Peru
It's the multiple layers of great civilisations which make Peru so intriguing. You can wander around colonial cities which have preserved the legacy of the Spanish conquistadors, visit the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, explore the lost city of Machu Picchu and ponder the enigma of the Nazca Lines.
It also has some of the most spectacular and varied scenery in South America. The Peruvian Andes are arguably the most beautiful on the continent and the mountains are home to millions of highland Indians who still speak the ancient tongue of Quechua and maintain a traditional way of life.
You don't have to be in Peru too long to realize that the 'New World' had a rich and complex cultural life thousands of years before Pizarro turned up wearing funny clothing.
And then there's the natural world. The verdant Amazon Basin, which occupies half of Peru, is one of the world's top 10 biodiversity 'hot spots' - a species-rich area of tropical rain forest that will make your head spin when you start to learn about its ecology. And the coastal deserts, with their huge rolling dunes, farmland oases and fishing villages, are underappreciated by travellers but offer the opportunity to get off the Gringo Trail in a big way.
Peru's peak tourist season is from June to August, which is the dry season in the highlands, and this is the best time to go if you're interested in hiking. Travelers do visit the highlands year-round, though the wettest months, January to April, make trekking a muddy proposition. Many of the major fiestas occur in the wettest months and continue undiminished in spite of heavy rain.
On the coast, Peruvians visit the beaches during the sunny months from late December through March, although few beaches are particularly enticing. The rest of the year, the coast is clothed in mist. In the eastern rainforests, it naturally rains a lot. The wettest months are December through April, though travelers visit year-round since it rarely rains for more than a few hours and there's still plenty of sunshine to enjoy.
Events
Many of the main festivals favor the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar. These are often celebrated with great pageantry, especially in highland Indian villages, where the Catholic feast day is usually linked with a traditional agricultural festival. Some of the major events include: Carnaval (February-March), which is particularly popular in the highlands and features numerous water fights; Inti Raymi (24 June), the greatest of the Inca festivals with spectacular dances and parades; Peru's Independence (28 July); All Souls Day (2 November), celebrated with gifts of food, drink and flowers which are taken to family graves; and Puno Day (5 November), which features flamboyant costumes and street dancing in Puno.
Money & Costs
Currency: Nuevo Sol
Meals
- Budget: US$2-5
- Mid-range: US$5-10
- High: US$10+
Lodging - Budget: US$5-10
- Mid-range: US$10-15
- High: US$15+
Costs in Peru are lower, on average, than those in developed countries, but higher than those in many neighboring countries. Lima and Cuzco are the most expensive places in the country. If you're on a tight budget, you can scrape by on around US$20-30 per day, but if you want to stay in modest hotels and eat out at restaurants, you'll have a better time on around US$50 a day. Prices for luxury accommodations run up to US$200 at popular destinations like Machu Picchu.
The easiest currency to exchange is US dollars. Other currencies are only exchangeable in major cities and at a high commission. Money can be changed in banks, casas de cambio, first-class hotels or with street changers. Casas de cambio are usually the easiest places to change money. Street changers, who hang out near banks, never offer better rates than the best bank rate and have been known to cheat travelers so are best avoided. Rates vary from place to place but not significantly, unless you try to change money at a hotel which charges high commission. Travelers' checks are changed at a slightly lower rate than cash. Visa is the most widely accepted credit card, but credit cards attract an 8% commission unless you are using it for a cash withdrawal (in Peruvian currency) from a bank. ATMs (Visa and Plus system are most widely recognized) are now the best way to extract money in Peru.
A combination of taxes and service charges are added to bills in the best hotels and restaurants and can total as much as 28%. The cheaper hotels and restaurants don't add taxes. Tipping is not expected in budget restaurants. A tip of 10-15% is fine in upmarket restaurants if a service charge has not already been added to the bill. Taxi drivers are not tipped - bargain hard beforehand and stick to your price. Local guides should be tipped US$3-5 per day. Bargaining is a way of life in markets.
Attractions
Lima
A vast polluted metropolis situated in the middle of Peru's desert coastline, Lima is a magnet for struggling highland villagers. But it also has plenty to offer the adventurous traveller - interesting museums, a vibrant cafe scene, striking architecture and genuinely friendly people.
