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Catacaos
A bustling small town 12km southwest of Piura, Catacaos is the self-proclaimed capital of artesanía (handicrafts) in the region. And justifiably so: its arts market is the best in northern Peru. Sprawling for several blocks near the Plaza de Armas, here you will find excellent weav
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Islas Flotantes
The unique Islas Flotantes (floating islands) of the Uros people are Lake Titicacas top tourist attraction. Although their popularity has led to massive over-commercialization, there is still nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world. The biggest island has several buildin
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Laguna Parón
This postcard pastel-blue lake (4200m), 25km east of Caraz, is surrounded by spectacular snow-covered peaks, of which Pirámide de Garcilaso (5885m), at the end of the lake, looks particularly brilliant. The challenging rock-climbing wall of Torre de Parón, known as the Sphinx , is
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Colán
If you want to lose a few days in an authentic Peruvian beach town that foreigners haven’t yet embraced, look no further than Colán, 15km north of Paita, Piura’s main port some 50km west of the city. Paita itself is a dusty, crumbling colonial port town that looks like it sprouted
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Parque Nacional Manu
This vast national park in the Amazon Basin covers almost 20,000 sq km (12,427 sq mi) and is one of the best places in South America to see a stunning variety of tropical wildlife. Progressive in its emphasis on preservation, Unesco declared Manu a Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and a W
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Chulucanas
Located about 55km east of Piura, just before the Sechura Desert starts rising into the Andean slopes, Chulucanas is known Peru-wide for its distinctive ceramics – rounded, glazed, earth-colored pots that depict humans. Chulucanas’ ceramics have officially been declared a part of P
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Machu Picchu
For many travelers to Peru, a visit to the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu is the whole purpose of their trip. With its awe-inspiring location, it is the best-known and most spectacular archaeological site on the continent. Despite being swamped by tourists from June to September,
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Huaca Arco Iris
Also known locally as Huaca del Dragón, Huaca Arco Iris is in the suburb of La Esperanza, about 4km northwest of Trujillo. Dating from the 12th century, it is one of the best preserved of the Chimú temples – simply because it was buried under sand until the 1960s. Its location was
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Museo Inka
The charmingly modest Museo Inka, a steep block northeast of the Plaza de Armas, is the best museum in town for those interested in the Incas. The restored interior is jam packed with a fine collection of metal- and gold-work, jewelry, pottery, textiles, mummies, models and the wor
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Túcume
This little-known archeaological site lies around 30km to the north of Lambayeque on the Panamericana. A vast area – with more than 200 hectares of crumbling walls, plazas and no fewer than 26 pyramids – it was the final capital of the Sicán culture, who moved their city from nearb
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Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary
Entrance tickets often sell out: buy them in advance in Cuzco. Guests can only enter until 4pm though those inside are not expelled until 5pm. Check for changes in online purchasing: it is possible to use debit cards, but only for adult entry (to the ruins, Wayna Picchu and Cerro M
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Parque Nacional Tingo María
This 180-sq-km park lies to the south of town, around the mouth of the Río Monzón, a tributary of the Río Huallaga. The most distinguishing feature is the Bella Durmiente (Sleeping Beauty), a hill overlooking the town, which, from some angles, looks like a recumbent woman wearing a
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Sechín
One of Peru’s granddaddy archaeological sites, Sechín is located 5km southeast of Casma and dates from about 1600 BC. It is among the more important and well-preserved ruins along this coast, though it has suffered some damage from grave robbers and natural disasters. The warlike p
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Yavari
The oldest steamship on Lake Titicaca, the famed Yavari has turned from British gunship to a museum and recommended bed and breakfast, with bunk-bed lodging and attentive service under the stewardship of its captain. And no, you don’t have to be a navy buff reflecting on Titicaca.
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La Catedral de Lima
Next to the Palacio Arzobispal, the cathedral resides on the plot of land that Pizarro designated for the city’s first church in 1535. Though it retains a baroque facade, the building has been built and rebuilt numerous times: in 1551, in 1622 and after the earthquakes of 1687 and
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Kuélap
Constructed between AD 900 and 1100, and rediscovered in 1843, Kuélap is made up of millions of cubic feet of remarkably preserved stone. The 700m-long oval fortress is surrounded by an imposing, near-impenetrable wall that towers 6m to 12m high. Entrance into this stronghold is vi
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Batán Grande & Chota
About halfway from Chiclayo to Chongoyape a minor road on your left leads to the Sicán ruins of Batán Grande . This is a major archaeological site where about 50 pyramids have been identified and several burials have been excavated. With the urging of Dr Walter Alva, among others,
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Pisac Ruins
A truly awesome site with relatively few tourists, this hilltop Inca citadel lies high above the village on a triangular plateau with a plunging gorge on either side. Allow several hours to explore. To walk from town, a steep but spectacular 4km trail starts above the west side of
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Reserva Ecológica Chaparrí Wildlife
This 34,000-hectare private reserve, located 75km east of Chiclayo, was established in 2000 by the community of Santa Catalina and the famous Peruvian wildlife photographer Heinz Plenge. It offers a completely unique atmosphere for this coast. This is one of the few places in the w
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Catarata de Gocta
This 771m waterfall somehow escaped the notice of the Peruvian government, international explorers and prying satellite images until 2005, when German Stefan Ziemendorff and a group of locals put together an expedition to map the falls. Various claims ranging from the third-lofties
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