Experience the best of Peru

Discover

PeruEASY-TO-USE MAPS

HIGHLIGHTS

LOCAL EXPERTS

ITINERARIESPeru

Discover

Our promiseYou can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, so you can rely on us to tell it like it is.

Experience the best of PeruMachu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the enigmatic Nazca Lines – we’ve selected the most iconic sights and incredible places so you can enjoy the real Peru with the minimum of fuss.

make getting aroundsimpler than ever

EASY-TO-USE MAPS

recommend what not to miss

LOCAL EXPERTS

ITINERARIESmake planning your trip simpler than ever

reveal the must-see attractions and unbeatable experiences

HIGHLIGHTS

p51Lima

p89Nazca, Arequipa &the South

p133Puno & Lake Titicaca

p159

Cuzco,Machu Picchu &

Around

p227 Huaraz, Trujillo &the North

p279

Iquitos &the Amazon Basin

1ST EDITIONPublished June 2011

USA $24.99UK £15.99AUS $37.99

Discover Peru 1 cover.indd 1 29/03/2011 2:05:12 PM

Discover

Peru1 Sights

5 Eating

6 Drinking

4 Sleeping

8 Information

ContentsI

The Best…Lists for everything from bars to wildlife – to make sure you don’t miss out

Throughout this book, we use these icons to highlight special recommendations:

These icons help you quickly identify reviews in the text and on the map:

Don’t MissA must-see – don’t go home until you’ve been there

If you like…Lesser-known alternatives to world-famous attractions

Local experts reveal their top picks and secret highlights

DetourSpecial places a little off the beaten track

This edition written and researched by

Carolina A MirandaAimée Dowl, Katy Shorthouse, Luke Waterson,

Beth Williams

00-title-dc-per1.indd 1 24/02/2011 2:30:22 PM

p51Lima

p89Nazca, Arequipa &the South

p133Puno & Lake Titicaca

p159

Cuzco,Machu Picchu &

Around

p227 Huaraz, Trujillo &the North

p279

Iquitos &the Amazon Basin

Puno & Lake TiticacaHighlights ……………………...136

Around Lake Titicaca

Gaze Upon Elaborate Costumes in Puno

Hike to Ruins at Ichu

Visit Awe-Inspiring Funerary Towers

Set Foot on the Floating Islands of Uros

Shack Up with a Local Family on Isla Amantaní

Cuzco, Machu Picchu & AroundHighlights ………………………162

Cuzco

Machu Picchu

Urubamba

Dig into Cuzco’s Rich Cuisine

Andahuaylilla’s ‘Sistine Chapel of Latin America’

Shop ’til You Drop in Pisac

Trek the Inca Trail

Huaraz, Trujillo & the NorthHighlights ……………………..230

The Cordilleras

Trujillo

Chan Chan

Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán

Hike to the Sacred Ruins in Chavín

Chavín de Huántar

Surfi ng in Máncora

Nazca, Arequipa & the SouthHighlights ……………………….92

Nazca Lines

Arequipa Outdoors

Ica’s Vineyards

Huacachina’s Sand Dunes

Islas Ballestas

Monasterio de Santa Catalina

Cañón del Cotahuasi

LimaHighlights ……………………….54

Lima Food Scene

Museo Larco

Museo de Arte de Lima

Bar-hop Through Barranco

Admire the Skulls of Saints

Leap off the Mirafl ores Cliff tops

Walk the Sandy Ruins of Ancient Civilizations

01-contents-dc-per1.indd 2 1/03/2011 10:20:05 AM

Contents

Iquitos & the Amazon BasinHighlights …………………….282

Iquitos

Reserva Nacional Pacaya-Samiria

Play Golf…with Piranhas

Belén Floating Market

Río Heath & Parque Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene

Parque Nacional Manu

This Is Peru .....................6

Peru Map .........................8

Peru’s Top 25 Experiences ..................10

Peru’s Top Itineraries ......................32

Peru Month by Month ............................ 42

What’s New .................. 46

Get Inspired ..................47

Need to Know .............. 48

Lima 51Highlights ..................... 54

Best… ............................ 60

Lima ............................... 62

Around Lima .................85Pachacamac ................ 85Huancayo ..................... 86Caral ..............................87

Nazca, Arequipa & the South 89Highlights ......................92

Best… ............................ 98

Itineraries ................... 100

Pisco & Paracas .........102Islas Ballestas .............103

Huacachina .................106Ica ............................... 107

Nazca & Around ......... 107Reserva Nacional Pampas Galeras .......... 111

Arequipa ....................... 111

Canyon Country .........123Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca ..........................123Cañón del Colca .........124Toro Muerto Petroglyphs .................129El Valle de los Volcanes ......................129

On the RoadPlan Your Trip

01-contents-dc-per1.indd 3 1/03/2011 10:20:10 AM

Contents

Cañón del Cotahuasi ....................130Laguna de Salinas ...... 131

Puno & Lake Titicaca 133Highlights ....................136

Best… .......................... 140

Itineraries ....................142

Puno .............................144

Around Puno ...............152Sillustani...................... 152Cutimbo.......................153Ichu ..............................153Chucuito ......................154

Lake Titicaca Islands .........................154Lampa .......................... 155Islas Uros ....................155Isla Taquile ..................156Isla Amantaní .............. 157

Cuzco, Machu Picchu & Around 159Highlights ....................162

Best… ...........................168

Itineraries ....................170

Cuzco ........................... 172

Around Cuzco .............198

The Sacred Valley .....200Pisac ............................201Urubamba & Around 203Moray .......................... 204Ollantaytambo ........... 206

Machu Picchu & Around .........................210Aguas Calientes .........210Machu Picchu .............214The Inca Trail ............. 220Santa Teresa .............. 222Cocalmayo ................. 223

