Explore Peru
This website is for travelers, families, or even just curious people! If you’re interested in visiting Peru, you may be wondering where to start. What are the best locations to visit? What places around Peru are must-see locations? All these questions and more will be answered with this website! Explore through a list of must-see locations around Peru and click on the navigation links for a photo gallery and foods to look for. Read about the interesting things about each location and what to expect when going. Scroll to the bottom to find some good travel tips, tricks, safety precautions, and some interesting cultural norms and information to be aware of.
Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru
Arequipa is a special place to me; it is the city I lived in with my family. Arequipa has much to offer, from its vast city life, to its farmland on the outskirts of town, to the view of three beautiful volcanoes surrounding the city. The town center contains Arequipa’s best site: La Plaza de Armas. The plaza is a large square with fountains, plant life, musicians, artists, and is the home to most large city events such as parades or holiday celebrations. The square is surrounded by shops and restaurants that stretch into the streets around it. The main centerpiece of this plaza is the large catholic cathedral. This cathedral is an entire block long, with steeples stretching to the sky. It was made with the white volcanic ash rock from the volcano Misti, which can be seen towering directly behind this impressive cathedral. Tours of the cathedral are offered, and inside you will see a grand and intricate chapel, with a large pipe organ and statues of the saints. The tour takes you upstairs where you learn some history and see the historical ceremonial clothing that is no longer used. You are also taken to the very top, into the bell tower, where you are able to stand inside the enormous bell perched in one of the steeples. La Plaza de Armas is truly a location you cannot miss.
Corire, Peru
If you are more into the quiet life and want to see a place with very little tourism where you can experience a more humble view of life in Peru, Corire is a great place to visit. Set in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a large valley, this little farm town is home to farmers and herders. People are very welcoming there, and if you’re looking to experience a little bit of how they live, people are always looking for help on the farms. From rice fields to potato farms to pig stables, they have an abundance of food production and farm land. The cliffs towering over the valley are also a beautiful sight to see, and a powerful river also flows through town. Also located in the valley is the town of Arica, which has some great meat and fish shops. The quiet and humble town life with beautiful scenery makes Corire a great location to travel to.
The Lost City of Machu Picchu
We all knew this one would be on the list. Machu Picchu is what is known as “The Lost City of the Inca”, and it’s a very fitting name. This ancient city is high in the mountains in the middle of the jungle, making it very difficult to get there. The bus ride up to the city is steep and the roads are windy and sharp. As you walk around the vast city it becomes more and more of a mystery how the Incas managed to build it way up where it is placed, and how they brought all those stones up high in the mountains. The city is vast, with countless homes and step-farms. There are multiple temples spread throughout the city as well, including the Temple of the Sun. Llamas roam around, and may approach you. Machu Picchu is a great educational, historical, and fun experience for all to enjoy; just know that it will be an all-day trip with lots of walking! Fun fact: the mountain you typically see in the city of Machu Picchu photos is not actually the mountain of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is directly behind where the camera faces; the mountain seen in the famous photos is Huayna Picchu, which means “resting mountain” or “young mountain”. Machu Picchu means “large mountain” or “old mountain”.
Tips & Tricks
* A tip straight from the local farmers: when visiting Corire, you may notice that the mosquitoes are visious there. They are so small you don’t see them coming, yet they leave huge, painful marks on your skin. However, the farmers of the town have found a way around that: lotion. They stay away from bug spray; it doesn’t do anything! But if you wear lotion with long sleeves and long pants, the mosquitoes drown in the lotion, keeping you bug resistant.
* If you are traveling around Peru, you will use taxis to get around. A good rule of thumb is to look for taxis that are marked with the company logo, and stay away from unmarked taxis. Once you call a taxi, and they state their price, if you feel it is unfair, you can negotiate. You can negotiate prices almost everywhere, and especially with taxis.
* Peruvian culture is very different from USA culture. For example, when greeting someone, instead of just a handshake or a nod, it is common practice to give a kiss on the cheek. This is how you always greet people after meeting them once. And when walking into a party with many people, you must greet each person individually, according to cultural practices.
* Peruvian cities typically have very busy streets, and therefore you may encounter pick-pocketers. A good system we landed on was to keep all of our most valuable items, such as ID's, passports, wallets, etc. in a thin fanny pack that can fit under your clothing where it will not be visible. It keeps all your most valuable items safe and unseen while you're walking down the street.
* If you ever have an upset stomach or start getting altitude sickness, Peruvians drink Coca Cola or eat coca candy to help. Coca Cola is made a little differently in Peru, and it can calm an upset stomach and even kill some bacteria (if you ate some bad food). Candy made from the coca leaf is illegal in the united states (due to the plant being used to make drugs), but it is put to good use in Peru. It calms altitude sickness very efficiently.
* When served food, it is impolite to leave it unfinished. Not finishing a meal tells the cook that you did not enjoy her food. However, this could be quite difficult, considering the typical lunch meal (lunch is the big family meal in Peru) is a huge bowl of soup too big to eat, followed by the main course consisting of a plate stuffed with carbs. Prepare yourself!