Peru - Part 4: Cuzco-Lima Road Trip

2 June 2025

After now having “done” the Machu Picchu and enjoyed Cuzco’s marvels, it was time to hit the road again. We could have flown to Lima and found ourselves in Peru’s capital city a short hour later. However, we wanted to explore more of this fascinating country first and so we hopped into our trusty red bus and headed off into the night, destination Arequipa. It was the first stop in an itinerary which would take eight days before we arrived in Lima.

Arequipa

The bus dropped us off at our hotel, the Katari, on the central square, the Plaza de Armas. It was lined by palm trees and colonial-era architecture that have earned the city its UNESCO World Heritage title. Here, local people were socializing and reading newspapers under the shade of palm trees, children were throwing seeds on the ground for birds, and travelers from all over the world, it seemed, had come to gape at the towering Basilica Cathedral or make wishes at Tuturutu Fountain in the centre of the square.

As we wandered the cobblestoned streets, beneath the towering gaze of the Misti Volcano, we  quickly realized why Arequipa is called the “White City”. Sillar is petrified ash from decades worth of volcanic eruptions. Used as the primary building material for to construct the casonas of large landowners, beautiful churches, and sprawling convent complexes, including Santa Catalina, it bestows the city with a radiant appearance.

Founded in 1540, Arequipa flourished in the crossroads for the silver trade from the 16th and 18th centuries, under Spanish colonial rule. The city’s impressive architectural aesthetic began to take form during this time and what we see today has survived a dramatic history of strong earthquakes in this region.

Colca Canyon

Our day tour to Colca, the second deepest canyon in the world, started at 3am in the morning. As daylight slowly broke, plummeting valleys came into view, shadowed by impressive volcanic peaks. We passed through breathtaking Andean scenery, including a nature reserve to spot wild alpacas and vicuñas and visited thermal hot spring and quaint communities.

The highlight was the Mirador Cruz del Condor, a viewing platform from where we could observe magnificent flying condors (with an 8-foot wingspan) as they soared through the canyon.

Nazca

Leaving Arequipa early the next day, our PeruHop bus skirted Peru’s spectacular Pacific coastline before dropping us in Nazca that evening.

On the way, we had stopped briefly at a viewing tower to observe the Nazca Lines, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We looked down at three different sets of ancient line drawings, just a small piece of this extensive collection of 2,000-year-old geoglyphs. In total, there are over 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures and 70 animal and plant designs.

The geoglyphs are drawings on the ground made by removing rocks and earth to create a “negative” image. The rocks which cover the desert have oxidized and weathered to a deep rust colour, and when the top 12-15 inches of rock is removed, a light-colored, high contrasting sand is exposed. Because there’s so little rain, wind and erosion, the exposed designs have stayed largely intact for 500 to 2000 years.

Scientists believe that the majority of lines were made by the Nazca people, who flourished from around A.D. 1 to 700. What however the lines symbolize is still open for debate.

About an hour’s drive out of Nazca in the desert is the Chauchilla Cemetery, a necropolis which is more than 1,000 years old. The exposed bone remains there would have belonged to the Poroma and Ica cultures, and possibly, the Nazca people too. 

The most significant remains are those of the so-called mummies, including children, most of which are in a very good state of conservation. Their mummification is due to a natural event helped by the type of terrain in the area. What was particularly impressive to observe was that most of them have complete teeth and hair so long that it reaches the waist, which seems to endow them with a trait of vitality. It is believed that initially different riches had existed in the tombs, but that they would have been stolen by looters.

The site is one of the very few places in the world where  mummies can be observed in their own tombs.

Huacachina

Huacachina comes from the Quechua word: wakachina, meaning 'hidden lagoon'. It is a party town for tourists, built around a small natural desert lake, referred to as the "oasis of America". According to local legends, the water and mud of the area are therapeutic. It is surrounded by sand dunes, which the tourists descend either on sandboards or in buggies, driven by crazy local drivers (I declined the offer to join them but Mylene had the time of her life as she was whisked around the steep dunes).

We also visited a bodega in nearby city of Ica, Pisco Bodega, a locally-run winery where we tasted some of the region’s finest pisco. We tried quite a few different types of Peru’s national drink, each completely different

Paracas

That evening, we left Huacachina for our last stop before, Lima – Paracas. One of the main reasons people visit Paracas is to see the Ballestas Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Paracas, also known as the “Poor Man’s Galápagos.”

They certainly provided a taste of what we would later experience in the Galápagos Islands, (and for MUCH cheaper). The islands are protected, so visitors cannot disembark the boat to swim or step onto the land. However, the boats got surprisingly close to the islands, allowing for clear views of the wildlife.  We witnessed an abundance of sea lions, penguins and other birds, including cormorants, pelicans and boobies on the islands.

The highlight for us in Paracas was a short tour organized by PeruHop. About 30 minutes outside the town, we got off the bus and then trekked across a desert landscape to reach some spectacular cliffs along Peru’s indented coastline. The views in the sunset were stunning.

Lima

Finally, that same evening we arrived in Lima, its noise and traffic a far cry from what we had experienced over the past week.

Pizarro founded the city of Lima in 1535, but indigenous populations had settled the area around it for thousands of years before the arrival of Spanish conquerors. Lima quickly grew to become the wealthiest city in the Americas.

Alongside Arequipa and Cusco, the historic Lima centre presents the best preserved example of Peruvian colonial architecture and urban planning. It forms just a small section of a sprawling city, but remains the best place to trace the evolution of Peru’s biggest city back to its beginnings, highlighted by gorgeous colonial churches, government palaces, museums, historic houses and the scenic Plaza de Armas.

Lima is also home to some of South America’s most ancient relics., including Huaca Pucllana, a 4th-century adobe temple, surrounded by Miraflores’ high-rises.

If the Lima historic centre represents the city’s past, Miraflores embodies its vibrant present and ever-evolving future. Home to the must-sees Parque Kennedy and the coastal Malecon, as well as an endless number and variety of cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and hotels for all budgets, it’s no surprise that Miraflores is a favourite destination for visitors to Lima, us included.