Ask an Expert: Peru

Peru is popular and rightly so, but are there ways of stepping off the tourist conveyor belt? Yes, say our Peru specialists, and here’s how. PERU WITHOUT THE CROWDS

Fiona Cameron

Lizzie Williams

QI want to hike the Inca Trail, but I’ve heard it’s busy. A You’re right – 500 permits a day are issued for the ‘classic’ Inca Trail. Though it’s a rewarding hike, you might want to consider another path used by the Incas.

The Salkantay Trek is a multi-day circuit around the mountain of the same name, taking you up to snow-streaked passes and glacial lakes, and then down through pampas, green valleys, and fruit plantations. The Lares Trek takes you through slightly less demanding terrain and visits Andean weaving communities, allowing you to better appreciate their skillful textiles. You can camp or stay in comfortable lodges.

Then there’s the more remote, high-altitude Ausangate circuit. It sees you circumnavigate a sacred peak near Cuzco over five days, and takes in Rainbow Mountain. Its candy-striped look is due to sedimentation, its mineral make-up and the wonders of plate tectonics. Got your heart set on approaching Machu Picchu on foot? You could hike KM104 (roughly the last day of the Inca Trail), combining it with a more off-the-grid, one-day walk in the Sacred Valley. I like the Huchuy Qosqo trail, a high-pass route descending to a plateau where some hidden ruins squat, overlooking the valley. RM

QI’d love to visit the Peruvian Amazon. Where should I go for a quieter experience? A Most people stay in the Tambopata Reserve in the southern Peruvian Amazon, so go against the grain and head north to Iquitos. In Peru’s northern Amazon lodges, you’ll encounter fewer travelers, since the majority of visitors stay on cruise ships – and there aren’t even that many of those.

I prefer the north. You have a good chance of seeing pink river dolphins, entrancing creatures whose flesh is a light rose color. There’s a larger population of sloths, and you’ll have a private naturalist guide at your lodge – in the south, you’ll normally share a guide with others. You’ll also travel on the main Amazon, which is always a thrill; the flow of water is much faster and the river is immensely wide. FC

QI plan to visit Machu Picchu, but I’d also like to see some more off-thebeaten-path ruins. Which ones do you recommend? A It’s easy to forget that the Incas are only part of Peru’s history – many other civilizations flourished here. Witness their legacy by traveling to the mountainous inland and coastal desert of northern Peru, a region ignored by most visitors. Take a cable car to Kuélap, a limestone site built high on an escarpment by the Chachapoya people (800 to 1476 AD – their name poetically translates as ‘cloud warriors’). It’s believed to have been a sacred or ceremonial center. Unlike Machu Picchu, vegetation is busily consuming the ruins, giving them a wild, ragged feel. In the desert around Chiclayo, there’s the treasure trove of the Lord of Sipán, who is thought to have been a VIP of the Moche culture (200 BC to 600 AD). You can examine the finery discovered in his tomb. Think astonishingly detailed metallurgy, from gold helmets to earrings set with turquoise. Near Trujillo, there’s the stepped Moche temple of El Brujo, with a tattooed female mummy as its showpiece. I also really like Tambo Colorado, an Inca adobe complex near Pisco, south of Lima. LW

QWhere can I go for a bit of downtime in Peru? A Why not go to the beach? Máncora, in the northwest corner of Peru, has a languid fishing village mentality. It has long, white-sand beaches that never feel crowded. They’re lined with small, chic hotels and private houses, and tuk-tuks roam up and down. There’s good surfing, and, between July and September, look out for breaching humpbacks. There’s also great ceviche. FC