Peru – Part 2

The origin of the word ‘ Peru ‘ has been traced to the name of an ancient monarch who was named Biru in the early years of the 16 th century. The picturesque country of Peru is a premier country of the South American continent with Lima being its capital city. Peru is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the west, Brazil on the east, Bolivia on the south east, Ecuador and Columbia in the north and Chile in the south. The magnificent stretch of the Andes Mountains divide this country into three physiographical zones and are abounding in terms of scenic beauty. These regions include the ‘sierra’ or the high mountain regions comprising of the Andes and the Altiplano plateau. The second zone is known as ‘costa’ which comprises of river valleys cut by the seasonal rivers. The Amazon rainforest totally constitutes the third section known as the ‘selva’ with Amazon being the premier rivers of the region along with its tributaries like Maranon, Ucayali , Mantaro, Urubamba etc.

In terms of history, Peru had been witness to the life and times of the Norte Chico civilization which is known to be one of the most primitive civilizations of the world, having prospered between 3000 to 1800 BCE. Before the Spanish occupation of this territory, Peru had also been home to the Incas. The landscapes of Machu Picchu are of immense importance within the Peruvian territory and it is referred to as the ‘lost city of the Incas’ and this place has even found mention amidst supreme literary works of the 20 th century as in the renowned poet Pablo Neruda’s legendary work titled ‘The Heights of Machu Picchu’. Peru remained under Spanish subjugation from the 16 th century till 1821 when it became independent under the able leadership of Jose de San Martin. In the later years of the 20 th century however, Peru was again plagued by a series of internal strife resulting in the declaration of a coup. While at present Peru is a presidential representative democracy, it is still struggling with its political unrest.

Economically, Peru has been showing a promising growth and is a developing country with its exports comprising of products such as textiles, copper, zinc, gold and fish meal. The Peruvian population is a mix of multiple ethnic groups and the main language still remains Spanish though a considerable section of the population also communicates in Quechua, a local language. Peru also has a very rich and thriving cultural heritage with its ancient architecture, many and sculpture along with literature and music being well-known worldwide.

Travel To Machu Picchu

One of the most visited sites in the world today by travelers is Machu Picchu. It is located in Cuzco, Peru in the high Andes Mountains. It is approximately 724 miles away from Lima, the Peruvian capital. A typical trip by land on a bus takes about 20 hours. One could also take a flight and arrive there in a heartbeat of one hour. The starting point usually begins in Lima.

The ruins sit surrounded by the Andes Mountains at about 11,024 feet above sea level. The name Machu Picchu literally means “old peak”, translated from the Quechua language. It was discovered by Hiram Bingham on July 24, 1911 while he was in charge of a Yale University expedition. It was in this landscape that the Incas built Machu Picchu at the end of the fourteenth century.

The climate is mild, warm and damp. It has a year round average temperature of 55F during the day. There are typically two seasons, a rainy season which lasts from November to March and dry season, which lasts from April to October. Most travelers prefer to travel to the site during the dry season.

Personal Travel Experience

I had the pleasure of visiting Machu Picchu 22 years ago around this time when I was a small child. I was accompanied by my mother. The scenery was beautiful and breathtaking. We took a train from the city of Cuzco and it took us just a few hours to get to Machu Picchu. Then we had to take a small bus up the trail all the way to the top. Nowadays, there are two ways to connect from Cuzco. One is a Tourist Train, which only operates in the high season. The trip takes four hours and returns in the evening. Then there is also the Autovagon, a tourist service that takes three hours to get to the site with an evening return trip as well. Both leave in the early morning hours.

We highly recommend you to put Machu Picchu, Peru as one of your top travel destinations to visit in the near future. The experience will be unforgettable.

UPDATE: On July 7th in Lisbon, Portugal, Machu Picchu was voted in as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.