Peru is the cradle of ancient civilizations, bearing still haughty, insignia of the glorious past. From the frozen peaks of the Andes to the coastal desert almost endlessly until the Amazon rainforest, Peru lives as a closed universe, where was gathered all the treasures of the world. Here, on this eternal ark of Noah, live condors, llamas, alpacas, sea lions, parrots and other tropical birds of all colors and sizes. Peru is the place where – not the other way around -, you are breathtaking.
A fabulous Inca city
One of the well known tourist destinations in Peru is Machu Picchu. Lost City of the “Sons of the Sun” – and given again to the world only in 1911 by historian Hiram Bingham – is invisible from the Urubamba Valley and completely autonomous: it is surrounded by agricultural terraces and watered by natural springs. Machu Picchu means “old peak” in Quechua (Inca language) and was included in 2007 on the list of the seven new wonders of the world.
Town among clouds acted as a spiritual center, but also as a observatory. It was the family’s private refuge of the Inca Leader Pachacutec. The areal is divided in two – the agricultural and urban areas, which is dominated by an area with temples, markets and royal tombs.
Through the whole assembly areas meander numerous canals and stone stairs, some challenging the courage of visitors. Those adventurous, choose to reach Machu Picchu on “Inca Road” (Inca Trail), 43 miles, which is part of the 23,000 kilometers of road built by the Incas in South America. The road starts from Qorihuayrachina and is through in about 2-3 days, reaching impressive heights, through diverse ecosystems and reach Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate.
In the area of Cuzco city is the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, an impressive example of Inca military architecture. Carved in large blocks of granite fortress, Sacsayhuaman (which in Quechua means “satisfied falcon”) is divided into three huge terraces positioned zigzag and guarded by massive stone walls reaching up to 300 meters and weigh over 300 tons.
Mysterious Nazca lines
From the high of Andes descend on the Pacific coast, where the Nazca lines are – between the towns Nazca and Palpa. Lines are as gods encrypted embroidery on desertified plains of Peru, whose significance could not be found so far. Lines were discovered in 1927 and is one of the most important cultural heritage left by a civilization that developed in the period 200-700 BC.
Geoglifs represent stylized images of spiders, monkeys, birds, fish, llamas, reptiles, insects, humans and deities, and covers an area of 50 square kilometers. The drawings are so great – can reach 300 meters – that can only be seen from the plane at an altitude of at least 450 meters. Nazca plains are located 460 km south of Lima and entered the UNESCO World Heritage.
Lake Titicaca, the headspring of ancient civilizations
Legend says that the waters of Lake Titicaca emerged from Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, the mythical founders of the Inca empire. In this area was also born one of the largest pre-Inca civilizations, Tiahuanaco.
Puno was founded in 1668 by the spanish, on the lake side. The city itself is an art form, combining architectural styles of the locals and the spanish colonizers, but the real show is going to just a kilometer from the main square of Puno city. Lake Titicaca has an area of 8,560 square kilometers and is an inexhaustible source of entertainment – from fishing to motor boating up on the dozens of islands that is the lake sprinkled with. Uros people live on these islands, which is a pre-Inca civilization that is still living in primitive conditions.
The lake is at an altitude of 3.812m and is the highest navigable waterway in the world.
Ups and downs from Arequipa
Arequipa region is synonymous with volcanoes, with mountain peaks streaked with snow, with the pure blue sky and the endless plains. Misti volcano of 5.825m, is the symbol of Arequipa. The road to the top is more like climbing than with a trip to the mountains, and takes two days. The other volcano which overlooks the city is Chachani, of 6.075m.
Colca Canyon, which is the third tourist attraction in Peru, visited by 120,000 tourists a year, also gives a great natural spectacle. It has a depth of 4,160 meters, being twice deeper than the Grand Canyon from the United States. The area is full of beautiful lakes, bizarre rock formations and a rich flora and fauna such as Andean condors, vicuñas, forest with queñual trees and Llaret bushes . Interesting to tourists are snow-capped volcanoes: Hualca Hualca, Sabancaya and Ampato.
For a long time, in the Colca lived Collage and Cabana tribes, descendants of Pucara population of plains and mountains of southern and the Cuzco Quechua population.
In Santa Catalina from Arequipa time has patience with everyone. Alie flowing lazily through the monastery – a city within a city, actually – revealing the past centuries of the settlement: volcanic stones (Sillar) oil paintings of the colonial period, high arches and granite markets. With an area of 29,426 square meters, located in the center of Arequipa, Santa Catalina is the pride of the city. The monastery was founded in 1580 under the leadership of Viceroy Toledo and was opened to the public only in 1970.
Huacachina
Located near Ica, Huacachina is a small oasis that surrounds a natural lake, being guarded by large sand dunes. Once, it was the fun place of the Peruvian elite, but today is a preferred destination for international tourists.
Chan Chan
The city Chan Chan was built of adobe and is the largest from pre-Columbian America. It is estimated that around 30,000 people lived here. The center of city consists of a few strongholds for various ceremonies, burial chambers and temples. Chan Chan was built by the Chimu people, around 850 AD and was conquered by the Inca empire in 1470.
Iquitos
Peruvian amazonian jungle is one of the most sought holiday destinations. A boat tour on the Amazon starts in Iquitos, the largest city in the world that can not be reached by road, only by sea or air.
- Peru is second in the world in terms of number of bird species.
- In Peru there are 3,000 species of orchids. Most grow in the tropical jungle on the eastern slope of the Andes.
- In Peru, there are over 55 types of corn – all colors, including yellow, purple, white or black.
- The potato originated in Peru, here there are over 3,000 types. Peruvians proud say “Soy mas Peruano que la papa ” (I’m more peruvian than potatoes).
- Cuy, or guinea pig, is a traditional food in Peruvian cuisine.
- Peru is the sixth gold producer in the world.
- National University of San Marcos is the oldest of the Americas, founded on May 12, 1551.
- Peru ranks second, immediately after India in terms of number of shamans.
- Two thirds of the country are covered by the Amazon rainforest.
- There are three official languages in Peru: Spanish, Quechua and Aymara, but east of the Andes, the Amazon rainforest is believed that Aborigines speak over 13 different languages.