Peru is blessed with a rich and ancient past and a vibrant present, making it one of South America's most popular travel destinations. Thousands of archaeological sites are found all over the country, ranging from 10,000 year old camp sites of early hunters to the monumental stone walls of sixteenth century Inca Cusco.
Indeed, it is difficult to go anywhere in Peru without stumbling upon some ancient reminder of Peru's past. By 2000 B.C. ancient Peruvians were building monumental temples and irrigation systems and had domesticated the llama and a variety of food crops, many of which like the potato are very important in today's world.
Although the Incas are by far Peru's best known culture, it is civilizations preceding them which set the foundations for the rising of the Inca Empire. Peru's museums are filled with amazing ceramics and textiles designed and created by the pre-Inca civilizations, such as Chavin, Paracas, Nazca, Moche and Wari. Ceramics are perhaps Peru's best known artistic legacy, found in museums throughout the world, and especially in Lima's archaeological museums and collections.
By AD 300, Nazca and Moche potters were producing an array of stunning works in clay, embellished with intricate designs and a wealth of colours, some portraying mythical beings, other realistic designs. The earliest textiles date back to 2500 B.C. By AD 700, Peru's weavers had developed a vast array of techniques, ranging from fine cotton gauze to intricately-woven tapestries of alpaca. In metallurgy, ancient smiths mastered technologies that culminated in the extraordinary funerary offerings at the Moche burial site of Sipan in Lambayaque, northern Peru.
The wealth of gold, silver and copper objects bear witness to the sophistication and technological mastery of Moche metal smiths.
By the fifteenth century after Christ, the Incas began to expand from the Cusco valley to build their empire. At the point of maximum expansion around 1500, the empire reached six of today's countries, connected by a 23,000 kilometer long road network.
The short lived Inca Empire came to an end with the arrival of the conquering Spaniards in 1532. Much of the ancient technology and social structures that made this great empire possible, have disappeared over the centuries, but others like rich weaving tradition, have endured.
The legacy of colonial Peru is found in the churches, and viceregal mansions built by the Spaniards, who made Lima the seat of the Spanish viceroyalty until the country obtained independence from Spain in 1821.

Hidden Trails can tailor the perfect Peru Experience for you. Choose from riding vacations, hiking excursions or sightseeing - from the Nazca Lines and Machu Picchu, to the cloud forests and the Amazon, as well as excursion to lake Titica and maybe even La Paz, Bolovia.
This website will give you many details, but if you have any questions, give us a call and we will be happy to tailor make a trip for you.

Riding Tours: Machu Picchu Ride Picchu - Pony Express Classis Inca Trail Pasos and Machu Picchu Machu Picchu&Amazon Video about Machu Picchu: The Forgotten City- 5 min

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High in the Andes lies the ancient city of Machu Picchu. This isolated sanctuary was rediscoverd in 1911 - even the Incas had forgotten it existed.

Here is a link to:  Peruvian Paso

Four roads once led from Cusco's main square to the four corners of the Inca empire that extended from what is today Ecuador and part of Colombia to northern Chile and Argentina, including all of Peru and Bolivia. An empire almost as vast as the Roman empire, the Inca nation was connected by a road network stretching over 23,000 km. (14,300 miles). Due to its position as the capital of the Inca dynasty, contemporary Cusco, a city 3,200 meters above sea level (10,500 ft.) is a showcase of several different cultures: Pre-Inca, Inca, Colonial and republican. But Cusco was more than just a capital city. It was an administrative, military and holy city, similar to Mecca, and is now the oldest inhabited city of the Americas. Many kinds of architecture are found here and one's eyes can feast on their splendid variety and combinations.

The surrounding countryside is stunning, much of it sculpted by agricultural terraces once watered by complex irrigation systems. A stay in Urubamba, the Sacred Valley, is the perfect way to relax in the heart of the country. Cusco is also the departure point for visits to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, which can be reached by train, via the Inca trail, or helicopter.

The ruins are situated on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu in two different areas: the agricultural and the urban. The latter includes the civil sector (dwellings, canalizations), and the sacred sector (temples, mausoleums, squares, royal houses). Although constructions show different levels of architecture, religious buildings exhibit a high degree of perfection. The construction was with general use of stone, and the roofs were built of tree trunks and thatched with ichu straw. The walls were made with an inward inclination for protection against earthquakes.

From the peak of the Huayna Picchu, situated opposite Machu Picchu, there is a prodigious panoramic view of the imposing mass of ruins and the Urubamba valley. The breathtaking views from this mountain-top citadel and its well-preserved ruins are a photographer dream.

• In the central and western part of South America facing the Pacific Ocean on the West.

• A total of 496,220 square miles, divided into three main geographic areas: the Coast, the Highlands and the Jungle.

• 24.5 million of the following ethnic strains: Europeans, Oriental, African, Indoamerican.
• In Lima: 7.5 millions.

• Spanish with 80% literacy rate.Quechua is also an official language. Aymara is spoken by people around lake Titicaca and dozens of languages are spoken by the native inhabitants of the Amazon basin.
• Roman Catholic: 95%. Protestant and others: 5%.

• Coast:
  Winter (May-October) average: 14ºC / 57ºF
  Summer (November-April) average: 27ºC / 81ºF
• Highlands:
  Temperatures range from 18ºC / 64ºF during the day to 3ºC / 37º F at night. The rainy season lasts from December to March.
• Jungle:
  Hot and humid, with sporadic rains all year round.

• The Sol, broken down into 100 centimos. US Dollars are accepted in Peru's larger cities.
• Credit cards widely accepted: VISA, Diners, Master Card, American Express.
• Travel checks may be cashed in main hotels. US Dollars exchange can be made at hotels and banks.

• Valid passport; citizens of few countries require visas. Yellow fever inoculation required for those visiting some areas of the Amazon basin. Passengers traveling through Peru to Brazil also require yellow fever vaccine.

• 220 volts.
• Major hotels have 110 volts outlets.

• Democracy where the President and Legislative Chamber are elected every five years.

• Some Lima hotels have casinos, while hotels in Cusco often feature folklore shows.
• Restaurants of Lima's districts of Miraflores and San Isidro offer a variety of cuisine ranging from traditional Peruvian "Criolla", to International.
• Bars and night clubs with live music, criollo, black and Andean music are a specially popular in the bohemian district of Barranco.

• GMT-5 hours (No change during the Summer).

• New Years day, January 1
• Good Friday
• Easter Sunday
• Labor day, May 1
• Inti Raymi, June 24, (Cusco only)
• St. Peter and St. Paul, June 29
• Independence day, July 28 and July 29
• Santa Rosa's day, August 30
• Battle of Angamos, October 8
• All Saints, November 1
• Immaculate Conception, December 8
• Christmas day, December 25

Highlands of Peru's main festivals include: