Peru travel guide: the mystery of the Incas

Many major airlines fly regularly to the Jorge Chávez International Airport in the capital, Lima, with most flights connecting through Los Angeles. Check our Flights Section for great deals on Cheap Flights Peru and last minute deals.

A major tour destination, you can obtain some great package holiday deals to Peru. Trekking, driving across salt flats to Chile, stays in jungle lodges and camping along the Inca trail are all some of the experiences you can enjoy by booking a Peru holiday package. Based on seasonal demand, check the Holidays Section for several incredible Peru Holiday package deals. Experience some of the best value holiday packages available in South America and book your Peru Holiday Package online.

Peru offers visitors a broad range of accommodation options, from 5 star hotels in Lima to more modest 3 star accommodation throughout Peru, travellers can easily secure great deals on Peru accommodation by booking online. Searching by date range of your stay and budget, you are sure to find suitable lodgings for your visit to Peru.

Getting around in the cities of Peru can be fairly inexpensive particularly for travellers from developed countries. With buses costing around US $0.20 – 0.40 and taxis between US $2.00-2.40 in the capital Lima, travel is fairly cheap. As most taxis do not have a fixed fare and have no meter, it is generally agreed between the driver and patron.

Travel between cities is mostly by bus but there are some train lines. There are also first-class buses running between cities with video and a meal service and tickets need to be booked with a passport.

• Archaeological Tourism – 10,000 years of history, culture and empires, Peru is the ideal location for Archaeological Tourism. Peru is full of archaeological sites, ruins and ancient civilisations. There is a number tour companies that can service all of your archaeological needs while in Peru.

• Festivals – Peru has a vast number of Festivals each year, deriving from both Christian and pagan traditions, the number today is approximately 3000 festivals per year. With so many festivals, tourists are guaranteed to find something to their taste.

• Natural Beauty – boasting some exquisite natural features and landscapes, Peru is home to protected areas and an abundance of flora and fauna. Ranking in the worlds top 8 countries for the abundance of biodiversity, Peru is home to 400 species of mammals, over 1500 birds, 300 reptiles and more than 50,000 plant species – making it the ideal place to experience some of the worlds most spectacular natural beauty.

The coastal areas of Peru are bathed in brilliant sunshine virtually the whole year round. The highlands have a wet and dry season, with most of the rainfall occurring October through to April. The temperatures are fairly agreeable for tourists, with temperatures ranging from a low of 15 degrees Celsius to a high in the mid 20s throughout the whole year.

Visitors from Australia, North America, Japan and the European Union are granted a visa on arrival or a period of up to 90 days. Extension can be made by the month with a maximum period of stay up to 180 days in total.