Visit Peru for its compelling combination of Andean scenery, pre-Columbian culture, and Spanish-colonial architecture
As a holiday destination, Peru is perhaps best known for Machu Picchu, once the summer retreat of Inca royalty. This remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site sits 2,430 metres up on a misty mountaintop, and Cox & Kings guides can safely lead you to it – whether on one of our Peru escorted tours or bespoke private holidays.
While the Inca Empire left an enthralling archaeological legacy, Incan culture lives on in the local Quechua language, colourful handicrafts, and annual Inti Raymi Festival – a veneration of the sun god, Inti. The largest Inti Raymi festivities are hosted by Cuzco, which was the Incan capital up until Peru’s colonisation by the Spanish Empire. Our Peru escorted tours include Inti Raymi Festival departures, allowing you to witness this sacred celebration first-hand.
As well as Cuzco, we recommend visiting the cities of Arequipa, replete with baroque architecture, and Lima, Peru’s lively capital. Lima will seduce you with its handsome colonial-era buildings and enviable position beside the Pacific Ocean. The city’s chefs capitalise on this coastal location, populating plates of ceviche with only the freshest seafood. In fact, Lima is now a favourite destination for foodies thanks to its glut of award-winning restaurants – though you can expect plenty of enticing, authentically Peruvian food and drink beyond the capital.
Peru’s natural wonders rival its manmade attractions. The Andes Mountain Range – spine of South America – promises rewarding hikes backdropped by mountains, jungles, and morpho-blue lakes. Visit Lake Titicaca not just for its postcard-worthy scenery, but also to marvel at the ingenuity of the indigenous Uros people, who have woven reeds into a village of floating islands. Meanwhile, the green, stepped slopes of the Colca Canyon offer a bounty of beautiful vantage points from which to spot Andean condor.
Join one of our Peru escorted tours and you will explore in a group of no more than 18 guests, alongside a local tour manager and English-speaking guides. Solo travellers are welcome on our general group tours or can choose from our dedicated solo Peru holidays. A worthy destination on its own, Peru pairs well with its South American neighbours Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.