Peru Vacations – Overview
Peru is one of the finest travel destinations the world has to offer. If you are looking to travel somewhere unique and want to discover some of the most magical ancient ruins and cultures in the world; then a Peru vacation is just for you. Peru has grown in notoriety over the last ten years as the famous citadel of Machu Picchu has shot to the world’s attention. Although Machu Picchu is on every ones hit list, you should remember that Peru offers much more for the modern day traveler. Nazca, Lake Titicaca and The Amazon Jungle are to name a few. In this series of publications I will take you through every aspect of planning a successful Peru vacation, giving detailed information about pre-trip planning, things to know whilst you are there, destination reviews, flights and much much more.
In this brief overview of Peru, I want to give you a taste of why you should consider travelling to Peru, and what the country has to offer.
Peru is a large country, the third largest in South America. It is a country of diverse lands constituting of desert coastal regions, vast mountains and Amazon Jungle. For many years only Lima the capital of Peru was largely inhabited, with most other regions being largely un-populated. For centuries this vast expanse of land has been untouched, and Peru has remained a mystery to the rest of the world. Only now in the last 100 years the secrets this distant land are being brought to the world’s attention.
For most people a Peru vacation will undoubtedly include a visit to Machu Picchu. But why is Machu Picchu so great, and why is it coming to the forefront of South American travel? Machu Picchu was one of the Inca’s last strong holds in pre-Hispanic Peru, and was one of the only Inca sites that was never discovered and destroyed when the Spanish invaded over 500 years ago.
Located on a high peak high above the Urubamba Valley in high Jungle, Machu Picchu was left un-disturbed for nearly half a century, until in 1911 when the famous American explorer and archeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon the citadel. Nowadays, the site which has been fully recovered from the dense jungle is one of the finest and most epic ancient sites the world has to offer, and is a must visit for every Peru vacation.
Machu Picchu is not the only secret that this land has revealed; there are many more ancient sites nearby. The Sacred Valley of the Inca’s also is home to the enormous mountainside fortress of Ollantaytambo, where the Inca’s fought some of the last battles against the Spanish. Further along the valley are the sacred terraces and temples of the Pisac ruins. Located high above the modern day town these beautiful ruins lay dormant in the vast tranquil mountains of this beautiful region.
Apart from the Cusco region of Peru, there are many more fascinating regions of this country to explore. The Amazon Jungle is a dense mainly impenetrable region of Peru covering some two-thirds of the country, and is considered to have the greatest bio-diversity on earth, offering some 595 different species of birds, 1,200 types of butterflies, 2,000 species of fish, 300 reptiles, and more than 50,000 plants. South of Lima in the Ica region of Peru are the famous lines of Nazca, scribed into the Pampa desert thousands of years ago. Spiders, monkey’s, birds and even a spaceman make up these mysterious shapes that draw thousands of visitors every year. Further to this there is the beautiful Colca Canyon, where the largest condors in the world live. Also there is Lake Titicaca on the border with Bolivia, where native Indians still weave boats and houses out of the reeds found on the lake shores.
If you are considering South America for your next getaway, then consider a Peru Vacation. Peru has much to offer, but the experience of visiting a country with such a vast wealth of history and diverse landscapes is truly magical. Peru doesn’t disappoint.
Over the next few weeks I will publish a series of helpful articles on planning the perfect Peru vacation. The next article will discuss the first stages of planning your trip.
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