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PERU - AN OVERVIEW OF THE COUNTRY
North of Chile, south of Ecuador and Colombia and west of Bolivia and Brazil, Peru is a South American destination famed for its magnificent mountains, breathtaking panoramas, archaeological treasures and gorgeous sandy beaches. A relative newcomer on the package holiday scene, the country is luring increasing number of visitors with its world-class attractions, lively festivals, tasty cuisine and welcoming locals.
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PLACES TO VISIT IN PERU
LIMA: Few visitors pass up a trip to Lima, the country’s capital and a destination renowned for its eye-catching architecture. The historic centre of Lima is its old town, where you can admire interesting old structures including the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral and the catacombs of the Convento de San Francisco. The city also boasts some interesting museums including the Museo Nacional de Antropologica y Arqueologica and the Museo de Oro.
CUZCO: Cuzco is hailed as South America’s oldest continuously inhabited city and is the archaeological capital of all the Americas. Home to an extensive selection of Inca structures including the stone walls that line many of its streets, it is of great historical significance. There are more recent buildings of note also, including the impressive La Merced Monastery and Qoricancha, the latter a splendid 16th century Dominican convent featuring an onsite museum. For more museums, don’t miss out on the Contemporary Art Museum, the Regional History Museum and the Museum of Popular Art.
INCA RUINS: Close to Cuzco and well worth observing are the ruins of Coricancha, Sacsayhuamán, Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay.
INCA TRAIL and MACCHU PICCHU: For more in the way of Inca history, the lost city of Macchu Picchu at the end of the famous Inca Trail grabs the top spot on many sightseeing itineraries. This is the highlight for many visiting Peru and is featured in the schedule of most Peru backpacker and adventure tours.
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PERU - GETTING THERE FROM THE UK
Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport is the country’s principle international gateway, maintaining direct connections with North American and some European countries.
There are no direct flights between the UK and Peru. Your best bet is to fly via Amsterdam to Lima with KLM or via Madrid with Iberia. Alternatively, fly to the USA (New York or Miami), Argentina (Buenos Aires) or Brazil (Sao Paolo) first and get a connecting flight from there.
If you are already in South America, the alternative is to take a bus here overland. Services are available from Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile although bus journeys in South America are notorious for being long and tiring.
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PERU - QUICK FACTS
The population of Peru is roughly 28 million people.
The official language is Spanish.
The local currency of Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/).
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