PERU 



PERU'S ASTOUNDING VARIETY OF CLIMATES AND 

 ECOSYSTEMS MAKES IT ONE OF THE "MEGADIVERSE" COUNTRIES 

 OF THE WORLD. HERE, YOU'LL FIND 84 OF THE 104 

 ECOLOGICAL LIFE ZONES EXISTING AROUND THE PLANET 



PERU IS HOME TO ANCIENT CULTURES 

 and a rich colonial tradition, and nature lovers 

 know it is one of Earth's most biodiverse places. 

 It has nearly 20 percent of the world's birds and 

 10 percent of the world's reptiles, and it has set 

 aside 13 percent of its territory into protected 

 natural areas. 



Start your trip in the colonial cities of Lima or 

 Cusco, which have numerous historical sites, all the 

 sophistication and luxuries of modern urban cen- 

 ters, and can serve as the base for further adventures. 

 You might explore the Nazca lines, take a boat ride 

 on Lake Titicaca, or hike along ancient Incan paths 

 in the Andes. From Cusco, you will want to see the 



spectacular ruins of Machu Picchu, about forty 

 miles northwest of the city. Constructed between 

 AD 1460 and 1470, and including about 200 

 buildings, Machu Picchu must have served as an 

 Incan royal estate or religious retreat. Cusco is also a 

 good starting point for a trip across the Andes to 

 the Amazon, where you can spend a few days explor- 

 ing Manu National Park. The park comprises the 

 watershed of the Manu River, which flows along an 

 extraordinary range of altitudes, from the high 

 Andean plain down to the Amazon Basin. Manu is 

 home to 20,000 plant varieties, 1,200 butterfly 

 species, 1,000 bird species, 200 species of mam- 

 mals, and countless reptiles, amphibians, and insects. 



