Off the Beaten Path: Peru

When you think of Peru, the first thing that will come to mind is probably the iconic city of Machu Picchu. But this fascinating country has so much more to explore. The beautiful coasts, rugged mountains, and Peru’s Amazon help to make up a diverse landscape that offers diverse and exciting adventures.

Culture and  History in Chiclayo
The romantic city of Chiclayo is a 10-hour bus ride north of Lima.  The museums here are full of fascinating information about the Incan empire and their predecessors: the Chiclayo. One of the many highlights is the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, which is one of the most famous museums in all of Peru. Its pyramid-like architecture reflects the former sanctuaries of the Moche culture.

Slightly smaller, but also worth a visit, is the nearby Bruning Museum. Here you’ll find impressive artifacts including metals, ceramics, and textiles, and also the “Gold Room”, which is full of the riches from the old empires. It’s great to explore the Inca monument, Huaca Rajada, where you can spend the whole day walking up and down ancient Incan trails. After your cultural and historical visits, wait for Chiclayo’s fishermen, who return from work during lunchtime and serve some of the best ceviche you’ll find in all of Peru.

Jungle Adventure in Iquitos
To complete your coast-to-mountain-to-jungle experience, you should definitely not miss a trip to the Peruvian Amazon.

Since you can only get there by plane, it is recommended that you choose the city of Iquitos (with a proper airport) as your first place to go. Iquitos is a large city in the middle of the vast jungle, and it’s hard to truly imagine it until you actually see it. Once you reach the city, prepare for an unforgettable journey. You can enjoy an exciting adventure along the river with a very knowledgeable guide.

The jungle is full of fascinating wild animals to watch, stunning flora and fauna, and you can even enjoy a stay in a small village full of nice people who are eager to share their ways of life with you.

Machu Picchu

Although very touristy Machu Picchu is a must see. Machu Picchu stands 1.5 miles above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

The Incas built the estate around 1450, but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like.  By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored.

In 1981 Peru declared an area of 125.84 sq miles surrounding Machu Picchu as a "Historical Sanctuary". In addition to the ruins, the sanctuary includes a large portion of the adjoining region, rich with the flora and fauna of the Peruvian Yungas and Central Andean wet puna ecoregions.

In 1983 UNESCO designated Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site, describing it as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".

The World Monuments Fund placed Machu Picchu on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world because of environmental degradation. This has resulted from the impact of tourism, uncontrolled development in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes, which included a poorly sited tram to ease visitor access, and the construction of a bridge across the Vilcanota River, which is likely to bring even more tourists to the site, in defiance of a court order and government protests against it.

Theories on the use of Machu Picchu vary widely but what every the use was it is fascinating to see.

Looking for that uniquely different vacation destination. Call Rawhide Travel and Tours today 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com. We can help!

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