Lima has a great selection of museums and an impressively restored colonial centre. Its churches provide a welcome respite from the outside clamour, and its many markets overflow with consumer goods and handicrafts. There are also plazas, lovely old buildings and a zoo.
Arequipa
Nicknamed the 'white city', Arequipa is surrounded by spectacular mountains, including the volcano El Misti. A feature of the city is its many beautiful buildings made of a light-coloured volcanic rock called sillar. The Convento de Santa Catalina, perhaps the most fascinating colonial religious building in the country, was, until recently, home to almost 450 nuns. Many of the city's beautiful colonial houses, such as Casa Ricketts, are now used as art galleries or museums. Accommodation and food is cheap and often provided in lovely locations. The Colca Canyon, arguably the world's deepest canyon, is a popular excursion from Arequipa.
Cuzco
The archaeological capital of the Americas and the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent, Cuzco is now an important link in the South American travel network. Its legacy as the hub of the Inca empire is readily apparent: Most of the city streets are lined with Inca-built stone walls and crowded with Quecha-speaking descendants of the Incas. The city has magnificent repositories of colonial art such as the catedral (begun in 1559) and La Merced Church. There is also the Coricancha ruins, east of the city centre, which were formerly covered with gold (the stonework is all that remains) and the Museo de Arqueológia, the interior of which is filled with metal and gold work, jewellery, pottery, textiles and mummies. Four other ruins - Sacsayhuamán, Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay - are nearby.
West of Cuzco is Machu Picchu, the best-known and most spectacular site on the continent. Despite the relentless stampede of tourists (especially during the dry season months, June to September), this 'Lost City of the Incas' still retains an air of grandeur and mystery.
Huaraz Area
Huaraz is the most important climbing, trekking and backpacking centre in Peru. The city of Huaraz has been demolished several times by massive earthquakes and is therefore not particularly attractive. The surrounding mountains, however, are exceptionally beautiful, and many travellers come to Peru specifically to visit the Huaraz area.
The Andes around Huaraz offer a wide range of attractions, the most evident of which are the many permanently glaciated peaks jutting up to 6000m (19680ft). The climbing and hiking season runs May to September. There are also glacial lakes, hot springs and Inca and pre-Inca archeological sites, most notably Chavín de Huántar. Parque Nacional Huascarán, established in 1975, protects a large chunk of the Cordillera Blanca. The city of Huaraz is a great base camp, with a multitude of hotels and guide services to choose from.
Iquitos
Iquitos, Peru's largest jungle city and the Amazon Basin's largest settlement without road links, is connected to the outside world only by air and river. Founded in the 1750s by Jesuits, it would later become an oil and rubber boomtown. Today the tourist economy is increasingly the area's main focus. Iquitos' main attraction is as a civilized gateway to the Amazon and jumping-off point for jungle excursions.
Off the Beaten Track
Caraz
The tiny town of Caraz, east of Chimbote, is one of the few places in the region not to have been ravaged by earthquakes or landslides. It has the attractive Plaza de Armas, several inexpensive hotels and restaurants and, importantly, a number of beautiful walks in the surrounding hills. Caraz is also the finishing point of the popular Llanganuco to Santa Cruz trek and the point of departure for road excursions to the beautiful Laguna Parón and Cañón del Plato
Isla Taquile
Isla Taquile, a 24km (15mi) passage from Puno, is an enchanting island in Lake Titicaca. Its inhabitants dress splashily in traditional clothes (on sale at the local cooperative store), speak Quechua and maintain strong group loyalties. Pre-Inca terracing and small ruins dot the landscape and there are plenty of walks to keep you busy. The island is bereft of hotels, electricity, roads, vehicles and, importantly, dogs. Accommodation is provided by locals, while skimpy restaurants serve only what's available: fresh trout if you're lucky, boiled potatoes if you're not. Boats leave daily from the dock at Puno and take about four hours to reach the island.
