The cultural and tourist variety of Peru is infinite. Coast, mountains and jungle. History, charm and natural wonders. It is a country blessed by its colors. Each region is an unavoidable invitation for adventure lovers. It is an open door to the imagination.
Cusco, Machupicchu, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon and Iquitos are some of the most internationally known places on the Peruvian itinerary. But there are also sites and attractions very close to the capital. Here we present the 10 places that you cannot miss in the Lima region.
RUPAC
This complex known as the ‘Machu Picchu Lima’ due to its resemblance to the Inca citadel or the ‘City of Fire’ due to its reddish sunsets, dates back to 1200 AD. and it is five hours from the city of Lima, in the Atavillos Bajo district. This place was a pre-Inca ceremonial site of the Los Atavillos culture and its stone ruins are located on a mountain at 3,500 meters high, the citadel is kept in perfect condition, as if its builders still lived in this place as enigmatic as pulled apart. To get there, in addition to the car trip, you have to walk about 3 hours (7.3 km) from the town of Pampas, so many trekking enthusiasts attend to enjoy the beautiful green landscapes and sunsets that embellish the view of the valley.
From February to March is a time when you can see a wonderful cloud mattress at the foot of the ruins, however, during the dry season, between June and November, you can see the blue and clear sky, the perfect season to see the aforementioned reddish sunsets and at night the sky is completely starry.
ANTIOQUIA
It is a small and quiet town located just three hours from Lima, hidden among the arid Lima hills of the province of Huarochirí. It became known for its colorful houses, painted with murals, and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest altarpiece in the world for the style of its facades.
It was from a project called ‘Colors for Antioquia’, in which the state, the local government, civil society and the organized population managed to give life to their community through the painting of the walls of their houses and their governmental organizations using bright and cheerful drawings and colors that identify the culture of the area, such as flowers and doves.
Thus, the entire town wears unique motifs in intense colors, which make it the perfect setting for photo shoots. The colonial church of Espíritu Santo, the municipality, the school and a hundred houses make up this mega work of art.
In addition, in the place we can also find the archaeological zone of Huaycán de Cieneguilla (built in the 15th century), which is made up of stone and clay constructions of the pre-Inca Yshna culture later annexed to the Incas. You can also travel part of the Inca or Qhapaq Ñan trail that still exists in the area in a 3-hour trek to reach the viewpoint of the Amancaes hill, where you can appreciate the immensity of the picturesque city.
CHURIN
It is the land of thermal waters with medicinal properties, mud baths and saunas, which are recommended for those with rheumatic, dermatological or respiratory diseases. It is located in the town of Oyón, approximately 5 hours from the Peruvian capital.
Among many, the Mamahuarmi Ecological Complex is one of the most outstanding places, since all its pools are outdoors, surrounded by green areas and stones. Its name is due to a legend that involves a Spanish soldier of the conquest and Shumac Coyllur, one of the daughters of the Cacique of the Sincaruma population, who upon learning of the love between them and the pregnancy of his daughter, locked the girl in a crack. In homage to love, the pools in the Pozo de los Novios, La Mellizera, El Churi, La Gruta, Velo de Novia and Lagunilla de La Mamahuarmi, which are characterized by being rich in sulfate, sulfur, magnesium, chloride and other minerals
Also, in the heart of Churín, we will find «The Youth Baths», which offers warm waters with a high lithium content, and «The Mysterious Language», a cave surrounded by rocks that allows water to be filtered, rich in mineral properties. And further on, 400 meters away, is the La Meseta complex, where its four pools are indoors to prevent sudden changes in temperature from affecting the visitor, all with medicinal waters between 32 and 35 degrees.
According to the recommendation, May, June and July are suitable months to travel, but especially August and September, even more pleasant because there are no rains.
MARCAHUASI
It is a plateau of the Andes Mountains located four hours east of Lima, at almost 4,000 meters above sea level, in a unique set of gigantic granite rocks of volcanic origin that has an extension of four kilometers.
On the route to Marcahuasi you must reach the town of San Pedro de Casta (80 km from Lima), and from there take a three to four hour walk to the plateau. Once in Marcahuasi, the opportunity to pitch a tent and start the excursion through the stone forest, and at night you will be able to observe shooting stars in a totally clear sky.
What’s in Marcahuasi? Disconnection. Monumental stone formations such as the Monument to Humanity, The Amphitheater and La Fortaleza are some places that you should visit during your stay. However, throughout the entire plateau there are stones with humanoid and animal shapes, such as The Prophet, Las Focas, El Sapo and much more. There are also lagoons and free animals such as vicuñas and vizcachas; Furthermore, the plateau houses pre-Hispanic remains such as funerary chullpas.
Marcahuasi is ideal from April to October, since there is intense sun in the mornings, while at night the temperatures are more refreshing.
HUANCAYA AND ITS RESERVE NOR YAUYOS COCHAS
Huancaya is a town at 3,554 meters above sea level that is 7 hours from Lima, it is located in the center of an area that has been declared a Landscape Reserve, Nor Yauyos-Cochas, and is considered one of the most beautiful places in Peru. It is full of fascinating landscapes with waterfalls and lagoons of turquoise and emerald green. In addition to its enormous landscape value, the reserve is home to typical Andean flora and fauna: vicuñas, Andean foxes, herons and queñual forests.
