Peru Travel - Accommodation, Sightseeing Tours, Attractions, Information

From there, visit Huacachina and the Ballestas Islands which are renowned for their caves and tunnels. Then it’s time for the breathtaking Nazca lines, strange mystical shapes and figures etched into the desert floor over 2,000 years ago.

Arequipa is set against a spectacular backdrop of snow-capped peaks. An attractive colonial city with cobble-stoned streets, it boasts the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. Then, head onto Colca Canyon and the nearby hot springs at Chivay.

A short flight away lies Cuzco (Cusco), the historical hub of the Inca network. It’s also a good starting point for exploring the Sacred Valley and trekking the legendary Inca Trail which leads to the breathtaking long-lost city of Machu Picchu.

Finally, Puno is situated on the shores of Lake Titicaca - the highest navigable lake in the world. From here take a boat trip to the Floating Reed Islands of the Uros Indians.

PERU PROFILE

Geography

• Area: 1.28 million sq. km. (496,225 sq. mi.); three times larger than California.
• Cities: Capital--Lima/Callao metropolitan area (pop. 8.27 million, 2000).
• Other cities--Arequipa, Chiclayo, Cuzco, Huancayo, Truujillo, Ayacucho, Piura, Iquitos, Chimbote.
• Terrain: Western coastal plains, central rugged mountains (Andes), eastern lowlands with tropical forests.
• Climate: Coastal area, arid and mild; Andes, temperate to frigid; eastern lowlands, tropically warm and humid.

People

• Nationality: Noun and adjective--Peruvian(s).
• Population (2000 est.): 25.7 million (72.3 % urban).
• Annual growth rate (2000 est.): 1.7%.
• Ethnic groups (1961): Indian 45%. Mestizo 37%. White 15%. Black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%.
• Religion (1993): Roman Catholic (89%).
• Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara and a large number of minor Amazonian languages.
• Education: Years compulsory--11. Literacy--about 87.5% (1999).
• Health (2000): Infant mortality rate--37/1,000. Life expectancy--67 male; 72 female.
• Employed work force (1999, 7.2 million): Manufacturing--12.7%; commerce--26.4%; agriculture--5.8%; mining--0.4%; construction--5.2%; government--9.1% (est.); other services--40.4%.

Economy (2000)

• GDP (est.): $53.9 billion.
• Annual growth rate: 3.6%.
• Per capita GDP: $2,101.
• Inflation rate: 3.8%.
• Natural resources: Minerals, metals, fish, petroleum, natural gas, and forests.
• Agriculture (7% of GDP): Products--sugar, potatoes, rice, yellow corn, cotton, coffee, poultry, beef, milk.
• Manufacturing (15% of GDP): Types--fish meal, nonferrous metals, steel, textiles, chemicals, wood, nonmetallic minerals, cement, paper.
• Trade: Exports--$7.0 billion: gold, copper, fishmeal, textiles, zinc, lead, coffee, petroleum products. Major markets--U.S. (29%), U.K. (9%), Switzerland (9%), Japan (4%) Germany (4%). Imports--$7.3 billion: machinery and parts, cereals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, crude oil and petroleum products, mining equipment, household appliances and automobiles. Major suppliers--U.S. (27%), Andean Pact countries (16%), Argentina (3%), EU (16%), and Japan (7%).

PEOPLE

Most Peruvians are "mestizo," a term that usually refers to a mixture of Amerindians and Peruvians of European descent. Peruvians of European descent make up about 15% of the population; there also are smaller numbers of persons of African, Japanese, and Chinese descent. In the past decade, Peruvians of Asian heritage have made significant advancements in business and political fields; a past president, several past cabinet members, and several members of the Peruvian congress are of Japanese or Chinese descent. Socioeconomic and cultural indicators are increasingly important as identifiers. For example, Peruvians of Amerindian descent who have adopted aspects of Hispanic culture also are considered "mestizo." With economic development, access to education, intermarriage, and largescale migration from rural to urban areas, a more homogeneous national culture is developing, mainly along the relatively more prosperous coast.

Peru has two official languages--Spanish and the foremost indigenous language, Quechua. Spanish is used by the government and the media and in education and commerce. Amerindians who live in the Andean highlands speak Quechua and Aymara and are ethnically distinct from the diverse indigenous groups who live on the eastern side of the Andes and in the tropical lowlands adjacent to the Amazon basin.

Peru's distinct geographical regions are mirrored in a socioeconomic divide between the coast's mestizo-Hispanic culture and the more diverse, traditional Andean cultures of the mountains and highlands. The indigenous populations east of the Andes speak various languages and dialects. Some of these groups still adhere to traditional customs, while others have been almost completely assimilated into the mestizo-Hispanic culture.

Education

Under the 1993 constitution, primary education is free and compulsory. The system is highly centralized, with the Ministry of Education appointing all public school teachers. Eighty-three percent of Peru's students attend public schools at all levels.