Sechin
The site of Sechin, 50km (31mi) south of Chimbote, is one of the oldest in Peru (founded around 1500 BC) and is among the more important and well-preserved coastal ruins. Its major attraction is the outside walls of the main temple, which are covered in ghoulish carvings of warriors disembowelling their captives. Restaurants are few and far between, but cheap accommodation is available in Casma, 5km (3mi) away.
Yarinacocha
The attractive oxbow lake of Yarinacocha lies 10km (6mi) northeast of Pucallpa in the Amazonian Basin. It was once part of the Río Ucayali but is now landlocked, apart from a small canal linking it to the river during the rainy season. The small port of Puerto Callao is the main population centre on the lake and has a few places to stay, several bars and restaurants and boats for hire for trips around the lake. You can visit Shipbo Indian villages, buy handicrafts, go canoeing and watch for wildlife in and around the lake - keep your eye open for freshwater dolphins.
Activities
Trekking and mountaineering are popular during the May to September dry season in the Andes. The most popular hike on the continent is the 33km (20mi) Inca Trail, west of Cuzco. Equipment can be rented in Cuzco and the trek takes three days. Huaraz, north of Lima, is the climbing and trekking center of Peru and the site of Huascará, at 6768m (22,199ft) the highest mountain in the country. Equipment, drivers and guides are readily available; the best time for hiking is June to August.
Jungle treks can be arranged at Iquitos. Guides will probably approach you but their quality and reliability varies considerably so try to get a recommendation or a reference, and proceed with caution. The better companies that run jungle lodges can provide reputable guides. Treks can last anywhere from a day to over a week; bring plenty of mosquito repellent.
The Río Urubamba, near Cuzco, has white-water rafting possibilities. Yarinacocha has pleasant canoeing. The Peninsula de Paracs and nearby Islas Ballestas have the best-known bird and marine sanctuaries on the Peruvian coast, plus there's great swimming from secluded beaches from January to March. Tours to the sanctuaries are available daily and are relatively cheap. There are bodegas (wineries) to visit in the city of Ica, on the south coast, and guided tours to Colca Canyon, near the city of Arequipa.
History
The first inhabitants of Peru were nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in caves in Peru's coastal regions. The oldest site, Pikimachay cave, dates from 12,000 BC. Crops such as cotton, beans, squash and pepper chillis were planted around 4000 BC; later, advanced cultures such as the Chavín introduced weaving, agriculture and religion to the country. Around 300 BC, the Chavín inexplicably disappeared, but over the centuries several other cultures - including the Salinar, Nazca, Paracas Necropolis and Wari (Huari) - became locally important. By the early 15th century, the Inca empire had control of much of the area, even extending its influence into Colombia and Chile.
Between 1526-28, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro explored Peru's coastal regions and, drawn by the riches of the Inca empire, returned to Spain to raise money and recruit men for another expedition to the country. Return he did, marching into Cajamarca, in northern Peru, before capturing, ransoming and executing the Inca emperor Atahualpa in 1533. Pizarro subsequently founded the city of Lima in 1535 but was assassinated six years later. The rebellion of the last Inca leader, Manco Inca, ended ingloriously with his beheading in 1572.
The next 200 years proved peaceful, with Lima becoming the major political, social and commercial center of the Andean nations. However, the exploitation of Indians by their colonial masters led to an uprising in 1780 under the self-styled Inca Tupac Amaru II. The rebellion was shortlived and most of the leaders were rounded up and executed. Peru continued to remain loyal to Spain until 1824, when the country was liberated by two 'outsiders': the Venezuelan Simón Bolívar and the Argentinian José de San Martín. In 1866, Peru won a brief war with Spain but was humiliated by Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-83), which resulted in the loss of lucrative nitrate fields in the northern Atacama Desert.
Peru again went to war, this time with Ecuador over a border dispute, in 1941. The 1942 treaty of Rio de Janeiro ceded the area north of the Río Marañón to Peru but the decision was fiercely contested by Ecuador.
