Peru – Long trip

My Peru travel summary:

Visited: May 1997

Duration of visit: 57 days (total Peru: 95 days)

Capital city: Lima

Population: 34 million (2022)

Peru travel blog (long trip) reading time: 14 minutes

• Exploring Lima: from upscale Miraflores to poor pueblos jóvenes.
• Birds flying just above the sea’s surface around the Ballestas Islands.
• Flying over the Nazca lines while contemplating their origins.
• Magic in the air: condors flying over Colca Canyon.
• Walking the Inca Trail to the hidden city of Machu Picchu.
• Navigating on Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world.

My initial encounter with Peru occurred in 1997 as a part of my American Big Tour in 1996-97, which started in New York and ended in Buenos Aires 15 months later. I spent almost two months travelling from the northern border, through Lima, Islas Ballestas, Nazca, Ica, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cusco and Machu Picchu to Lake Titicaca.

In this article I describe the following topics of my Peru travel adventure – Long trip: Lima – the city of extremes, lines of flying birds in Islas Ballestas, peculiar Nazca lines, Andean condors flying above Colca Canyon, among the Uros people of Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu – The Lost city of the Incas, Peruvian cuisine and Incas legacy.

More articles about my Peru travel adventures are available here:

Crossing from Ecuador to Peru, I received the friendliest welcome from customs officials on my entire journey through the Americas. They helped with forms, gave advice, and wished me a pleasant stay.

Many people warned me about dangers in Lima, robberies while trekking to Machu Picchu, and scams in Cusco. I successfully avoided all problems.

Peru definitely ranks among my top three favorite countries in the Americas.

The combination of incredible attractions, exciting places to visit, and amazing things to do is truly unique. Nevertheless, in 1997, Peru was far from a paradise for most citizens, marked by poverty, unemployment, discrimination, political scandals, and protests.

Many people widely held President Fujimori responsible, calling him authoritarian for weakening democratic institutions and consolidating power.

From Ecuadorian border I took a bus directly to Lima. During the 20-hour drive, we stopped at several customs checkpoints, where authorities treated Peruvian passengers as suspected smugglers. Officials didn’t check foreigners at all, while they removed, opened, scanned, and inspected their luggage.

Smuggling without paying import duties and taxes is strictly controlled, but sometimes allowed through bribes to corrupt authorities.

The Peruvian coast is a dry desert landscape, largely devoid of plant life and shaped by harsh climatic conditions.

The road was perfect, traffic limited, and the views of sandy beaches along the Pacific Ocean tempted me to leave the bus and swim in the sea. Later, I realized that the Pacific waters in northern Peru could be quite cold.

A few kilometers before arriving to Lima our bus broke down. After inspecting the engine for 20 minutes, both drivers and the conductor agreed:

“We ran out of petrol. It will be necessary to go to the gas station.”

A clever assumption that could have been avoided if the chief driver had not been asleep. He was resting in the luggage compartment behind the back wheel on the lower deck of the bus. I couldn’t believe when I saw him crawling out of his improvised sleeping space.

My first impressions of Lima’s suburbs were not pleasant. Traffic was chaotic, while desert sand covered the roads and the tin roofs of houses in the poorest districts.

We approached Lima through the pueblos jóvenes, informal settlements built without planning or proper infrastructure. Although colorful from the outside, many homes lacked electricity and running water.

When the bus broke down for the second time, I doubted we would reach downtown at all. Fortunately, drivers repaired the flat tire quickly, and we completed the final stretch to the terminal.

One of the largest cities in South America, Lima is a culinary capital known for its colonial buildings, carved wooden balconies, and decorative baroque architecture.

During my Peru travel adventure, I learned that many travelers considered Lima one the least popular cities because of skilled pickpockets. The city gained this reputation earlier, when locals and visitors faced problems with corrupt police officers and organized theft groups.

