Packing for the Peruvian Amazon Peru’s share of the Amazon jungle is a natural hotspot for adventure seekers and nature travel enthusiasts. Surprisingly, however, a lot of them come unprepared for the trip—and this can put a damper in what’s otherwise an amazing experience. If you’re planning a trip to the Peruvian Amazon, make sure [...]

The wildest wildlife in Peru By Diego M. Ortiz Peru is rich with diversity on every scale–from its people, to its climates and regions, and especially with its abundance of wildlife. But some of those animals are endangered and could become extinct, which would be unfortunate because they are an integral part of what makes [...]

Top hikes in Peru By Diego M. Ortiz Another hiking season is upon us and the rain has begun to clear around the most popular trails in Peru. This year there are bound to be more tourists and adventure seekers than ever before so it’s time to start researching and start booking your travel packages. [...]

Chicama, Peru: Home of the longest wave in the world By Diego M. Ortiz Peru is known for many of its natural and man-made elements. It’s got some of the best cuisine in the world; it’s the epicenter of the Inca Empire, which in its prime was one of the most advanced civilizations on Earth; [...]

Lima Day Trip: Catacombs of San Francisco By Diego M. Ortiz Deep within the shadowy underworld of pleasant Historic Lima, two blocks away from the President’s Palace, there is a place so creepy and macabre that you shouldn’t miss on your next visit. It’s housed beneath the ghostly Monastery of San Francisco, the colonial church [...]

5000 jaar oude tempel in Peru ontdekt Een groep Peruviaanse archeologen heeft een tempel ontdekt van meer dan 5000 jaar oud. De tempel ligt in het archeologisch complex van “El Paraiso”, ten oosten van Lima. Dat meldt het Peruviaanse ministerie van cultuur. De viceminister van cultuur Rafael Varon legt uit dat “deze ontdekking van zeer [...]

Lima Day Trip: Pachacamac By:  Diego M. Ortiz Around Lima there are many historical and archeological sites to visit. You don’t need to leave the capital to stumble upon traces of ancient cultures that predate the Spanish conquest. One such place is the archeological citadel of Pachacamac (200 A.D. – 1533 A.D.) This pre-Inca sanctuary, [...]

Visiting El Brujo and the Dama de Cao By: Nick Rosen “This Moche god had the eyes of an owl, the tentacles of an octopus and the teeth of a jaguar,” our guide said. “Now, this creature does not exist, so how did they see it? Simple: they were really, really high.” As we stood [...]

Colca Canyon pushes for stricter law to protect and conserve endangered Andean Condors by Andean Air Mail & PERUVIAN TIMES Officials in Arequipa are drumming up public support for proposed legislation to protect Peru’s dwindling Andean Condor population from extinction and mete out tough prison terms to anyone who captures or kills the giant birds. [...]

New protected areas declared in Peru, aided by Field Museum efforts By: Mary (Francie) Muraski-Stotz The Peruvian government has granted protection to three forested regions in northern Peru, in part using information provided by scientific rapid inventories conducted by The Field Museum’s division of Environment, Culture, and Conservation (ECCo). One of the protected areas is [...]

Ollantaytambo: A living Inca city on the way to Machu Picchu By: Donna Wickerham A nice addition to any trip to Machu Picchu is a stop in Ollantaytambo. It is a historical site with ruins of both a religious and defensive nature. It is also, of great interest in that it continues to be a [...]

Peru to Receive 2.8 Million Tourists in 2012 By Andean Air Mail & PERUVIAN TIMES Peru expects to reach its goal of receiving 2.8 million tourists this year, Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Jose Luis Silva said. Silva said that in the first nine months of 2012, 2.1 million visitors have arrived in Peru, putting [...]

Exploring Chachapoyas on a budget By Kay Kemmet After a quick change from slippers to actual shoes, I hiked up the steep stairs in a desolate corner of town. My back was still stiff from sleeping sitting up, but as I turned around, the fresh air and sunrise erased my discomfort. The new-day sun peeked [...]

A fine trek to Peru’s Laguna 69 By Adam Keller When I stepped off of the bus into the early morning sun, lighting the mountains of the Cordillera Blanca and the city of Huaraz, my mind was filled with so many questions: What will Huaraz be like? Why did they turn off the air halfway [...]

Lima, Peru: Exploring the City of Kings By: Donna Wickerham A beautiful surprise awaits you in the City of Kings; Lima, Peru. Central Lima houses the oldest section of the city (founded in 1535). Your first thought is that you must be in Europe, but once you think about it, it makes sense as its [...]

In de ban van de banaan Onmogelijk ze niet te zien, bij het binnenrijden van Samán: de stralende zon in het logo van Dole, op een grote witte gedenksteen. ‘Vertrouwen en ontwikkeling voor het welzijn van de biologische bananenproducenten van Peru, 2001-2011’, luidt het opschrift. Maar de zon van Dole ging onder. In minder dan [...]