Cuban-inspired guerrilla uprisings in 1965 led by the National Liberation Army were unsuccessful, but a series of nationwide strikes coupled with a violent insurgency by the Maoist Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) guerrillas caused political instability in the 1980s. Another guerilla group - the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) - also gained in strength during this time. However, the 1990 presidential election victory of Alberto Fujimori (erroneously known as El Chino because of his Japanese parentage) over Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, and the capture in 1992 of inspirational MRTA and Sendero Luminoso leaders buoyed hopes for a sustained period of peace.
The main threat to domestic stability remains unemployment and poverty, despite Peru's fast-growing economy. Fujimori was re-elected in April 1995, comprehensively beating former UN secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar. A treaty was signed with Ecuador in 1998, peacefully resolving a contentious 57-year-old border dispute, paving the way for increased foreign investment in both countries. In November 1999, Peru and Chile settled their last long-standing territorial dispute over the important trade bottleneck of Arica.
The world watched the April 2000 elections intently as Alejandro Toledo, an Andean Indian from a poor family who became a World Bank economist, gave two-time President Alberto Fujimori the election run of his life. One week before the country headed to the polls for a second time, Toledo filed a formal letter with the National Election Board to further call attention to election corruption, a move that bought a response from the Organization of American States (OAS). It announced that the National Election Office needed more time to correct 'deficiencies' in the voting process. Toledo instructed his followers to write 'No To Fraud' across their ballots and ultimately withdrew from the runoff.
Fujimori emerged victorious but resigned in November and fled to Japan following charges of human rights violations and corruption made against his intelligence adviser.
On March 20, 2002, a few days before a visit by US President Bush, a car bomb exploded near the US Embassy in Lima, killing ten people. It was thought to have been carried out by a local militant group.
Toledo won a tight race and in June 2001 became the country's first indigenous president. Since then, the path to bringing to Fujimori to justice has been torturous, reavealing in the process that some 69,000 Peruvians died over decades in fighting between rebel and government forces. Toledo's own performance has been something of a disappointment. Although on the surface economic figures are good, his presidency has been distinguished mostly by scandal and his appetite for Lima's nightlife. In May 2003, the government declared a state of emergency when teachers, farmers and government workers went on strike for a month. The reemergence of the Shining Path rebels and of cocaine manufacturing activities are equally troubling.
Culture
Art prior to Spanish colonization concentrated almost entirely upon the production of fine pottery, metalwork, stonecraft and textiles. The Spanish subsequently introduced their version of urban planning, with cities laid out in checkerboard fashion, and constructed mansions, churches and monasteries which slavishly mimicked Spanish renaissance or the rather phlegmatic Spanish early baroque. Over time, these European styles increasingly showed signs of a native Indian influence, leading to a style known as mestizo. (The best examples of mestizo architecture can be found in the churches around Puno and Arequipa.) Painting too mimicked European influences but as local artists grew more confident, a new and distinctive Cuzco style developed, in which artists turned their attention away from the visible world, and concentrated instead on fairytale and fable. The influence of these works on artist Paul Gauguin, who spent his childhood in Lima, is noticeable.
Peruvian music is almost entirely folk music, while its literature encompasses everything from independence-inspired polemic to the anarchic individualism of its many poets and the boyhood reveries of the internationally renowned author Mario Vargas Llosa.
The main religion is Roman Catholicism, though the Indians, while outwardly Catholic, often blend Catholicism with traditional beliefs. Spanish is the main language. In the highlands, most Indians are bilingual, but speak Quechua as their mother tongue. There are about 70 other languages, and in remote parts of the Amazon, Spanish is rarely spoken. English is understood in major hotels and airline offices.
Typical Peruvian dishes are tasty and vary regionally. Seafood is, understandably, best on the coast, while the Inca delicacy - roast guinea pig - can be sampled in the highlands. Other dishes include: lomo saltado (chopped steak fried with onions); cebiche de corvina (white sea bass marinated in lemon, chilli and onions, often served cold with a boiled potato or yam); and sopa a la criolla (a lightly spiced noodle soup with beef, egg, milk and vegetables).
