With our tailor-made holidays to Peru, you can focus solely on the aspects of the country that interest you. Explore Peru at your chosen pace, stay in your preferred accommodation, and enjoy activities perfectly paired with your passions.
Lima, the cosmopolitan capital, is an excellent place to start. Take a city tour to see the contrast between the colonial architecture of its historic centre and the modern seafront of Miraflores. Discover why Peruvian cuisine is considered world-class on a Lima culinary tour, and learn from local chefs how to prepare popular dishes like ceviche.
From Lima, you can fly over the Andes to Arequipa – a pearly-white city almost completely made from volcanic stone. Here you can visit the 16th-century Santa Catalina Monastery and the fascinating Juanita Mummy Museum.
For those interested in birdwatching, we highly recommend visiting Colca Canyon to observe condors gliding on thermal currents in the early morning. These giant birds have a wingspan of up to three metres, and feature prominently in Andean folklore.
Lake Titicaca is a worthy destination on all tailor-made tours to Peru. Spend a full day visiting the floating islands of the Uros – expertly built using woven reeds – and Taquile Island, where you can have a home-cooked lunch with a local family. From Lake Titicaca, choose to travel in style overnight to Cuzco aboard the Belmond Andean Explorer train.
Peru’s archaeological sites offer glimpses of the country’s pre-Columbian past. The ruined citadel of Machu Picchu is undoubtedly the star, and you can arrive via a scenic journey on the Vistadome train. Or for those seeking adventure, embark on a four-day hike along the ancient Inca Trail, which rewards you with spectacular mountain scenery and Inca ruins only accessible by this route. As you reach the Sun Gate at sunrise, gazing over the ‘Lost City of the Incas’, you will know the 4,200-metre climb up Dead Woman’s Pass was worth it.
While staying in the Sacred Valley, explore more of the Inca Kingdom at Ollantaytambo. Alternatively, take an excursion to see the ancient Maras salt ponds, which pre-date the Incas, and to the circular Inca terraces of Moray.
In Cuzco, the original capital of the Inca Empire, witness how the Spanish built their churches over Inca stones and discover other famous Inca sites, such as the Temple of the Sun at Koricancha, and Sacsayhuaman. Tailor-made holidays to Peru that are timed for 24 June coincide with the Inti Raymi festival, which sees the streets of Cuzco spring to life with colourful ceremonies honouring the Incan sun god, Inti.
Alternatively, visit the remains of other ancient civilisations of Peru such as Kuélap, a spectacular pre-Inca walled city atop a mountain; the Túcume pyramids, founded in 800 AD; and the ruins of Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in South America. Or visit the mysterious Nazca Lines – enormous geoglyphs that form geometric shapes, stylised plants, and the outlines of animals including condors, monkeys, spiders and fish.
Finally, for those searching for wildlife encounters, travel to Puerto Maldonado or Iquitos, gateways to the Peruvian Amazon. Here you can explore the rainforest from a comfortable ecolodge or on a cruise in search of caimans, giant river otters and monkeys.