The Andean core
Build time around Machu Picchu and its wider Cusco setting. Lake Titicaca, Arequipa and the Colca Canyon belong to different altitude and travel stages, so avoid compressing them into consecutive day trips.
Country guide
Peru
13 places across the five collections. Start with what draws you here, then build a journey that gives each place enough time.
Photograph
Draceane · CC BY-SA 4.0Country orientation
Find the shape of your journey.
See how the 13 entries are distributed, then choose a cluster that suits the journey you want. Numbers on this map refer to the list alongside it.
Representative points, including broad regions and shared-border entries. A pin is not a visitor entrance or evidence of a direct travel connection.
- Machu Picchu
The Original 100 · An Inca city suspended between mountain and cloud.
- Amazon Rainforest
The Original 100 · An immense forest experienced through rivers, sounds and small discoveries.
- Lake Titicaca
The Original 100 · High-altitude water, island communities and the landscapes of the Andes.
- Nazca Lines
Honourable Mentions · A desert landscape marked by lines that change meaning with scale.
- Kuélap
Extraordinary Discoveries · A Chachapoya settlement above the forested mountains of northern Peru.
- Caral
Extraordinary Discoveries · A desert-valley city that changes the timescale of Andean urban history.
- Chan Chan
Extraordinary Discoveries · An earthen city whose surviving walls still suggest immense ambition.
- Huascarán and the Cordillera Blanca
Further Horizons · Tropical glaciers, sharp peaks and high lakes make an exceptional mountain landscape where altitude shapes every visit.
- Paracas National Reserve
Further Horizons · Desert meets the Pacific in a landscape of coloured cliffs, headlands and rich marine connections.
- Arequipa
Further Horizons · Volcanic stone, courtyards and a distinctive monastery complex give this city a strong architectural identity.
- Colca Canyon
Further Horizons · A great canyon is also a cultivated and inhabited landscape, with terraces and villages adding depth to its natural drama.
- Sipán and the Royal Tombs Museum
Further Horizons · Archaeology and carefully presented objects reveal the craftsmanship and ceremonial world of the Moche.
- Choquequirao
The Wider World · Terraces and ceremonial spaces above the Apurímac reveal another monumental Inca mountain setting, reached through a demanding journey.
Plan a country journey
Coast, high Andes and rainforest demand different rhythms.
Earlier civilisations
Caral, Chan Chan and Sipán introduce histories beyond the Inca. A northern archaeology journey can be rewarding in its own right rather than an add-on after Machu Picchu.
Choose a landscape extension
The Cordillera Blanca, the Amazon and Paracas are very different environments. Decide which matters most, then research the appropriate base, route and season in that guide.
These are editorial starting points, not timed itineraries. Use the linked place guides for practical details, then build your own route in the travel workbench.
Find your way through Peru.
The country guide gathers The Original 100 and every alternative included elsewhere on the site. A shared regional wonder may appear in more than one country.
The Original 100
1–100 · 3 places in this country
25 · South America
Amazon Rainforest
An immense forest experienced through rivers, sounds and small discoveries.
Lake Titicaca
High-altitude water, island communities and the landscapes of the Andes.
Honourable Mentions
101–200 · 1 place in this country
Extraordinary Discoveries
201–300 · 3 places in this country
Further Horizons
301–400 · 5 places in this country
311 · Peru
Huascarán and the Cordillera Blanca
Tropical glaciers, sharp peaks and high lakes make an exceptional mountain landscape where altitude shapes every visit.
317 · Peru
Paracas National Reserve
Desert meets the Pacific in a landscape of coloured cliffs, headlands and rich marine connections.
363 · Peru
Colca Canyon
A great canyon is also a cultivated and inhabited landscape, with terraces and villages adding depth to its natural drama.
371 · Peru
Sipán and the Royal Tombs Museum
Archaeology and carefully presented objects reveal the craftsmanship and ceremonial world of the Moche.
The Wider World
401–500 · 1 place in this country
483 · Peru
Choquequirao
Terraces and ceremonial spaces above the Apurímac reveal another monumental Inca mountain setting, reached through a demanding journey.
Turn the collection into a journey.
Begin with an anchor place and its suggested base. Compare the guides’ seasonal notes and allow separately for time spent travelling. A collection of places in one country is not automatically a sensible route, particularly where islands, mountains or remote regions are involved.
Use the travel workbench to record your chosen overnight stops and the transport information you have checked. It keeps unresearched connections visible and produces a day-by-day outline you can print or export.
For international travel, check current entry requirements, regional advice and the operating details of the actual transport and visitor authorities. Country and territory labels here organise the guides; broad shared landscapes do not imply unrestricted border crossings.