#44 best destination in the world

Huacachina

1920px-Overview_of_Huacachina

  • Village built around a small oasis, surrounded by sand dunes
  • Popular tourist attraction for sand boarding and dune buggy riding on the sand dunes
  • Local legends say the water and mud of the area has curative powers, leading people to often bathe in the waters or mud

 

Caral

PiramidesdeCaral

  • Was a large settlement founded in 2600 BC and abandoned in 2000 BC
  • The most ancient city of the Americas
  • One of the oldest buildings in the world
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

mar-21-086

  • Protected area that includes the archaeological site of Machu Picchu and its surrounding environment
  • #21 of the top 25 landmarks in the world
  • Located in a cloud forest
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Larco Museum

Fachada_Museo_Larco_en_baja

  • Privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art
  • #20 of the top 25 museums in the world
  • Museum shows an overview of 4,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history
  • Well known for its gallery of pre-Columbian erotic pottery

 

Chan Chan

1920px-Chan_Chan_Archaeological_Zone-110903

  • Largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America, now an archaeological site
  • Founded in 850 AD by the historical empire of Chimor
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Historic Centre of Lima

Plaza_de_Armas,_Lima

  • Noted for its high concentration of historic monuments constructed in the time of Spanish presense
  • Founded in 1535
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Arequipa

Arequipab

  • City founded in 1540 during the Colonial period
  • Religious, colonial, and republican architectural styles blend European and native characteristics
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Historic Center of Cusco

CuscoSacsa

  • Historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th-16th century Spanish conquest
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Sacsayhuamán

Sacsayhuamán,_Cusco,_Perú,_2015-07-31,_DD_21

  • Citadel first built in about 1100 by the Killke culture
  • Citadel was expanded and added to by the Inca from the 13th century
  • Dry stone walls are constructed of huge stones, carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar
  • Location is 12,142 ft above sea level
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Circuito Magico del Agua

reserva

  • Music, water, sound, and laser light show in the Parque de la Reserva

 

Sechin Bajo

8430085034_0d12e9cf74_b

  • Large archaeological site with ruins dating from 3500 BC to 1300 BC, making it not only one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Western Hemisphere, but also one of the oldest civilization centers on earth
  • Radiocarbon dating indicated that plaza was constructed in 3500 BCE
  • Sechin Bajo may contend with sites of Norte Chico as the oldest urban settlement of the Americas
  • One of the oldest buildings in the world

 

Queshuachaca

IRB-8-NewBridgeSideView-KC603-11

  • Last remained Inca rope bridge, made of twisted dried maguey and grass
  • Even though there is a modern bridge nearby, the residents of the region keep the ancient tradition and skills alive by renewing the bridge annually, in June

 

Vinicunca

peru-cusco-vinicunca-colorful-rainbow-mountain-montana-de-siete-colores

  • 17,060 ft above sea level
  • Tourist access requires a 2 hour drive from Cusco, and a walk of about 3.1 miles or 3.5 hour drive through Pitumarca and 0.31 mile steep walk (1-1.5 hours) to the hill
  • As of 2019, no robust methods of transportation to Vinicunca have been developed to accommodate travelers, as it requires passage through a valley

 

Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, Lima

Iglesia_de_San_Francisco,_Lima,_Perú,_2015-07-28,_DD_76

  • Church and monastery that contains a library and catacombs
  • In this church, Jude the Apostle is revered
  • At the feast of Saint Jude Tadeus a one and a half ton weighing silver stand is carried round in procession by 40 people, starting from the convent
  • Completed in 1674
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Nazca Lines

2663863680_4f8b68625b_b

  • Group of very large geoglyphs, of religious significance, formed by depressions or shallow incisions made in the soil of the Nazca Desert
  • Created between 500 BC and 500 AD
  • Most lines run straight across the landscape, but there are also figurative designs of 70 zoomorphic designs of animals, such as a hummingbird, spider, fish, llama, jaguar, monkey, lizard, dog and a human, measuring 0.2-0.7 miles across
  • Other shapes include trees and flower
  • The combined length of all the lines is over 808 miles
  • The lines are only 4-6 inches deep
  • Best seen by air travel
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Miraflores District, Lima

1100px-Miraflores_Skyline

  • An exclusive residential and upscale shopping district of the Lima Province
  • It is also one of the most affluent districts that make up the city of Lima
  • It has various hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and department stores
  • Founded as San Miguel de Miraflores, it was established as a district in 1857

 

Ollantaytambo Sanctuary

ollantaytambo-restos

  • Incan archaeological site used as a city, fort and royal estate with big terraces and a ceremonial area
  • Altitude 9,160 ft

 

 

Costs

Number of Days: 36 days

Best Time To Fly: May-Sept

Airline tickets: $1,069

Seattle -> Lima (round trip) = $929
Lima -> Trujillo (round trip) = $57
Lima -> Cusco (one way) = $28
Cusco -> Arequipa (one way) = $27
Arequipa -> Lima (one way) = $28

Food: $9/day x 36 days = $324

Rental car: $26/day x 16 days = $419

Gas: $117

Entertainment: $820

Airbnb: $37/day x 34 days = $1,267

TOTAL: $4,016