Cheap flights to Peru from $385

Many travellers who take cheap flights to Peru will follow the well-trodden backpacker trail – Lima, Arequipa, Cuzco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. It’s one of the must-visit countries.

Peru is a country of awesome geography; its attractions could fill the Guinness Book of Records. World’s highest navigable lake? Titicaca. Deepest canyon? Colca Canyon. Oldest city in the Americas? Caral. Longest waves? At Chicama. Largest river? Peru is the source of the Amazon.

Lima is the capital, home to about a third of Peruvians. It was founded by Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador in 1535, and called La Ciudad de los Reyes (the City of Kings). It was the capital and most important city of the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru and several of its beautiful buildings hail from that time.

Peruvian cuisine is one of the world’s great cuisines. It’s a blend of pre-Inca, Inca, Spanish, African, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French and British. Cebiche (marinated raw fish) is the national dish, but you’ll also find Cuy (Guinea Pig) on the menu in the Andes, all washed down with Inca Kola, the lemon verbena-flavored soft drink that outsells all others in Peru.

Peru climate

The coastal region has two seasons – summer (December to March) and winter (May to October). Summer temperatures can hit 27 degrees, while winter temperatures are in the low teens.The highlands (Andes) also have a two-season climate. The dry season runs from May to October and the rainy season runs from December to March. Temperatures range between 20 degrees down to 2 degrees.In the jungle, there is a tropical and humid climate. The summer (or dry season) lasts from April to October. Temperatures can exceed 30 degrees. The rainy season is November to March.

What is good to know if travelling to Peru?

• The must-see buildings are in the old Centre of Town – the Archbishop Palace, Museum of Italian Art, the Houses of Aliaga, Oidor and Pilatos and the Monasterio de San Francisco, the Franciscan monastery that is famous for its catacombs and the flocks of pigeons that swoop and wheel around it.
• At 771 metres high, Gocta Falls is the third-highest waterfall (after Angel Falls, Venezuela, and Tugela Falls, South Africa) in the world, although some dispute this. The falls are in the upper Amazon basin and were “found” only in the past few years. Legend has it that local people kept the falls secret because they feared the wrath of the beautiful mermaid who lived there. 
• The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu are much better known than Choquequirao, near Cusco. It is where the Inca royalty fled following the Spanish Conquest. It is one of South America’s best-preserved Inca cities and is still being excavated. 
• The city of Puno is on the edge of Lake Titicaca. Inca legend has it that Manco Capac, the first Inca, rose from the lake to establish the Inca Empire. Puno, at 3,827 metres, is known as the “folkloric capital of Peru” because of its artistic and cultural traditions. It has more than 300 ethnic dances. The most famous dance is the Diablada, which is performed during the feast of the Virgin of Candelaria in February. During this time, the women dance to petition and thank the Virgin Mary. According to 17th-century legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to workers at a local silver mine and later rescued the city from enemies. Watch out for the women’s costumes: bowler hats, colourful shawls and heavy skirts. 
• The Nazca Lines are considered to be one of the world’s great mysteries. The geoglyphs, depicting people, animals and simple lines, are up to 200 metres long. To appreciate them fully take an aerial tour. The Lines were placed on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites in 1994.