Introduction
Contemplate the imperial ruins of mighty cities and dabble in the Amazon Basin. Peru had a rich cultural life thousands of years before Pizarro turned up in funny clothing. Wander around colonial cities that echo the legacy of Spanish conquistadors, explore the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, visit the lost city of Machu Picchu and ponder the enigma of the Nazca Lines.
Peru also boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in South America. The beautiful Peruvian Andes issue a siren's call to top-class trekkers. These mountains are also home to squillions of indigenous highlanders, who still speak the ancient tongue of Quechua and live a traditional way of life.
Geography:
Peru is in western South America and shares borders with Chile to the south, Bolivia to the southeast, Brazil to the northeast, Colombia to the north and Ecuador to the northwest. It has three major regions: the Pacific coastal strip, the wide Andean mountains and the Amazonian lowlands. The narrow coastal strip is mainly desert, merging at its southern end into Chile's Atacama Desert. It includes Lima, the capital, and several major cities - oases watered by dozens of rivers. The country's best road, the Carretera Panamericana (Pan-American Hwy), slices through coastal Peru from border to border. The Andes, the world's second-greatest mountain chain, rises rapidly from the coast to reach spectacular heights of over 6000m (19,685ft) just 100km (62mi) inland. Peru's highest peak, Huascar á n (6768m/22,205ft), is the world's highest tropical summit and the sixth highest peak in the Americas. Tropical they may be, but the Andes have year-round glaciers above 5000m (16,404ft). Between 3000m (9843ft) and 4000m (13,123ft) lie the agricultural Andean highlands supporting half of Peru's population. The spectacular landscape brims with jagged ranges separated by deep, vertiginous canyons. The eastern Andean slopes receive much more rainfall than the dry western slopes and are clothed in lush cloud forests as they drop into the fabled rain forests of the Amazon Basin. The low-lying Amazon Basin contains varied tributary systems, all feeding into the mighty R í o Amazonas. Roads in this region are few; travelers typically venture via river, or fly.
Destination Facts
Capital: Lima
President: Alan Garcia P é rez
Prime Minister: Jorge Del Castillo
Government: constitutional republic
Time zone: GMT -5
Area: 1285220
Population: 28674757
People: Amerindian (45%), mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European - 37%), European (15%), other (3%)
Languages: Roman Catholic (81%), Seventh Day Adventist (1.4%), other Christian (0.7%), unspecified or none (16.9%)
Currency: Nuevo Sol (S/)
Major industries: mining and refining of minerals; steel and metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining; natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing
Major Trading Partners: USA, China, Chile, Canada, Switzerland, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela
Country Dialing Code: 51
Getting there and away
AeroPer ú and Faucett, Peru's international airlines, are indefinitely shut down. There is talk of reopening AeroPer ú in some form. For the time being, you must use a non-Peruvian airline for international flights. Lima's international airport, Jorge Chavez, is the main hub for flights to the Andean countries from North America and Europe, and has plenty of connections to neighboring countries. Some international flights land at Iquitos, in Peru's Amazon region. There is a departure tax of approximately US$25 on international flights. There are overland border crossings between Peru and Bolivia at Desaguadero and nearby Yunguyo on the shores of Lake Titicaca; between Peru and Chile at Tacna; and between Peru and Ecuador at Tumbes. It is possible to travel by river from Colombia and Brazil to Iquitos.
Getting around
Domestic flight schedules and ticket prices change frequently. New airlines open every year, as those with poor safety records close (check out www.airsafe.com). Most cities are served by modern jets, while some smaller towns are served by propeller aircraft. A useful website is www.traficoperu.com, which details flight schedules and fare quotes between major cities. Mountain-biking can be safe and enjoyable in Peru, and it's often better than driving on the chaotic roads. Rent one here or bring your own. While there's no passenger service along the coast, boat travel is of major importance around the Amazon Basin and in the Andean highlands on Lake Titicaca. Driving can be a hassle in Peru and it's a long way to get anywhere from Lima - consider getting a taxi. Car and motorcycle rental is possible. Hitchhiking is not practical, or entirely safe in Peru - there are much cheaper and more convenient methods of travel. In most towns and cities, it's usually easy to walk or take a taxi. Using local buses, micros and combis, can be tricky, but is less expensive than taxis. There are limited train services available in Peru. Train buffs should get themselves onto the historic railway between Lima and Huancayo.
Weather
The coastal region of Peru is cool for its latitude, and quite dry year-round. Temperatures are warmest during the summer months (January to March), with hot and humid days of around 29 ° C (84 ° F) and cool nights of just below 20 ° C (68 ° F). Winters are not too cold, but frequent low cloud may cause some to pine for sunshine. Inland, the temperature drops substantially, with less seasonal variation during the day - average highs are about 21 ° C (70 ° F) throughout the year and winter nights are chilly, particularly at higher elevations. There is also a moderate wet season here from December until May.
Places of Interest
Peru had a rich cultural life thousands of years before Pizarro turned up in funny clothing. Wander around colonial cities that echo the legacy of Spanish conquistadors, explore the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, visit the lost city of Machu Picchu and ponder the enigma of the Nazca Lines.
