Peru
Home to the great Inca empire, Peru has a wealth of historic sites, the most famous being the “Lost City” of Machu Picchu. But there are also compelling monuments in the beautiful city of Cusco, the Inca capital sacked by the conquistadores, who built their ...
Home to the great Inca empire, Peru has a wealth of historic sites, the most famous being the “Lost City” of Machu Picchu. But there are also compelling monuments in the beautiful city of Cusco, the Inca capital sacked by the conquistadores, who built their own churches and homes on the secure stone foundations of the previous civilization. The Sacred Valley, through which flows the Urubamba River — regarded by the Inca as an earthly equivalent of the Milky Way — is filled with ancient towns, markets and impressive ruins such as the fortress at Ollantaytambo and the fascinating Inca terraces at Moray. Farther south, the Lake Titicaca region offers a rare glimpse of a centuries-old society little influenced by the modern world.
Destination Information
DIRECT DIAL CODES
To phone hotels in Peru, dial 011 (international access) + 51 (Peru code) + city code and local numbers in listings.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Passport. Visit travel.state.gov, and for travelers’ health information, cdc.gov.
TIME
Same as New York (EST).
CLIMATE
Peru consists of three main climatic areas: the dry and foggy coastal area (see Lima); the Andes Mountains, with their distinct rainy season (see Cusco); and the humid, rainy Amazon Basin. The dry months of June and August are the best time for a visit to Cusco and Machu Picchu. From November to March, heavy rains fall in the Andes.
U.S. EMBASSY
Lima, Tel. 1-618-2000.
CURRENCY
Peruvian nuevo sol (PEN). Fluctuating rate valued at PEN3.27 = US$1.00 as of April 2018. Note: Our suggested hotels quote rates in US$.
