Pass The Passport

Places / South America

Peru

Visited

At a glance

Region
South America
Capital
Lima
Population
34.6 million (2025)
Area
1,285,216 km²
Languages
Aymara, Quechua, Spanish
Currency
Peruvian sol (PEN)
Drives on the
right
Calling code
+51
Visited: Peru

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Before you go

Overview

Peru stretches from the Pacific coast across the Andes to the Amazon rainforest. It was the heart of the Inca Empire.

History

The Inca Empire was centred on Cusco until the Spanish conquest in 1532. Peru declared independence in 1821.

Food & culture

Ceviche, lomo saltado, ají de gallina and the pisco sour have made Peru one of the world's great food destinations.

Wildlife

The Amazon around Manú and Tambopata has macaws, giant otters and jaguars, and Andean condors fly over the Colca Canyon.

Festivals & events

Inti Raymi in Cusco on 24 June and the Virgen de la Candelaria festival in Puno are the most famous.

Things to see

Machu Picchu, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, the Nazca Lines, Colca Canyon and Rainbow Mountain.

Interesting facts

Peru has thousands of varieties of potato.

City guides

Cities & towns I’ve visited

Famous hikes in Peru

Inca Trail

Distance
43 km
Time
4 days
Best time
May to September (closed in February)

How to do it: You can only hike it with a licensed tour operator, and permits sell out months ahead for the dry season. Book four to six months in advance. If it's full, the Salkantay Trek is a beautiful five-day alternative that needs no permit.

See it on my bucket list

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru

5 of 12 visited. See every site I've been to.

My videos from Peru

  • Dune buggy in Huacachina, Peru
    Huacachina, Peru

My photos from Peru

November 2015 Overlanding South America - Tucan

Machu Picchu, Colca, Santuario Animal de Ccochahuasi, Nazca, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Isla Amantani, Titicaca

Whole trip gallery
  • A group of travellers smiling in the seats of a minibus on the way to the Nazca Lines.
  • A man kneeling beside a llama next to a woman in traditional Andean dress in a village square.
  • A smiling man in sunglasses in front of the steep terraced walls of Colca Canyon.
  • A man with a small monkey sitting on his shoulder in the jungle.
  • A smiling man with a brown monkey perched on his shoulder among jungle leaves.
  • A man crouching on grass beside a large black Andean condor at a sanctuary.
  • A smiling man holding a small tortoise at an animal sanctuary.
  • A man standing on a hillside above terraced fields and mountains in the Sacred Valley.
  • A man in a white T-shirt in front of the ruins of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.
  • Two hikers flexing beside a trail marker on a misty mountaintop near Machu Picchu.
  • A man in a blue jacket with the steep green peak of Huayna Picchu behind him.
  • A man crouching on Inca stone walls with the terraces of Machu Picchu behind.

Plan your trip to Peru

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Neighbours

Bucket List goals in Peru