Recently, the situation has improved considerably. City authorities realized that foreign visitors were an important source of income and increased security in the most frequented areas.

Many Peruvians still see white gringos (foreigners) as an intriguing presence. Seductive Peruvian women are often especially interested in tall Europeans or wealthy Americans. Spanish-speaking visitors enjoy an enriching experience, with locals often eager to listen stories about life abroad.

I perceived Lima as a city of contrasts: rich and poor, cheap and expensive, historical and modern.

Different areas within the same city have little in common, and the racial composition changes between zones.

Since I spent most of my time in Lima’s Historic Centre, I was impressed by upscale Miraflores. This modern seaside district reminded me of the California coast, with surfers, glass buildings, and expensive restaurants. Predominantly upper-class white residents even speak a distinct Spanish dialect.

Over several visits, I spent almost a month in Lima.

I experienced garúa, the fine sea mist that covers the city and creates a cold, humid feel. Although temperatures are not so low, I have rarely felt such cold elsewhere. Since I was not properly dressed, I found it hard to face such chilly weather on Peruvian coastline.

I particularly appreciated the following attractions, landmarks, and interesting places to visit in Lima:

Plaza de Armas (also called Plaza Mayor) with La Catedral and Palacio del Gobierno is the hearth of historical Lima. In 1535 the conqueror of Peru, Francisco Pizarro, founded a new capital city for Peru which he called “The City of Kings“.

On the site where José de San Martín declared Peru’s independence on 28 July 1821, the Palacio de Gobierno, (the Government Palace) was later built. Today, it is a beautiful park popular for photos and the changing of the guards.

Basílica y Convento de San Francisco is the greatest monument that the conquistador erected in Peru. They include three churches built in baroque style with valuable artworks inside. The most striking feature is the extensive underground catacombs, once used for colonial-era burials.

Parque del Amor sits on the cliffs of Chorrillos, creating the illusion of floating over the Pacific Ocean. This small park with mosaic-decorated walls honors lovers. At its center, the statue El Beso invites a couple in a passionate kiss and attracts lovers of all ages.

Barranco is Lima’s most romantic, bohemian district, home to many leading Peruvian artists, musicians and designers.

Besides surfers in the Pacific, I admired mural-covered buildings, street art, cafés, and bohemian vibes. The Puente de los Suspiros is a wooden bridge tied to the legend of granting wishes if you hold your breath while crossing.

I continued my Peru travel adventure south. A short boat ride from Paracas took me to the rocky Islas Ballestas, scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

The Humboldt Current creates ideal conditions for wildlife around the Ballestas Islands and by pushing cold, nutrient-rich waters to the surface. This supports fish and attracts larger predators.

We saw thousands of birds, penguins, and sea lions, observing them from the boat since environmental protection laws forbid landing on the islands.

Seabirds have deposited guano on the Ballestas Islands and other Peruvian isles for centuries. Since Inca times, it has been used as a natural fertilizer. Some of the animals I spotted on the islands included:

• Guanays – easily distinguished from other cormorants by their red eye rings and white bellies.
• Humboldt penguins, endemic to Peru and Chile, live up to 20 years and feed on anchovies, herring, and other fish.
• Peruvian boobies are year-round residents and close cousins with blue-footed boobies that inhabit the Galapagos Islands.
• Chocolate-colored South American sea lions are among the most charismatic residents. Huge males can weigh up to 350 kilograms, while females are about half their size and weight.
• Gray fur seals and Peruvian pelicans.

The most captivating moment is when an entire flock of birds migrates from one island to another.

A line of flying birds stretching for kilometers in the late afternoon flies just centimeters above sea level, reminding an endless rope.

Who created the peculiar images in the Nazca desert?

The figures of monkeys, trees, birds, and hands stretch over 400 meters, making them impossible to see from the ground.

Were they made by Martians, ancient peoples, or someone else?

Could they be a calendar or even messages for extraterrestrial civilizations?

