Peru Tours & Vacation packages | Guided trips to Peru with Ada Tours

Highlights

- Machu Picchu & Inca Trail, visit the ‘ Lost city of the Inca’s ‘
- Lake Titicaca, a beautiful ale on the border of Peru and Bolivia
- Nazca Lines, an archeological mystery

Geography

Peru, in western South America, extends along the Pacific Ocean. Colombia and Ecuador are to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Five-sixths the size of Alaska, Peru is divided by the Andes Mountains into three sharply differentiated zones. To the west is the coastline, much of it arid, extending 80 to 160 km inland. The mountain area, lofty plateaus, and deep valleys lie centrally. Beyond the mountains to the east is the heavily forested slope leading to the Amazonian plains.

Language

The people of Peru speak three different languages: Spanish, Quechua (both of these are considered official languages) and Aymara, which although it is spoken widely in Peru, is not considered an official language as such.

Money

Peru is typical of many South American countries in that it effectively operates a dual-currency system. Both the US dollar (dólares) and the Peruvian Nuevo Sol (soles) are in circulation and although the government prefers people to use soles, most sizeable purchases are made in dollars
USD 1 = 3.3 Soles (March 2019)

Climate

Peru’s three distinct regions have very different climates and weather conditions. In fact, they say that of the world’s 103 categorized ecological zones, scientists have identified 83 within Peru’s borders. That should give you an idea of the variety one may find. To start with, the seasons are flipped - December, January and February being Peru’s summer months and June, July and August being their winter. Summer and winter will mean different things in different parts of Peru.

The best time to go to Peru’s coast is their summer, and the best time to go to the mountains is September or May when you get a bit of both worlds. The nights aren’t as cold as in June or July but it still tends to be dry.

Gastronomy

Typical Peruvian dishes are tasty and vary regionally. Seafood is, understandably, best on the coast, while the Inca delicacy - roast guinea pig - can be sampled in the highlands. Other dishes include: lomo saltado (chopped steak fried with onions); cebiche de corvina (white sea bass marinated in lemon, chilli and onions, often served cold with a boiled potato or yam); and sopa a la criolla (a lightly spiced noodle soup with beef, egg, milk and vegetables).

History

Peru was once part of the great Incan Empire and later the major vice-royalty of Spanish South America. It was conquered in 1531–1533 by Francisco Pizarro. On July 28, 1821, Peru proclaimed its independence, but the Spanish were not finally defeated until 1824. For a hundred years thereafter, revolutions were frequent.

Religion

The religion of Peru is an inheritance of the Spanish conquest, for this reason, it is a mainly Catholic country (more than 75% of the population). Moreover, recently many diverse churches have appeared, the Peruvian population is still very religious and there are also Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Adventists, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and Hare Krishnas. Religious activity in Peru is important, and for many people, one of the "centers of energy" in the world is the city of the Cusco.

Culture

In Peru about 3000 typical fiestas are celebrated every year. The majority of those are organized to celebrate the day of a saint. A good example of this “cultural syncretism” is the Festivity of Corpus Christi in Cusco. This religious day, originally introduced by the Spaniards, was accepted by the Peruvian inhabitants as for them it had little to do with Catholicism, so much more with an old Inca ritual.
Especially in the traditional village high up in the mountains or in the jungle, there are several traditional celebrations, that related to ancient myths and/or important agricultural dates.

Music

Peruvian music is almost entirely folk music, while its literature has many poets. Peruvian music is an amalgamation of sounds and styles drawing on Peru's Andean musical roots and Spanish musical influences. Native Peruvian music is dominated by the national instrument, the charango. The charango is a type of mandolin, and was invented in Bolivia by musicians imitating Spanish lutes and guitars. In the Canas and Titicaca regions, the charango is used in courtship rituals, symbolically invoking mermaids with the instrument to lure the woman to the male performers.

Wildlife

Peru has the greatest bio-diversity in the world, thanks to the presence of the Andes, Amazon and Pacific. There are 53 protected natural areas throughout the country. There are over 1,800 species of birds, hundreds of mammals including rare cats like jaguar and pumas, bears, and river dolphins; the coast is rich in marine life and a great place to see sea-lions and myriad seabirds.
The Highlands are famous for the presence of wild camelids alpacas and vicuñas which were hunted for wool and meat. In the Amazon, there is a diverse fauna including monkeys, jaguar, snakes, crocodiles, wild boars, macaws, parrots and hundreds of other kinds of birds. It is possible to watch caiman alligators and turtles in the rivers or fish for piraña.
The Pacific region has a lot of seabass, flounder, anchovies, tuna, crustacean and shellfish. It has also sharks, sperm whales and whales. Birds have an economic importance because of the concentrations of guano deposits that are used as fertilizer.

Nature

It is distinguished by its great diversity precisely because of the country's geographical location, due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean, the Andes and the Amazon. In the jungle grow mahogany, rubber trees, vanilla trees, a huge number of exotic tropical plants. Many species of birds live in natural reserves. The fauna on the coastal plain is not very rich. In the mountainous areas - alpaca, guanaco, chinchilla, etc., known for their wool. On the lowland plains live jaguars, armadillos, tapirs, snakes and other species of animals characteristic of the plains. The coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean are rich in sardines, shrimp, haddock, etc.