Lima, City of Kings, was founded in 1535 by the conquistador Fran-cisco Pizarro. It is a modern metropolis, with all the apropriate infra-structure and fully equipped 5-star hotels. The city has a number of districts that are very different from each other and worth a visit. The district of Miraflores offers great shopping areas, restaurants, thea-ters and art galeries. The district of Barranco is known for it's nightlife and is home to artists. San Isidro is known for its parks and residential areas and is a modern business and financial district.

Season / Climate: Lima has 2 marked seasons:summer between October and April with strong sunshine and no rain; winter between May and September with high humidity and drizzles.

Gastronomy: There are excellent restaurats in Lima for national and international cuisine and local varieties of many Italian, French & Chinese dishes.

Arts & Crafts: Excellent quality folk art and crafts can be purcha-sed in Lima. The main handicraft markets are located at Av. Petit Thouars in Miraflores.

CUSCO - The city of Cusco is located in the southeastern Andes. Its name in Quecha (indian language) means "center of the world", from when it was the capital of the Inca empire. Cusco offers the visitor plenty of Inca ruins, fabulous colonial architecture, stunning scenery, great trekking, rafting, mountainbiking and other adventure activi-ties. The city lies in extreme beautiful Andean surroundings filled with some of the most fascinating and accessible archaeological sites on the continent. The center of Cusco is small and is easilly explored on foot. Bear in mind, however, that at this altitude walking up some of the city's steep cobbled streets may leave you out of breath, so you'll need to take your time.

THE SACRED VALLEY - The Río Urubamba cuts its way through the fields and rocky gorges beneath the high peaks of the Cordilerra. Brown hills, covered in wheat fields, separate Cusco from the beautiful Urubamba valley, known as the Sacred Valley of the Inkas. The Valley is known for its pituresque Inca villages with colourful markets. It's located just a little more than one hour from Cusco, 600 meter lower at 2800 masl. Starting your trip here will give you time to acclimatize to the altitudes.

Recommendations: visitors need to get used to the high altitude. Take it easy the first few hours and avoid any over-exertion. Eat easily-digestible food and drink a lot (water or coca tea) to avoid altitude sickness.

Attractions: The attractions are numerous. The Cathedral, the Com-pañia Church and Santo Domingo Covent, the San Blas artists quar-ter, the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, Puca Pucará and Tamboma-chay.

Season / climate: There are 2 clearly defined seasons: the dry sea-son, from May to August, when the nights and early mornings are cold. At day the sun is shining all the time. The rainy season runs from December to March. Not cold.

Festivals: Most famous festival is the Inti Raymi festival (24 of June), which is the staging of the feast of the Sun God, the supreme Inca deity, with folk dances and costumes on a large scale.

Activities: visits to archaeological sites, museums and churches, art and craft markets, trekking, mountainbiking, horseriding, river raf-ting, paragliding and ecotourism.

MACHU PICCHU - Enveloped in a magical silence, 120 km (74 miles) northwest of Cusco on the slopes above the Urubamba River, lies one of the most beautiful archaeological site of the planet. With its incredible and magical location, Machu Picchu is the best known and most spectacular Inca site on the entire continent of South America. Machu Picchu is remarkable for its solid construction, its well-balanced use of space and the harmony od the design with its natural surroundings. The sight is strategically located to elude enemies and is surrounded by deep canyons and impressive mountains. The sight was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Its was never found by the Spanish conquerors. Machu Picchu is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

Recommendations: An overnight stay in the area is suggested. Wear poncho or raincoat during rainy season. Bring a hat, sunscreen and insect repellent during the dry season.

Nearby attractions: The thermal hot springs at Aguas Calientes. A climb upon the steep mountain Huayna Picchu that stands behind the Machu Picchu mountain. Great photography from here. Use good climbing shoes and take water with you.

Season / Climate: Summer (rainy season) from November to March. Winter (dry season, cold at night, warm at day) from April to Octo-ber.