Peru also boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in South America. The beautiful Peruvian Andes issue a siren's call to top-class trekkers. These mountains are also home to squillions of indigenous highlanders, who still speak the ancient tongue of Quechua and live a traditional way of life.
Related post: Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia.
Contemplate the imperial ruins of mighty cities and dabble in the Amazon Basin. Peru had a rich cultural life thousands of years before Pizarro turned up in funny clothing. Wander around colonial cities that echo the legacy of Spanish conquistadors, explore the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, visit the lost city of Machu Picchu and ponder the enigma of the Nazca Lines.
Peru is in western South America and shares borders with Chile to the south, Bolivia to the southeast, Brazil to the northeast, Colombia to the north and Ecuador to the northwest. It has three major regions: the Pacific coastal strip, the wide Andean mountains and the Amazonian lowlands. The narrow coastal strip is mainly desert, merging at its southern end into Chile's Atacama Desert. It includes Lima, the capital, and several major cities - oases watered by dozens of rivers. The country's best road, the Carretera Panamericana (Pan-American Hwy), slices through coastal Peru from border to border. The Andes, the world's second-greatest mountain chain, rises rapidly from the coast to reach spectacular heights of over 6000m (19,685ft) just 100km (62mi) inland. Peru's highest peak, Huascar á n (6768m/22,205ft), is the world's highest tropical summit and the sixth highest peak in the Americas. Tropical they may be, but the Andes have year-round glaciers above 5000m (16,404ft). Between 3000m (9843ft) and 4000m (13,123ft) lie the agricultural Andean highlands supporting half of Peru's population. The spectacular landscape brims with jagged ranges separated by deep, vertiginous canyons. The eastern Andean slopes receive much more rainfall than the dry western slopes and are clothed in lush cloud forests as they drop into the fabled rain forests of the Amazon Basin. The low-lying Amazon Basin contains varied tributary systems, all feeding into the mighty R í o Amazonas. Roads in this region are few; travelers typically venture via river, or fly.
Capital: Lima
President: Alan Garcia P é rez
Prime Minister: Jorge Del Castillo
Government: constitutional republic
Time zone: GMT -5
Area: 1285220
Population: 28674757
People: Amerindian (45%), mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European - 37%), European (15%), other (3%)
Languages: Roman Catholic (81%), Seventh Day Adventist (1.4%), other Christian (0.7%), unspecified or none (16.9%)
Currency: Nuevo Sol (S/)
Major industries: mining and refining of minerals; steel and metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining; natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing
Major Trading Partners: USA, China, Chile, Canada, Switzerland, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela
Country Dialing Code: 51
AeroPer ú and Faucett, Peru's international airlines, are indefinitely shut down. There is talk of reopening AeroPer ú in some form. For the time being, you must use a non-Peruvian airline for international flights. Lima's international airport, Jorge Chavez, is the main hub for flights to the Andean countries from North America and Europe, and has plenty of connections to neighboring countries. Some international flights land at Iquitos, in Peru's Amazon region. There is a departure tax of approximately US$25 on international flights. There are overland border crossings between Peru and Bolivia at Desaguadero and nearby Yunguyo on the shores of Lake Titicaca; between Peru and Chile at Tacna; and between Peru and Ecuador at Tumbes. It is possible to travel by river from Colombia and Brazil to Iquitos.
Domestic flight schedules and ticket prices change frequently. New airlines open every year, as those with poor safety records close (check out www.airsafe.com). Most cities are served by modern jets, while some smaller towns are served by propeller aircraft. A useful website is www.traficoperu.com, which details flight schedules and fare quotes between major cities. Mountain-biking can be safe and enjoyable in Peru, and it's often better than driving on the chaotic roads. Rent one here or bring your own. While there's no passenger service along the coast, boat travel is of major importance around the Amazon Basin and in the Andean highlands on Lake Titicaca. Driving can be a hassle in Peru and it's a long way to get anywhere from Lima - consider getting a taxi. Car and motorcycle rental is possible. Hitchhiking is not practical, or entirely safe in Peru - there are much cheaper and more convenient methods of travel. In most towns and cities, it's usually easy to walk or take a taxi. Using local buses, micros and combis, can be tricky, but is less expensive than taxis. There are limited train services available in Peru. Train buffs should get themselves onto the historic railway between Lima and Huancayo.
The coastal region of Peru is cool for its latitude, and quite dry year-round. Temperatures are warmest during the summer months (January to March), with hot and humid days of around 29 ° C (84 ° F) and cool nights of just below 20 ° C (68 ° F). Winters are not too cold, but frequent low cloud may cause some to pine for sunshine. Inland, the temperature drops substantially, with less seasonal variation during the day - average highs are about 21 ° C (70 ° F) throughout the year and winter nights are chilly, particularly at higher elevations. There is also a moderate wet season here from December until May.
Peru had a rich cultural life thousands of years before Pizarro turned up in funny clothing. Wander around colonial cities that echo the legacy of Spanish conquistadors, explore the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, visit the lost city of Machu Picchu and ponder the enigma of the Nazca Lines.
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