When it comes to Peru’s big-ticket attractions, such Machu Picchu and the Peruvian Amazon, there are options that range from cheap to opulent. Other destinations, however, are firmly ensconced on the backpacker trail, offering low prices, adventure, and travelers’ communities:

The New Inca Jungle to Machu Picchu trek is a varied tour that combines hiking along original but little-trekked Inca trails, downhill mountain biking, and zip-lining across the Sacsara Valley. It takes you from the high puna through the cloud forest and into the jungle brow, allowing you to enjoy views of tropical rivers and orchards as well as of snowy Andean peaks….

The journey begins with a short bus trip to the the high pass of Abra Malaga, passing along the way the small towns of Chinchero, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas

The desert peninsula, cold surf, and rocky islands of Paracas National Reserve are marked by a spare natural beauty and populated by surprising wildlife, earning it a spot on most travelers’ itineraries.

To reach the reserve, you can take a 3-4 hour bus trip from Lima to Pisco and then take a S/2 bus from the main market to El Chaco waterfront (the buses are marked El Chaco – Paracas). From the port, it’s easy to arrange a boat tour to the Ballestas Islands.

Traveling to La Paz for this February’s Carnaval and checking around to see what else to do during your trip? One of the most striking geological wonders of Bolivia is the Uyuni Salt Flats, located 11,995 feet above sea level in the Bolivian High Plateau (Altiplano). This is the largest desert of salt in the world, with 10 billion tons of salt and 50-70% of the world’s lithium reserves concentrated in a brine brine lake under the salt crust. The inimitable landscape of Uyuni features white salt bordered by red mountains, dotted with red and green lakes, pink flamingos and curly-tailed viscachas, surreal geological formations, noisy geysers and soothing hotsprings, pink flamingos. Pirwa Travel offers full day and 3 day tours of the unrivaled Salt Flats depart by 4×4 from the town of Uyuni.

Covering 20 blocks, Belen Market is the largest in the Peruvian Amazon, and showcases virtually all of the goods that come into and out of the rainforest. It’s been described as a “time warp”, but it’s also a privileged view into a world you’ve never known before. Its exotic meats and produce are the source for almost all of the food served in area restaurants, lodges and cruise ships- but it sells much more than that.