A Journey Through Peru - Part 1 - Lima

I have just returned from three weeks travelling in Peru and I’d like to share my journey through this amazing country with you in a few words and photos over a series of travelogue posts.

Peru is such a large and diverse country with many natural wonders. It is purported to have 28 of the world’s 32 bioclimatic life zones packed within its borders and, whilst I’m sure we didn’t experience them all, it certainly felt like it. We travelled from the extremes of the hot and humid Amazon rain forest to the arid, high altitude of the Altiplano in the Andes and this does present some challenges for the body. There are also man-made wonders to be discovered here with the architectural fusion of the Incan empire and the Spanish colonialists. I hope this series gives you an entertaining insight into the country as we experienced it.

Anyway, let me start at the beginning of our adventure….

Most international visitors, like us, fly into Lima and, consequently, tourists tend to view it as a gateway to what they’ve really come to Peru to see, i.e. not Lima. However, we spent a couple of days exploring the city and found it an interesting place in its own right. Peru is generally safe for visitors, and without exception the Peruvians we met were polite, kind and funny, although in retrospect maybe they were just amused at my attempts to expand my Spanish beyond “uno cerveza, por favor”. However, as you would expect of any city of 8 million people, it is wise to stick to the districts that are the main tourist areas.

The district of Miraflores is where the majority of tourists stay in Lima, including us. It is a modern area with plenty of good hotels and it has a pleasant coastal walk along the cliff tops that connect a series of small but interesting parks, each with its own theme.

The Gaudi-inspired Parque del Amor, Miraflores

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 Knitting in a Miraflores Park - A popular pastime in Peru

Heading to the cliff top promenade of Miraflores and turning left instead of right takes you to the bohemian district of Barranco, home to local artists and poets. Here there are many colourful examples of street art and murals.

Welcome to Barranco


Some typically colourful street art and murals, which abound in the Barranco district


A pretty, cobbled street in Barranco with a Flame Vine sculpture above it


A street vendor selling bread in Barranco


Finally we visited the historic colonial centre of Lima, with its grand palaces, government buildings and cathedral.

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The neo-classical architecture of the Archbishop's Palace in Playa Mayor


Busking, Peruvian-style


After two fun days exploring Lima we headed back to the brand new Lima airport for an internal flight to Puerto Maldonado to get to the Tambopata National Reserve, where we would have the chance to explore part of the Amazon rainforest protected by the Peruvian government and a chance to see some amazing wildlife ....


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