Its main attractions are the Cabrachanca waterfall, the Carhuayno waterfalls and lagoons, the Huallhua lagoon and the Chuchupasca lagoon. Its visitors can stay in an experiential way with the inhabitants in the communities or camp next to the river. The place is known for its hiking trails, where you can also go rafting, kayaking, boating on the river or simply contemplate the lagoons and waterfalls, all under the maximum of sustainability of not throwing garbage and reducing the footprint of being. human in the nature reserve
This beautiful place is a dream destination due to the magnificence of the high Andean natural scenery and the presence of numerous waterfalls and formations of the Cañete River, which present spectacular places to the eyes, among which is the «Forest of Love», that captivates all romantic travelers and nature lovers.
LACHAY
The Lachay National Reserve (RNL) is a small paradise located just 2 hours north of Lima. The hills are a refuge for the varied fauna of the Peruvian coast and a representative sample of the exuberant vegetation of the coastal hills, which covers an area of approximately 5,070 hectares in the middle of the coastal desert strip.
The main activity within the reserve is trekking, with marked trails, which facilitates the journey and the observation of wildlife species, such as the vizcacha, the coastal fox and a great diversity of birds. There are three routes on offer: “El Zorro Circuit” (20 minutes), “Las Taras Circuit” (1 hour) and “La Perdiz Circuit” (2 hours).
Lachay is a source of life, both in summer and winter, but it turns out to be precisely between the months of July to October that the hills are dyed green and bloom with a varied and dense vegetation, which makes it a unique and magical landscape. . It is during this time when Lachay receives the greatest load of visitors to walk its trails, observe its flora or fauna typical of the place or stay camping for a weekend with family and friends. Lachay is an ideal destination to leave Lima and discover, in an unusual way, a world that is born in the middle of the fog and that, paradoxically, generates life in the middle of the desert.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SANCTUARY OF PACHACAMAC
This archaeological site is located very close to the Pacific Ocean, an hour from Lima, in the district of Lurín. Its name comes from two Quechua voices Pacha / kamac, which in Spanish mean Pacha “Earth” and Kamac “Creator”. In fact, they are the most feared deities of ancient Peru, as they had the power to move the earth and cause earthquakes.
Indeed, Pachacámac, whose first vestiges date back to the year 100 of our era, became, for more than 1500 years, the main sacred city of the Andean region. There is evidence of the Lima, Ychma and Wari cultures, the last being that of the Inca empire that also functioned in that place until 1532, with the arrival of the Spanish. It is an archaeological complex that covers 465 hectares, the largest and most important in Lima, where you can see constructions such as Pyramids with ramps and steps, the Painted Temple, the unmissable Temple of the Sun, the Ancient Temple of God Pachacamac, the Acllawasi or house of the chosen ones, the cemetery and various residences.
In the place there is also the Pachacamac Museum, which preserves a wide collection of pre-Hispanic pieces including ceramics, wood and metal, and textiles. Likewise, it treasures as its main attraction the Pachacamac God Idol, one of the pre-Hispanic icons and oracle of the entire central coast of Ancient Peru.
CARAL
The Sacred City of Caral-Supe is located 4 hours from Lima. It is the oldest manifestation of civilization in Peru and on the American continent due to its 5000 years old, which was declared in 2009 as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is made up of 32 monumental buildings, included in a complex system of settlements that show a strong religious ideology, among which ceremonial buildings, residential sectors for people of different social rank, a set of minor temples and workshops for production are distinguished.
It is necessary to highlight that in all this extensive area of the Supe valley, another 20 urban settlements with monumental public buildings have been detected, thus constituting the focus of the highest population density if compared to what is recorded in the other valleys. However, due to its extension and monumental complexity, Caral must have undoubtedly been the head of the entire network of populations in the valley with its pyramidal buildings of mud and stone, amphitheaters and residential areas dating from the years 3000 BC.
SONGOS NATURAL SLIDES
The Caserío de Songos is located in the district of San Jerónimo de Surco (Huarochirí), less than 3 hours from the city of Lima, known for its waterfalls and natural slides. This place is ideal for adventure tourism, among the sports that are carried out are trekking and canyoning, adventures that are really a great challenge.
From the hamlet of Songos to the slides, you should do a not very demanding 45-minute walk, where there are three viewpoints with benches, a roof and drinking water, which allows you to have a truce and take a breath. The most experienced go along the bed of the creek avoiding waterfalls and practicing rappelling. But they all come together in the same place: the natural slides. There, joy is unleashed, because with the help of ropes you climb up to the middle of a colossal rock, which has a fairly steep slope through which the water that comes down from the heights flows. The rest is part of an irresistible invitation: the visitor can slide at good speed for about ten to eight meters, until they fall with a crash into a pool.
To get to the slides, you must go through the double waterfall known as «La Catarata del Amor». Next to it we have a huge rock wall where you can practice rappelling. Further on, if we continue along the riverbed, there is a waterfall known as the «Trenza de la Abuela», an ideal place to practice canyoning. A place for lovers of adventure and adrenaline.
AUTISHA CANYON
The Autisha Canyon is located in the province of Huarochirí, approximately 2 and a half hours from Lima. It is a perfect place for lovers of extreme sports and adventure. The canyon is 170 meters deep and the only way to get there is through ropes.
It is ideal for rappelling, bungee jumping and trekking. Depending on the tour chosen, the walk is down 120 meters by stairs of an abandoned mine, where during the tour through one of the tunnels we will see bats. In the other, a staircase that must be crossed as a bridge to reach the majestic Sheque Underground Waterfall, where you can swim in its cold and crystalline waters.
The adventure lies in the descent, and the wonder in the arrival when observing the waterfall and the inner walls of Autisha. It is a short trip, but it has hiking, ravines, rappelling, complete darkness, moderate risk areas, and good views.
