Alexander Stewart first visited Peru having studied the Spanish conquest of the country at university. Since then he has been travelling to Peru for 15 years, and has been a guidebook writer for almost 10 years.

Introduction vii Introducing Peru 1 1 Background 2 History 5 People 20 Culture 23 2 The Natural World 24 Geography and climate 26 Habitats and vegetation 27 Wildlife 32 3 Planning a Trip 48 When to visit 50 Itinerary planning 51 Your itinerary: 20 top attractions 58 Red tape 68 Getting there 68 Health and safety 69 What to take 72 Organising your finances 74 4 On the Ground 76 Health and safety in Peru 78 Banking and foreign exchange 83 Food and drink 85 Shopping 88 Media and communications 91 Business and time 93 Cultural etiquette 93 Peru Highlights 95 5 Lima 96 History 98 Lima highlights 103 Around Lima highlights 115 6 The North 120 Huaraz to Caraz 122 Trujillo to Chiclayo 132 Mancora to Tumbes 146 7 Coastal Peru South of Lima 150 Canete 152 Pisco and around 153 Paracas 156 Ica 160 Nazca 164 8 The south 170 Arequipa and around 173 Puno and Lake Titicaca 186 9 Cusco, Machu Picchu and around 198 Cusco and around 201 El Valle Sagrado 217 Aguas Calientes and around 223 Machu Picchu 228 10 The Amazon 240 Iquitos and around 242 Puerto Maldonado and around 250 Language 261 Selected Reading 264 Index 267