Travel Articles About Peru
Pictures of Peru
This visual tour takes us from coastal Lima, the City of Kings, through the spectacular
Andes to the depths of the Amazon rainforest. Enjoy, too, these
Historical Photos and Sketches of Peru.
| Places and Destination | Art and Culture | Geography and Wildlife | History
Places and Destinations:
Sacsayhuaman, site of the Festival of Inti Raymi
Tour the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River, Peru
A Tour of Lake Titicaca
Cuszco - Capital of the Inca Empire Photo Gallery
Views of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu - Lost City of the Incas Photo Gallery
Nazca Lines Photo Gallery
In the Footsteps of the Conquistadors
To the end of the road: Pisac to Itahuania, Peru
Cuzco, Capital of the Inca Empire
The Amazing Race 7 - First Stop: Peru
Santa Catalina Monastery - Arequipa, Peru
The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca
Explore Northern Coastal Peru
Impressions of Lima
Alturas De Machu Picchu
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Lima, Capital of Peru
Lake Titicaca
Machu Picchu Photo Index
Manu and Tambopata Rain Forests of Peru
Paracas and the Islas Ballestas - the Galapagos of Peru
Peru for Visitors
Peruvian Photo Gallery
Puno, Peru
The Curious Case of Laura Bozzo
Amazon Off-Line (Eat This Shrub and Call Me in the Morning)
Experiences In Cerro De Pasco
Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen
Fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria
Inti Raymi, Festival of the Sun
Pisco
Semana Santa
Colca Canyon
Nazca Lines, Peru
Art and Culture:
Sacsayhuaman, also called Saqsaywaman, means Satisfied Falcon in Quechua. This huge
fortress was created by the city planners of Cuzco, the capital of the Inca empire, to
the head of the capital, with Cuzco as the body. This is the site of a portion of Inti Raymi,
the Festival of the Sun.
Within walking distance, and overlooking the city of Cuzco, this is one of the must-see
sights of the area. It is part of the Parque Arqueológico de Sacsayhuamán, which includes
the sites of Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puca Puacara and Tambomachay in the nearly 3,000 hectar
national park.
The Urubamba river runs through the mountains east of Cuzco, carving a fertile river valley
that fed local populations from before the Inca Empire to the present time. Along the hills
overlooking the river, the Incas built fortresses to protect the river wealth, not
knowing they created fascinating places for modern day visitors to tour.
Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, bordered by Bolivia and Peru, is the
birthplace of the Inca civilization and a must-see tourist destination for many visitors
to South America. This photographic tour takes us from Puno, Peru to Copacabana, Bolivia,
with stops at islands important to the Inca Empire, archaeological sites, the floating
islands of the Uros and views of the magnificent scenery of earth, sky and deep, blue water.
The capital of the Inca Empire, Cuzco combines the ancient city, the colonial additions and
the modern buildings and amenities in a splendid reflection of culture and tradition of the
sophisticated Incan civilization. The ancient plaza was the core of the suyos, the Four
Regions of the Inca Empire reaching from Quito, Ecuador to northern Chile.
Views of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu include views down deep river gorges and up at
snow-clad mountain peaks. There are moments when you may be the only person on the trail
and yet feel as though there are other, more ancient, beings there with you. You may even
feel a spirituality of place, an intense awareness of time and place.
These images are only a sample of the trek through barren puno, up and down rocky mountain
trails, through meadows and cloud forest, sheer cliff faces and on to the fabled ruins at
Machu Picchu. Enjoy!
Machu Picchu is the most visited tourist destination in Peru, with good reason. The ruins
stand atop a steep mountain overlooking the Urubamba river far below, and raise questions
archaeologists and historians are still asking. The mystique and grandeur bring out the
cameras.
Most people visit the ruins during the day, between 11 am and 2:30, but if you stay
overnight at the hotel just outside the entrance to the ruins, you can enjoy a more
peaceful walk through the ruins, and perhaps a communion with ancient Inca spirits,
later in the day or early in the morning.
On a high plateau now known as the pampa of San Jose, about 250 miles south of Lima on the
PanAmerican Highway, a tribal group once used the sixty miles long and five miles wide
coastal plain to draw long, intricate lines on the desert floor. Pre-dating the Incas,
this group disappeared with the Spanish conquest, leaving behind the lines, pottery,
gravesites, and more questions than archaeologists and scientists can answer. The lines
went unnoticed for hundreds of years, until airplanes began to fly over the pampa and
the designs became clear. Take this virtual aerial view, and see the lines for yourself.
Ariana Svenson of Apus Peru Adventure Trekking Specialists takes us with her on an expedition to
Vilcabamba, legendary last fortress of the vanquised Inca nation. The journey is replete
with surpising twists and turns and a glimpse into the life of Peruvians.
