Wholesome Happiness
Peru is an impressive country. With nearly 90 microclimates, 4,000 butterfly species and boasting one of the most diverse gastronomies of the world with 500 traditional dishes, Peru treasures in its 24 departments an enviable historical, architectural, natural, and cultural richness, which makes this country a tourist destination par excellence. Perhaps the places most visited by travelers arriving in the “center of the world” —translation of the word “Peru” into Quechua language— are Machu Picchu, Titicaca Lake, Colca Valley, and Nazca Lines, among others. However, this Andean nation is a cross-country paradise.
Boldest travelers go to Ancash, whose capital city is Huaraz. You can find there snow-covered mountains, lagoons, valleys and fascinating beaches. Yerupaja, Jirishanca, Rondoy, Rasac, and Ninashanca mountains provide thrilling challenges for mountain climbers; curious people may be astonished with archeological sites such as the Guitarrero Cave in Yungay or the Llanganuco Lagoon; daring travelers include in their agenda the canoeing by the Santa river, trekking circuits, and hiking by the Huayhuash mountain chain.
Tasting Ancash’s typical foods, prepared with guinea pig meat, poultry, pork, and sheep, is a delightful experience. Tourists are amazed by patasca (pork stew with corn), stew, tamale, walnuts, drenched doughnuts, and beverages like chicha drinks made of corn or peanuts and caliche (prepared with hot water, aromatic herbs, alcohol, and lemon).
If Peru is the preferred spot for your vacation, you cannot ignore a place like Loreto, the largest department of the country, whose main charms are the Amazon River, the diversity of tribes living there and the fabulous vegetation covering the area.
After touring the colonial area of Iquitos, appreciating the craftwork of the boulevard, tasting some foods such as chonta-palm heart salad, inchicapi (soup made with chicken, peanut, coriander, and yucca), timbuche (soup made with fish and coriander), patarashca (fish wrapped in banana fronds and roasted over the fire), juanes (rice, and minced pork accompanied with pieces of chicken in a macawflower leaf) and drinking aguajina, chapo, shibe, huitochado, among others exotic beverages, visitors must venture into a boat trip across the jungle and thus, visit Pinpiltuwasi, Casa de las Mariposas (Butterfly House), or tour one of the suspension bridges offering a spectacular view from 40 m height.
Following the path of exciting experiences, north of Peru, you can find the Amazon department, whose capital city is Chachapoyas, gathering an amazing archeological heritage above the Utcubamba Valley, in the Revash Mausoleum, the Leymebamba Museum, and Anguyo Alto.
Naturalists will be pleased with the Yumbilla Falls, one of the tallest in the world, as well as the ones in Chinata and Pabellon, with a natural habitat full of extraordinary animals and vegetation, to which El Paraiso de las Orquideas (Orchids’ Paradise) is added. There are more than 2,500 types of orchids here. And such diversity is enjoyed best if it is coupled with typical dishes based on bananas, yucca, and fresh water fish like pirarucu, prochilos, catfish, pompano, or even piranha.
Despite of the routes drawn up by tourist guides, the awards bestowed upon Peru in the 2018 World Travel Awards (WTA) as the world’s leading cultural destination, the world’ leading culinary destination, and the world’s leading tourist attraction, there is no better plan than the one you draw up for yourself while touring the world.
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