Each person is free to interpret them.

We all felt great excitement while observing the Nazca Lines during a half-hour flight in a small plane.

I wondered how indigenous civilizations managed to create the Nazca Lines so accurately without being able to view them from the air.

Scientifically, the Nazca Lines are geoglyphs created between 500 BC and 500 AD. The lines, typically 10 to 15 cm deep, were made by removing the reddish-brown surface stones to reveal lighter subsoil and together extend over 1,300 kilometers. The dry, windless, and stable climate has preserved the lines until today.

Thanks to the dry and windless conditions, Chauchilla Cemetery remained almost intact from the 9^th century until its discovery in the 1920s. Located in the desert near Nazca, it contains pre-Hispanic mummies and archaeological artifacts.

The bodies are remarkably well preserved by the dry climate, appearing much younger than they actually are. Experts prepared the dead through mummification, wrapped them in embroidered cotton, coated them with resin, and placed them in tombs built from mud bricks.

I gratefully declined organized tours and visited Colca Canyon on my own. In the village of Cabanaconde, we stayed in the only available guesthouse, which had no electricity and only cold water.

Locals still maintain ancestral traditions and cultivate pre-Inca terraces. In the late afternoon, many returned from the fields carrying crops and dry corn stalks. At over 3,200 meters above sea level, nighttime temperatures dropped below 0°C. Mud-brick walls provided some protection from the cold in unheated rooms.

The following morning, we woke before 6:00am, and within an hour the bus brought us to the picturesque canyon.

The Colca Canyon, about 3,270 meters deep, ranks among the world’s deepest canyons.

It is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, and its steep walls are lined with ancient terraces still used for agriculture. One of the best things to do watching condors soar above the canyon.

Around 10:00am, the Andean condors began showing signs of activity. These Kings of the Andes, among the world’s largest birds, can weigh around 12 kilograms and spread their wings over 2.5 meters in flight.

As midday approached, their flights were longer and more spectacular, until nearly twenty condors soared just a few meters above our heads. Condors use rising warm air currents to launch themselves over the canyon walls. As scavengers, they rely on their extraordinary vision to search for food during flight.

I was so excited about the condors that I returned to Colca Canyon the next morning to enjoy their incredible performance again.

The next stop on my Peru travel adventure was Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake at 3,820 meters above sea level, shared by Peru and Bolivia.

The most famous islands and the landmark of Lake Titicaca are the floating reed islands of the Uros people. Of about 2,000 Uros in Peru, around 1,200 still live on the islands, while younger generations move to the mainland. The Uros people build homes, boats, and even islands from reeds.

Most Uros islands once lay near the middle of the lake, but after a major storm in 1986 destroyed many of them, the community rebuilt closer to the shore. Residents can move each floating island across the lake if threatened.

Their lifestyle became more modern in the 20^th century, but some still live very simply. There is no electricity, water comes from the lake, and diet is based on fish and potatoes. Men maintain the sinking reed islands, while women cater to tourist demand for souvenirs and photos. Many children are trained to approach visitors asking for money, candy, or food.

Residents built the small totora island I visited, about 50 meters in diameter, mainly for tourism. On nearby less touristy islands, life has changed. Coca-Cola has replaced water, solar panels candles, and telenovelas evening conversations.

To build an island, the Uros create a light but sturdy base by tying together layers of totora roots and stacking reeds.

The new island is anchored to the lakebed with ropes. Each island can last up to 30 years, with residents regularly adding new reed layers.

For the grand finale of my month-long Peru travel circuit, I visited the historic Incan capital of Cusco and Machu Picchu.

The Inca Empire stretched from modern-day Argentina to southern Colombia, from the early 15^th century until its conquest by the Spanish in the 1530s.

The road network connecting Cusco with major cities in present-day Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia greatly improved regional accessibility. When the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire in 1532, Cusco was one of the most developed cities in the world.

