Must-have experiences

Choquequirao (Cusco)

The Choquequirao archaeological park can be found in the heights of a mountain, between the departments of Cusco and Apurímac. Its footpaths, plazas, enclosures and walls boast several Incan architectural and engineering characteristics that the world also recognized in Machupicchu. According to archaeologists, it was the most authentic symbol of Incan resistance: the citadel where 1572 took refuge against the advance of the conquistadors. It was conceived within a system of Andean settlements and cities that were joined by a network of roads.

Kuélap (Amazon)

The most famous of the construction the members of the Chachapoyas culture built in their epoch. They built many of their cities in remote, difficult-to-reach places, such as on the tops of gorges, on the edges or precipices and in the middle of thick forest in order to protect themselves from invaders. In total, the complex extends over an area of some seven hectares dominated by circular constructions that look like towers. Today, thanks its modern cable car, visitors can go up to Kuélap.

Sacred City of Caral (Lima)

Construction began in 3,000 B.C. This makes it the oldest city on the American continent, contemporary with the primitive civilizations of Egypt and Sumer, for example. The presence of monumental buildings, such as pyramids, circular plazas and fireplaces for offerings are a reflexion of an organized society based around a common culture on a site of more than sixty hectares in size. It has been looked after by the archaeologist Ruth Shady, who began her research in 1990s.

El Gran Pajatén Archaeological Complex (San Martín)

Located between the regions of La Libertad and San Martín, some 850 meters above sea level, between the Marañón and Huallaga rivers, in the Río Abiseo National Park, which is the country's largest protected natural area. It has approximately 18 circular buildings, built by the Chachapoyas, between 1200 and 1500. These constructions maintain the architectural style of Kuélap, although the moss and vegetation cover a large part of their walls and stairways. Works are now underway to permit entry by tourists, which will make it a new archaeological attraction in the country.