Peru has dancing horses, walking trees, llamas and alpacas, lunch or afternoon tea in the cloisters of a 17th century seminary and dinner gazing out at the Pacific Ocean. Add pisco to this miscellany, made by distilling fermented juice from a grape that grows at altitudes above 3,000 metres, and you have some idea of the surprises awaiting the adventurous traveller in Peru.
The Peruvian Paso, called the ‘silent ambassadors of Peru’, is a horse noted for the singularity of its gait and lateral movement. They were brought to the country by the conquistadors from Spain and at Los Ficus Casa Hacienda, a taxi ride from the capital city of Lima, programmes showing them at their delightful best will appeal to anyone who likes horses.
A longer but exciting journey to the Peruvian Amazon is necessary to see trees that walk. Geographically, Peru is stunningly diverse with the Andes taking up a third of the land, tropical rainforest 60% and desert accounting for the remaining 10%. Experiencing the mountains and the Amazon can be combined with a trip to Cusco, a city high in the Andes at almost 4,000m above sea level. Cusco was the headquarters of the Incas until Spanish colonisers took over and made Lima the capital for their gold-grabbing operations in South America.
From Cusco you can set off on the four-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu, the single biggest tourist attraction in South America. It’s not for the faint-hearted but reaching the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu early in the morning is by all accounts a soul-stirring sensation and there is no shortage of escorted tours for enabling this.
I experienced the layman’s alternative – unforgiving souls might label it the lazy way – and enjoyed sitting back on a train chugging its way through the Peruvian countryside. Grazing alpacas and fields of corn with the Andes in the background provided tranquil moments of agricultural life and pleasing photo shots.
Cusco bears an imperialist imprint, visually so in the main square dominated by the cathedral, and in the Monasterio hotel which was built on Inca foundations as a seminary for the sons of conquistadors. Staying there or not, it is worth exploring to admire the faultless relocation of Baroque architecture to South America and enjoy tea in the grand cloistered courtyard. Close by Monasterio, Moreno is a restaurant overlooking the main square and serving authentic Peruvian cuisine (including marinated pieces of alpaca with Andean cheese and corn).
The Sacred Valley is about 30km northwest of Cusco and at one end lies the ancient town of Ollantaytambo and its hugely impressive Inca temple-fortress built onto the cliffside. A steep pathway leads to an Inca temple site, Templo del Sol, and the half-hour climb to reach it is well worth the effort for the sense of an Inca civilization evoked there. Ollantaytambo is geared up for tourists – though not in a pushy way – with market stalls selling attractive knitwear and other handicrafts.
Almost 500km east of Cusco, a 50-minute flight, the small city of Puerto Maldonado distinguishes itself by being a jumping-off point for trips into the Southern Amazon. Boats set off from here along the Madre de Dios river to various jungle lodges situated on its banks. You are not going to come across any of Amazonia’s indigenous tribes still living in total isolation from the outside world but you will see and hear unfamiliar animal and bird life.
Kingfishers darting across water, russet-backed oropendolas and black-fronted nunbirds are not uncommon, nor is (though becoming scarce outside Madre de Dios) the marvellously red and green scarlet macaw. Hoatzins with their ragged crests and blue skin around the face are likely to be seen and almost certainly to be heard are the unforgettable, hysterical wolf whistles of the screaming piha – ‘the voice of Amazonia’ for the authors of Birds of Peru. Helpfully, for the taking of photos, rufescent tiger-herons stand motionless for long periods by the side of water.
Any good lodge will have expert guides to take you out on treks and boat rides. This is how I encountered walking trees (Socratea exorrhiza) that move from shade to sunlight by growing roots in a particular direction and replacing the old roots that lift into the air and wither away. Also pointed out was a beautiful poison dart frog, scary-looking tarantulas and scorpions. These were all on the ground while above in the trees groups of capuchin monkeys and acrobatic black spider monkeys could be spotted on their aerial searches for food.
Lima is where you land on arrival in Peru and were it not for its exuberant food scene is hardly a city to linger in unduly. The neighbourhood of Barranca is appealing for its fading colonial-era mansions and mildly bohemian character and here too is Kjolle, a superb restaurant that suggests itself for a special dining experience.
Like all of Lima’s best places to eat, Kjolle thrives on the culinary possibilities of a country with wildly different terrains and microclimates. La Gloria is a delightful low-key bar and restaurant worth seeking out for its non-touristy appeal and good cheer. It was here I tasted an El Capitán which for some cocktail aficionados is more appealing (and less sweet) than the pisco sour that has become the unofficial national drink.
La Gloria’s kitchen serves up delicious tapas and Peruvian dishes and locals speak highly of the food. If quality seafood and Pacific sunsets work for you, Cala restaurant is perfectly placed on a clifftop.
Peru has an astounding variety of landscapes and travelling around Lima and Cusco you experienced only a fraction of what the country has to offer curious and adventurous visitors.
Essential information
There are no direct flights to Lima from Ireland or Britain and getting there will involve changing planes in Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid or Frankfurt. Once there, internal flights cover most of the country and there are daily flights between Lima, Cusco and Puerto Maldonado.
Peru’s tourist board website and the 2024 Rough Guide to Peru are good places to start planning a trip.
For trips to the Amazonian rainforest and the mountains, see the Larger Mammals of South America and the Helm Field Guide to the Birds of Peru.
The best lodges on the Madre de Dios river are those of Rainforest Expeditions.
