Things To See in Peru

Pizarro chose Lima’s palace of local chief Tauri Chusko as the site of the city’s inauguration on January 6 1535 - and thus began Lima’s colonial history. Such history is reflected in the opulent mansions that grace Lima’s plazas, with their Moorish latticed wooden balconies. The main square, Plaza de Armas, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, complete with paths, gardens and an elegant bronze fountain.

The impressive Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace), located at the northern end of the plaza, is another lavish example of colonial opulence. The sumptuous state rooms are adorned with Carrera marble, cedar and mahogany woodcarvings, French glass and Czech crystal. Highlights are the Grand Salon, modelled on the Versaille Palace’s Hall of Mirrors, the dining room adorned with friezes depicting Inca history and the private theatre. Outside, visitors can admire the elaborate military uniforms in the Changing of the Guard.

See one of the few buildings to withstand the 1746 earthquake in Lima - the Church of San Francisco. Recently renovated with the help of UNESCO, this exquisite church has several highlights, including the extraordinary early 17th-century domed cedarwood roof above the broad staircase leading to the cloisters.

The library, in its thin, rectangular two-storey salon with twin delicate wooden spiral staircases, houses a collection of some 20,000 volumes, plus masterpieces by Jordeans, Rubens and Van Dyck. Underneath the church are the catacombs, complete with ghoulish circular displays of the skulls and bones of some 70,000 souls.

Unearth some of Peru’s many archaeological treasures, such as Chan Chan, the largest pre-Inca mud city (20 sq km/7.7 sq miles) declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and the huacas (religious centres) of the Sun and the Moon (the latter has painted mud walls depicting one of the main deities of the Moche culture). The beautifully restored Huaca Arco Iris is covered with pre-Inca hieroglyphics.

Any trip to Peru must entrail venturing into the capital of the Inca Empire. Cusco, founded AD 1100, is today a fascinating mix of Inca and colonial Spanish architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. Almost every central street has remains of Inca walls, arches and doorways that serve as the foundation for the colonial and modern buildings. Colourful murals depicting historical scenes can be seen on countless walls and indigenous women with braids and embroidered shawls set up makeshift stalls selling woven blankets and handmade crafts and jewellery.

The Church of Santo Domingo was built on the foundations of the Inca Temple of the Sun, Qoricancha, (Quechua for golden courtyard: its walls were covered in solid gold sheets, much to the delight of the gold-hungry Spanish invaders). Heavy doors leading into the cloisters are now adorned with Moorish star- and diamond-shape patterns.

The cloisters are lined with oil paintings in heavy gilt frames that depict scenes from the life of St Dominic. Remains of the original Inca temple walls are found inside the main courtyard. The Incas built these walls tapering upwards so that they would withstand earthquake tremors. Huge blocks of green and grey diorite stone were placed together in a perfect fit without mortar, perfectly demonstrating the sophisticated Inca engineering and architectural skills. A further example of Inca skill with polygonal masonry is seen in the Stone of Twelve Angles.

For most visitors, the Inca city of Machu Picchu is the highlight of their visit. Revealed to the Western world by the American Hiram Bingham on July 24 1911, and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983, it is probably the most important archaeological site in South America and requires at least one day to explore fully. Buried beneath jungle vegetation for centuries, excavations revealed a myriad of staircases, terraces, temples, palaces, towers and fountains.

Highlights of the site include the ceremonial baths, the Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Three Windows and the Intihuatana, or carved rock pillar used by Inca astronomers to predict the solstices. A 30-minute walk south from the main complex takes the visitor to the Inca Bridge, carved into the vertiginous cliff face. Climb the peak of Huayna Picchu that towers over the city and from the summit; it is a breathtaking experience to watch the mist roll back to reveal the architectural marvels of the Inca citadel.

Visitors should invest in a guide as there is little information for tourists and there is much that is known about the lost city of the Inca. Those interested in trekking the Inca Trail through the Urubamba Valley should organise their treks at home, due to the environmental damage done by unscrupulous local tour operators to the trail. In an effort to minimise the damage caused by visitors there are currently restrictions on some sections of the Inca Trail.

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and home to the Uros people, who have for centuries built their homes and boats out on the lake using Totora reeds. Extending over a total surface area of 8379 sq km (3235 sq miles), Lake Titicaca is 180km (112 miles) long and 69km (43 miles) across at its widest point. Around the lake can be found pre-AD 1000 remains from the Pucara and Tiahuanaco cultures. An unforgettable site is the Yavari Project, the oldest steamship on Lake Titicaca. The lake forms a natural border between Peru and Bolivia and in this part of Peru the native people are predominantly Aymara and not Quechua speakers.

Delve into Manu National Park, Peru’s greatest natural treasure in biodiversity. Located in the rainforests of the Cusco and Madre de Dios regions and extending to some 20,000 sq km (7722 sq miles) of tropical rainforest, the area was first earmarked for protection in 1973, declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and a World Natural Heritage Site in 1987. The park is inhabited by indigenous people including the Arahuaca, Matiguenka, Piro, Yine and Yora tribes and is divided into three distinct areas.

The first section, Parque Nacional Manu, can only be entered by scientists and researchers on special permits, while the Zona Reservada is accessible to group tours operated by a licensed company and the Zona Cultural consists of a few villages that are outside restricted areas. Tourist infrastructure in the Zona Reservada is rustic and made from sustainable materials such as local timber and woven palm fronds for roofing material. Few of the lodges have hot water or electricity and, as such, are packaged as eco-friendly and follow strict environmental practices.

Scientists believe that the park is home to more than 2000 species of plants, 1200 species of butterflies, around 800 types of birds and 200 different mammals. The dense carpet of tropical rainforest is irrigated and dissected by several great rivers, including the Madre de Dios, Manu Panagua and Ucayali. Over time, swamps and cochas (oxbow lakes) have formed, sustaining unique types of flora and fauna. In the Manu region, a whole host of birds can be seen including the Amazon kingfisher, harpy eagle, hoatzin, orinoco goose and tiger herons.

It is possible to spot various primate groups in the dense tree cover, such as the emperor tamarin, spider and howler monkeys, but less common are the lowland tapir, sloth, jaguar or capybaras. If you have time on your travels, you also wish to visit the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone, 45km (28 miles) from Puerto Maldonado by river, which specialists say contains the largest and richest bio-diversity of the world. The flora and fauna within includes more than 2000 flower varieties, 1000 birds and 900 butterflies and dragonflies.