The Republic of Peru is a diverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coast in the west, to the peaks of the Andes Mountains extending from the north to the southeast of the country, to the tropical Amazon basin rainforest in the east. Peru has a population of over 32 million, with about 11 million in its capital city Lima, and is the 19th largest country in the world, and the third largest in South America.
Peruvian territory was home to several cultures during the ancient and medieval periods, and has one of the longest histories of civilization of any country, tracing its heritage back to the 10th millennium BCE.
Notable pre-colonial cultures and civilizations include the Caral–Supe civilization (the earliest civilization in the Americas and considered one of the cradles of civilization),
the Nazca culture, the Wari and Tiwanaku empires, the Kingdom of Cusco, and the Inca Empire, the largest known state in the pre-Columbian Americas. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and Charles V established a viceroyalty with the official name of the Kingdom of Peru that encompassed most of its South American territories, with its capital in Lima.
Peru formally proclaimed independence from Spain in 1821. The sovereign state of Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its main economic activities include mining, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing, along with other growing sectors such as telecommunications and biotechnology. The main spoken language is Spanish
Peru Tour, April 2024
Below you will find my videos from a fantastic tour in Peru, arranged by Escape travel, presented day-by-day.
We started early from Oslo, Norway, with transit stop in Amsterdam. Then a 12-hours flight to Lima located on the coast of Peru. Next day flying over the Andes mountains to Puerto Maldonado in the Madre de Dios region in the in the Manu National Park in the Peruvian Amazon region. After a few days exploring the rainforest in the we flew up to Cusco at 3,400 meters elevation and continued to the Sacred Valley. There we visited several Inca sites, Moray (3,500), Maras salt ponds (3,300), Pisaq (3,000), Ollantaytambo (2,800) and of course a train tour down to Aguas Calientes (2,000) to visit Machu Picchu next morning, located at only 2,400 meters. Then a day tour from Cusco to the Rainbow Mountains (Vinicunca) with a fantastic view from a hilltop at 5,036 meters to the multi-colored mineral layers. The next day we drove over the mountain pass (4,335) to the city of Puno at Lake Titicaca at 3,800 meters where we visited inhabited floating islands, and cruised across the bay for lunch at a local restaurant. We flew back to Lima from the nearby town of Juliaca, staying overnight before we returned to Europe.
Peru tour, day 1 – Oslo via Amsterdam to Lima
A short video showing the flight from Oslo, changing planes in Amsterdam, and some scenes from the approach to Lima on the arid pacific coastline.
Peru tour, day 2 – from Lima to the Amazon rainforest
Early departure from Lima, flying across the Andes Mountains to Puerto Maldonado in the Madre de Dios region (elevation 183 meters) of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. After leaving our large suitcases for safe keeping in the town we continued by river boat downstream the Madre de Dios River in the Manu National Park to the Eco Amazonia Lodge. After lunch we had a short walk in the rainforest to look for caimans (crocodiles) in a small lake. Our local guide told us about the local biodiversity.
Peru tour, day 3 – Rainforest tour
Morning tour in the rainforest. After a short boat ride down the Madre de Dios River we went ashore and walked through the rainforest to a small canal in a swamp area. We boarded a small boat/canoe and paddled for more than an hour through dense forest watching large Toucan and Macaw birds flying above. Then a short walk through the forest, with Howler monkeys and squirrel monkeys in the trees, to a small lake. From a high observation tower we could watch the forest from half-way up the tall trees, with a nice view of the lake.
After lunch we crossed the river to the Monkey Island where we walked through dense forest to a monkey feeding area were we fed different monkey species: Capuchin monkeys and Spider monkey
Peru tour, day 4 – From Amazon rainforest to Cusco
Late departure from Eco Amazonia Lodge to the luggage storage facility in Puerto Maldonado. After re-arranging our luggage we had a short walk in the town before heading to the airport.
We crossed the Andes up to Cusco (with landing scenes). After a lunch in Cusco (elevation 3400 meters) we crossed over to Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca in Yucay (2860 meters) in the Sacred Valley.
Peru tour, day 5 – Inca sites in the Sacred Valley.
(more videos coming soon)