WELCOME TO PERU!
In 2025, while still in SE Asia, we made the decision that trip #2 would be to South America. It was an easy decision…so much to see, relatively close to home, pleasant weather for “winter” travel, and lower costs than the US. But, where to go first?
Our friends, the Flores family, are from Peru, and it did not take much encouragement to pick their home country. Varied landscape, vast cultural history and, of course, great food! Also, staying on the northern side of South America in their spring would mean nicer weather, then we could slide south as things heat up.
All that said, I do not believe we were prepared for Peru at all. We did not research much in advance. Nonetheless, in mid-October, we pushed off and flew south. Landing in Lima was an eye-opener. Lima is big – 12M people big – and covers a vast area and no skyscrapers. We also quickly learned of Peru’s fascinating and complex history. While most folks know about the famous Inca Civilization, the Incas were prevalent quite late in the game for Peru.
The Paracas, Nazca, and Wari, pre-date the Incas by over one thousand years and those peoples built civilizations that were so advanced that we are still gaining insight into their accomplishments today.
Perhaps even more impressive than Peru’s human history is the diversity of the landscape, flora, and fauna. Peru sits on the Pacific Ocean with a tortured coastline. Inland lie immense deserts and dunes, rocky but fertile land, giant mountain ranges with peaks soaring from 15,000-20,000’ elevation (especially the Andes mountain volcano range) and far eastward, the Amazon jungle. It is a tough landscape that, over thousands of years, has made the Peruanos (Peruvian peoples) very hardy and persistent folks. The terrain is also breathtaking from the air, land, and sea.
So, off we went. We managed to visit a variety of cities scattered around the central and southern regions of Peru. Notably missing to date is Cuzco – home to the number one tourist destination in the world, Machu Pichu We plan to make our mark there, but not until part B of our South American travels in 2026-27.
Lovely Lima
Lima is Peru’s capital and one of South America’s largest cities. It is a diverse, sprawling city with a cultural history that officially began in the early 1500s and includes a period of Spanish colonial rule. Like most big cities, Lima has a variety of districts and neighborhoods. The central “downtown” and business districts are Miraflores, Barranco, and San Isidro and these are where most visitors tend to stay. These are three exceptionally beautiful, clean and generally safe areas that are decidedly more expensive. We were advised not to wonder into other neighborhoods – particularly after dark. Peru has a messy political situation that has not been stable for several decades. The previous five presidents have been charged with corruption, and these types of issues extend to the Peruvian Congress. When we arrived in Lima, the president – Dina Boluarte – had been ousted from office ten days prior. There was civic unrest in central Lima and armed soldiers were on the streets to discourage further protests. All that said, there were no obvious issues during our time in Lima, and we felt safe and distant from the unrest.
We fully enjoyed our time in the Miraflores and Barranco neighborhoods. We began our trip with two weeks of intensive, small group Spanish lessons at the Peruwayna School. It was time well spent. The instructors were great and we met travelers from all over the globe. We spent a lot of time on discovery walks, visited multiple museums (like Larco) and even toured an ancient ruin from a pre-Incan era. The main tourist attraction is the El Centro district of Lima. There you find the Main Plaza or Plaza de Armas, an historic Catholic Basilica, palaces and the amazing Museo del Convento de San Francisco, a very old Catholic church, convent and building structure that includes catacombs (underground graves). The weather in Lima was excellent. Despite being right on the Pacific Ocean, the city receives very little rain. Similar to our home city of Seattle, late spring and summer bring sunny weather with temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s Fahrenheit. We were told that the other nine months it is very, very gray. We found the Peruvian people in Lima to generally be polite, yet slightly reserved. Although, once you break the ice with someone, they are incredible kind and generous. We were fortunate that our friends in Seattle, the Flores family, connected us to their family in Lima. The Chavez family picked us up at the airport, provided guidance on things to do, and entertained us at their home in north Lima with a spectacular dinner followed by a tour of the area and a trip to the La Punta viewpoint. We would definitely return to Lima in the future!
Huaraz - High in the Andes
Huaraz (pronounced Wah-Razz) is a small city in the central highlands of Peru. It is best known for the specific area of the Andes mountain range known as the Cordillera Blanca or “white mountain chain” with many opportunities for hiking and climbing. The city sits at around 10,000’ elevation and the mountains surround the town with heights up to 19,000’. We jumped on a bus in Lima and took the long, 9-hour ride to Huaraz, moving from sea level and ocean views to desert landscapes and then a steep, switchback road to the city. The city was not big, but quite bustling, noisy with a scattered feel to the development – the result of numerous earthquakes and multiple rebuilds.
