Peru is a county located in western South America. The countries Ecuador and Colombia border it to the north while Brazil surrounds it to the east and along the southern border is Bolivia and Chile. To the west, is the Pacific Ocean that allows for lots of trade in and out of the country. Peru is a country of many contrasts and is a wonderful place to visit on any trip through South America. When most people think of Peru, the Andes Mountains are generally the first thing that comes to most people’s minds, but Peru’s western coast is in stark contrast with its dry and arid desert, while to the east of the Andes is the Amazon jungle, steaming with wildlife.
Not only does Peru have stunning beauty and varied landscapes throughout the country, but the many different ancient civilizations and cultures have given Peru some of the most interesting archaeological sites in South America from the Inca Empire in the Andes to the Chimu Empire on the north west coast. Peru is filled with an immense quantity of treasures, so continue reading below and start exploring some of those 11 unique places to visit in Peru.
Sandboarding in the Oasis Town of Huacachina
The little oasis town of Huacachina in the western coastal desert should definitely be near the top of your list of places to visit in Peru as it’s a fun and relaxing place to visit! The small oasis village of Huacachina was a short distance from its larger neighboring city of Ica, located about 3 miles west. Huacachina is surrounded by sand dunes with a small laguna in the middle! I came here to experience sandboarding in the oasis town of Huacachina for the first time and you definitely should too because you won’t regret it. Read more about the oasis town of Huacachina here.
The Poor Man’s Galapagos (Ballestas Islands)
The Ballestas Islands (Islas Ballestas in Spanish) or what is commonly known as the Poor Man’s Galapagos are a group of islands not to missed on any trip to the south west coast of Peru. After traveling on boats away from the mainland, the islands finally come into view. It will amaze you to see the open sky change and almost become dark with the thousands of birds flying overhead as you get closer to the islands! I don’t think I have ever seen so many birds at one place in my entire life. It really was an amazing sight to see and the Ballestas Islands are a true national and natural treasure of traveling within Peru. Read more about the Ballestas Islands here.
Arch Formation at Paracas National Reserve
The Paracas National Reserve along the Peruvian pacific coast is located in the Paracas District of the Pisco Province in the Ica Region. This Peruvian Reserve was established in 1975 to protect not only the marine wildlife and habitats of the area which also includes the tropical desert, but also to protect the prehistoric sites of the Paracas culture and to preserve the cultural heritage of the ancient indigenous people of this area of Peru. The Paracas National Reserve is the oldest marine reserve in Peru and includes the coastal areas along with the desert and miles of coastal waters including the Bahía de la Independencia or Independence Bay to protect the large variety of wildlife species that live in the water, in the air and on the land! There are so many species of birds concentrated in the reserve that it is considered the largest concentration of birds on earth! This reserve also includes a rugged coastline and an arch formation that was destroyed from an earthquake. Read more about the famous Peruvian arch that no longer exists and Paracas National Reserve here.
Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines in southern Peru might not be considered one of the wonders of the world, but they really are a treasure of Peru! It is amazing to think that a group of people etched these designs into the desert floor. The Nazca Lines are located in the middle of the Nazca Desert and the best way to view them is from the air as the designs are hundreds of feet long. If you don’t have a desire to take to the sky in a tiny Cessna Plane then you can still see the lines from certain viewpoints from the surrounding foothills and towers that have been built up along the highway, but the best view is from the sky above in the cockpit of a plane! There are many lines and geometric shapes and other figures that are more complex in design. There are multiple shapes that you can see with a short plane ride from the Nazca airport. Read more about these impressive Nazca Lines here.
Arequipa
Arequipa is Peru’s second largest city and between it being a UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s lower breathable altitude, and its comfortable, relatively stable climate all year, it’s a nice city to visit! There are not as many tourists as in Cusco so you may feel a little less bombarded and relaxed while exploring this city, but it is becoming more popular every year especially because of its close proximity to Colca Canyon. Therefore more adventurous travelers are visiting the area to explore the canyon. Read more about exploring the treasures of traveling in Arequipa here.
