Two-minute guide to Peru

As anyone who has walked the ancient route winding its way through Peru’s Sacred Valley, and finally stood, gazing down as the magnificent Incan ruins emerge from the morning mist will attest; Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail deserve their fame. 

However travellers also should look beyond the well-trodden tourist trails and discover Peru’s dazzling diversity – over half the country is blanketed by the Amazon rainforest, and its coastline is a 2500km desert. Add to these colourful Quechua communities, colonial cities and a cuisine that’s rapidly becoming recognised worldwide and underrated Peru makes for an exciting, enriching holiday. Responsibletravel.com’s two minute travel guide leads the way.

In a country of dramatic landscapes; swathes of rainforest, the towering Andes and some of the highest sand dunes in the world, it is no surprise that for most travellers the capital city Lima is simply a stop-off, overlooked for its Andean or Amazonian counterparts.

However when a city rises in popularity based on its culinary offerings it is time for tourists to take note. Lima, a sprawling juxtaposition of colonial architecture, modern glass-fronted high-rises and sprawling shanty towns, is also host to an eclectic mix of world-class restaurants, a vibrant night-life, a colonial centre packed with museums, craft markets and surf beaches. As Elena Larkin, Latin America specialist for responsibletravel.com member Natural World Safaris, and native Limeña says "If part of your travel is about the culinary experience, then you really need to spend some time there. They even offer tours where you go shopping for ingredients on the markets, then come back to a restaurant and learn to cook your own ceviche with a professional chef".

Photo: Lima by Peter Brockmeyer

Another city which makes the responsibletravel.com underrated list is pearly-white Arequipa. This UNESCO World Heritage site, in southern Peru, sits in the shadow of the snow-capped El-Misti volcano and offers beautiful colonial architecture, the vast Santa Catalina convent and as the birthplace of many of Peru’s most delicious dishes, a whole host of fantastic local restaurants and bars.

It’s also the gateway to one of Peru’s most spectacular natural wonders, the Colca Canyon. A popular trip from Arequipa, to truly appreciate the Canyon make it more than a day trip to the Cruz del Condor lookout and instead spend a few days in the tiny, traditional canyon-side towns where local communities still dress, farm and fiesta as generations have done before them. To truly escape the well-trodden tourist trail venture deeper with a multi-day trek along the canyon-floor trails. And spend days watching condors soar overhead, and the nights soaking in natural hot springs, gazing up at the unbroken stars with barely another tourist in sight.

Peru’s famous sights are breathtaking, but in rushing through to tick each off their travel list, tourists miss some of its more magical highlights.

Slowing down to become fully immersed into Peruvian life is surprisingly easy – instead of a day trip to Lake Titicaca, spend a night on Isla Taquile, to discover locally-caught and cooked trout, traditional hand-made crafts, a unique community culture little changed in a hundred years and beautiful, golden sunrises, or spend a night in the homes of an Inca Trail porter to learn more about the Quechua culture, and why Peru’s most famous landmark is so important to the economy and income of the people who live in its shadow.

More ideas on how to discover underrated Peru in responsibletravel.com’s two minute travel guide: http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/peru/travel-guide