Peru came out on top in the regional edition of the prestigious World Travel Awards (WTA) 2024, being named South America’s Leading Destination. Also, for the seventh consecutive year since 2018, our country has been chosen as “South America’s Leading Cultural Destination.” This award highlights the country’s ongoing effort to preserve and share its heritage and cultural diversity with the world.
Feel Machu Picchu
Although it may seem a bit cliché, Machu Picchu alone justifies a trip to Peru. The ancient Inca citadel, discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and declared a World Heritage Site in 1983, is considered one of the ten wonders of the modern world. Located 2,500 meters above sea level, it offers an impressive panorama that invites reflection.
Accessing this sacred city, located 130 kilometers from the city of Cusco, on an interior plateau of the Amazon jungle, can become a real adventure. The Inca Trail can be covered by train or on foot, on a route that extends for several days, along cobbled paths through mountains, forests and rivers.
Enjoy its famous gastronomy
Being considered the best culinary destination in the world, according to the World Travel Awards (WTA) - something like the Oscars of tourism - for five consecutive years has allowed Peruvian cuisine to be placed in a place of honor in planetary gastronomy. The truth is that the award recognizes the quality and multiple variety of the local tradition, as diverse as the territory itself.
Beyond restaurants by great chefs such as Virgilio Martínez - his restaurant, Central, is the best in Latin America - or Gastón Acurio, who have given prestige to Peruvian cuisine, the truth is that in any corner we will find places where we can taste local food.
Especially recommended are the huariques, home-style establishments where you can eat well at a good price. In Lima you will find many. In the neighborhood of La Victoria, we recommend the seafood cuisine of Mi Barrunto; In Miraflores, Grimanesa Vargas Anticuchos, where you can eat anticuchos - skewers of meat - or Lobo de Mar Otani, which offers shrimp. In the heart of the capital, El chinito delights with chicharrón sandwiches.
Visit its cities
The best-known city in the country is Lima, one of the few Latin American capitals bathed by the sea. Its historic center, declared a World Heritage Site, has the majority of historic buildings. The Plaza de Armas is, without a doubt, the epicenter, with the Iglesia Mayor, the municipal building or the Government Palace.
It is worth visiting the districts of Magdalena del Mar and Miraflores and enjoying their green spaces and the fantastic views of the Malecón, or the Parque del Amor, whose benches remind more than one of those of the Park Güell in Barcelona. Before leaving, the Parque de la Reserva awaits us with the Magic Water Circuit, which combines lights, music and image in an original way.
If Lima is the best-known city, Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Inca empire, is the most beautiful, with a Plaza de Armas surrounded by arcaded porticos, white facades and wooden balconies, which make it one of the most impressive corners of colonial America. Staying in one of the palaces of the city, located at 3,400 meters above sea level - in the heart of the Andes - is a highly recommended pleasure.
Arequipa and Trujillo are two cities that also deserve our attention. The first, surrounded by volcanoes and known as the White City, resembles an Andalusian city, with its courtyards and pleasant streets, which reflect the heritage of its Spanish past. The second, the City of Eternal Spring, boasts its religious buildings, its university and the ruins of the pre-Inca city of Chanchán.
Enjoy its natural parks
Did you know that Peru is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world? The truth is that its three regions – coast, mountains and jungle – enjoy 90 microclimates that provide its territories with spectacular flora and fauna that, in many cases, require special protection to preserve them from external threats.
Among these spaces we find the Huascarán National Park, which with its 16 snow-capped peaks of more than six thousand meters high, is one of the most emblematic protected areas, with numerous glaciers and lagoons. It is located in the department of Ancash, in the south of the country, and is considered the highest tropical mountain range in the world. If you like sports, you will have a great time, trekking, mountain biking, climbing, skiing or fishing.
On the other hand, the Manu Natural Park, located in the departments of Cusco and Madre de Dios, is very frequented by tourists who want to go into the jungle. It has a good ecotourism infrastructure and offers interesting tours to get to know the area and the indigenous communities that live there.
You can't miss Huacachina either, an oasis in the Pacific coastal desert, located five kilometers west of Icla. Its emerald green waters, lush vegetation and beauty have made it a great tourist attraction known as the oasis of America.
Bathing on its beaches
The more than three thousand kilometers of Peruvian coastline allow you to enjoy countless spots to enjoy a swim. Among the best beaches is Punta Sal, one of the most attractive in the north of the country. The warm waters and the climate - it enjoys sunshine all year round - of this small resort an hour and a half from Tumbes make it a paradise. Near Punta Sal, we find Zorritos, a paradisiacal beach with a small fishing village.
Surf lovers have Mancora and Pimentel - the latter about 20 minutes from Chiclayo - two of the beaches where they can enjoy the best waves.
On the coasts of Arequipa, Mejia beach, in a picturesque town, stands out for its great beauty, its vegetation and its numerous birds.
Seeing the Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are one of the great archaeological enigmas of recent times. They are geoglyphs drawn on the ground of the desert of the same name between 200 BC and 600 AD. The geometric, animal and human figures, declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity, occupy an area of ??450 km2 and are only visible from the air.
If you travel to the area, it is advisable to see them from a small plane. The flights, which can last between 30 and 90 minutes, have reasonable prices and the experience is priceless.
Buying their crafts
It is not possible to travel to Peru and not return loaded with crafts. And this is, without a doubt, one of the best places on the continent to buy handmade products, since the ancestral culture is very present and traditional techniques are still used.
The chullo, the typical brightly colored hat woven from alpaca and other fibers, has become an icon and one of the favorite garments for travelers who visit Peru. Handmade, artisanal, with eye bags and originating in the Andean region, it allows you to protect yourself from the cold and the wind. Likewise, gloves and ponchos made of alpaca are often bought, which are very soft and light.
