Peru Holiday Guide: Lima, Machu Picchu, Animals and the Best Time to Visit

Peru packs a huge amount into one country: the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the old Inca capital of Cusco, the floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca, the Amazon rainforest and one of the best food scenes in the world in Lima. Add condors in the Colca Canyon, the mysterious Nazca Lines and sea lions off the desert coast. This guide covers what Peru is known for, where to go, its animals, the best time to visit and the routes that work best.

What is Peru known for?

• The Incas: Machu Picchu, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the Inca Trail, built by the largest empire in the Americas.
• Its food: ceviche, lomo saltado, the pisco sour and some of the world’s most praised restaurants in Lima. Peru also grows thousands of kinds of potato.
• Llamas and alpacas: you’ll see them all over the Andes, and alpaca wool is woven into the bright textiles sold in every market.
• The Amazon: about 60% of Peru is rainforest, home to macaws, monkeys, sloths and pink river dolphins.
• Natural wonders: Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake; the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest; and the striped Rainbow Mountain.
• Ancient mysteries: the Nazca Lines, giant figures drawn in the desert about 2,000 years ago.
• And a bear: Paddington came from “darkest Peru”, and the real spectacled bear lives in its cloud forests.

Where to go in Peru

Most first trips follow the “southern circuit”: Lima, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, often with the Amazon or Arequipa added. Distances are big, so short domestic flights save a lot of time. For more on seeing the citadel, compare our Machu Picchu tours.

Lima

• 2 nights
• Food, colonial centre, Pacific cliffs

Peru’s capital sits on cliffs above the Pacific. The colonial centre has the cathedral, the Plaza Mayor and the catacombs of San Francisco, while Miraflores and bohemian Barranco have clifftop parks, galleries and the best restaurants.

Lima is South America’s food capital: eat ceviche at lunchtime, as locals do, and try a tasting menu of Peruvian ingredients.

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Cusco

• 3 nights
• Inca capital, markets, altitude

The old Inca capital at 3,400 metres has Spanish churches built on Inca walls, the Qorikancha sun temple, the San Pedro market and the fortress of Sacsayhuamán above the town.

Take it easy on your first day to get used to the altitude. Day trips go to Rainbow Mountain and the Ausangate area.

The Sacred Valley

• 2 nights
• Inca terraces, villages, markets

Lower and warmer than Cusco, the Urubamba valley is a good place to start your trip. See the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo, the market at Pisac, the circular terraces of Moray and the Maras salt pans.

Trains to Machu Picchu leave from Ollantaytambo.

Machu Picchu

• 1 to 2 nights
• The Inca citadel

The 15th-century citadel was never found by the Spanish and was brought to world attention in 1911. Visit on timed tickets by set routes; staying a night in Aguas Calientes lets you be there early or late, when it’s quieter.

Hike the four-day Inca Trail, the one-day short Inca Trail, or take the scenic train. Climbing Huayna Picchu needs a separate ticket and a head for heights.

Lake Titicaca

• 2 nights
• Floating islands, island homestays

At 3,800 metres, Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake. From Puno, boats visit the Uros floating islands made of reeds, and Taquile and Amantaní, where families keep traditional ways of life.

The scenic train or road from Cusco crosses the high Altiplano.

Arequipa and the Colca Canyon

• 3 to 4 nights
• White city, condors, canyon

Arequipa, the “white city”, is built from pale volcanic stone beneath the El Misti volcano. Its highlight is the colourful Santa Catalina Monastery, a town within the town.

A few hours away, the Colca Canyon is one of the deepest in the world. Go early to the Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint to watch Andean condors ride the morning thermals.

The Amazon

• 3 to 4 nights
• Rainforest lodges, river cruises

A short flight from Cusco, Puerto Maldonado is the gateway to the Tambopata reserve, with lodges on the river, canopy walks and macaw clay licks. Manu is wilder and harder to reach.

In the north, Iquitos, reachable only by air or river, is the base for Amazon river cruises.

Paracas, Ica and Nazca

• 2 to 3 nights
• Desert, wildlife, the Nazca Lines

South of Lima, the desert meets the sea at Paracas, where boats visit the Ballestas Islands, home to sea lions, Humboldt penguins and huge seabird colonies.

Inland, see the Huacachina oasis and the vineyards of Ica, where pisco is made, then fly over the Nazca Lines.

Peru’s animals

Peru is one of the most wildlife-rich countries on Earth, with more than 1,800 species of bird. Where you go decides what you’ll see.

• In the Andes: llamas, alpacas and the wild vicuña, Peru’s national animal, which appears on its coat of arms. Andean condors fly over the Colca Canyon.
• In the Amazon: scarlet and blue-and-gold macaws at the clay licks of Tambopata, monkeys, sloths, caimans, giant river otters and pink river dolphins. Jaguars live here too, but sightings are rare.
• On the coast: sea lions, Humboldt penguins and boobies on the Ballestas Islands off Paracas, and humpback whales off the north coast from about July to October.
• In the cloud forest: the spectacled bear, South America’s only bear, and the bright red cock-of-the-rock, Peru’s national bird.

When is the best time to visit Peru?

For the Andes, Cusco and Machu Picchu, the best time is the dry season, from May to September, with sunny days and cold nights. June to August is the busiest time, so book Inca Trail permits and Machu Picchu tickets well ahead. April and October are good shoulder months. The rainy season runs from about November to March; the Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance. In the Amazon it’s hot all year, and wettest from December to March. On the coast it’s the other way round: Lima is sunny from December to April and often grey and misty from June to October.

Average daily high, 10-year ERA5 data. At altitude, nights fall close to or below freezing from June to August.

Classic routes

Ways to see Peru with us

Classic Peru: Cusco, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca9 days · small group

Inca Trail express: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu7 days · trek

Grand tour of Peru and the Amazon16 days · with flights

Peru family holiday: Amazon, Cusco and Machu Picchu9 days · families

Combining Peru with the Galápagos? See our Machu Picchu and Galápagos tours, or compare all our South America tours.

Practical tips

• Entry: British visitors don’t need a visa for tourism and are normally allowed up to 90 days. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you arrive. Entry is recorded digitally at the airport. Check the FCDO Peru advice before you book.
• Altitude: Cusco, Puno and the Colca Canyon are high enough to cause altitude sickness. Start in the lower Sacred Valley if you can, drink plenty of water, take it slowly and ask your GP for advice.
• Book early: Inca Trail permits are strictly limited and can sell out months ahead for May to September. Machu Picchu tickets are timed and capped each day.
• Safety: the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the area near the Colombian border and to the VRAEM valleys in central Peru, both far from the usual routes. Watch your belongings in Lima, Cusco and Arequipa. Protests occasionally disrupt trains to Machu Picchu.
• Health: yellow fever and malaria advice applies to parts of the Amazon. See TravelHealthPro and your GP well before travel.
• Money: the sol is the local currency; cards are widely accepted in cities, but carry cash in markets and villages.

Frequently asked questions

Keep planning

• Peru holidays
• Escorted tours of Peru
• Machu Picchu tours
• Machu Picchu and Galápagos tours
• South America tours
• Argentina holiday guide
• Brazil holiday guide
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