Puno sits at 3,827 meters on the shore of Lake Titicaca — higher than Cusco, and the highest altitude most travelers reach in Peru. The lake straddles the border with Bolivia and is the largest in South America by volume.On the water, the Uros islands are built from layered totora reed and rebuilt continuously as…
Lima is home to Maido, named the World's Best Restaurant in 2025, along with Central, Kjölle, Mérito, and Mayta — all regulars on the World's 50 Best list. But the kitchens are only part of it.Miraflores overlooks the Pacific from clifftop parks like Parque del Amor and shopping along Larcomar. Barranco, a short ride south,…
Ica is Peru's desert coast — sand dunes, vineyards, and a wine and pisco-producing region since colonial times, all a few hours south of Lima. It's also where the Pacific desert meets the ocean, with the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve just offshore.Huacachina, an oasis ringed by towering dunes, is the base for sandboarding…
At 3,399 meters, Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and remains the gateway to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and Rainbow Mountain. Walk five minutes from the Plaza de Armas and you'll find Inca stonework still holding up colonial buildings built directly on top of it.Most trips give the city one night before…
Arequipa is Peru's second-largest city, built almost entirely from sillar, a white volcanic stone that gives the historic center its glow and its nickname: La Ciudad Blanca. Three volcanoes — El Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu — frame the skyline from nearly every street.The Plaza de Armas and the Santa Catalina Monastery, a walled citadel…
