Peru Regions - An Introduction for Travelers
Peru Regions - An Introduction for Travelers
Peru, the third largest country in South America and nineteenth in the world, is slightly smaller than Alaska. It is located in the central part of the continent bordered by Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, Chile to the south and a 1,400-mile desert coast along the Pacific Ocean to the west. Peru also claims the 200-mile wide corridor beyond its Pacific border as one of its natural regions as well as being one of twenty-eight governments with consultive status in the management of Antarctica. Seventy percent of Peru's citizens live in urban areas. Peru has a large indigenous population, comprised primarily of Quechuan and Aymara-speaking peoples from the highlands to the coast, and a myriad of separate tribes, some with no outside contact, that live in the Peru Amazon Rainforest.
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Adventure travelers love Peru!
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With forty mountains higher than 19,000 feet, the country is a hiker's paradise. Its whitewater-rafting routes travel through idyllic scenery, from the Andes to the Amazon, and through two canyons twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Peru's reputation as a surfing mecca is growing. Now the site of international surfing competitions, the region's uncrowded beaches please professional and vacationing surfers alike. Others travel here to experience the Peru Amazon Rainforest where the world’s greatest diversity of wildlife species is found.
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Peru's sophisticated cuisine has found its way into the gourmet media. International foodies are singing the praises of its dishes that fuse Peruvian cuisine and other ethnicities, capitalizing on the country's wide variety of potatoes and chilies, its coastal riches and highland livestock.
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For history buffs that enjoy the great outdoors, a destination doesn't get any better than Peru. Beyond the Inca mega-destination, the hidden city of Machu Picchu, Peru contains the ruins of other great cities from pre-Incan times and such mysteries as the pre-Columbian Nazca Lines, recognizable only by air. Most international travelers on Peru tours only make it to the country's most famous attractions. For those with more time to spend here, there are archeological ruins to be explored throughout the country, some that pre-date the Great Pyramid of Egypt and some still being discovered.
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Peru is friendly to tourists, where there are many or few, and English is spoken in all major cities. The country is divided into twenty-four departments and one autonomous province.
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Southern Explorations offers Peru tours to all seven of the country's regions, visiting the sights of most interest to international travelers. To its over twenty Peru tours, ranging from seven to eighteen days, Southern Explorations offers many tour extensions to suit a wide range of interests, allowing travelers to customize their Peru travel.
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To learn more about this fascinating country and its abundant attractions in the areas where Southern Explorations visits and those we don't, read our Peru Regions pages. For purposes of describing the regions of Peru to be helpful in planning a Peru travel itinerary, attractions that are located near the borders of departments may appear in the adjacent region.
