Why Peru
The country reads in three parallel bands. The coast is an absolute desert, one of the driest in the world, where it almost never rains — that is where Lima is. The Andes cut the country from north to south with valleys at three thousand metres. And behind them, the Amazon covers more than half the territory for five per cent of the population.
People come for the Inca heritage, but most of it is older: the Incas reigned for only a century, over civilisations that preceded them by two thousand years. The Nazca lines, Chan Chan and Caral are older than Machu Picchu.
Getting around
The long-distance bus is the country's network, and first-class companies offer sleeper seats on overnight journeys. Andean distances are deceptive: two hundred kilometres can take eight hours.
Flying saves whole days between Lima, Cusco and Arequipa, at a moderate price. The train exists only on a few tourist lines, including the one to Aguas Calientes, which is the only land access to Machu Picchu and which is booked weeks in advance.
Money
Cash remains necessary outside the large cities: markets, colectivos, small restaurants and many sites accept only soles. Withdraw from bank ATMs, and refuse the conversion offered by the machine — the rate there is always unfavourable.
Haggling is practised at craft markets, not in shops. Tipping is appreciated without being compulsory, around ten per cent in restaurants.
Before you go
Altitude is the real subject. Cusco is at three thousand four hundred metres, Puno at three thousand eight hundred: arriving from Lima, at sea level, exposes you to acute mountain sickness. You need two quiet days before any effort, without alcohol, and going back down is the only remedy that really works.
Machu Picchu requires a named ticket, a circuit chosen in advance and a time slot; the quotas go months ahead in high season, and the Inca Trail is booked earlier still, with a compulsory agency.
Tap water is not drunk. And Peruvian cooking deserves to be a reason for coming: ceviche is eaten at midday, never in the evening — the fish is that morning's.