10 of the Best Things to Do in Peru

Located in the western part of South America, Peru is a niche tourist country with rich natural beauties and cultural relics. Its strip-like land from north to south runs through almost the entire continent of South America, leading to its rich natural resources including deserts, rainforests and mountains. Meanwhile, the long history of Peru also brings the ancient relics like Machu Picchu.

As a country with abundant tourism resources, Peru is sure to be a novel choice to bring a unique experience, especially after you have seen many other landscapes around the world. This article will introduce the top 10 things to do when you travel to Peru.

Visit Machu Picchu

As the top tourist attraction of Peru, you can miss Machu Picchu. It is a civilization on a ridge 2,350 meters high on Andes. The Inca Empire, which is one of the most important civilizations in South America, built this ancient city long before Columbus discovered America. Take a train to go across the Andes, and you can see the verdant valleys and wreathed clouds along the way. Finally you are in the ruins of Machu Picchu. The local guide will introduce the history of ancient Inca civilization to you.

Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Machu Picchu's buildings were all made of stone, with more than 3,000 stone steps from the foot to the top of the mountain. You can climb through steps and see a variety of buildings, such as temples, altars, and housing for nobles. It is amazing that hundreds of years ago, the Inca people built such a well-equipped city out of stone on a 2,350 meter mountain, in a time with a few building tools.

Machu Picchu

Walk Through the Amazon Rainforest

If you are a fan of rainforest with a variety of wildlife, then you will enjoy this tropical rainforest tour. You will march through dense humid woods with your guide, admire wild crocodiles and monkeys closely.

There are usually ecotour packages recommended by travel apps. You can choose any route you like. Usually many visitors start from Puerto Maldonado in the south of the Amazon or Iquitos which is in the north. First you take a speedboat to the the eco-hotels in rainforest. The eco-hotels are usually cabins which will provide meals. Your'll be guided to walk through the route and admire the scenery along the way. Be sure to bring binoculars so you can get a closer look at the wild animals and plants. You may see sloths, parrots, and even have a piranha fishing. At last the guide will take you to the Amazon River and have a boating. On the endless river of Amazon, you can watch a ruddy sunset as well as bright stars at night.

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See the Ancient Salt Pan and Terrace

In Cusco, a city near Machu Picchu, you can see the Maras salt pan consisting of thousands of small salt ponds. Besides, there is the Moray terrace which consists of circles of land. The guide will explain how people of Inca civilization use these salt pans and terraces.

Moray terrace has different soil and temperature in each circle, so it can be used to grow different kinds of crops and plants. Moray terrace is also called the test plot of ancient Inca people. As to Maras salt pan, you can take brilliant photos next to the beautiful pans. Divided into thousands of small pieces, white or pink, the salt pans look like a giant eyeshadow tray. There are farmers collecting salt near the salt pan, and you can see the whole process of salt collecting.

Moray terrace

Climb the Mountain of Rainbow

Cusco is the must visit place for the first time traveller. In Cusco there is a colorful mountain where the rainbow seems to be spread on its surface. The name of the rainbow mountain is Vinicunca.

Each layer of the rainbow mountain has a different color. You can see rocks of red, green, purple stacked together, which will leave you amazed at its magic and beauty. Such a view that looks like an oil painting of Monet is actually displayed before your eyes. And with a shutter, it becomes the background of your photo.

However, it's not a easy thing to climb the Vinicunca Mountain which is over 5,200 meters high. First you need to drive from Cusco to the mountain pass, then you can choose to walk or ride a horse to reach the top after a 10-kilometer trek. Along the way, you'll also meet grazing alpacas and local herders. If you're tired after long climbing, it's also quite fun to take a break and interact with the alpacas.

Visit the Houses Made of Reeds

Lake Titicaca is a great fresh water lake on a plateau. Rowing a boat on the endless blue lake of Titicaca, you will see many small islands made of reeds floating on the lake. Here you can visit their special houses - people in Titicaca lives in houses made of reeds. What's more amazing is that every few years people need to rebuild some of their houses. Some of the larger islands can even be used to build schools and hospitals. You can try to live in their houses for a few days. The host will provide food made of reeds and fishes from lake. But spending a night on these reed islands is more expensive than a common hotel.