The Incas created remarkable gold and silver objects, but their most impressive art was textiles made from alpaca, vicuña wool, and cotton.

They were also skilled stoneworkers, fitting massive stones together without mortar. The best example of this technique is Sacsayhuamán, where builders joined stones so precisely that not even a knife fits between them.

The fate of the Inca Empire was sealed when Francisco Pizarro executed the last influential ruler, Atahualpa, and began his conquest. He destroyed much of what he found and converted sacred Inca temples into churches or left them in ruins.

Fortunately, Pizarro never discovered Machu Picchu, hidden in the Andes about 100 kilometers from Cusco. By the end of the 20^th century, Machu Picchu had become a must-visit and pilgrimage site for tourists in South America.

There are several ways to reach the Lost City, starting from Cusco depending on budget, fitness, and time. Wealthy travelers arrive by helicopter, most tourists take a 3-hour train, while adventurers choose Inca Trail trek.

It was truly special and worth all the effort. I was especially impressed that there were no other visitors.

The 15^th-century Inca citadel of the Lost City of the Incas is the most iconic symbol of Inca civilization, with Huayna Picchu in the background. A local guide led us through the Temple of the Sun, the Room of the Three Windows, and other temples of the upper town, all showcasing architecture adapted to the mountain slopes.

From the top of Huayna Picchu, I admired the magical surroundings as much as the archaeological remains of the great Inca civilization. This was before the tourist groups arrived by train and turned the site into a crowded photo scene.

Peruvian cuisine has developed across three regions, shaped by indigenous traditions, European and Asian (mainly Japanese) influences. Its traditional staples – corn, potatoes, quinoa, beans, and lupins – are now increasingly popular worldwide.

Traditional Peruvian seafood, meat, and vegetables blend with Japanese flavors, evolving into some of the most respected culinary dishes.

My favorite Peruvian dishes are:

• Papas a la Huancaina (potatoes in spicy cheese sauce) – yellow potatoes topped with hard-boiled eggs and a rich yellow sauce. The sauce combines fresh cheese, ají, garlic, evaporated milk, lime juice, and saltine crackers.
• Causa (Potato Casserole) – yellow Peruvian potatoes blended with lime, oil and spicy aji On top shredded tuna, salmon, or chicken are mixed with mayo, followed by layers of avocado, hardboiled eggs, and olives.
• Chicharrón de mariscos o pescado – mixed fried seafood or fish.
• Tiradito de pescado (sashimi) – thinly sliced raw fish covered with a special sauce using yellow chilis, garlic and cilantro.

Since I don’t eat meat, I’ll add other top-rated dishes I haven’t tried: lomo saltado (chopped steak), aji de gallina (spicy chicken), anticuchos (beef heart kebabs) and cuy chactado (fried guinea pig).

A special position goes to cebiche, considered the most representative dish of Peru.

Classic Peruvian ceviche is made with fish, onion, and Piura lime juice, with optional additions like cilantro, corn, and celery. The fish is mixed with the other ingredients and left to marinate according to taste.

There are several popular varieties, including fish, mixed, black shell, shrimp, and octopus ceviche.

My favorite desserts are mazamorra morada (purple corn pudding), arroz con leche (rice pudding), and churros. Although churros originated in Spain, they have been perfected in Lima. The irresistible smell of churros filled with chocolate or dulce de leche from glass street displays in the old city is unforgettable.

In this section, I can highlight two of my favorite natural drinks, as well as the legendary Inca Kola and popular beers.

Pisco sour, Peru’s most famous cocktail, is made from pisco, fresh lemon juice, syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. Pisco is a colorless to amber brandy distilled from fermented grape juice, developed by Spanish settlers in the 16^th century.

Chicha morada is a non-alcoholic drink made from purple corn grown in the Andes. It is prepared by boiling the corn with pineapple peels, quince, cinnamon, and cloves, then sweetened with sugar.