 Salinas y Aguada Blanca Reserve: Arequipa’s volcano park Iñigo Maneiro for El Comercio Translated and adapted by Nick Rosen Peru is one the most biodiverse countries in the world. In many of its jungles, mountains and seas, there are world-record amounts of fauna and flora. That’s why there is a system that cares for and [...]

Tarapoto, a jungle city full of flavor Peru.21 Translated and adapted by Nick Rosen Tarapoto is a place for food-lovers. With its unique and fresh ingredients, local cooks produce a long list of local specialties for all tastes. Here, you eat well and cheaply. If you’d like something traditional, but elegant, you can visit Doña [...]

Opnieuw Inca-potten gevonden in Machu Picchu In de citadel van de stad Machu Picchu in Peru zijn verschillende potten gevonden die dateren uit de Inca-tijd, de 15e eeuw. Het oudste object, een schaaltje, dateert zelfs van voor de Inca-periode. “Het gaat om een dozijn objecten, die uit de grond zijn gehaald en schoongemaakt. Archeologen die [...]

Dakar 2013 start in Peru By: Jesse Broekx De Dakarrally 2013 begint op 5 januari in de Peruaanse hoofdstad Lima. Van daaruit gaat het richting Argentinië en Chili, waar op 20 januari in Santiago de eindstreep ligt. In totaal zullen zo’n 450 motoren, wagens en vrachtwagens begin 2013 aan de start staan in Chorrillos, een [...]

The Inca Sacred Center of Machu Picchu – a Love Letter By Rick Vecchio Peruvian Times Contributing Editor The first time I laid eyes on Machu Picchu was 16 years ago, and even though I do not consider myself a particularly spiritual person, what I experienced in that moment was profound, and has stayed with [...]

Peru to launch archaeological conservation project at Chan Chan Andina The Chan Chan project will undertake archaeological conservation works at Palacio Rivero, the smallest of the Chan Chan palaces, located in Peru’s northern region of La Libertad. Henry Gayoso Paredes, project manager, said the works will be carried out in areas where structural damage has [...]

Nieuw vliegveld Machu Picchu Peru bouwt een nieuw vliegveld bij de stad Cusco, om het toerisme naar de Inca-stad Machu Picchu en omgeving te stimuleren. President Humala maakte bekend dat de regering bijna 500 miljoen dollar in het project steekt. Het huidige vliegveld, waarop maar een beperkt aantal vluchten per dag mogelijk zijn, voldoet niet [...]

In Peru’s Andes, Huancayo offers scenery and adventure By Max Brown The slightly bitter taste of coca leaves lingers in my mouth as I stand looking at the snow covered ridges of Mount Huaytapallana. We’ve been hiking for at least two kilometers and because of the thin air at this altitude, it’s been a laborious [...]

Lithium moet Bolivia verlossen van zijn grondstoffenvloek Auteur: Peter Teffer Onder de zoutvlaktes van Bolivia bevindt zich de grootste voorraad lithium ter wereld. Het metaal is cruciaal voor het maken van batterijen in digitale camera’s en mobieltjes. Nu nog een slimme manier vinden om het te exploiteren. De Salar de Uyuni is een adembenemende zoutvlakte [...]

Archeologen speuren met drones naar Inca-ruïnes Archeologen in Peru gaan onbemande vliegtuigjes gebruiken in de hoop oude Incaruïnes te ontdekken en bestaande archeologische vindplaatsen sneller in kaart te brengen. Dat hebben twee Amerikaanse archeologen gezegd in interviews met de Britse BBC en in een filmpje op de website van hun universiteit, Vanderbilt. Een vliegtuigje wordt [...]

Chachapoyas: Some of Peru’s best ruins and natural attractions By Max Brown As the little van winds up the bumpy dirt roads, I stare out the window in wonder and awe. The Andes mountains rise to great heights and dip back to beautiful valleys as far as the eye can see. The mountains here are [...]

Peru’s Chan Chan ruins remain at risk Chan Chan, the famous Chimu archeological site near Trujillo, will remain on the UNESCO “World Heritage in Danger” list, according to a report from Andina. Enrique Sánchez Maura, Cultural Director for the region of La Libertad, said that the site is in danger due to its fragile adobe [...]

Sechín, a valley of warriors Translated and adapted by Nick Rosen The first time I went to Sechín, I did so with my friend Gabo, a native Chimbotano and a true northerner, after practicing underwater fishing nearby. Since then, whenever I have been in this grand complex, whose total area is over five hectares, I [...]

Pachacamac, a Pre-Inca archaeological site about an hour away from Lima. By Karen Lac While most people immediately think of Machu Picchu when they think of Peru, the country has a wealth of other archaeological sites that visitors should explore. One of the easiest to get to from the country’s capital of Lima is Pachacamac, [...]