Houses Made of Reeds

Stay One Night in a Hotel on the Cliff

In Cusco there is a famous cliff hotel, which is called Skylodge Adventure Suites. You need to climb up the cliff for about two hours, and then you will enjoy one night on the cliff which is 300 meters above the ground. You need to use steel handrails and cables for climbing. There will be three or four guides with you to help solve any problems you may encounter. This is an excellent experience for people who want to try rock climbing. The walls of the cliff hotel are all transparent, like a capsule hanging on the cliff. You can see the mountains outside through its walls. What's more, lying in bed at night and looking up, you'll see the starry sky close at hand. Thrill seekers and climbers can't miss up for this hotel.

Eat in Peru

Peru is also a country famous for food. If you like to have seafood, you can go to La mar which ranks 13 in 2021 Latin America's 50 best restaurants. La mar is located in Lima, Peru's capital. One of La mar's recommended cuisine is Ceviche, a fish which is sour and fresh. There are many other fresh seafood, such as sea cucumber, shrimp, and scallop. If you want to try Peruvian specialties, you can go to Mojsa restaurant. Special cuisines in Peru include roast alpaca meat, beef stew, guinea pig, etc.

Food in Peru

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Have a Hiking in a Mountain Park

Huascarán national park is the highest alpine park in the tropics. There are many hiking trails for choice. One of the most famous trails is the Huayhush tek. It is considered by many hikers to be the most physically demanding way. The 130 km hike starts in the small town of Huaraz, which is at the foot of Andes. Here you can find local guides to help you. The average elevation of this trail exceeds 3,000 meters. Hiking is a hard and persevering activity. You need to carry tents, food and other supplies and make your way as you go. However, the interest of hiking is that, along the road you will see pure lakes, lush vegetation and snow-capped mountains. The landscapes on this route are all pristine, and you can feel few track of human activities except for other hikers. You just walk quietly, cross mountains, stay by lakes for a few nights, and lie in a tent looking at bright stars. This experience is grueling, unique but healing.

Take a Plane to See Giant Paintings on Earth

Located in the Nazca Desert in Peru, the Nazca Magnum paintings are some giant designs carved on earth, including spiders, dogs, fishes, hands and so on. The designs were carved on brown rocks in the ancient times. Standing on the ground, you can hardly recognize what these carves are. In the Nazca painting area, there are special planes for viewing the huge paintings. You can take a plane to an altitude of 300 meters and overlook the whole picture clearly which is 500 square kilometers. Scientific tests have proved that Nazca patterns are more than 2,000 years old. How did ancient people make such huge paintings?

Enjoy a Buggy Tour in Huacachina

Huacachina is an oasis in the desert south of Lima. It takes about four hours to drive from Lima to Huacachina. Here you can enjoy the exciting sand boarding and buggy tour to go through the vast desert. Usually those desert buggy cars have very fast speeds. Rolling up and down one dune after another and speeding through endless desert, you'll feel like on a roller coaster rather than a buggy car. It's quite similar to the racing game in a desert map. Sand boarding is also very interesting. It's like a skiing in desert, because you can march with a board and go down from sand slopes very fast, but you don't have to wear heavy suits. After the sand boarding, you can find a dune at nightfall and enjoy the beautiful desert sunset quietly. Then you can return to the bright oasis town, walk on busy streets and enjoy some local food.

Peru has always been an ideal destination for many tourists. The land which is separated by the Andes seems to be another world. The scenery here is very different from that of Asia and Europe, which is of the characteristics of South America. If you are a nature lover, you can enjoy the vibrant and mysterious Amazon rainforest, the Andes mountains dotted with snow and lakes, and the mountain paved with rainbows. If you are a history and culture lover, the ancient relics of Machu Picchu built high in the mountains, and the tribes living on reed islands will show you the footprints of history. In addition, a variety of special food and exciting activities are also the integral part of Peru. Peru must be that unique place you have been looking for.