What to do and see in Peru, Peru: The Best Hidden Gems Things to do

October 27, 2021 Agatha Simes

Coordinates: 10°S 76°W / 10°S 76°W / -10; -76
Restaurants in Peru

1. Choquequirao

Peru
Excellent
85%
Good
12%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 279 reviews

Choquequirao

Considered to be the "sister" to Machu Picchu, this ancient ruin complex consists of palaces and temples on two levels, canals, aqueducts and systems of fountains.

Reviewed By pikbeai - Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Searching the web, you’ll find yourself inundated with articles professing to tell you about the top ‘must-see’ destinations in the whole world; the places that you just have to go to if you’re travelling; or the top ten south american destinations that you need to fit into a three-week holiday. But I wanted to do something a little differently. I wanted to travel more profoundly, more consciously and off the beaten path and adventurous experiences from unusual hotels, alternative routes to a popular destination, trekking trails, offbeat attractions, street food tours, and other uncommon experiences. If you like to travel a bit differently and are willing to put in the effort for incredible experiences fewer people are having so let me tell you Thaqqinaqqa T.O. worth it! so that you can stop being a mute outsider and can start to learn more about the country from those who know it best and not from "swindlers" who think they are experts when they are not. For me, travel is best when it’s off the grind( peering beneath the manicured lawns of the tourist trail and see the raw, pumping veins of the life flowing beneath.) and meaningful; taking us away from the tourist hot spots and plunge us deep into the heart of this wonderful country. It’s about heading to a small town where no other tourists go or finding barely-known adventures a stone’s throw from the cities where everyone goes. We (9 of us: five 55-60yo + four 27-34yo )opted in total for one tour and two trekking tours with him : Millpu 2D; Huancacalle to Choquequirao 9D and from Cusco to Colca Canyon 6D; which gave us memorable(and often much more unique)experiences than merely following the hordes of other tourists as it brings you into closer proximity with the local people and their real common lives; rather we have not enough words for recommend him and in no way we are disappointed.

2. Huayna Picchu

Carretera Hiram Bingham Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu 08680 Peru +51 918 655 015
Excellent
87%
Good
10%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 4,238 reviews

Huayna Picchu

The Wayna Picchu mountain, Wayna Pikchu in Quechua, (with an altitude of 2667 meters above sea level) is part of the eastern foothills of the Salcantay massif, in Cusco, Peru. It is part of a large orographic formation known as Batolito de Vilcabamba, in the Central Cordillera of the Peruvian Andes and is known mainly as the backdrop of most photographs

Reviewed By sunnyore - Cerritos, United States

I knew I wanted to do this hike on my trip, but I was a bit scared. The mountain looked huge in photos, and it was even more massive in person. I was already feeling winded at the beginning of circuit 1 just to get to the Classic MP view. But I knew I had to try because who knows when I’ll ever get a chance again. So I lined up for my 7am entrance time and signed in. The beginning wasn’t bad until you get to the base of HP, and then it felt like you were taking neverending stairs. I don’t exercise on a regular basis, so I found the constant uphill hike pretty difficult especially at such a high altitude. But I allowed myself a ton of breaks and slowly made my way to the top. And when you see the view on top, you realized all your effort was worth it. Going down was not as easy as I thought it would be and I’m glad they have staggered entry times since we’re basically going down the same path we came up in. Once again I took a lot of breaks and I believe I signed out around 9:30am. The 10am group have already lined up outside the gates and all I could think was how glad I went in the first group since it was getting really warm. I know the risk with the 7am entry is there might be fog, but weather is so unpredictable and we ended up having a really clear morning so I was thankful for that and the cooler temperature. My suggestion is if you think you might struggle a bit, do the 7am entry time and then you can really go at your own pace like I did. They have park employees hiking the trail as well and the one I interacted with was super nice and even offered to take a bunch of photos for me. It was a hard hike for me, but I’m 100% glad I did it. Just look at the view!

3. Ausangate

Calle los Olivos - Santa Rosa T1-2 - Cusco, Cusco 08002 Peru
Excellent
85%
Good
12%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 224 reviews

