PERU

Cuzco, located in the southeastern part of Perú, is the country’s Sacred City and its main tourist destination. Known by the Incas as the “home of gods”, Cuzco became the capital of one of the largest pre-Columbian empires: the Tahuantinsuyo. Its name in Quechua means “Navel of the world,” which derives from when the city served as a hub for the vast network of roads interconnecting virtually the whole of South America’s western region, from northern Chile and Argentina to present day Colombia.

Located three hours away from Cuzco by train, or 4 days on foot through the famous Inca trail, the citadel of Machu Picchu is by far the most important tourist attraction in Perú. Discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, this citadel is considered to be one of the most extraordinary examples of landscape architecture in the world.

Located in the city of Lambayeque, just 11 km from the city of Chiclayo, the Royal Tombs of Sipán National Museum exhibit one of the world’s top ten gold treasures. This modern museum exhibits the complete apparel and objects found at Huaca Rajada, laid out as if they were still inside the tomb.

Chan Chan’s archeological complex is situated in the Moche Valley, 4.5 km northwest of Trujillo. It was the religious and administrative capital of the Chimú Kingdom and the largest adobe citadel of pre-Hispanic America.

Its area was about 20km and it is estimated that nearly one hundred thousand people inhabited the site at one point. This archeological complex was declared a Historical and Cultural Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO in 1986.

From the world famous Incas, to the recent archeological discoveries of the Moche civilization in northern Perú, Vía Natura can be your pathway in the mystical discovery of ancient Andean civilizations.