5 must-visit highlights to explore in Peru 

Considered one of the cradles of civilisation, Peru is among Latin America’s most enthralling destinations. Few travellers can resist the allure of Machupicchu, an abandoned Inca citadel exhibiting one of the finest examples of pre-Columbian architecture on the continent. But the Inca aren’t the country’s only draw. Traces of other historic peoples abound here, in everything from floating reed islands to enigmatic geoglyphs scratched into the desert.  

Modern Peru has plenty to offer, too. Sample potent pisco at a distillery tucked between sand dunes before sitting down to lunch at one of the globe’s best restaurants in cosmopolitan Lima. Best of all, flights with avianca via Bogota connect you directly to the Peruvian capital and onwards to Cusco, allowing you to explore deep into this remarkable country. Travelling in comfort to propel your South American adventure has never been easier thanks to avianca. 

Considered Latin America’s gastronomic capital, Lima is the perfect place to begin your adventure and you can fly there with avianca, from London via Bogota. Peru’s 3,000km coastline produces an abundance of fish and local gastronomy has fused ancient culinary techniques with those introduced by Japanese immigrant communities in the late 1800s. All come together in Nikkei cuisine and the city’s most celebrated dish, cebiche (also spelt as ceviche), where white fish plucked straight from the ocean is “cooked” in lime juice. It’s fresh, light and best sampled at a cebichería.   

Fine dining has become a national calling card for Peru, too. Many Peruvian restaurants frequently top the list of the best restaurants in South America and have put Nikkei on the map, serving up everything from sea snails and pork belly to tiraditos (sashimi marinated in lime). 

Creations by renowned chefs including Virgilio Martínez and Pía León allow you to voyage between the Pacific and the Andes on your plate, sampling regional ingredients such as Amazonian fish and Andean grains.  

At 3,810m above sea level, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and is where the Inca believed all life to have begun. Today, on these azure waters straddling the Peruvian-Bolivian border float islands built from layer upon layer of totora reeds. The Indigenous Uros used them as a refuge from the Inca who colonised the lakeshore and have lived here ever since.  

These ingenious constructions, which host houses, a school and even volleyball courts, and number 120-or-so islands, require daily maintenance to replace rotting reeds and keep them afloat. For a real insight into life here, eschew the traditional tours that take you to uninhabited islands used to put on a show for tourists and instead head out by speedboat to the Uros Titino. Reached from the Capachica Peninsula, these islands are the real deal; meet the resident families, some of whom have never stepped foot on the mainland, and even sail on traditional totora boats that have been used for centuries for fishing and hunting.  

Machupicchu has become a by-word for Peru and few experiences can compete with watching the rising sun illuminate the rounded peak of Machupicchu mountain and the temples, tombs and terraces of this sacred site. Better still, direct flights with avianca from Bogota to Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, make visiting this Andean citadel easy.  

How you reach Machupicchu is a significant decision. The Inca Trail, with its 500 hikers per-day limit, is the most famous way; this four-day trek navigates the very same stone-set paths that the Incas would have traversed half a millennium ago. If you’re less keen to arrive on foot, opt for the train that clatters along the Urubamba Valley to reach Aguas Calientes, a town connected by bus to Machupicchu. Whichever route you take, book two consecutive days to explore the site – it’s vast and you’ll want to take your time – and travel with a responsible tour operator. 

Heading west from the Andes, Peru’s landscapes transition through volcano-studded plains to reach the desert of the coastal lowlands. The region of Ica, with its otherworldly red sand beaches and seemingly unending dunes, is a great base for exploring the area. Wildlife lovers will want to take a speedboat out to circle the Ballestas Islands, where Humboldt penguins, pelicans and sea lions loll on the rocks. 

Back on land, the desert reveals plenty of surprises. The oasis of Huacachina provides a reprieve from the aridity of the area and is a hub for off-roading by 4×4 in South America’s largest dunes. It’s also within striking distance of a source of great Peruvian pride: pisco distilleries. Tour one to discover how producers coax vines to grow in the desert, before distilling their grapes to produce a brandy that is used in the national drink, the citrusy – and potent – pisco sour. Fly into Lima with avianca to start your adventure before heading to Ica on Peru’s open road. 

One of Peru’s greatest mysteries lies along its southern coastline. The Nasca Lines, which were etched into a desert by the Nasca people some 1,500 years ago, are considered some of the world’s most enigmatic geoglyphs. Their purpose continues to baffle archaeologists, who believe they were used for everything from complex water rituals – understandable in a place that sees barely 20 minutes of rain per year – to astronomy.  

What makes them so striking is their size; some measure up to 50km in length. Many can only be appreciated in full from the air, so hop on a propeller plane from the nearby town of Nasca for a 20-minute flyover of the lines. Your pilot will point out the different shapes, which include everything from abstract geometric forms, to spiders and monkeys – symbols associated with rainfall by a slew of different pre-Columbian cultures – and hummingbirds, which many believe represent fertility. 

Take off to Peru and discover a land of contrasts. Learn more at avianca.com