Peru Off The Beaten Path

  The Pier
by ItchyFeetOnTheCheap
 
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      The Pier
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  •   Off The Beaten Path
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  • Temple
      Temple
    by JessieLang
  • Granary
      Granary
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  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by JessieLang
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Peru

51.

Museos - Museums   Lima

Museos - Museums, Lima

 8 Reviews  Lima is by excelence, a city of museums. With more than 50 museums in the city, the best ones in Peru are located here. From public to private and from general to specialized museums, visiting them... 

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52.

Sacred Valley   Cusco

Sacred Valley, Cusco

 10 Reviews  Our horseback ride from Urubamba up past the salt terraces to Maras and Moray was the best adventure of our entire visit to Peru, For a mere $US60 a person, Rancho Casa Hospedaje supplied a... 

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53.

Inca Trail   Machu Picchu

Inca Trail, Machu Picchu

 16 Reviews  Stumbled across a really great way to see machu Piccu and to see some authentic Peruvian life along the way. Some friends found a Dutch guy in Cusco who arranges tours on behalf of a Coffee... 

 See All 41 Off The Beaten Path in Machu Picchu

54.

Las Salinas de Maras   Cusco

Las Salinas de Maras, Cusco

 4 Reviews   This was definitely one of the more bizarre sights we saw on our trip to the Sacred Valley! A huge salt mine carved out of the hillside, with terrace after terrace of mini salt-pans spread out in... 

 See All 78 Off The Beaten Path in Cusco

55.

Ruins   Machu Picchu

Ruins, Machu Picchu

 13 Reviews  We can upon these impressive ruins which were only rediscovered in 1941 enroute to the Sun gate as you can see from my photo restoration work in going on using techniques which are as ancient as the... 

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56.

San Blas   Cusco

San Blas, Cusco

 7 Reviews  Well San Blas isnt too off the beaten path but its somewhat of a walk if you want to get there from the Plaza de Armas. Of course we did do a bunch of stops by the time we got here. But I think San... 

 See All 78 Off The Beaten Path in Cusco

57.

Moray   Cusco

Moray, Cusco

 3 Reviews   Moray was one of the more unusual Inca sites we visited. It's basically a series of big, circular terraces in the middle of nowhere, with an out-of-this-world quality about them. These formed an... 

 See All 78 Off The Beaten Path in Cusco

58.

Machu Picchu   Cusco

Machu Picchu, Cusco

 3 Reviews  Being in Cuzco, Machu Picchu - South Americas most famous place - of course is on your list of places where you must go! . Looking on the most common photos you see behind Macchu Picchu the steep,... 

 See All 78 Off The Beaten Path in Cusco

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Huajsapata Park in Puno

by Paul2001

Huajsapata Park is a park that overlooks Puno. It sits on a hill high over the city. The site is marked by a statue of what appears to be a condor. It is in fact Manco Capac. From this point there are outstanding views of Puno and Lake Titicaca. You can climb up to this point by way of the Pasaje Contique steps, however if you have yet to adjust to the Puno altitude (3870m), then take a taxi like me. Another reason for taking a taxi is that this spot is notorious for robberies. I did not have a problem and I did walk down the steps trouble free.

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Do not overlook Pisac

by calcaf38

Pisac is a wonderful sleepy little town situated a bit lower than Cuzco.In Pisac, there are great ruins you wouldn't want to miss, and a spectacular market.Pisac is famous, yet you won't bump into hords of tourists. It feels authentic and charming.My guide, contracted by the Royal Inka Hotel, played the pan flute for me alone in the ruins, in some insinuating, almost whispered way. I was gasping for air. It was fantastic.

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Carnival in the Andes

by melosh

Around Lago Titicaca communities gather to dance for Carnival. They also drink and fight. I saw lots of these gatherings in the countryside. I got this picture because the dancers crossed the highway causing a traffic jam. Carnival in the countryside is different than in a small town like Juli, or cities like Puna and Juliaca.You will not find these events listed on internet sites, but if you are lucky enough to be traveliing the week of the Rio de Janeiro carnival you have a good chance that you will see them.

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The Lake of Querochocha in Huascaran NP

by Paul2001

Most tours to Chavin stop off at the Lake of Querochocha along the way there. The lake is quite picturesque with a backdrop of two huge peaks, Yanamery and Pucaraju. Both mountains soar over 5300m. The lake itself is at the 4000m point and if you have not adjusted to the altitude yet then you will feel here. Some locals will take you out on a rowboat for "cruise" of the lake but I should warn that it is very chilly here.

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Salinas and Moray

by simplesee

Check out the salt pans near Urubamba if you get a chance. I've really never seen anything like it. A hot spring at the top of the valley puts out a stream of salt water which are diverted into pans and evaporated to collect salt. While it's listed in many books, not many people were there and those that we talked to didn't look to go there. A little further away is Moray, which is worth a quick trip since the views are great as well. It's crazy to think that this was an agricultural experiment. Both trips can be done at the same time since they're next to each other. Our group visited them while leaving Ollantaytambo (after getting back from Machu Picchu) to go back to Cusco for an additional 10 soles for the taxi driver. Really laid back and not as tourist crazy as other places. Well, we did go in the off season though...

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Day tripping from Lima

by melosh

Are you looking for a day trip off the beaten path? There is a magazine in English online at www.enjoy peru.com called "Conosca Peru' which features lots of places that might interest a VT member for a day or overnight trip from Lima. At www.elcomericioperu.com click on Guia de Diversions to get you to Viajes y turismo. Here you will find the best touristic calender I have every seen. It lists lots of little festivals which I sure would make great day trips. You also will find some other useful features on cities and travel distances.

