South Coast
Grandiosely nicknamed the ‘poor man’s Galápagos,’ the Islas Ballestas make for a memorable excursion. The only way to get here is on a boat tour, offered…
Must-see attractions in South Coast
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South Coast
A tiny settlement 6km further up the valley from Lunahuaná, Catapalla is a traditional mountain village with quiet, traffic-free streets and a pretty…
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South Coast
Provoking many visitors to make the trip all the way down from Lima, this former slave plantation with its stately hacienda offers a window into race and…
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South Coast
Located on the site of the former cathedral, this museum funded by a multinational mining company is an excellent little repository of local…
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South Coast
Just before the Lagunillas turnoff, a spur road branches off the main La Mina road and heads to the southwest for a few kilometers to a parking area near…
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South Coast
This vast desert reserve occupies most of the Península de Paracas and houses remote beaches backed by dramatic arid landscapes and plenty of wonderful…
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South Coast
This 43-hectare archaeological site is an outdoor gallery of pre-Hispanic art and is considered to be one of the most important collections of rock art in…
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South Coast
Right next to the park visitor center, in front of the Paracas Necropolis burial grounds on Cerro Colorado, this recently expanded museum features…
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South Coast
This beach is a short drive or walk south of Lagunillas on a dirt road and has gentle waters that make it the best swimming area in the reserve…
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South Coast
A giant three-pronged figure etched into the sandy hills, which is more than 150m high and 50m wide. No one knows exactly who made the glyph, or when, or…
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South Coast
A village unlike any other in Peru, El Carmen is a place where African and Latin American cultures collide with hip-gyrating results. It's famed for its…
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Museo Municipal de Sitio Mallqui
South Coast
About 15km inland at El Algarrobal is the Museo Municipal de Sitio Mallqui, which hosts a surprisingly noteworthy collection of exhibits on the area’s…
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South Coast
A rustic bodega producing both wine and pisco (Peruvian grape brandy), venerable La Reyna de Lunahuaná presides over the main plaza in Catapalla, about…
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Centro Cultural Amador Ballumbrosio
South Coast
The home of El Carmen’s most famous dancing family is a museum to Afro-Peruvian culture. Music breaks out here spontaneously most weekends; pop in if you…
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South Coast
A park on a cliff high above the town is dominated by the Cristo Blanco, a white statue of Christ raised in 2002. There are swinging seats, a knee…
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South Coast
The reserve protrudes south a fair few kilometers below the Paracas Peninsula. Dirt roads branch off just east of Lagunillas to Yumaque Beach where there…
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South Coast
This narrow bay southwest of the visitor center features a peculiar reddish sand that contrasts dramatically with the low yellowish cliffs behind and the…
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South Coast
The most notable archaeological site in the Cañete Valley is Incahuasi, the rough-walled ruins of the military headquarters of the 10th Inca king Túpac…
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South Coast
This early-Inca lowland outpost, about 45km northeast of Pisco, was named for the red paint that once completely covered its adobe walls. It’s one of the…
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South Coast
Post-earthquake, Pisco’s main Plaza de Armas is a mishmash of the vanquished and the saved. The equestrian statue of José de San Martín, hand raised…
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Santuario Nacional Lagunas de Mejía
South Coast
About 6km southeast of Mejía along an unbroken line of beaches, this 690-hectare sanctuary protects coastal lagoons that are the largest permanent lakes…
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South Coast
Located 1.5km south of the entry point to Reserva Nacional de Paracas, this visitor center seems to be aimed for the most part at school groups rather…
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South Coast
This museum located inside the train station gives the impression of stepping back in time. You can wander amid beautiful, though poorly maintained, 20th…
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South Coast
The town’s oldest church collapsed during a massive earthquake in 1868. It's front wall has been reconstructed sans bell tower and fronts the plaza; the…
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South Coast
This archaeological site marks the spot from where fresh fish was once sent all the way to Cuzco by runners – no mean effort! The ruins include some low…
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South Coast
Unlike almost every other town in Peru, Tacna’s main plaza is not called the Plaza de Armas because the city was never formally founded by the Spanish. It…
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South Coast
Around 7km south of Pucusana, off Km 64 along Carr Panamericana Sur, is the turnoff to the village of Chilca, famed for its muddy and mineral-rich lagoons…
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South Coast
Located around 34km, or an hour's drive, south of the reserve entrance, this remote village has a large inlet protected by a peninsula sand bar that…
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South Coast
Turkey vultures feast on the washed-up remains of yesterday’s marine carcasses on the lonely beach at Lagunillas, 5km south of the visitor centre, where a…
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South Coast
Located just 1.5km from town, these large carvings in the mountainside show a collection of llamas or alpacas and are attributed to Tiwanaku settlers who…
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South Coast
This local landmark just south of Playa Yumaque was once a majestic natural arch that jutted out into the sea but was destroyed by the 2007 earthquake…
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South Coast
Patriotic like everything in Tacna, this museum above the town library broadcasts a grand, somewhat triumphant, air. Huge canvases depicting key moments…
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South Coast
El Castillo de Forga was built in 1908 on a crag between two of the beaches just south of the city center by a rich arequipeño (inhabitant of Arequipa) in…
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Gremio de Pescadores de Puscana
South Coast
This is quite a scene at any time of day with oil-skinned fishermen battling with huge whale-sized fish while snappy-beaked pelicans inspect their work…
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South Coast
Have a peek inside Catedral Santa Catalina, which houses the body of 18th-century St Fortunata, whose hair and nails are said to be still growing. The…
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South Coast
The small, musty Museo de Zela provides a look at the interior of one of Tacna’s oldest colonial buildings, the Casa de Zela. Here you can see some period…
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South Coast
At one corner of the Plaza de Armas, the Casa Posada de Teresa Podesta is a stately colonial mansion with its innards still intact. It's also known as the…
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South Coast
Lunahuaná is small with little of architectural significance outside of its main square, which is crowned by the Iglesia Santiago Apostal dating from 1690…
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South Coast
On the Paseo Cívico, this 6m-high bronze fountain is said to have been created by the French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of tower fame) but these…
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South Coast
Follow the sound of crashing waves to this blowhole located just one block west of the malecón. There's a tiny beach, plus a few restaurants with perfect…
