Lima, PERU

Lima, the capital city of Peru, was founded by conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535. This city's historic places include the National University of San Marcos, which was established in 1551 and is the oldest university in the Americas.

• Plaza de Armas

  Also Plaza Mayor, located in the Historic Centre of Lima, it is surrounded by the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima, Archbishop's Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the Palace of the Union.

• Monastery of San Francisco

  Saint Francis Monastery located in Lima, Peru. The church and convent are part of the Historic Centre of Lima, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. Aside from a church and monastery it also contains a library and catacombs.

Sacred Valley, PERU

The heart of the Inca Empire, the Sacred Valley of the Incas is the region of Peru surrounding the city of Cusco. The valley is full of the ruins of this once-powerful empire, such as Ollantaytambo, Pisac and Tipon.

• Maras

  Maras is a town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 40 kilometers north of Cuzco, in the Cuzco Region of Peru. The town is well known for its nearby salt evaporation ponds, in use since Inca times. The salt-evaporation ponds are up-slope, less than a kilometer west of the town.

• Moray

  Moray is one of the famous Inca ruins near Cusco. It is composed of three groups of circular terraces (muyus in Quechua) that descend 490 feet (150 meters) from the highest terrace to the lowest. Each muyu has 12 levels of terraces with the largest depression having a diameter of 600-feet. Surrounded by the towering Andes mountains, looking into the depths of these man-made craters will fill you with awe and wonder.

Aguas Calientes, PERU

This town sits 20 minutes down the mountain from Machu Picchu. Its name, "hot waters" in English, derives from the presence of numerous thermal springs in the area that make thisvillage a great place to relax after a hike.

Machu Picchu, PERU

The famous citadel of the Inca sits atop a scraggy mountain peak overlooking the valley that was sacred to those people. These ruins feature many temples and the famous terraced-gardens the Inca developed for agriculture in the Andes.

The current restrictions on visits to Machu Picchu allow a maximum stay of 4 hours in the citadel (2 hours and a half accompanied by a guide). Also NO cameras are allowed.

Aguas Calientes, PERU

This town sits 20 minutes down the mountain from Machu Picchu. Its name, "hot waters" in English, derives from the presence of numerous thermal springs in the area that make thisvillage a great place to relax after a hike.

Cusco, PERU

This city once served as the capital of the Inca Empire. Many of its most popular sights are the ruins of this once-great people, such as the famous "lost city" of Machu Picchu. Cuzo itself also has many sights.

• Sacsayhuaman

  Sacsayhuaman is strategically built on a hill overlooking Cuzco and famous for its enormous carved stones, some of them standing over 9m/30ft high and weighing over 350 tons.

• Plaza de Armas

  Built on the remains of one the Incas' most important gathering spots, this square keeps the spirit of a fallen empire alive.

• Cuzco Cathedral

  This cathedral, also called the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin, was completed in 1654, and is located in the Plaza de Armas. It contains many historically significant objects and relics.

• Cristo Blanco

  The Cristo Blanco is the most famous monument in the city of Cusco. It is a statue of Jesus Christ that reaches 8 meters in height and raises its arms as a sign of protection at the top of the city. It is located next to the Sacsayhuaman fortress.

• Qurikancha

  The site where these impressive ruins stand was once the most important temple in the entirety of the Incan Empire. Reports from Spanish explorers of the time describe the temple's ipulence in great detail.

• San Pedro Market

  This large public market in Cuzco is a bustling bazaar where you can find all sorts of handmade crafts and locally grown foods. Wandering amongst the stalls, you will get a firm sense of the local culture.

Andahuaylillas, PERU

Andahuaylillas, is a small town of mercy mild climate that is surrounded by mountains. Having as one of its main attractions Sistine Church of America.

• Sistine Church of America

  The San Pedro de Andahuaylillas church is considered the "Sistine Chapel" of America due to the quality of its works of art. Even if its architectural structure is classic of small town churches.

Raqchi, PERU

An Inca archaeological site in Peru known as the Temple of Wiracocha, one of its constituents.

• Temple of Wiracocha

  The Temple of Wiracocha is the most famous construction of the archaeological site of Raqchi in Cusco. Its name is related to the god Huiracocha, creator of the world according to many ancient cultures of the coast and mountains of Peru. It is a temple over 14 meters high, the tallest Inca structure discovered to date.

Pucara, PERU

This was the first urban settlement on Lake Titicaca, established between 100 and 300 A.D. It has the same name as the first civilizations who lived in the Altiplano.

• Pucara Lithic Museum

  Pukara lytic Museum. It houses an impressive collection of stone sculptures and lithic artifacts from the ancient cultures of Pucara.

Lake Titicaca, PERU

In Andean belief, Titicaca is the birthplace of the sun. Set between Peru and Bolivia, it’s the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable body of water in the world. Bright days contrast with bitterly cold nights. Enthralling, deep-blue Lake Titicaca is the unifying, longtime home of highland cultures steeped in the old ways.

• Uros Floating Islands

  Created by the indigenous Uros people as protection against attacks from the Incas, the Uros Islands are one of the world's most innovative feats of human engineering.