The Cathedral

by canuckmike

Located on the southren side of the Paracas peninsula is The Cathedral. It is an interesting formation that juts out into the ocean. There is evidence of erosion that in the future large chunks of land may fall into the ocean. If you take a half day tour of the Paracas peninsula it will most likely include this.

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It rains in the Amazon Basin

by no1birdlady

The Amazon Basin of Peru lies on the Equator. Average daytime temperatures are about 88 degrees and it only goes down to about 74 at night. It's very humid. The usual weather pattern is a lot of sun with afternoon rain showers likely. Notice the clouds in this photo of the Amazon. The cycle of sunshine-evaporation-condensation-precipitation is what sustains the rain forest along the Amazon River. So if you come here, be very prepared for rain including plastic bags for your camera, binoculars, and anything else that needs to stay dry. As for your clothes, they don't stay dry. Either you are sweating or getting rained on so you will be damp much of the time. The other thing is that clothes don't ever dry out. I usually wash out shirts and underwear on trips and hang them in my room to dry. Here, they never did dry. I took home a suitcase of wet to damp clothes that were a "stinky mess"....

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The Church of San Francisco and its Catacombs

by Paul2001

The Church and Convent of San Francisco is one of the most important colonial buildings in Lima. The church itself is a very fine 17th century building that has managed to survive Peru's numerous earthquakes without severely being damaged. Like so many of the religious buildings in Peru, the church is mustard yellow and white in colour. Both the cloisters and church interior are decorated in lovely ceramic tiles from Sevilla, Spain. To visit both the cloisters and the famed catacombs, you have to take a tour which are conducted in both Spanish and English. The tour takes you through a room full of religious art where there are paintings(but not their best) by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordens. However the highlight or big ticket item of the tour are the gruesome catacombs. Here there are the remains of 70,000 former priest and other followers entombed beneath the convent. These remains were...

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Museo de Arqueología in Trujillo

by Paul2001

Located in a 17th century colonial mansion called the Casa Risco, the Museo de Arqueologia actually proved to be a pretty interesting museum. Although by no means large the collection has some good artifacts excavated from the Huaca de la Luna which is located just south of Trujillo. Most of these artifacts come by way of ceramics but there is also exhibits of on early native costuming and weaponry. There is also a mummy or two on display. The museum is actually operated by the local university and some of the students act as guides. To find the museum you must go a couple blocks east of the Plaza de Armas. The museum is open from 9:30am to 2pm on Mondays, from 9:15am to 1pm and from 3pm to 7pm from Tuesday to Friday and from 9:30am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $1.50.

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Unique Places in Peru

Top 3 Hotels in Peru

JW Marriott Hotel Lima  Lima

 7 Reviews and 251 Opinions  We did not stay here, but it was pointed out to us as the hotel used for some of the VIPs that came... 

 Hotels in Lima

Hostal Rumi Punku  Cusco

 7 Reviews and 486 Opinions  Very nice hotel including all amenities, even wi-fi. Recommend the tours booked via Sergio at the... 

 Hotels in Cusco

Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel  Machu Picchu

 303 Opinions

 Hotels in Machu Picchu

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Peru
  1. Lima Off The Beaten Path
  2. Cusco Off The Beaten Path
  3. Machu Picchu Off The Beaten Path
  4. Arequipa Off The Beaten Path
  5. Iquitos Off The Beaten Path
  6. Cuzco Off The Beaten Path
  7. Puno Off The Beaten Path
  8. Aguas Calientes - Machupicchu Off The Beaten Path
  9. Nazca Off The Beaten Path
  10. Trujillo Off The Beaten Path
  11. Puerto Maldonado Off The Beaten Path
  12. Ica Off The Beaten Path
  13. Lago Titicaca Off The Beaten Path
  14. Huaraz Off The Beaten Path
  15. Aguas Calientes Off The Beaten Path
  16. Huacachina Off The Beaten Path
  17. Pisco Off The Beaten Path
  18. Callao Off The Beaten Path
  19. Urubamba Off The Beaten Path
  20. Colca Off The Beaten Path
  21. Cajamarca Off The Beaten Path
  22. Tacna Off The Beaten Path
  23. Chincheros Off The Beaten Path
  24. Tambopata Off The Beaten Path
  25. Chachapoyas Off The Beaten Path
  26. Chivay Off The Beaten Path
  27. Máncora Off The Beaten Path
  28. Huancayo Off The Beaten Path
  29. Chavín de Huantar Off The Beaten Path
  30. Ayaviri Off The Beaten Path
  31. Piura Off The Beaten Path
  32. Pisac Off The Beaten Path
  33. Isla Amantani Off The Beaten Path
  34. Cordillera de Vilcabamba Off The Beaten Path

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Popular Regions in Peru

Departamento de Cusco Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Lima Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Ica Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Arequipa Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Puno Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Loreto Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de San Martín Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Madre de Dios Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Ancash Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de La Libertad Off The Beaten Path  Provincia Constitucional del Callao Off The Beaten Path  Departamento de Huánuco Off The Beaten Path 

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Questions and Answers

larricat profile photo

Q:  We will be traveling in Dec. can only spend about 6 days in Peru. Would appreciate any suggestions on how to best use our time. ... 

hawkhead profile photo

A: Firstly, if you stay on the coast, be prepared for heat and humidity. If you go inland, be prepared for altitude. I imagine you will be arriving first off in Lima? Six... 

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