After a day of clouds, the sky cleared and we were treated to views that would likely never get old. Giant white peaks tower above the city. While our plans were to do some serious hiking, we realized it would take 2-3 days to acclimate to the elevation. Additionally, most of the hiking options were multiday trips that involved camping at altitude or more technical climbing routes, which were not our gig. We did some great day hikes around the city and even these shorter treks provided stunning views of the area. We hired a guide who took us on a full day hike to Laguna Llaca – a glacier-fed lake sitting below two major peaks in the Cordillera Blanca. (Check out the pics and video.) The hike was incredible, but even after seven days at 10,000’ and having gone on several smaller hikes, the altitude was challenging. Llaca laguna sits at 14,600’…about the same height at Mt. Rainier. If you are a serious hiker or climber, you should check this place out!
Ayachuco & Quinua - Land of History
Ayacucho (Eye-ah-koo-cho) and Quinua (Keen-wah) are part of the southern central highlands. The Florez family has history in Ayacucho and recommended we visit the city. To save the 12-hour bus ride, we hopped a plane and flew over the rugged mountains that separate central Peru from the Pacific coast. Ayacucho is nestled into the mountains at around 8,000’ elevation. It is a city of great historical significance in Peru, particularly related to battles that took place in the early 1800’s which gained independence from Spanish rule. Like many of the smaller cities in inland Peru, the main attractions are often outside of the city by 1-3 hours drives to places such as natural attractions or ancient ruins. We explored Ayacucho city with it’s beautiful Plaza de Armas and people in traditional dress. We visited a slot canyon just outside the city for a 2-hour journey through beautiful, winding terrain of a golden granite crack about 2-3’ wide. The sun could barely sneak any rays into the 60’ deep canyon that we shared with a Peruvian family.
From Ayacucho, we traveled the 50km north to the small village of Quinua. It is doubtful we would have ever visited the town, but we met some charming folks at a cocktail party in Lima sponsored by our Spanish language school. Janette and her daughter, Barbara, were enjoying Pisco (Peruvian liquor) with us and we mentioned our plans to visit Ayacucho and they – without hesitation – invited us to stay at their home in Quinua. We arrived at Quinua without not-so-small amount of luggage, met the entire family at the local market, and dragged our luggage the 400m to Janette’s lovely home with spectacular views of the lush Quinua valley. Janette was actually away on business, so Barbara became our host and she (and her grandmother) prepared our breakfasts, provided guided tours and essentially made sure we got to take in all Quinua had to offer.
After the busy areas of Lima, Huaraz and Ayacucho, the small village was a quiet, tranquil refuge. A city of many artisans, there are paintings, murals and many sculptural works all over the city. The family matriarch, Marina, was extremely friendly, and cooked up some wonderful Peruvian meals. Quinua was the primary site for the final battles for independence of Peru in 1824 and, like Ayacucho, there are museums and historical sites related to those events. Most notably, the Quinua Obelisco (Obelisk) is a monument to this historical event and many tourists (native and foreign) flock to this site. A significantly older site is the Complejo Arqueológico Wari. The Wari were an ancient civilization that ruled most of what is now Peru from 500-100 AD and their “capital” was located just 10km west of Quinua. Like most of central Peru, the area is arid and desert-like, full of a variety of cacti and rocky outcroppings. The Wari, like other early pre-Peruvian civilizations (Nazca, Inca) were highly advanced in city planning, water and agricultural management, textiles and pottery. We would definitely return to Quinua for both the wonderful landscape and people, but also the pure relaxation this area offers travelers.
Ayacucho Photos
Quinua Photos
Ica, Nazca & Huacachina -
Southern Coastal Deserts
We left the green hills of Quinua, made our way back to Ayacucho and grabbed a sleeper bus for the 9-hour, overnight ride to the city of Ica near Peru’s southern coast. We arrived in the desert landscape of Ica that defines much of the southern coast, however, our lodging was in Huacachina. This is an actual oasis, which is slightly separated from Ica to the east. Huacachina is decidedly touristy, with hotels and restaurants surrounding the lush watering hole. Around that are the mighty sand dunes of the Ica desert reaching up to 300M tall. We pulled into our new digs of the Bamboo Inn and viewed the desert paradise landscape that was such a contrast to those just 24 hours previous.
