Peru - South
Southern Peru is filled with natural beauty, from the Altiplano, the high plateau, and Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, to the snow covered volcanoes, and deep canyons. The area was also inhabited by different pre-Inca cultures, going back 2000 years.
Nazca Lines (Nasca) - The Nazca Lines are huge mysterious geoglyphs - hummingbird, monkey, spider, fish shapes, spirals, circles, and lines - scratched in the sandy desert. The purpose of the amazing designs is still a mystery, but they may have been used for rituals relating to astronomy, or possibly water. The best way to see the lines is to fly overhead in a plane. You can also see some of the geoglyphs from the observation tower on the highway.
The Nazca people lived on this stark desert nearly 2000 years ago, and though there are no big ruins, the desert climate preserved their burial sites. Visit the Cemeterio de Chauchilla, to see reconstructions of the Nazca graves with mummies.
Train ride - Cusco to Puno - One of the great train rides of the world is the trip from Cusco to Puno on Lake Titicaca. The day-long train ride takes you past snow covered peaks, through high and wide Andean valleys where llamas graze on spikey grass. As you pass by villages with cobblestone streets, barking dogs chase the train and you'll see people making adobe bricks by hand or threshing wheat without machinery. Food and playing cards are available on the train (play your favorite card games as the train rolls down the tracks).