Ausangate

Reviewed By Friashe

When my friends and i arrived in Cusco Alberto The Manager of Local Trekkers Peru was waiting for us at the airport to take us to our hotel. The booking process with him was very simple, he quickly answered all our questions. Just imagine that we were 3 women over 40 years old, surely we had a lot of questions before deciding to make this challenging trek. We acclimated for 3 days in Cusco. The day before our Trek we had a briefing with our guide, Raul, he visited us at our hotel and explained us all about the trek, we did the Ausangate Trek 6D/5N ending at the Rainbow Mountain after his detailed explanation, we knew what to expect and what to bring. Something we advise is, that do it in the dry season, since we had some rainy days, but we still enjoyed it very much and the views and landscapes on the Ausangate circuit have no comparison. During the Trek, everything happened as expected. We did not have any surprises or unfortunate events happen. I was the slowest of the 4 of us but we managed to continue together. Our guide Raul was very helpful, he was always asking us about our well-being, if we needed anything and if we felt good, we loved the special care Raul gave us throughout the hike. In addition, the explanations he gave us of each place or of everything we saw were of great deep and cultural content. We can say for sure that he is a professional and very experienced guide and above all that he loves what he does. We learned a lof with him, If you have the opportunity, ask for him as your Ausangate trek guide. During the 6 days, we also had our own cookman “Timoteo” who cooked amazing, delicious food for us. His fried rice is tops! I have a very sensitive stomach so not getting sick is a good sign of hygiene and cleanliness. Even Timoteo made a good cake and presented us at the table at the 5th day dinner, it was like a goodbye and gratefulness, for choosing to travel with Local Trekkers. We were never hungry with Timoteo. Gracias amigo. Finally, I don't want to finish my comment, without first thanking a very quiet and even a little shy person (Rogelio) our horseman. who was very helpful, with our stuff, we only walked with our daypack, since Rogelio with his horses transported all the camping, cooking stuff and our personal stuff from one campsite to another. Without this guy this trek would not have been posible. So. I would not hesitate to recommend Local Trekkers Peru for people who will do the Ausangate Trek, whatever the duration, they will provide you with a first class service.

4. Hacienda del Chalan

Paucarbamba bridge s/n Freeway Yanawara, Urubamba 08471 Peru 0051984737897 [email protected] http://www.haciendadelchalan.com
Excellent
86%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 184 reviews

Hacienda del Chalan

We organize Horseback riding tours with Peruvian Paso Horses along the Sacred Valley of the Inkas (mid day, 1D, 2-6D). Lakes, snow mountains, archaeological complexes (Moray, Salinas, Ollantaytambo) natural reserves, contact with native towns and civilizations, pleasure and good time are part of our tours.

Reviewed By Claudjjja - Bern, Switzerland

I went on the 3 days horse ride in the valle sagrado and it was one of the best tours i ever did. The horses are beautiful and well trained passo peruanos. We were riding every day arount 5-6 hours. The landscape is incredible and we visited Maras, Moray, Salineras, Chinchero and many other places. Yojan has a huge knowledge about the valle sagrado and it was very interesting to get more details about the life of the farmers and the Inca ruines. The first night we spent in a small comunity called Mizminay. The people are super friendly and welcoming. I recommend this ride to advanced riders who want to experience something unique. For beginners i recommend to do a shorter ride. Thank you for this awesome experience!

5. Planetarium & Observatory Colca

Sol de Sacsayhuaman, Chivay Peru
Excellent
86%
Good
10%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 112 reviews

Planetarium & Observatory Colca

6. Cerveceria Willkamayu

Jr. Comercio Nro 116, Urubamba Peru +51 992 752 878 https://www.facebook.com/dcasapino/
Excellent
98%
Good
2%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 63 reviews

Cerveceria Willkamayu

Reviewed By itsjamesmiller - Idaho Falls, United States

An awesome little brewery with the best hospitality. Dario was super friendly, very informative, and opened up his home/brewery for our group. Amazing artisanal beers and lots of friendly conversation. Will definitely be back when we visit Peru again ???? Muchas Gracias Dario! -James

7. Humantay Lake

Cusco 08002 Peru
Excellent
86%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 841 reviews

Humantay Lake

The Humantay lake altitude is 4200 m.a.s.l and this make an unique weather and temperatura in this area. The Humantay lake Temperatura can arrive to 5º C during the day and at nIght drop down to 0º C.

Reviewed By gabriellV1594AK - Singapore, Singapore

Great hike to acclimatize to Peru's high altitudes. Not the easiest of hikes as it uphill and upslope for 2 hours before you get to the beautiful the Humantay lake. Make sure you take your time and rest to catch your breathe. The hike down is about 1.5 hours to 2 hours. We got a taxi driver from Cusco to drive me and my wife to the start of the trail head. Car ride is about 2 to 2.5h and we paid about 250 soles for rounc trip, so the driver waited for us.

8. Cantalloc Aqueduct

Carretera Puquio-Cusco, Nazca Peru +51 994 307 771 http://www.cattravelperu.com/tour/tour-arqueologico-nasca/
Excellent
48%
Good
39%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
0%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 532 reviews

Cantalloc Aqueduct

An ingenious system of stone aqueducts built by the people of Nasca in ancients times is still functioning and used by local farmers for irrigation.

9. Intipuncu

Machu Picchu Peru
Excellent
77%
Good
19%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,132 reviews

Intipuncu

Reviewed By Am_et_Mat - Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

Forget the time slot for the Huayna Picchu or the Machu Picchu mountains and go to the Sun Gate aka Intipuncu. The path is easy, the views are just amazing and you can start visiting Machu Picchu by doing it. Ok, you may find the path crowded ... Machu Picchu is popular so take your time, take some breaks, hydrate & most of it enjoy the place!!

10. Inca Trail

Machu Picchu Peru
Excellent
82%
Good
13%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 2,190 reviews

Inca Trail

Reviewed By F7638VCnickg - London, United Kingdom

Inca Bridge and Sun Gate Make sure you have a strong heart and knees You need heart on way up and knees on way down Great trails and you get away from the crowd Magnificent views

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