Environment
Peru is in western South America and shares borders with Chile (to the south), Bolivia (southeast), Brazil (northeast), Colombia (north) and Ecuador (northwest). It has three major regions: a narrow coastal belt, the wide Andean mountains and the Amazon Basin. The coastal strip is predominantly desert, but contains Peru's major cities and its best highway, the Carratera Panamericana. The Andes comprise two principal ranges - Cordillera Occidental and Oriental - and includes Huascarán (6770m/22,200ft), Peru's highest mountain. To the east is the Amazon Basin, a region of tropical lowland, which is drained by the Maranon and Ucayali rivers.
Bird and marine life is abundant along Peru's desert coast, with colonies of sea lion, the Humboldt penguin, Chilean flamingo, Peruvian pelican, Inca tern and the brown booby endemic to the region. Common highland birds include the Andean condor, puna ibis and a variety of hummingbird. The highlands are also home to cameloids such as the llama, alpaca, guanaco and vicuña, while the eastern slopes of the Andes are the haunts of jaguars, spectacled bears and tapirs. Peru's flora contains a number of hardy and unique plants, including patches of Polylepis woodland found at extreme heights. The vast wealth of wildlife is protected in a system of national parks and reserves with almost 30 areas covering nearly 7% of the country.
Peru's climate can be divided into two seasons - wet and dry - though this varies, depending on the geographical region. The coast and western Andean slopes are generally dry, with the summer falling between December and April; during the rest of the year, the garúa (coastal fog) moves in and the sun is rarely seen. In the Andes, the dry season is from May to September, while the wet season takes up the remainder of the year. On the eastern slopes of the Andes, the drier months are similar to the highlands, though the wet season (January to April) is more pronounced.
Getting There & Away
The main Peruvian carrier is Aero Continente (www.aerocontinente.com),with flights from Lima to Miami in the USA and many Latin American capitals. International flights with LanPeru (www.lanperu.com) are mainly operated by LanChile (www.lanchile.com) and go to Miami, Los Angeles and New York, as well as Latin American cities. Travelers from other continents normally change services in the USA or a South American city and other international airlines do have offices in Lima. Lima's international airport, Jorge Chavez, is the main hub for flights to the Andean countries from North America and Europe, and has plenty of connections to neighboring countries. Some international flights land at Iquitos, in Peru's Amazon region. There is a departure tax of approximately US$10 on international flights.
There are overland border crossings between Peru and Bolivia at Desaguadero and nearby Yunguyo on the shores of Lake Titicaca; between Peru and Chile at Tacna; and between Peru and Ecuador at Tumbes. It is possible to travel by river from Colombia and Brazil to Iquitos.
Getting Around
Peru is a big country, so many travelers take internal flights if they have limited time. As of August 1999, Aero Continente has effectively monopolized the domestic market. Prices have risen accordingly, and route coverage is limited. In July 1999, LanPeru, co-owned by LanChile, resumed domestic flights. There are also a handful of small airlines flying to remote destinations in light aircraft. There's an 18% tax on domestic flights, but you can avoid most of this if you buy tickets abroad. There's also a US$4 departure tax on domestic flights.
Public buses are the usual mode of transport over long distances. They are cheap, frequent and relatively comfortable, at least on major routes. When traveling between towns, have your passport with you as it will need to be shown at police checkpoints. Armed robberies on night buses are not unheard of in Peru, so travel on a day bus (or fly) if you have the option. Trucks often double as buses in remote areas. The fare is usually standardized according to the distance, but agree on the fare in advance. Local buses are slow, cheap and crowded; when you want to get off just yell out. Taxi fares need to be haggled over; there are no metered cabs.
The government-owned railways (INAFER) is facing imminent privatization. Services go from the coast to the highlands: The Central Railroad runs from Lima to La Oroya, where it branches north and south. The northbound line goes to Cerro de Pasco and the southbound to Huancayo; although there are plans to open the southern route to passenger trains, both of these routes are currently for freight use only. A short passenger line continues from Huancayo to Huancavelica. The Southern Railroad runs between Arequipa to Lake Titicaca and Cuzco. Services are cheap and fairly comfortable, but not particularly safe.
Boat travel is important in Peru's eastern lowlands. Dugout canoes powered with outboard engines operate as water taxis; larger cargo boats are often also available as water transport.
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