Perú

About Peru

5,000 years ago, in the middle of the American continent, was born the beginnings of a culture rich in colors, flavors and smiles. A strong and resistant culture that vibrates tirelessly to the present day, surrounded by a land that could only be the physical representation of a true deity.

The Incas thrived on this land, becoming one of the largest pre-Columbian civilizations in our history, in the country we now know as Peru. In it, two spectacles of nature meet - the Andes and the Amazon Rainforest - forming a true paradise for lovers of adventure and ecotourism.

Machu Picchu is the highlight of any experience in Peru - and so high, it is transcendental. At 2,430 m above sea level, in perfect harmony with the surrounding rainforest, emerges the richest architectural heritage of the Inca Empire, extolling religion, astronomy and agriculture. But the Peruvian mosaic would be incomplete without the charming Lima, the lovely Lake Titicaca and the stunning Cordillera Blanca.

With an impressive artistic creativity and irresistible cuisine, the capital of Peru offers its visitors an urban experience full of vivid customs and traditions, there Latin America. Traveling further south near the Bolivian border, Lima's bustling streets give way to the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake and a world apart. The Uros Islands exude culture: colorful skirts, totora houses, distant boats and translucent waters paint the scenery. There, the traveler experiences a unique and intense culture. And for travelers who get that insatiable taste of "I want more," Peru keeps surprising. The Cordillera Blanca is the perfect destination to completely change the scenery and add a touch of adrenaline to the trip.

With warm coasts, monumental mountain ranges, endless forests and vibrant cities, Peru caters for all tastes. It never disappoints. There is only one question left: which Peru do you want to explore today?

Your geography

Peru's geography and geology are quite diverse, with 11 ecoregions, and because of this, it has multiple natural resources in its vast territory. It has two main lakes, Titicaca and Junín; and its main rivers are: Amazonas, Santa, Napo, Tumbes, Chira, Marañón, Urubamba, Putomayo, Ucayali, Huallaga and Madre Dios. The Peruvian coast is very dry so it has characteristic vegetation of arid regions with shrubs and cacti. Already the Andean region has varied vegetation due to the various altitudes can find coca, cedars, auburn and vanilla. The Peruvian Amazon Rainforest is like that of Brazil, tropical with a great diversity of plantations.

Peruvian territory is divided into three regions: coast, which corresponds to 11% of the land; saw, which corresponds to 27%; and jungle, with 62%. Let's go to them:

● Coast: It is the most arid region and is 180 kilometers wide. Most belong to the Andes, highlighting three different chains: western, central and eastern. The Peruvian coast is where most of its economic and commercial activities come from. While on the coast, the beach climate prevails between hot and temperate.

● Serra: This is where the imposing mountains of the Cordillera are located, as well as some cities, built at over 3,800 meters. The climate varies with altitude, alternating rainier times with drier ones.

● Jungle: Of Amazonian origin, it is situated on a plain, but with an interesting relief that has a mountain and two jungles, one low and one high. This is the least populated region of this country, which has a very diverse fauna and flora. It shares with Brazil, the Amazon Forest, and it is in this region also where the Amazon River begins its course, born in the union of the rivers Marañón and Ucayali.

Your weather

Being a country with great geographical diversity, its climate is accompanied by it. Depending on the region, temperatures vary widely, from moderate to temperate in the coastal region, which facilitates the arrival of cold currents from the sea.

Already in the jungle, the climate is more tropical with the high humidity that can even be taken to the highest peaks of the Andes mountains. This facilitates the arctic climate that forms in the Cordillera region by varying temperatures from -7ºC to 22ºC, with a period of heavy rainfall between November and March, when some attractions are closed because of it.

Your political division

While Brazil is divided by states, Peru is divided by departments. There are 24 departments, and its capital is the city of Lima, the most populated and the gateway to other regions of that country. The departments are divided into provinces, the provinces divided into districts and, from this, divided into districts.

Your population

The population growth in Peru is 1.75% per year, which leaves this country, currently with about 32,200,000 inhabitants. Of this total, 80% speak Spanish and the other part is divided between Quechua, Aymara and other Amazonian dialects. 70% of this population lives in urban areas, the rest in more remote regions.

The part of the population that speaks other dialects comes from ancient millenary civilizations that existed in Peru before the arrival of the Spanish. Even before the Incas, there were Caral (this was the first civilization of the Americas, Chancas, Mochicas, Moche, Chachapoyas, Wari, Nazca, Colcas, among others, all with rich cultural heritage and still alive in their descendants.

Education

Education in Peru is compulsory and free of charge in public schools and universities, containing the initial, primary and secondary levels. Then comes higher education consisting of technical, technological and undergraduate courses. The average length of schooling is 8.7 years.

Your language

Officially, Peru recognizes three languages: Spanish, which is spoken by 80% of the population; Quechua, spoken by the population living in the Andes; and Aymara, spoken by the population of the plateau of the city of Puno, near Lake Titicaca.

Your economy

Peru has an 80% informal economy , relying heavily on mining, oil and gas, trade, fishing and tourism. It can be said that today, gastronomy is also a big part of the Peruvian economy since it is already among the most well-liked in the world. Small-scale family farming is found in more remote places. And considering that the export has largely with its native products.

Agriculture

About 31% of the Peruvian population is involved in agriculture. The main products grown in Peru are: corn, potatoes, bananas, rice, soy, wheat, sugar, coffee, mango, artichoke and asparagus. Peru is a major exporter of fishmeal and fish oil, in addition to corn and rice.