To the end of the road, in search of the famed colorful Cock-of-the-Rock bird leaves the
author and her companion bicycling up and over Andes passes, through Amazon rainforest
and through a number of small villages. Join them on their adventure!
Cuzco, Capital of the Inca Empire, has both historical and cultural significance.
As the hub of tourism for Machu Picchu, Ollytantambo, Sacsayhuaman, Pisac and the
Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River, Cusco offers archaeological sites, colonial
charm and up to date facilities for the visitor.
The Amazing Race 7 begins its worldwide journey with First Stop: Peru, where teams
encounter language problems, llamas, gorges, the Andes, and the ancient Inca city of
Cuzco as their first pit stop.
Enter the gates into the adobe brick walled community of the Santa Catalina de
Siena Monastery in Arequipa, Peru and step back 400 years in time. Opened to the
public in 1970, this religious community is one of the finest examples of colonial
architecture, art and life in a city within a city.
The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca are the home of the Uros, who consider
themselves the owners of the lake and its waters. Traditionally fishermen and
weavers, they now include tourism as a mainstay as visitors to the lake enjoy the
sensation of walking on a floating layer of reeds.
Long before the Incas and the Spaniards, the Moche and Chimú cultures created vast cities,
oases in the desert and huge pyramids. Now the area is a must-see for visitors to Peru.
Trip report, suggestions and comments from Gerald Erichsen, About's Spanish Language Guide.
Clarence describes his trip to Machu Picchu on a drizzly day and includes site usage with
notes from his guide's talk.
Take the train from Cusco and the bus up the mountain or walk the Inca Trail.
Lima is called the City of Kings for the day it was founded.
A vastly important colonial city, Lima now suffers the ills of modern cities, but
visitors who rush through it on the way to Peru's other attractions are missing a
wealth of history and culture.
Sacred lake in Incan mythology and favored destination - find out why millions revere this lake.
Machu Picchu and some of the places Clarence describes in his chronicle.
Visit the Peruvian Amazon river basin - what to see where to go and what to pack.
The area offers fantastic wildlife viewing of birds and marine animals, plus a look
at the ancient Paracas culture.
Peru offers a cornucopia of choices for the visitor. The Inca Empire, with Lake
Titiaca, Cuzco and Machu Picchu, premiere destinations in South America, the Andes,
Amazonian rainforests, cloud people, coastal wildlife preserves and cosmopolitan cities.
This clickable image map of Peru will take you to pages of photographs from
fellow travelers, professional photographers, tour agencies and others.
Gateway to Lake Titicaca and the Folkloric Capital of Peru, Puno is a place you're sure to visit.
St. Rose of Lima, First Saint of the Americas
Geography and Wildlife:
Saint Rose of Lima, the first Saint of the Americas, was born in Lima in 1586 and
died there in 1617 after turning away from the secular life and living a life of
self-mortification and extreme religious practices. Her devotion to her beliefs,
her piety and her example are remembered annually on August 30, the feast day of
Santa Rose de Lima.
Laura, presents a puzzling case. Her show is taped from the studio in Lima where she lives
under house arrest for alleged complicity in a political scandal and is not shown on
Peruvian TV. An attorney, Laura Bozzo demands a trial to demonstrate her innocence
while millions of her fans write supporting emails. Guilty or innocent?
Join guest author Skip Kaltenheuser on his shamanic experience in a jungle lodge near Iquitos, Peru.
Guest Author Sylvia Mac Ardle Walter shares some memories of growing up in this
mining camp in the Peruvian Andes.
The annual Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen is a colorful mix of Andean pre-Columbian
ceremonies and Catholic religion in which masked, costumed dancers relive ancient gods and rites.
The festival, sometimes lasting days, is a mix of Christian and pagan religions and is celebrated in
Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Venezuela on February 2.
This week long celebration in Cuzco, Peru draws hundreds of thousands of visitors and is the
second largest festival in South America.
Pisco is the almost national drink in Peru and Chile. First created in Peru,
now it's the subject of intense discussion between Peru and Chile:
who owns the appelation rights? Some people don't care, they simply enjoy the product!
Semana Santa, Holy Week, is the most important religious festival in South America.
The most famous week-long celebrations are in Peru, Chile and Colombia.
Amazonia
History:
A look at travel on the Amazon from Iquitos, Peru to Belém, Brazil.
This spectacular canyon is thought to be deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and the
home to condors, pre-Colombian terraces and ruins, and awesome vistas.
José de San Martín
Revered as Argentina's greatest hero, San Martín was also Liberator of Chile and Protector of
Peru. Called Knight of the Andes and Santo de la Espada, he is also the subject of one
of history's unsolved mysteries.
Ancient religion? Aliens from outer space? Ancient astronomers? Water sources? What caused the
lines at one of Peru's favorite tourist destinations?
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