Hostels Arequipa Peru
Cusco will forever be known as the former Imperial City of the Incas and famed for its Incan and Colonial architecture and historical sites, but the city can also make a strong claim to being one of Peru’s adventure sports meccas.
Today, we’re compiling our fave favorite activities for thrill seekers:
Some travelers throw themselves into pre-trip research and planning with gusto, while others like to let themselves be surprised on the road. We think a middle road is wise- don’t overplan, but do keep a few things in mind when making the basic arrangements. Here are our top three rookie mistakes and why you should avoid them…
Travelers who enter and exit Peru by land generally do so vía Puno in the Peruvian highlands, at the edge of the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. Far from being a mere wayside stop, however, it’s a destination for thousands of travelers. Its greatest attractions are the islands of Lake Titicaca, especially the storied Floating Islands of Uros, man-made reed islands which are home to the Aymara-speaking Uros people, believed to be the oldest living culture of the Americas. Travelers often make it a point to visit one of the the traditional Quechua-speaking islands as well, either Taquile or Amantani, both of which have pre-Incan and Incan temples and terracing. They’re reknowned for their knitting and textile arts, which they’ve practiced for thousands of years; Taquile’s colorful textiles were even declared “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO.
During most of the year, the city of Huamanga in the Ayacucho region of the Peruvian Andes doesn’t attract much attention from travelers. During Holy Week and Easter, however, all of that changes spectacularly, as the city embarks on a week of massive pilgrimages, show-stopping pageantry, and processions. What makes the events so special is the participation of many, many devout locals who devote weeks of labors to present this collective drama. The city takes full advantage of the attention, and people arrive from the surrounding cities and towns in caravans to participate in the folkloric dances, art shows, livestock and food fairs, and more.
Though best known for the Nazca Lines, the Nazca civilization holds much more intrigue and many more sights worth seeing than you might imagine. As the empire rose from a series of isolated villages to a regional power, only to subsequently disappear, it left behind many other traces besides the lines. Of note are the pyramids of the Cahuachi pilgrimage site, which was mysteriously abandoned, the spiral aqueducts of Cantayo, the thousand-year old mummies of the desert and their head jars, and the colorful, surrealist ceramics and weavings.