Your gastronomy

With African and Asian influences, Peruvian cuisine deservedly became one of the best known in the world, competing with the most famous as the French and Italian. Today, Peruvian restaurants are one of the finest, with renowned chefs and rich diversity of dishes due to the geographical variation where their products are grown. Today, Peruvian cuisine ranks among the 50 Best in the World, as well as extremely relevant mentions in the Michelin Red Book, the world's leading gastronomy reference.

● Food: The most famous dishes are: Ceviche, Lomo Saltado, Ají de Gallina, Cuy al Horno and Pollo a la Brasa.

● Beverages: Already with drinks, Peru highlights Chica de Jora, a beer made from corn, originating from a remote Incan past. But Pisco is the most appreciated national drink. It is a distillate made from grapes, and can be mixed with other ingredients.

Your culture

Peruvian culture is well-grounded in the rich culture of the Inca civilization, yet still retains an artistic diversity from the pre-Columbian era, with much music, dance and typical arts.

This mix is ​​also due to the many pre-Incan cultures such as Chavín, Paracas , Nazca, Chimú and Tiahuanaco, which have developed further in the ceramic, textile and architectural arts such as the many beautiful archaeological sites.

Tourism

Peruvian tourism is based on the attractions of the capital, Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu, but many other cities offer extremely fascinating attributes. We can divide tourism in Peru like this:

● Adventure: Due to the number of trails that Peru has, the tourism sector can add value with challenging activities through trekking, climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding, paragliding, bungee jumping, canoeing, among others.

● Trails: The most famous trails are: Inca Trail Tours 2020, Salkantay Trek, Lares Trek, Rainbow Mountain, Choquequirao Trek, Huayna Picchu Trail and short trails in the Huascarán National Park in Huaraz .

● Beaches: The Peruvian coast divides the border with Ecuador and Chile. Some of the best known beaches are: to the north, Playa Pimentel, known for the totora caballitos; Huancacho, also with totora caballitos and strong waves like Pimentel, is very close to Trujillo; Punta Sal is very reminiscent of the Caribbean beaches of Colombia; and Mejía, which is in the south of the country, near Arequipa, where there are other beaches like Mollendo and Punta Bombón.

● Mystical and exoteric: Ancient civilizations, much more Inca, marked the religiousness and spirituality of Peru, and tourism makes mystical and esoteric travels through shamanism to offer curious people such activities as rituals, meditations and songs like offering and purification.

● Community: Community tourism offers travelers the opportunity to discover new places while helping to develop small villages with their handicrafts and agricultural products.

● Experiential: The experiential tourism is already part of Peru as a whole, but some communities allow tourists stay a while, installed in their homes to know their customs, clothing, habits and culture. It is also a way to help develop many villages.

Your story

The history of Peru is often confused with those of the Incas, as it was a very strong civilization that lasted many, many years in the region, but it is not only from this that Peruvian history was built.

The earliest known civilizations in this territory were already knowledgeable in agriculture and animal domestication. These were the Caral, the Kotosh and the Huaca Prieta, which appeared between the years 6,000 and 3,000 BC.

Then, around the year 1000 BC, the Chavín culture emerged in the Ancash Mountains, followed by the Paracas, Moche, Nazca cultures., Tiahuanaco, Wari and Chimú.From 1532, with the arrival of Francisco Pizarro and the Spanish, everything changed. They were exploring the territory, dominating their spaces and conquering the Incas that was the existing civilization at the time. The colony became the nomenclature of Peruvian Viceroyalty.

Many Spanish explorers were arriving and in 1821, Jose de San Martín declared the independence of Peru. From then on, many other conflicts, agreements and histories were unfolding in Peruvian memory.

sports

As in all South American countries, soccer is the most practiced sport in Peru. But there are also highlights for surfing, shooting, tennis, basketball and volleyball. Adventure sports are also widely practiced due to the large number of trails that Peru has such as trekking, climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding, Paragliding, Bungee Jumping and canoeing.

The Incas

It was then, around the year 1200 AD, that the Incas emerged , the most important civilization in South America. This is because they spread beyond Peruvian lands to Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. Even so, its economic, religious and political center was even in Peruvian territory, more precisely in Cusco and region.

Its artistic and architectural manifestations are impressive to the present day, with its imposing constructions of entire cities such as houses, temples and projects for the benefit of agriculture and the subsistence of civilization.

However, when the Spanish arrived in Peruvian territory, they found a society unhappy with the Inca empire, which facilitated their definitive rule. Then on November 15, 1533,Francisco Pizarro declared Spanish victory under the Inca empire.

The history of Machu Picchu

The creation of the ancient citadel of the Incas is attributed to the Inca emperor, Pachacútec . Some stories about the reason for its construction: fortress, astronomical observatory, temple of religious worship, cloister of virgins of the sun and personal resting place of the emperor.

There are no records, documents or chronicles of the Spanish conquerors' knowledge of Machu Picchu Tour existence , so much so that the citadel has been abandoned for centuries, being rediscovered by an American explorer named Hiram Bingham, professor at Yale University, who introduced Machu Picchu to the world on July 24, 1911.

Located on the top of one of the Andes Mountains, Machu Picchu holds many stories, religious temples and is today one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world. It has complete infrastructure to receive visitors from all over the world, becoming one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World in 2007.

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Brazilians are one of the travelers who most seek this unique destination, rich in energy and spirituality.

Check out our packages for Machu Picchu and Peru .