Peru Locations & Hotels

Lima

This is Peru's modern and large capital city with approximately one third of the country's entire population living in and around this city. Lima dates back to its foundation by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro in 1535. Lima grew rapidly to become one of the richest cities in the world, remaining as Spain's most important centre in South America for almost 300 years. There are many impressive colonial buildings in the historical centre around the Plaza del Armas and San Martin. We recommend the following hotels:

Deluxe hotels

• The Country Club de Lima
• Sonesta El Olivar
• Mirflores Park Hotel

Superior hotels

• Posada del Inca
• Jose Antonio Hotel

Standard hotels

• El Carmel
• Casa Andina
• Hotel Embajador

Nasca Lines and Paracas

The Nasca Lines were only discovered in 1939 during an irrigation study of the area and aerial photos were taken. Cut into the stony desert are large numbers of lines, not only parallels and geometrical figures, but also designs such as a dog, an enormous monkey, birds, a spider and a tree. This unexplained phenomenon is something that cannot be missed, from the air you see endless desert and then these amazing, unexplained pictures in the sand.

The Peninsula de Paracas and the nearby Islas Ballestas make up La Reserva Nacional de Paracas, the most important wildlife sanctuary on the Peruvian coast. This is an excellent area for seeing bird and marine life. Ballestas Islands are Peru's equivalent of the Galapagos Islands and you will definitely see lots of sea lion colonies, cormorants, Peruvian boobies, pelicans and if you are lucky penguins and flamingos. There are so many birds nesting on these islands that their nitrogen-rich droppings (guano) is collected for commercial use as a fertiliser. As you leave the peninsular you will see on the left-hand side the Candelabra, which is a large figure etched into the coastal hillside, similar to the Nasca Lines figures. We reccommmend the following hotels:

Superior hotel

• The Paracas Hotel

Standard hotels

• Las Dunas Hotel
• La Mossone

Amazon

In Peru, the Amazon Basin is divided into several regions and encompasses nearly half of the country's land mass. Peru's Amazon Basin is dotted with Collpas, hillsides rich in a salty clay that nourishes animals and birds. These are the perfect locations to spot the colourful macaws and parrots. We recommend the following lodges:

• Sandoval Lake Lodge
• Reserva Amazonica Lodge
• Posada Amazonas Lodge
• Corto Maltes Lodge

Cusco

Cusco was the geographical centre of the Inca Empire. When Pachacuteq (the Inca warrior king who instigated the building of the famous monuments) rebuilt the city of Cusco, he laid it out in the shape of a puma. This city has a fascinating mix of Inca and colonial Spanish architecture; colonial churches, monasteries, extensive pre-Columbian ruins interspersed with countless hotels, bars and restaurants with a great atmosphere at night. Almost all central streets have remains of Inca walls, arches and doorways. We reccommend the following hotels:

Deluxe hotels

• The Libertador Hotel
• Monasterio

Superior hotels

• Casa Andinoa Private Collection
• Novotel, Picoaga

Standard hotels

• Casa Andina Catedral
• Koricancha
• Plaza
• Sonesta Posada del Inca

Machu Picchu

From Cusco you will take the train to Aguas Calientas followed by a bus up to the truly mystic Lost City of Machu Picchu. No trip to Peru is complete without a visit here as it is the highlight of any trip. Despite the relentless stampede of tourists to the ruins, this amazing site still retains an air of grandeur and mystery. This is a very mysterious place. It is not known why it was built in the first place although it is most likely a very sacred place where only the hierarchy of the Inca Empire were admitted. Nor is it known why this city was abandoned, again there are many opinions ranging from a disease that killed the inhabitants to an attempt to escape from the Spanish. We recommend the following hotels:

Deluxe Hotel - Sanctuary Lodge

Should your budget allow then we would highly recommend spending the night here. It is the only accommodation actually at Machu Picchu. The hotel is owned by the Orient Express group and although the hotel itself is not super luxury its location makes it worth paying for. You remain at the ruins after the last bus leaves to go down to Aguas Calientas and before the first one arrives in the morning. It is one of the most spectacular sights to see the sunset and sunrise over Machu Picchu. We also have allocation at the hotel for each full moon night!

Superior hotel in Aguas Calientas

• Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Standard hotels in Aguas Calientas

• Machu Picchu Inn
• Hatuchay Towers

Sacred Valley

The beautiful scenery of the Sacred Valley, also known as the Urubamba Valley can be visited from Cusco or en route back from Machu Picchu. A patchwork of small towns, Inca ruins, rivers and corn fields spread beneath the mountains, visitors are offered the opportunity to explore traditional Quechua communities and the famous colourful Pisaq market. We reccommend the following hotels:

Superior hotels

• Sonesta Inn Yucay
• Sol y Luna

Arequipa

Arequipa is in the mountainous desert and set at an altitude of 2,325m above sea level. It is a beautiful city surrounded by spectacular mountains, including the famous snow capped El Misti Volcano. Other volcanoes in this area are Chachani and Pichu Pichu. It is believed that the Incas would sacrifice a virgin to the volcanoes to stop any earthquakes or eruptions. The city is nicknamed the white city due to the volcanic rock used to construct many of the buildings. The most interesting place you must visit is the Monastery of Santa Catalina, which was actually a convent. The story behind it is captivating. We recommend the following hotels:

Deluxe hotel

• Libertador Hotel

Superior hotels

• Sonesta Posada del Inca
• El Cabildo

Standard hotels

• Casa Andina
• Corregidor

Colca Canyon

From Arequipa you can visit the amazing Colca Canyon. At its deepest the Colca Canyon is more than 3,400 metres deep (the Grand Canyon is 1,800 metres at its deepest). You definitely need to stay overnight to see the most impressive sights. After leaving Arequipa you will drive to the Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aquada Blanca which covers a total area of 367,000 hectares and is at an average elevation of 3,850 metres. Here you will see small groups of Vicuna, animals which are similar to llamas and alpaca but their fleeces are very fine and strong which makes it very expensive and sought after. All animals in the National Park are protected and it is illegal for the animals to be hunted. The scenery is amazing, especially the Inca terraces that are still used today by the farmers. A highlight is a visit to the Cross of the Condor, where there are great views of the river 1,200 metres below with Mount Misti on the other side of the canyon. The condors will swoop gracefully up from underneath the cliff. It is an amazing thing to see, as these birds are huge.

Standard lodges

• Colca Lodge
• Casa Andina

Puno and Lake Titicaca

Puno is not one of Peru's nicest cities but it is the gateway to the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca. On your boat trip on the lake you will visit the famous floating reed islands of Uros and the beautiful traditional island of Taquile. Another highlight of your trip to the Puno area is the visit en route to or from the airport to Sillustani, which is located by the beautiful Lake Umayo. The Colla people originally inhabited this area, the most notable information we have about them is that they had unusual burial customs for their nobility. Their dead were buried in funeral towers called Chullpas, which you can see and Sillustani along with the Inca version.

Deluxe hotel

• Libertador Isla Estevez Hotel

Superior hotels

• Sonesta Posada del Inca
• Casa Andina Private Collection

Standard hotels

• Casa Andina Plaza and Eco Inn