East of Cuzco ............. 223Andahuaylillas ........... 224

Huaraz, Trujillo & the North 227Highlights ................... 230

Best… .......................... 236

Itineraries ................... 238

Huaraz .........................240

The Cordilleras .......... 249Cordillera Blanca ....... 249Cordillera Huayhuash ................. 250Chavín de Huántar ..... 251

Trujillo ......................... 253Cajamarca ...................257

Around Trujillo ...........260

Huanchaco ................. 263Puerto Chicama ......... 264

Chiclayo ...................... 265

Chachapoyas ............. 269

Around Chiclayo .......270

Máncora ...................... 273

Punta Sal .....................276

Iquitos & the Amazon Basin 279Highlights ................... 282

Best… .......................... 286

Itineraries ................... 288

Iquitos .........................290

Around Iquitos ...........297Nearby Villages & Lakes .......................... 297Laguna Quistacocha . 297Reserva Nacional Pacaya-Samiria ......... 298Jungle Lodges & Expeditions ................ 298

Puerto Maldonado ....300

Around Puerto Maldonado .................304Río Madre de Dios ..... 304Río Tambopata .......... 307Parque Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene ........ 308

Manu Area ..................309Parque Nacional Manu ........................... 309

01-contents-dc-per1.indd 4 1/03/2011 10:20:10 AM

Directory ....................344Accommodations ...... 344Business Hours ......... 346Climate ....................... 346Customs Regulations ................ 347Electricity ................... 347Gay & Lesbian Travelers..................... 347Health ......................... 348Insurance ................... 350Internet Access ......... 350Legal Matters.............. 351Money .......................... 351Public Holidays .......... 352Safe Travel ................. 352Telephone .................. 353Time ............................ 354Toilets ......................... 354Tourist Information ................ 354Travelers with Disabilities.................. 354Visas ........................... 355Women Travelers ...... 355

Transport .................... 355Getting There & Away ........................... 355Getting Around .......... 356

Language ....................360

Behind the Scenes.....361

Index ............................ 365

How to Use this Book .............................374

Our Writers ..................376

Peru Today ..................314

History .........................316

Family Travel .............. 324

Ancient Peru .............. 326

Outdoor Activities .....331

Traditional Music ...... 335

Food & Drink ...............337

Arts & Crafts .............340

Survival GuideIn Focus

01-contents-dc-per1.indd 5 1/03/2011 10:20:11 AM

This Is Peru

This mountain range has served as

the heart of countless empires.

Luminous archaeological sites? Check. Lush rainforest? Check. An arid coast lapped by a highly surfable Pacific swell? Check. Peru, it seems, has it all.

Every cranny of the Andes offers a unique glimpse into singular cultures. Not to mention incredible foods and enough natural won-ders to keep a National Geographic cameraman employed for decades. On the coast, adobe pyramids and ancient temples sit quietly amid shifting desert sands and bulging seaside cities. Here, the culture is boisterous – infused with African soulfulness, indigenous know-how and the feistiness of the Spanish. The people are effusive and the music is bound to get your hips shaking.

To the east, lie the Andes. This mountain range has served as the heart of countless empires. Its sights are staggering: mountains that seem to erupt from the earth and reach straight towards the heavens, plung-ing gorges, icy pinnacles and steamy cloud forest. Plus, of course, the masterful ruins of a civilization that could be put on par with ancient Rome in terms of size and in-frastructure: the Incas. This is a place of chilly windswept plains and coffee-colored soil, where Catholic ritual veils indigenous belief, where the culture is stoic and the music is laced with pre-Columbian instrumentation. In compari-son to the coast, it might as well be another planet.

Lastly, there is the Amazon – the earth’s most fabled rainforest. It is in this tangled jungle that Peru fuses with the lowland cultures of so many other South American countries. This sprawling lowland area is home to clutches of cackling macaws and playful pink river dolphins, as well as remote ethnicities that maintain a deep knowledge of the forest. Scattered about are old rubber boomtowns, where a previous century’s entrepreneurs left behind town squares dotted with graceful tropical architecture.

All of this, combined, comes together to make up Peru. It is a wondrous, surreal mix of peoples, cultures, geographies, languages and food. Enjoy the trip. It’s going to be an adventure.

The ruins at Machu Picchu (p214)PHOTOGRAPHER: SEAN CAFFREY

6

02-this-is-dc-per1.indd 6 24/02/2011 2:35:19 PM

02-this-is-dc-per1.indd 7 24/02/2011 2:35:23 PM

Peru

02-this-is-dc-per1.indd 8 24/02/2011 2:35:26 PM

�1 M

achu

Pic

chu

�2 T

he N

azca

Lin

es

�3 L

ake

Titic

aca

Isla

nds

�4 C

uisi

ne in

Lim

a

�5 C

añón

del

Col

ca

�6 Is

las

Bal

lest

as

�7 T

rujil

lo

�8 R

eser

va N

acio

nal

Paca

ya-S

amir

ia

�9 C

uzco

�a C

ordi

llera

Bla

nca

�b In

ca K

ola

in C

hicl

ayo

�c C

han

Cha

n

�d L

ima’

s Pr

e-C

olum

bian

M

useu

ms

�e M

ánco

ra

�f T

he In

ca T

rail

�g H

uaca

chin

a

�h P

arqu

e N

acio

nal M

anu

�i T

extil

es in

Cuz

co

�j S

ipán

�k A

requ

ipa

�l P

isco

Sou

rs in

Lim

a

�m S

illus

tani

�n B

aroq

ue C

hurc

hes

of

Lim

a

�o C

haví

n de

Huá

ntar

�p T

he S

acre

d Va

lley

02-this-is-dc-per1.indd 9 24/02/2011 2:35:28 PM