On a vast highland plain in the Puno region between Peru and Bolivia you can find the deep, sapphire-blue waters of mystical lake Titicaca. The world’s highest navigable lake, at 3.820 m. It covers an area of over 8.300 square kilometers, of which 4.700 km2 are in Peru. Its shores and islands are home to the Quechua and Aymara, the two most important ethnic groups of ancient Peru, and among them Peru’s oldest peoples. The main town on the lake, high-altitude town Puno, is the departure point for the islands of Taquile and Ama-nataní, as well as the floating reed islands of Los Uros. A trip to these islands gains a real insight into traditional Andean life. The city of Puno sits on a bay at the northwest end of the lake. It is a major folklore centre and a great place to buy handicrafts, particularly those amazingly tactil alpaca jumpers and hats, as well as typical musical instruments.

Recommendations: Wear hat and sunscreen. Acclimatization is ne-cessary to avoid high altitude sickness. Avoid over-exertion the first day, eat light and drink a lot (water or coca tea).

Nearby attractions: The Sillustani chullpass (burial towers). Vist the island of Taquile and the floating islands of Uros. The Yavari ship museum, moored near one of the Puno’s upmarket hotels, is a re-minder of how shipping once was on Titicaca. Juli and Pomata, two towns on the eastern shore have some of the most beautiful church-es of the region.

AREQUIPA - El Misti volcano, a snow-capped, perfect cone, 5.822 m high. The distinctive vocanic sillar used in the building of the city of Arequipa, has given it it’s nickname of the “White City”. Spanish churches, mansions and the 19th-century Plaza de Armas all shine with this stonework. In contrast, the city’s most famous colonial jewel, the Santa Catalina convent, is painted in bright colours, a gorgeous little city within a city.

COLCA CANON - The region of Arequipa features Peru's and the world's deepest canyons, among them the Colca Canyon: 3.400 mtr. The Colca Valley has become a paradise for adventure travelers since it is ideal for river running, trekking and mountainbiking. The canyon is formed by the Colca River. The highest point is the lookout point of Cruz del Condor, which offers unforgettable experience of seeing condors in their natural habitat.

Recommendations: visitors need to get used to the high altitude. Take it easy the first few hours and avoid any over-exertion. Eat easily-digestible food and drink a lot (water or coca tea) to avoid altitude sickness.

Attractions: Climb up to the Misti. Visit the Santa Catalina Convent. Cndor watching in the Colca Canyon, trekking, horseriding, eco-tourism.

NAZCA - To the south of the city of Ica, the Pan-American Highway cuts through the desert of sand dunes to Km 420, just 25 Km (15miles) before the touwn of Nasca. There, on the plains of San Jose, lies a collection of mysterious geoglyphs and straight lines that were etched into the desert around A.D.600. These Nasca Lines consist of furrouws some 20 centimeters deep (8 inches) drawn in the shape of animals such as a hummingbird, a monkey or a fish.They are enormous in size. The longest straight line goes nine miles across the plain.The forms are so difficult to see from the ground that they were not discovered until the 1930's when aircraft, when surveying for water, spotted them.

PARACAS - The Ica region also holds the Paracas National Reserve (22 Km south of the city Pisco, at Km 261 on the South Pan-American Highway). This rich coastal eco-sytem covers an area of 335,000 hectares (827,450 acres), that includes desert, beaches, islands, cliffsides and ocean. This natural habitat is haven for flamingoes, pelikand, penguins, dolphins, sea lions, and an infinite variety of fish and crustaceans. An hour away by boat to the northwest lie the captivating Balletas Islands, a protected area of cormorants and sea lions.

The southern jungle contains the Manu National Biosphere Reserve and the Tambopata National Reserve, offering amazing wildlife and the best birdwatching spots of the world.

MANU - The forest of this lowland region is called subtropical moist forest, which means that it receives less rainfall than tropical forest and is dominated by the floodplains of its meandering rivers. No other rainforest can compare with Manu for the diversity of its life forms. It is one of the best birdwatching spots of the world as well as offering the best chance of seeing giant otters, jaguars, ocelots and several of the 13 species of primates which abound in this pristine tropical wilderness.

TAMBOPATA - From Puerto Maldonado you can visit the Tambopata National Reserve by travelling up the Tambopata River or down the Madre de Dios River. Its is a very reasonable alternative for those who do not have the time to visit Manu. It is a close rival in terms of seeing wildlife and boasts some superb oxbow lakes. There are a number of lodges here which are excellent for lowland rainforest birding.