Recommended Activities In Peru

You can take your pick of restaurants with table service or buffet meals. There are many bars, pubs, casinos and discotheques in major towns and tourist spots. To eat a light snack, make it a point to visit a Pena. Some of them serve meals and in the weekends play criolla or folk music. Most Penas, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and discotheques stay open till the wee hours of the morning. Lima and Cuscos have a wide choice of nightlife.

Shopping

Bargaining is common in Peru. You could buy souvenirs like Craft pieces, weavings, ceramics, paintings, woolens and jewellery. Alpaca wool sweaters, alpaca and llama rugs and Indian masks are available in plenty in Miraflores and Pueblo Libre. Shopping hours are from 1000-1300 and 1600-2000 Monday to Saturday.

Activities

May to September is the dry season in the Andes and is popular for trekking and mountaineering expeditions. Don’t miss the Inca Trail for anything in the world – it is a 33km hike through one of the world’s most amazing archaeological finds. Equipment can be rented in Cuzco and the trek takes three days. Huaraz, north of Lima, is the climbing and trekking center of Peru. Huascará, at 6768m (22,199ft) is the highest mountain in the country – if you are interested in scaling it, the best time is June to August. Equipment, drivers and guides are readily available.

Jungle treks are popular at Iquitos. Choose your guide with caution and jungle lodges can provide you reputable ones. You could take a trek for a day to over a week. It is advisable to carry mosquito repellents for the jungle.

The Río Urubamba, near Cuzco, has white-water rafting possibilities. Yarinacocha has pleasant canoeing. The Peninsula de Paracs and nearby Islas Ballestas have the best-known bird and marine sanctuaries on the Peruvian coast that can be visited daily and are relatively inexpensive. There are bodegas (wineries) to visit in the city of Ica, on the south coast. There's great swimming in the secluded beaches on the Peruvian coast from January to March.