Peru: Introduction: Overview

The massive earthquake that hit south of Lima in August 2007, and the government’s slow response to it, were forceful reminders of how difficult life in Peru can be. The good news for the tourist industry is that, as I discovered when I arrived with my family the following week, Lima itself was largely unaffected by the disaster, and the Inca Trail and the sites along it escaped unscathed. The most helpful thing foreigners can do, I was told, is continue to visit and to recommend the country to others.

That won’t be difficult: whatever its problems, Peru is an astonishingly beautiful and welcoming place. In Machu Picchu, it has one of the world’s greatest tourist attractions, but many other fascinating relics of the Inca civilization survive side by side with fine examples of Spain’s colonial legacy. And its majestic scenery, from the Andes’ snowcapped peaks to the rain forest’s extraordinary abundance, is unforgettable.