The plan for this trip was to explore the famous Ica sand dunes, travel south to Nazca to view the famous geoglyphs (“Nazca Lines”) and see what Huacachina had to offer for food and drink. I am happy to say we did all this and a bit more. A highlight was exploring the desert dunes at sunset, sand boarding down the giant hills, and watching parasailers float gently above the dunes and the oasis. Of course, our short flight over Nazca to see the famous Nazca lines was also a high point, literally and figuratively. For many years, the Nazca and similar geoglyphs were seen as nothing more than ancient people paying tribute to nature or to the Gods. It is now known that these giant etchings are astronomically connected and aligned with the seasonal changes, which served as guides for agricultural and religious activities. Just seeing the incredible terrain of the giant Nazca valley was awe inspiring.
Paracas - Desert meets Ocean
Paracas sits a mere 70km west of Ica. Despite resting on the shores of the Pacific Ocean the massive ICA desert reaches all the way to Paracas and even the Paracas Nature Preserve – a peninsula that reaches 10km into the ocean – is a dry, arid landscape. We stayed at the Atoq (Fox) Paracas Reserve Hotel. It sits around 1km south of the town of Paracas on a bend on the coast that allows for 180-degree views, north to south, of the ocean and the neighboring Paracas Reserve. We swam, biked, paddle boarded, took long walks on the waterfront, passed surprisingly upscale homes, and essentially relaxed. The Ballestas Islas sit about 10km west of Paracas and are home to Humboldt Penguins, sealions (or sea wolves as known in South America) and many birds. We grabbed a noisy tour boat on a sunny day and made our way to the islands. The landscape was reminiscent of Baja California and the wildlife was great. Our last adventure was a trip to the neighboring Paracas Nature Preserve, which is comprised of stunning beaches, cliffs and shorelines along the Pacific Ocean. Blue water, red sand beaches and the tanned desertscape made for exceptional views in this arid, windy terrain.
Arequipa - "The White City"
We made a quick dash from Paracas to Ica and then caught another sleeper bus south to the city of Arequipa. Peru’s second largest city of around 2M and its former capital; Arequipa is the colonial-era capital of Peru’s Arequipa Region. Framed by three very large volcanoes, it’s filled with baroque buildings constructed from sillar, a white volcanic stone. Its historic center is anchored by the Plaza de Armas, a stately main square flanked on its north by the 17th-century neoclassical Basilica Cathedral. We spent time nearly every day in the Plaza. Arequipa quickly became our favorite city in Peru. The combination of natural landscape, city offerings, and local culture are hard to beat. We enjoyed views from the Puente Bolivar Bridge and Mirador Yanahuara, the architecture and history of Santa Catalina Monestery (actually a convent) and learning about the processing of soft wool from the animals in Alpaca Mundo. The weather also stays around 70-75F year-round! Our big adventure near Arequipa was to venture out to Colca Canyon. (See the next section.) Overall, we would absolutely return to Arequipa for an extended stay.
Canyon de Colca - Going Deep
The geography of Peru is simply amazing. It seems a canyon, desert, mountain or large body of water is always within short distance. A not-so-short 5-hour drive north of Arequipa sits the Canyon de Colca. The canyon is touted as one of the deepest in the world with low points at 14,000’. The canyon is around 200km in length. We booked a 3-day/2-night tour with Armando, an experienced guide in the Colca area. We descended down from an Andes plateau into the city of Chivay, which is essentially the shallow end of the valley, and headed west into Colca. The initial views of the canyon were stunning. The green hills with terraced fields and rugged cliff walls. We drove through several miradores (view points) and the canyon walls got steeper and the valley lower until we hit Cabanaconde – the start of our hike – where the depth was around 4,000’.
We dropped into the canyon and spent the next 5 hours making our way to the bottom with a river crossing to the other side. Our bodies were beaten, but cerveza and lomo saltado (a classic Peruvian dish) reenergized us. The next morning we hiked and biked to several villages before beginning our drop to the into the lush oasis village of Sangalle. A dip in the pool, another great Peruvian meal and a spectacular sunset ended the day. At 4am the alarm sounded and one of us pulled on their hiking shoes to begin the 4000’ vertical climb over 5km of switchbacks. It was an exhausting climb offset by absolutely jaw dropping views as sunrise slowly lit the canyon. Alex took some wonderful photos from her perch on Flora, the mule. She passed me on the trail, and it was good that I didn’t know how tired I would be in 30 minutes or I may have stolen her ride. After the hike, we made our way back to Arequipa with some excellent stops along the 5-hour return drive, including a camelid reserve where we watched llamas, alpacas and vicunas munching on lush grass at 13,000’ elevation. Canyon de Colca was one of our favorite places. Steve plans to return for an extended stay at a future date to explore more of this special area.
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Estupendo! So. Much. Content. Keep it up!