VISIT LIMA CUSCO CALLAO SAN MARTIN PIURA
CUSCO
Colonial villages, Mountain Trekking, Inca Archaeology & Myth
High in the Peruvian Andes, the city of Cusco is for many travelers simply a portal to magical Machu Picchu. Others cherish Cusco as the ancient Incan capital, and so wander the alleys of the old city, seeking Incan stoneworks and the Spanish cathedrals built upon them.
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Cusco is more. It is art and weaving and handcraft and cuisine. It is learning the layers of history as locals and scholars recall it. Nearby market towns like Chinchero, Pisac and Ollantaytambo open your eyes to cultures as old as time, but impossibly vibrant today. You can join a female energy ritual at Piuray Lake; go fishing at Huaypo Lake; meet salt sculpture artists in Maras; learn ancestral adobe construction in Misminay; or go horseback riding in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. What other treasures lie hidden for you to discover?
LIMA
Complex and expressive colonial cultural melting pot. Gastronomy and arts abound.
After Francisco Pizarro defeated the Incas in the 16th century, he founded the capital of his new kingdom: the City of the Kings, named after the Three Wise Men. Peru’s capital, now called Lima, looks out over cliffs to sunsets on the Pacific Ocean, where surfers and open-water swimmers gather every day. A walk or bike ride along the boardwalk becomes a spectacle of nature.
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Food lovers love Lima for its unparalleled cuisine: welcome to the gastronomic capital of Latin America! History buffs explore colonial and republican mansions and churches with priceless pieces of art. The Santuario de las Nazarenas houses the Señor de los Milagros, an image of Christ painted by an African slave whose colorful procession attracts countless pilgrims every October. For the bohemian in each of us, artistic Barranco, with its Bridge of Sighs, is a place to contemplate art, poetry and love. Lima awaits!
CALLAO
Independent harbor that’s raw and real, Peru’s La Boca contains some real gems.
The history of Callao needs telling. When the Spanish founded Lima in 1535, nearby Callao became its seaport. Two centuries later, an earthquake and tsunami hit hard: only 200 out of 5,000 inhabitants survived. The reconstruction included the military fort Real Felipe, built to defend the city from pirate attacks.
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You can’t miss a walk through La Punta, with its boardwalk, seagulls, beautiful squares and colonial houses where English, French and Italians settled in the 19th century. Take a sailing trip around the bay and listen to the history of the lost callao “El Camotal”. Venture to Puerto Nuevo to discover local street art, taste a fisherman’s ceviche and understand the culture of this spicy but tasty neighborhood. In Callao Monumental, the funk zone of the city, you will find galleries, contemporary art and design, music festivals and delicious cafes and restaurants.
SAN MARTIN
Idyllic jungle location with quaint riverways, chocolate farms and an array of artistic talent.
The heart of the Peruvian Amazon is a fruit. Or several: cocoa, majambo, coffee, sapote, aguaje camu camu, coconut. The list is long because the soil is fertile and the climate is favorable. Adorned with incredible tropical landscapes and amazing fauna, San Martin is the gateway to an Amazonian adventure.
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Here you will see exotic birds, contemplate landscapes of lush vegetation and towering waterfalls, swim its rivers, travel the route of aguardiente, coffee, chocolate, coconut and honey, and learn the genius of ancient handicrafts in villages like Lamas, Chazuta and San Roque. See for yourself the urgent need to protect this green lung of the world.
PIURA
Sunset beaches, great surfing and vibrant nightlife on the north coast.
A short northbound flight from LIma brings you to Piura, an old colonial town approaching its 500th birthday, known for its native sons Mario Vargas Llosa and Admiral Miguel Grau, national hero in the war against Chile (1879–1884).
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Along the Pacific are pristine beaches, rugged coastlines, delicious seafood, friendly sea turtles and lots of sunshine. Surfers head for nearby Mancora. Ernest Hemingway came to Cabo Blanco to catch marlin, a fish made famous in the film The Old Man and the Sea based on his 1952 novel. Head for Organos for close encounters with humpback whales who arrive from Antartica between July and October.
