Peru Travel Guide

Outdoor activities
Few of the world's countries can offer anything remotely as varied, rugged, remote and stunningly beautiful as Peru when it comes to exploring the wilderness.

Hiking
Hiking – whether in the desert, mountains or jungle – can be an enormously rewarding experience, but you should go properly equipped and bear in mind a few of the potential hazards. Never stray too far without food and water, something warm and something waterproof to wear. The weather is renowned for its dramatic changeability, especially in the mountains, where there is always the additional danger of soroche, or altitude sickness. In the jungle the biggest danger is getting lost. If this happens, the best thing to do is follow a water course down to the main stream, and stick to this until you reach a settlement or get picked up by a passing canoe. If you get caught out in the forest at night, build a leafy shelter and make a fire or try sleeping in a tree.

In the mountains it's often a good idea to hire a pack animal to carry your gear. Mules can be hired from upwards of US$5 per day, and they normally come with an arriero, a muleteer who'll double as a guide. It is also possible to hire mules or horses for riding but this costs a little more. With a guide and beast of burden it's quite simple to reach even the most remote valleys, ruins and mountain passes, travelling in much the same way as Pizarro and his men over four hundred years ago.

Canoeing and white-water rafting
Again, Peru is hard to beat for these adventurous activities. The rivers around Cusco and the Colca canyon, as well as Huaraz and, nearer to Lima, at Lunahuana can be exciting and demanding, though there are also sections ideal for beginners.

Cusco is one of the top white-water rafting and canoeing centres in South America, with easy access to a whole range of river grades, from 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the Río Urubamba (shifting up grades in the rainy season) to the most dangerous white-water on the Río Apurimac. On the Vilcanota, some 90km south of Cusco, at Chukikahuana there's a 5km section of river which, between December and April, offers a constant level 5 (just about the highest rating you can reasonably expect to raft on). One of the most amazing trips from Cusco goes right down into the Amazon Basin.

Mountain biking
In Peru, cycling is a major national sport, as well as one of the most ubiquitous forms of transport available to all classes in towns and rural areas virtually everywhere. Consequently, there are bike shops and bicycle repairs workshops in all major cities and larger towns. Perhaps more importantly, a number of tour companies offer guided cycling tours which can be an excellent way to see the best of Peru. Huaraz and Cusco are both popular destinations for bikers.
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