Two million hectares of gigantic trees and lush vegetation are home to a multitude of multicoloured birds, butterflies and insects, together with an exceptional variety of mammals. The Parque nacional del Manu, a biosphere sanctuary, provides zones f..

In addition to the cathedral , Torre Tagle Palace – both on plaza de Armas – and the Iglesia y convento San Francisco, the historic heart of Lima conceals a host of other magnificent buildings from the colonial era. The charm of this district, a..

The genuine heart of the city during the colonial era, the Plaza de Armas is the site of remarkable colonial edifices, most of which were rebuilt after the damage caused by the earthquake of 1746. The elegance of the cathedral's façade vies with the ..

Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Palacio Torre Tagle is a favourite with picture postcard publishers. Begun in 1690 and finished in 1735 by Marquis Torre Tagle, this small palace is reckoned to be one of the subtlest examples of colonial ar..

The Iglesia y convento de La Merced form a unique architectural complex. The facade of the church features a superb crossbred Baroque-style portal , also referred to as Renaissance Inca, featuring arabesques, plants and sculptures, while the sobriet..

San Agustín Church (18C), rebuilt several times after earthquakes, has preserved period elements, some of which are quite splendid. It is impossible to miss the ornamental profusion of the Baroque frontispiece . The sacristy , from the same period,..

A visit to Santo Domingo Church (16C) is well worth the effort for its two cloisters (17C), among the oldest of the city. The azulejos and elegance of the first cloister are delightful, while the second cloister with its fountain and lush garden, i..

The Museo de la Nación provides a remarkable insight into the evolution of Peruvian art from the first pre-Incan civilisations until the present-day. On display are major works of art depicting the main artistic trends that have contributed to the na..

Stone sculptures, ceramics, mummies, jewellery, fabrics and erotic art are among the incredible wealth of objects collected by archaeologist Rafael Larco Hoyle, bearing witness to the civilisations that inhabited the north of Peru. The Museo Larco co..

Since 1960, the Art Museum, housed in the former exhibition palace built in 1872, has been home to a vast collection of Peruvian Art : Chavín, Mochica, Nazca, Tiahuanaco, Chancay and Inca ceramics, Paracas fabrics, Chimú and Mochica gold and silver ..

The imposing Los Descalzos convent, built in 1594 to the glory of the Franciscans, cannot fail but delight. As you tour the refectory, kitchens, cells and the library, try to picture the monks going about their daily business in the arcaded patios, g..

With its flower-decked lanes, late-19C villas and views of the Pacific, this slightly bohemian district is one of the most appealing of Lima. A perfume of nostalgia seems to float over this curious mixture of Montmartre and Valparaiso, whose pubs and..

Pedro de Osma Museum is a fabulous museum devoted to colonial art with paintings from the 16C to the 19C, a wide variety of sculpture (wood, stone and marble), furniture, fabric and engravings. The collections belong to the Spanish Pedro de Osma fami..

The ruins of what was one of the most prestigious sanctuaries of pre-Columbian Peru stand at the mouth of the fertile Río Lurín valley, between the coast and the southern Panamerican Highway. Dedicated to Pachacamac , the God who created the world, ..

Behind the Renaissance portal of the templo y convento de La Merced (17C) resides a lovely church adorned with works by masters such as Rubens, Zurbarán, etc, but above all stunning cloisters , in the centre of which plays a fountain surrounded by g..

Abutting a steep hillside, San Blas, once an Incan neighbourhood of Totocachi where the nobility lived, is today the most picturesque and romantic district of Cuzco. Its lanes are paved with well-polished slabs of stone, a tumbling maze of tiny white..

Built in 1536, then rebuilt in 1650, the modest whitewashed adobe church of San Blas in fact stands on Inca foundations. The interior is a fine example of the Churrigueresque style, whose flamboyant Baroque decoration features a profusion of subjects..

Hatun Rumiyoc is a paved street lined with impressive walls of polygonal stones. Towards the middle of the street, a group of children and adults dressed up as Incas seem to be laying siege to the famous 12-cornered stone , a polished monolith, cut ..

Built on the ruins of Inca Roca's palace, the residence of the Marquis of Buenavista features, among others, two delightful Moorish-Andalusian patios adorned with azulejos, a gilt sitting room with a Mudejar-style painted ceiling and a small chapel. ..

The Museo Inka is housed in the lavishly ornamented Plateresque-style Palacio del Almirante. It contains Incan jewellery, mummies, ceramics, weapons, fabric, and in particular, a unique collection of 450 wooden goblets ( qeros ) adorned with painting..