Peru Things to Do

Peru is a fascinating country with a rich history, plenty of natural wonders and some of the world’s most spectacular historical sights. For those with only a short amount of time, here is the best way to spend one week in Peru.

As the clocks strike midnight on December 31st, towns and villages all over Peru come alive with impromptu fireworks displays and lively celebrations. But it’s not all about partying – locals also have a number of quirky traditions for seeing in the New Year.

With sweltering temperatures and not a snowflake in sight, Christmastime is a little different in Peru. That doesn’t stop the natives from getting in the festive spirit, though – Christmas light displays take over the city streets, American-style Christmas trees are erected in plazas and Santa Claus pops up at parties all over the country.

The Incas were the masters of the terrace, carving their steep Andean territory into enormous staircases, where layers of crops could be grown. In the mountains above the Sacred Valley, some 25 miles (40 km) from Cusco, on the road to Ollantaytambo, lies a very different use for this most innovative technology.

Soaring silently through the skies, hair flowing in the wind as the world whirls by, may be humankind’s oldest dream. Travelers, more than most, seem tempted to take the leap.

Invented in the late 1970s, paragliding (or parapente) involves jumping into the wind from a high precipice, and soaring, perhaps for hours, beneath a modified parachute. And you can do it here in Peru, from many of the cliffs and mountains that make up the dramatic landscape.

The ancient city of Cusco has been a market center since long before the Incas made it their imperial capital. For countless centuries, merchants and craftspeople have made their way to this high-altitude enclave with their finest wares, the crossroads of a continent—and today, the world.

Cusco’s relatively recent ascent to international jet-setter status, with a UNESCO World Heritage Site on half the world’s bucket nearby, marvelous Machu Picchu, has only enhanced its status as one of the world’s best places to shop.