Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [4]
Have a shaman cure what ails you in Huancabamba, on Peru’s north coast (see boxed text, Click here)
Sashay into a neon-lit, fish-tank-encrusted Miami Vice–style dance club in the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco (Click here)
See ancient whistling pots in a well-known archaeological museum…that resides in the basement of a gas station in Trujillo (Click here)
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At Play in the Fields of the Lord, by Peter Matthiessen, is a classic, superb and true-to-life novel about the conflicts between the forces of ‘development’ and indigenous peoples in the Amazon jungle.
Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru, by Tahir Shah, is an amusing tall tale about what lies behind the ‘birdmen’ legends of the Peruvian desert, eventually leading the author to a tribe of cannibals in the Amazon.
Cut Stones and Crossroads: A Journey in the Two Worlds of Peru, by Ronald Wright, is a comprehensive journey through some of Peru’s ancient cities and archaeological sites, and it comes with helpful guides to Quechua terminology and traditional Andean music.
Eight Feet in the Andes: Travels with a Donkey from Ecuador to Cuzco, by Dervla Murphy, is an insightful, witty travelogue of this peripatetic travel writer’s 2000km journey with her daughter through remote regions, ending at Machu Picchu.
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INTERNET RESOURCES
For many more websites targeted to specific topics, such as volunteering in Peru or gay and lesbian travel, thumb through the Directory at the back of this book, starting Click here.
Andean Travel Web (www.andeantravelweb.com/peru) Independent travel directory with loads of links to hotels, tour companies, volunteer programs etc.
Expat Peru (expatperu.com) Helpful site that details important government and other resources; has a complete listing of immigration offices and customs regulations.
Latin America Network Information Center (www.lanic.utexas.edu) The University of Texas provides hundreds of informative links on all subjects.
Living in Peru (www.livinginperu.com) This English-speaking expats’ guide is an excellent source of Lima-centric news; the site has a handy events calendar.
Peru Links (www.perulinks.com) Thousands of links on a range of topics; many are in Spanish, some in English. Editor’s picks and top 10 sites are always good.
Peruvian Times (www.peruviantimes.com) The latest news, in English.
Prom Perú (www.peru.info) The official government tourism agency, with a good overview of Peru in Spanish, English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese.
The Peru Guide (theperuguide.com) A broad travel overview to the country.
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Itineraries
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CLASSIC ROUTES
THE GRINGO TRAIL
ONLY THE BEST OF PERU
ROADS LESS TRAVELED
NORTH COASTIN’
BACK DOOR INTO THE AMAZON
JUNGLE BOOGIE
TAILORED TRIPS
ANCIENT TREASURES
TASTE SENSATIONS
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CLASSIC ROUTES
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THE GRINGO TRAIL Two to Four Weeks / Lima to Cuzco
This loop starts in Lima, zips down along the coastal desert, climbs to Arequipa and Lake Titicaca and ends at Machu Picchu. It is one of the most popular routes on the continent. You could do much of this in two weeks, but a meandering month is ideal.
Leaving Lima (Click here), journey south to Pisco and Paracas (Click here), where you can catch a boat tour to the wildlife-rich Islas Ballestas (Click here). Then it’s on to Ica (Click here), Peru’s wine and pisco (grape brandy) capital, and the palm-fringed, dune-lined oasis of Huacachina (Click here), famous for sandboarding. Next is Nazca (Click here), for a flight over the mysterious Nazca Lines.
Turn inland for the ‘White City’ of Arequipa (Click here), with its colonial architecture and stylish nightlife. Go trekking in Cañón del Colca (Click here) or Cañón del Cotahuasi (Click here) – perhaps the world’s deepest canyon – or climb El Misti (Click here), a postcard-perfect 5822m volcano. Then it’s upwards to Puno (Click here), Peru’s port on Lake Titicaca (Click here), one of the world’s highest