Peru it’s been the South American country were we spent most time so far. A month and a half going from cities to mountains, bucket list locations to tiny little villages, collecting some of the most unforgettable adventures.
Our time in Peru might sound quite long, but in three weeks we actually only managed to cover the Southern region. The country offers so many unmissable destinations that time will be always be against you if you want to visit it all.
Looking back at this past 6 weeks the one thing we forever remember was the vibrant culture that this country exudes. People really wear on their sleeves their history and maintain traditions alive and flourishing in their twentieth century daily lives.
What we loved
Variety of landscapes
By only visiting the Southern region of Peru you will get to experience all of these landscapes: cities, mountains, desert, ocean, jungle. It’s impossible to be bored in a country so rich of natural wanders and offering such different experiences.
Outstanding destinations
Peru has some really unmissable bucket list items: Machu Picchu, Cusco, Rainbow Mountain, Paracas National Park, Amazon jungle just to name a few. It’s one of those countries were most places you will visit will pretty much blow your mind.
Food
We had some incredible meals in Peru. The country is extremely fertile, every type of fruit and vegetable grows in every garden, valley and jungle. We had the pleasure to eat fresh produce right in the mountains and skilfully prepared dishes in few expensive restaurants.
Traditional culture
Peruvian are very proud of their roots and they truly enjoy sharing their traditions with visitors. During our time in Peru, especially in Cusco, we took part to uncountable traditional festivities which were both educational and a lot of fun to be part of.
Transport
Moving our in Peru is very simple and safe. We took uncountable buses, many of them during the night and generally had very pleasant experiences. The buses are comfortable, clean and on time.
What we struggled with
Water
It’s not possible to drink tap water pretty much anywhere in Peru. This is an issue because you always have to rely on water bottles which is something we dread. You can read here our suggestions on how to avoid buying plastic bottles.
Pollution
You will find many very clean areas, cities and locations in Peru but for the sake of sharing realistic travel experiences we have to admit that we did find quite a lot of pollution. Pollution in Peru seems to be confined in the areas where local people live, the less touristy ones, which we find even more upsetting and concerning. Unfortunately recycling is not applied, almost anywhere.
It is important to talk about this point because as a travelers visiting Peru we all must be very aware, attentive and consciously trying to have the least impact possible.
Distances
Peru is a really big country, don’t undervalue the distances to get for one place to the other! This means sometimes you might have to use a flight instead of bus and unfortunately be prepared to board many night buses.
We hope Peru is high on your travel list
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