in western Peru lies a national reserve called Reserva Nacional de Lachay. The region is 50.7 km² in size. The management of this protected area, which is classified as IUCN Category VI, supports the sustainable use of natural ecosystems and habitats. It protects an ecosystem of endangered plant and animal species by maintaining the low coastal mountain range’s landscape.
Photo Source : OFF GRID 4WD Australia on Facebook
Plaza San Martín
The people of Lima claim that their city is the most beautiful in the entire globe. Others assert the exact reverse. It is simpler to look for the city’s most picturesque locations rather than debating this viewpoint. These could be squares or individual buildings. Plaza San Martin, which is situated on the old town’s southwest boundary, is one of them. José San Martin, a freedom fighter who was instrumental in the 1820 uprising against Spanish control, is honored at the square. The square is now a well-liked gathering spot for Lima residents, artists, and tourists.
Photo Source : OanaAlexandra on canva.com
Plaza de Armas Arequipa
One of the primary public areas in Arequipa and the site of the city’s beginnings is the Plaza de Armas. Situated in the heart of Arequipa’s historic center, it is bordered to the north by the Cathedral of Arequipa, to the east, south, and west by the Portals of Arequipa, to the south-east by La Compañía Church, to the south-west by La Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Merced, and to the center of the plaza by a bronze pool.
Photo Source : OFF GRID 4WD Australia on Facebook
Book your perfect vacation!
Vacations: We are happy that we have the opportunity to work with the most famous companies in the world, we always order our vacations from these companies and we have never been disappointed: Check 24, Trivago, Trafalgar, TravelUp, Insight Vacations, Explorer Fernreisen.
Where to stay
Hotels, bed & breakfasts, and guesthouses, regardless of location—in the center of town, close to a lake, or amid natural surroundings. We were able to identify the top companies providing the best hotels: Booking.com, Trip.com, TravelUp, esky, Hoteltopia, Millennium Hotels and Explorer Fernreisen.
Saving Tips
Book your tours!
Tours: If you do not go by car and need to know more information about the tours, and things to see, we recommend these companies that are offering tours for any kind of activity you want to do and where you can buy trips much cheaper than if you buy them when you arrive at your destination. It is always good to be able to save some money!
Viator, Get Your Guide, Tiqets, City Sightseeing, Sesame, Sightseeing Pass, Contiki, Riviera Travel, CityPass: the best activities in town!
Book your transport!
Rent a car!
Here you can find the best offers to rent the right car for you, as well as parking right in the airport: esky, Explorer, Centauro and intui.travel.
Book tour Flights!
If you have not found your desired flight, or you simply want more flight options to find the best and cheapest, we will help you with the best flight plans, where you will definitely find what you are looking for. With just one click you will find the cheapest flights to a wonderful destination!
Hi, all is going sound here and ofcourse every one is sharing data, that’s in fact good, keep up writing.
Hello!Thank you very much for letting us know that you appreciate our work!We would try our best in the future as well!Alex and Christian
Nicely written, detailed !
Thnk you very much!
Nicely detailed, thank you!