Highlights of Peru

The Nazca Lines are a legacy of the Nazca, an ancient Peruvian culture that lived between 200 BC. and 800 AD. It developed in the southern coastal region of today’s Peru. Fascinating weaving and ceramics from the Nazca have been well preserved to this day. The Nazca lines stretch over more than 250 square kilometers of stony pampas and form an extensive network consisting of lines up to ten kilometers long. Triangular and trapezoidal shapes alternate with drawings of plants, animals and people. This monument can only be fully captured from the air. To explore the Nazca culture, we recommend visiting the most important museum related to the history of Peru in Lima, the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú. Ceramics from the Nazca, Paracas, Moche and Incas, gold jewelry and statues, but also art from the colonial period and the republican era are on display there. The Museo Arqueologico Antonini in the city of Nazca itself is also worth seeing.

The Titicaca lake in Peru is situated 3,812 metres above sea level and is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world. It is 178 kilometers long, 64 meter wide and 107 meters deep. 25 rivers flow into the Titicaca lake and but it has only one outflow, and therefore evaporation accounts for the greatest proportion of water loss for this lake. 

Machu Picchu, the ancient city built by the Incas, is located 2430 meters above sea level. The sacred valley is located at around 2200 meters. If you are prone to altitude sickness (AMS), we suggest that you spend a night in the sacred valley before starting off for your round trip in Peru, beginning in Arequipa, which is 2300 meters high. 

The best time to swim in Peru is during summer from November to April. Although Peru has a coast of up to 3,000 kilometers, the only suitable region for swimming is in Northern Peru. The waters are warm all year round and the coastline in northern Peru is around 300 kilometers long. The best beaches in Peru are Punta Sal (fine coral sand), Máncora, Vichayito, Cabo Blanco, Posada and Zorritos.

Whoever wants to hike the Inca Trail will have to be fit and and ready to get used to higher altitudes. We recommend beginning your Peru round-trip in Arequipa, and warm up with short hikes before embarking on the Inca Trail in the following days. You will need to hike around 4 to 8 hours each day and the mountain pass is at 4200 meters high.