School enrollment has been rising sharply for years, due to a widening educational effort by the government and a growing school-age population. The illiteracy rate is estimated at 12.5% (17.4% for women), 28.0% in rural areas and 5.6% in urban areas. Elementary and secondary school enrollment is approximately 7.7 million. Peru's 74 universities (1999), 39% public and 61% private institutions, enrolled about 322,000 students in 1999.

Culture

The relationship between Hispanic and Indian cultures has shaped the face of Peru. During pre-Columbian times, Peru was one of the major centers of artistic expression in America, where pre-Inca cultures, such as Chavin, Paracas, Wari, Nazca, Chimu, and Tiahuanaco developed high-quality pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture. Drawing upon earlier cultures, the Incas continued to maintain these crafts but made even more impressive achievements in architecture. The mountain town of Machu Picchu and the buildings at Cuzco are excellent examples of Inca architectural design.

Peru has passed through various intellectual stages--from colonial Hispanic culture to European Romanticism after independence. The early 20th century brought "indigenismo," expressed in a new awareness of Indian culture. Since World War II, Peruvian writers, artists, and intellectuals have participated in worldwide intellectual and artistic movements, drawing especially on U.S. and European trends.

During the colonial period, Spanish baroque fused with the rich Inca tradition to produce mestizo or creole art. The Cusco school of largely anonymous Indian artists followed the Spanish baroque tradition with influence from the Italian, Flemish, and French schools. Painter Francisco Fierro made a distinctive contribution to this school with his portrayals of typical events, manners, and customs of mid-19th-century Peru. Francisco Lazo, forerunner of the indigenous school of painters, also achieved fame for his portraits. Peru's 20th-century art is known for its extraordinary variety of styles and stunning originality.

In the decade after 1932, the "indigenous school" of painting headed by Jose Sabogal dominated the cultural scene in Peru. A subsequent reaction among Peruvian artists led to the beginning of modern Peruvian painting. Sabogal's resignation as director of the National School of Arts in 1943 coincided with the return of several Peruvian painters from Europe who revitalized "universal" and international styles of painting in Peru. During the 1960s, Fernando de Szyszlo, an internationally recognized Peruvian artist, became the main advocate for abstract painting and pushed Peruvian art toward modernism. Peru remains an art-producing center with painters such as Gerardo Chavez, Alberto Quintanilla, and Jose Carlos Ramos, along with sculptor Victor Delfin, gaining international stature. Promising young artists continue to develop now that Peru's economy allows more promotion of the arts.

Peru waterfall to be new tourist attraction

A waterfall in a remote region of Peru is to be promoted as a tourist attraction from next year, after it was revealed to the world in a German television program. The feature, named the Gocta Falls after an ancient local settlement, has been designated the world’s largest waterfall and is about 100 feet taller than the falls in Yosemite national park in the USA, which until now had been believed to be the third largest after Angel’s Fall in Venezuela and the Tugela Falls in South Africa.

The Gocta Falls were “discovered” in 2002 by a German explorer and engineer working for a Peruvian water company, Stefan Ziemendorff. He located the cascade deep in Peru’s northern jungle near the city of Chachapoyas in the Amazonas region, about 430 miles (650 km) from the capital, Lima. It’s been measured as 2,529 feet in height, and is said to be stunning in its majestic natural beauty.

The Peruvian authorities are to build a road and provide easier access to the site for visitors. The project to exploit the waterfall and open up the area is aimed also at improving the lives of local people by developing the local economy.

Local people are said to have kept the waterfall secret and it is surrounded by local legend. It is not shown on any map of the area, and according to local folk-lore it is haunted, guarded by a blonde-haired mermaid who lives in the water flowing down the cascade. Local people feared that they would be cursed if they revealed its existence.

The Gocta waterfall’s remote location also played a role in its relatively obscure existence. The only way to reach the site is a five hour trek on a dirt trail from the village of Cocachimba in the district of San Pablo. The area surrounding the waterfall is to be protected as a nature reserve.

Tourists can look forward to having their first glimpse of the Gocta waterfall in 2007 when the Regional Department of Tourism hopes the area will be ready to cater to visitors. The project to share the Gocta waterfall with the world includes making improvements to roads and developing accommodation and restaurants in nearby villages.

The aim is to offer tourists all the necessary elements to make their experience at the Gocta waterfall as pleasant as possible and to aid the growth of sustainable tourism in the area. In addition to the infrastructure improvements in the area, the project will also create programs to raise awareness and educate local villagers about the importance of conserving the natural environment.

The Commission for the Promotion of Peru (PromPeru), founded in 1993, leads the promotion of the Peruvian tourism product and the country’s image both domestically and internationally. Spectacular waterfalls of lesser heights are already featured in tourism promotion throughout the country. Some are readily accessible from major roads, but others are more remote and seen only by the most adventurous of tourists. At Pichgacocha (Five Lakes), the stream of water tumbles down waterfalls with drops of over 100 feet between one lake and another.