Peru

Peru pulls together the Andes, the Amazon and the Pacific coast into a single holiday — Inca stonework at Machu Picchu, alpaca herds grazing above 4,000 metres, and rainforest canopy stretching toward Brazil. Few countries pack this much geography, or this much history, into one itinerary.

Cusco anchors most journeys — a city built quite literally on Inca foundations, its colonial churches sitting atop temple walls the Spanish couldn't dismantle. From there, the Sacred Valley, Rainbow Mountain and the train to Machu Picchu are all within reach, alongside Lake Titicaca and, for those with time, the Amazon basin beyond.

At Travenza Holidays, we design Peru holidays around your travel style, pace and preferences — whether that means a tightly paced highlights trip to Machu Picchu, a slower Andes-to-Amazon itinerary with proper altitude acclimatisation built in, or a family trip that balances trekking with easier days at lower elevation.

Peru's food scene has earned its global reputation honestly. Lima alone regularly places multiple restaurants in the world's best-restaurant rankings, built on a Novoandina style that reworks native ingredients — ají amarillo chilli, purple corn, and some of the thousands of native potato varieties grown in the Andes — into refined plates. Ceviche, cured fresh in citrus, is the dish most travellers arrive chasing, but causa, lomo saltado and ají de gallina are just as central to everyday eating.

Outside Lima, the food changes with the geography. Andean menus lean on quinoa, alpaca and cuy (guinea pig, a genuine Cusco-region specialty rather than a novelty dish), while Amazon lodges serve river fish like paiche alongside fruit you won't find outside the rainforest, such as camu camu and aguaje.

Travenza tip: Order the ceviche at lunch, not dinner — most Lima kitchens make it fresh through the day, and the best versions are usually gone (or at least past their prime) by evening.

Alpaca and baby alpaca wool is the reason most people shop in Peru — sweaters, scarves and blankets sold across Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Lima's better boutiques, with genuine baby alpaca noticeably softer (and pricier) than the mixed-fibre versions often sold at inflated prices right around Machu Picchu itself.

Beyond textiles, look out for hand-thrown ceramics, silver jewellery and Pisco (Peru's grape brandy, the base of a pisco sour). Chinchero and Pisac markets are the better bet for handwoven pieces at fair prices, while Lima's Barranco and Miraflores neighbourhoods have the more curated, design-led shops.

Travenza tip: Learn to tell baby alpaca from regular alpaca before you buy — genuine baby alpaca is soft with almost no itch, and a good vendor won't mind you checking.

Indian passport holders need a visa to enter Peru — there is currently no e-visa option, so this has to be arranged in advance rather than sorted on arrival for most travellers. The standard route is applying through the Embassy of Peru in New Delhi, with supporting documents (bank statements, confirmed itinerary, hotel bookings and return flight) submitted well ahead of your travel dates.

One exception worth checking with us directly: Peru has, at times, granted visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to travellers already holding a valid visa for the US, Canada, UK, Australia or the Schengen area. This policy can change without much notice, so we'd always confirm your specific eligibility rather than assume it applies and skip the standard embassy application.

View Peru visa requirements →