Lima
Lima is the capital city of Peru and is filled with an endless amount of treasures to experience from the museums and archaeological sites located throughout the city, to the beautiful Pacific beaches with the adventure sports that take place along the boardwalks and cliffs of the Miraflores district. Lima is the place to visit to taste the famous Peruvian cuisine which can be found in some of the best rated restaurants in South America and Lima also offers multiple nightclubs for people eager to experience the pulsating nightlife! All this can be found in Lima and makes for an authentic South American experience within a large bustling city! Lima is a huge metropolitan area located on the arid central Pacific Coast of Peru and is actually the second driest world capital after Cairo, Egypt. You can view pre-Columbian adobe pyramids and archaeological sites nestled next to high rise skyscrapers with tons of loud traffic pulsating through the streets below, while you can leisurely stroll through the streets viewing the colonial style architecture of the buildings along with the many Catholic Cathedrals dotted around the city. Read more about exploring the city of Lima here.
Ayacucho
Ayacucho is such a beautiful colonial city as it hasn’t changed a huge amount due to its location high in the Andes Mountains, but also due to its history with the Shining Path, that led a resistance against the Peruvian Government in the 1980’s. Even though the resistance organization has now since faded once the leader was captured and put in jail, the region still remains one of the poorest in Peru with its cultural independent spirit, along with unique festivals of which it is said to have one for each day of the year. Ayacucho is a charming Peruvian city to visit and played a pivotal role in helping Peru gain their independence from Spain. Read more about Ayaucho here.
Socos
Socos is a small rural village high up in the Andes Mountains with an elevation of 11,200 feet above sea level to be exact. Socos is a short distance from Ayacucho so it’s a great place to visit to get out of the city and be surrounded by mountainous countryside with less motor vehicles and motorcycles. In this remote village, we got to experience a Peruvian Bullfight, which is completely different than the type of bullfighting you will see in Spain! To read about some of those differences and the town of Socos read this article.
Huancayo
Huancayo is located in the central Andes highlands of Peru and originally in the native language Quechua, the city’s name was Wankayuq, which means ‘place with a sacred rock’. Huancayo is located in the Andes Mountains at about 10,692 feet above sea level, so it can be quite chilly at nights so make sure to bundle up to stay warm. Huancayo is another Peruvian city in the Andes Mountains and has many unique treasures to see. Read more about Huancayo here.
Iquitos
Iquitos is surrounded by the Amazon River on one side and the Amazon Rainforest on all other sides so the only way to reach Iquitos is to either fly there or travel by boat. Therefore, Iquitos is the world’s largest city that can not be reached by any roads. For this reason, Iquitos is also an important port city for this area of Peru as many goods and supplies arrive by boat after a week long journey floating up the Amazon River from the Atlantic Ocean. A journey of over 2,200 miles. Needless to say, there is no other place on Earth that is like Iquitos so this is definitely one city that you should add to your list of places to visit as it is filled with many treasures of traveling. Read more about Iquitos here.
Jungle Expedition in the Amazon Rainforest
There are so many things to see and do in Iquitos and you can read about all of those things in this post about Iquitos, but If you would like to venture deeper into the Amazon rainforest there are many tour companies that offer jungle expeditions down Amazon tributaries to jungle lodges which allow you to visit tribal villages where you can stay and experience the local culture of the local indigenous Indians of the region. Take a look at some of the pictures of the Amazon rainforest here to see what visiting a jungle lodge and tribal village is like!
Bus Trip from Ayacucho to Huancayo
When living in Ayacucho for the summer, I decided to travel to Huancayo to visit another college friend who was living there for the summer and the easiest way to get there was a 12 hour bus ride through the Andes Mountains. So one weekend, I decided to visit her and venture out from Ayacucho to experience the long, bumpy bus ride and let me tell you, what a ride it was! I think the bus ride through the Andes Mountains from Ayacucho to Huancayo is one of the most exciting ones I had the pleasure to experience and I had quite a few. It was a rough, unpaved road and it was in very poor condition most of the way. Read more about this bus journey here.
Tips: Lessons Learned From a Border Crossing
Peru is a wonderful country to visit and while there, you might also want to cross the border into Bolivia. I learned some important lessons on our trip across the Peruvian border on our way to Copacabana, Bolivia as we had a mix-up at the immigration station. When we got off the bus at border control we thought everything was in order with our documents, but on the Peruvian side, they would not let us leave the country. You can read more about that in our post about Lessons Learned From a Border Crossing! Just make sure that when traveling you have all your visa and travel documents in order.
These are just 11 of the hundreds of different treasures of traveling that exist in the South American country of Peru. I hope you are able to explore many more than what I was able to.
Check out the map below to see where Peru is located at!
Pin me!
Like this article? Then Pin me so other travelers can find it!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin