The South of Peru
Here, you will first discover places in the long strip of desert-dominated coast stretching south from Lima to the border with Chile. This stretch of coastline offers hot, sunny weather, great beaches and also ancient sites.
Then, we will go east to Arequipa's volcanos & the Canyons.
A beautiful trip from the ocean to the mountains.
So many things to see and do, I'm sure this page will help you plan your future trip...
and you might have difficult choices to make!
Paracas
The Paracas National Reserve is the home to the only red beach in South America. Four hours from Lima, the Paracas National Reserve is the most important point along the Peruvian coast for many species of mammals, including two species of seals, 160 species of birds, and numerous fish and shellfish. In this stunning coastal scenery, you can enjoy exceptionally scenic beaches and opportunities for adventure activities like sandboarding. Entry is 11 soles for adults and paid at the main entrance. Many tours include the cost of entry. If you have time, you can set out on an epic animal-viewing boat tour through the Ballestas Islands.
La laguna de Huacachina
Huacachina is a village built around a small oasis and surrounded by sand dunes , 15 minutes away from the city of Ica. Huacachina means ''woman who cries'' in Quechua. Legend has it that this lagoon was born from the tears of a beautiful woman with green eyes, who was mourning the death of her loved one. Home to the biggest sand dunes in the continent, it’s the perfect place to do the famous sandboarding and dune buggy tours. Personally, I didn't stay there long... there were so many people, it was too turistic for me. I walked a bit along the lagoon and stayed only for an hour. I was happy to see it, I can say it's worth the detour, but in my book, it's unfortunately a ''turist trap.''
Palpa Geoglyphs
Lets continue on the Pan American Highway, where you can stop on the side of the road to look at the mysterious Palpa geoglyphs. It is speculated that the Palpa geoglyphs derive from the period of the Paracas culture (800 BC – 100 BC), the precursor to the evolution of the Nazca culture (100 BC – AD 800), and you can still see them today! The Palpa Geoglyphs, like the Nazca lines, were made by the same method : scraping the ground! But, instead of being made on flat ground, they are mostly nested on slopes of hills. So if you travel by car, take 20 minutes to stop and admire them.
Nazca
We are now in Nazca, home of the famous Nazca Lines. First thing I have to say about Nazca, is that it's the most expensive place I've visited so far in Peru. Hotels and excursions are double or more the price of other places so open wide your wallet! Like many other cities in Peru, the city itself doesn't look like much, but there's little things that you can visit around the city. The positive thing in Nazca : every site you want to visit is close. First thing you can see, Los Paredones, an archaeological site of Inca origin. It was built specifically to exercise administrative control and be the link between the coast and the mountains, during the period of the Inca Túpac Yupanqui (approximately between the years 1471 and 1493 AD. c.) Entry fee 10 soles.
Located only 4 kilometers away from Nazca, lie the Cantalloc Aqueducts, an impressive example of ancient engineering that dates back to more than 1500 years ago. These aqueducts were used to ensure the supply of water to the city and the crops lands. This set of aqueducts, canals and wells are called puquios (from the Quechua which means source, spring or well) and more than 40 have been found, most of them currently in use. Entry fee 10 soles.
The Cahuachi pyramids is a major ceremonial center of the Nazca civilization in Peru, occupied between 200 BC – AD 600. The archaeological complex covers an area of 24 square kilometers and within its territory exist big pyramids, temples and platforms. A great array of artifacts and remains were found at Cahuachi including textiles, ceramics, musical instruments, as well as the remains of a sacrificial child and dozens of Tombs containing mummies dating back 2000 years. It is really impressive to see that those adobe structures are still there after so many years. The entrance is free but you will of course need to rent a car or hire someone to take you there.
The Chauchilla cemetery, is the only cemetery in Peru that allows you to see the mummies in their original tombs. The mummies are in a good state of preservation despite their age and in many of them you can still see remains of hair and even some skin. Conservation has been possible in part thanks to the arid climate of the Nazca desert. So for the duration of your stay in Nazca, don't forget your hat and water because it's really HOT! The entrance fee is only 8 soles. You can do organised tours but I suggest you just rent a driver... it will be cheaper.
I kept the best for last... the Nazca lines! These geometric patterns and distinct animal shapes across the Peruvian desert have inspired many theories over the last 90 years. How were they formed? What purpose could they have served? Were aliens involved? They are apparently pre-Columbian geoglyphs awarded to the the Nazca culture (c. 200 BCE–600 CE), though some clearly predate the Nazca and are considered to be the work of the earlier Paracas culture. Who ever made them and for what purpose, it doesn't really matter but it's really interesting to see them. I suggest you take a morning flight and don't eat before going. In order for you to be able to geoglyphs, the plane makes lots of turns. I wasn't sick but I didn't feel good. Depending on the agencies, the tour is around a $100 USD for a 40 minutes flight, but the price does not include airport taxes (30 soles) and tourist ticket (47 soles) that you have to pay at the airport.
Arequipa
Arequipa sits in the middle of a region with majesctic mountains and valleys, carved out by two of the world’s deepest canyons : the Colca Canyon and the Cotahuasi Canyon. Arequipa is Peru’s second-biggest city in Peru, so if you remember what I told you in my presentation, I'm not a city person so I didn't spent a lot of time there. Well, 3 days but it was mainly to eat and sleep while doing excursions around. So if you are like me, a city bus tour should be enough to see the highlights of the city. For me, the most beautiful thing about Arequipa is its most prominent feature that surrounds the landscape - the range of volcanoes; the Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu.
Arequipa has the nickname of the “White City” for its beautiful white structures made of “sillar”, a white volcanic rock present in the region. Due to it’s unique beauty, a route was made to discover the ashlar: the Ruta del Sillar (Volcanic Rock Route). On the base of the inactive Chachani Volcano, you’ll walk through the quarries and learn more about the importance of the “sillar”. Some reasons why this element was so important to Arequipa’s construction was because of its lightness, softness, and porosity. The entrance is only 5 soles. If you decide to book a tour, it's around 4 hours to see this site + the one below.
The Culebrillas Canyon is a ravine formed by nature and the passage of water. Here we have the chance to visit an impressive untouched ravine of sillar whose walls are covered with petroglyphs dating back to the Wari civilization from the 6th-10th century. What a place! Walking through the narrow, otherworldly path winding through the interior of the ravine with its rocky walls of between 15 and 20 meters high is a really cool experience. You will be able to take some great pictures. Entrance is also only 5 soles.
The Salinas Lagoon is a shallow water salt flat within the boundaries of the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve. It rises to an altitude of 4300 where you have a scenic beautiful view of the Pichu Pichu and Ubinas volcanoes. Bring warm clothes! Since it’s high and a plateau, there were strong winds and it was cold. Since the plateau is along the road, there’s no entrance fee. If you take a tour, they will probably bring you to Lojen Hot Springs (5 soles entrance fee) where you can go in if you are not ‘’afraid’’ of getting your clothes off because like I said… really high and cold!
5 hours away from the center of Arequipa, there is this incredible stone landscape where it seems like you are on another planet. The Choqolaqa Stone Forest is at 5200 meters above sea level and is also known as Nauqqa Arequipa. Millions of years ago, the volcanoes in the Arequipa region were frequently active. During the eruptions, they released pyroclastic flows - a combination of gases and solid materials - which accumulated in this area and transformed its shape through erosion, creating this spectacular forest of stones. It's really beautiful and impressive. Free entrance.
Last but not the least, the Colca canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world! If you take a tour, get up early because it is a long ride. With edges at 3000 – 4000 metres above the sea level, its length is about 70 kilometres. Just wow! Even though it is only 165 kms from Arequipa, it is a slow ride in the mountain roads. You will make a stop on the pretty small town of Chivay, which have a beautiful colonial architecture. When you get to the canyon, you will have the opportunity to spot soaring Andean condors. There are at least half a dozen variants to the route which differ in duration and difficulty if you want to do a trek instead of a day tour. This is the most expensive entrance fee : 70 soles.
After the visit of the canyon, if you do the big one day tour, you should stop after at the Chacapi Thermal Baths, a very famous place for the beauty of the landscape. The entrance fee is 15 soles for all the pools. There are six pools in total, three on one side and three across a bridge. The water reaches 45 degrees Celsius so they are quite warm and nice for the body. Enjoy!
