TRAVEL TO TACNA - PERU

Tacna: Tacna is in the far south of Peru and combines a desert coastline with mountains. The city stands out as an important center for commerce thanks to its Duty Free Zone and because of its exquisite cuisine.

Tacna also offers visitors different tourist attractions, among which the Toquepala cave, the rock engravings at San Francisco de Miculla, the Aricota lagoon and the medicinal hot springs at the village of Aguas Calientes stand out.

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Tacna Peru Overview:

    * Location: South of Perú.
    * Area: 16 076 km2.
    * Capital: Tacna (562 masl)
    * Altitude
      Minimum: 318 masl (Ite)
      Maximum: 3415 masl (Candarave)

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Tacna:

This city is the bastion of the essence of all things Peruvian. The frontier city of Tacna, the business hub of the southern tip of Peru and an interesting stopover. Its monuments, such as the arch of the Alto de la Alianza, reflect the important role this balmy city has played in Peruvian history. President La Mar declared Tacna the Heroic City in 1828, shortly after Peru achieved its independence from Spain. A century later, the city's inhabitants set an example for the rest of the country in their patriotism and courage: at the end of the War of the Pacific in 1879, which pitted Peru against Chile, the townspeople of Tacna decided in a plebiscite to form part of Peru once more, after having been annexed by Chile. This symbolic act helped Peru not only to recover a strategic location, but also to give hope to a nation that was rebuilding itself after the war.

Today, with its troubles in the past, Tacna has become a bustling metropolis, a free trade zone and a transit area to Chile, as well as Peru's second-ranked port of entry. Its attractions include a splendid neo-Renaissance Cathedral, the Municipal Theater, which dates back to the nineteenth century, the Alameda Bolognesi walkway, the monument and museum of the Alto de la Alianza, commemorating the key battle for Independence, and the caves of Toquepala, where archaeologists have found some of the oldest human remains in Peru.

No visitor should miss the festival of the Señor de Locumba, which is celebrated every September, and which every year draws thousands of faithful from both Peru and abroad. Its seething commercial activities, the people, their history -these and other attractions make Tacna a particularly interesting spot on the Peruvian tourist circuit.

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Access Routes

By land:

     *      Lima – Tacna: Approximately 1293 km by the Pan-American Highway South (18 hours by car)

By air:

    *      Regular flights from Lima to Tacna (Approx. 1 hour and 35 minutes)

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TRAVEL TO LIMA - PERU

Lima: Lima the City of the Kings , capital of Peru, founded on 1535, is a modern city which, while constantly expanding, has also managed to maintain the elegance of its Historic Center.

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Lima Peru Overview:

    * Location:
    * Area:
    * Capital: Lima
    * Altitude
      Minimum: 3 masl / 10 fasl (Ancon)
      Maximum: 861 masl / 2825 fasl (Chosica)

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Lima:

Centuries before it was founded as the City of Kings, the territory of Lima, capital of Peru and of the department of Lima, was inhabited by civilizations that had gauged its wealth and strategic location. Proof of that can be seen in the countless huacas or temples that dotted the valley, particularly the Pachacamac shrine, a major pilgrimage center during the Inca empire. This spurred Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro in 1535 to choose the Rímac River Valley to found the capital, as its location by the sea provided a link with sailing routes.

Lima is the main gateway to Peru, a major city bustling with living history and movement. It is an ethnic melting pot, featuring pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern elements. The metropolis is also surrounded by every aspect of Nature: the sea, islands, mountains, desert and plantlife. Its various quarters feature an active nightlife and well-endowed cultural scene, as well as plentiful public transport and non-stop activities, a city of more than 8 million souls.

Before exploring Lima, the visitor should map out a route. The old city center harbors churches and mansions brimming with colonial and religious art, including such superb architectural examples as the Casa Aliaga or Palacio de Torre Tagle mansions. Colonial Lima also features many fine churches and convents such as Santo Domingo, San Agustín, San Francisco and La Merced.

Further south lie the Pantanos de Villa, a natural wetlands area which has been declared a reserved zone and which is a haven for more than 150 bird species, while the Pachacamac complex is to be found further south. In the Cañete highlands, 180 km from Lima, lies the Lunahuaná Valley, a hotspot for adventure sports.

To the north, 105 km from Lima are the Lomas de Lachay, a national reserve in the foothills which features a unique mist-fed eco-system of wild plant and animal species. A little further north, meanwhile, is Paramonga, which features pre-Hispanic archaeological sites.

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Access Routes

By land:

    *      Connected by the Pan-American Highway to different cities along the coast of Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. To the west, the Carretera Central is the main highway to different highland and central jungle cities.

By air:

    *      Regular flights to the major world cities from the Jorge Chavez International Airport (located in the Callao Region, approximately 30 minute from Lima).

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TRAVEL TO PIURA - PERU

Piura: But the lovely narrow, cobbled streets and charismatic colonial houses of central Piura make up for the fact that there’s little else for tourists to do here. There are also great spots for surfers, like Mancora Beach and Cabo Blanco.

Piura Peru Overview:

    * Location: North Coast.
    * Area: 35 891 km2
    * Capital: Piura (29 masl)
    * Altitude
      Minimum: 3 masl (Paita y Los Órganos)
      Maximum: 2709 masl (Ayabaca)

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Piura:

Piura is such a merry city that its inhabitants talk in singsong tones. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in Peru, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532. The city's colonial churches house valuable collections of colonial art, while the town of Catacaos is famous for its fine straw and cotton arts and crafts, gold and silver filigree and delicious dishes served up at local eateries called picanterías.

The coastal stretch of the department of Piura provides a variety of circuits for visitors. Near Tumbes lies Máncora, a beach resort with pure white sand and a tranquil sea. Further south is Cabo Blanco, an ideal spot for surfing as it boasts some of the best waves in the Pacific Ocean. Cabo Blanco was famous amongst the US jetset in the 1950s for its world records in deepsea fishing, which attracted regular visitors such as novelist Ernest Hemingway. Colán is the beach resort for the city of Piura, a resort where the homes stand on stilts by the sea.

Higher up in the Piura highlands lies the town of Chulucanas, which is famous for its superb pottery. The province of Huancabamba, meanwhile, is home to Las Huaringas, a chain of lakes whose waters are believed to have medicinal properties. The area is the capital of folk healing and traditional medicine.

Any time of year is a good time to soak in the Piura sun and taste the local fermented maize beer chicha de jora. Visitors can gaze out over the Sechura desert, the largest in Peru, and practice water sports on rivers and lakes.

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Access Routes

By land:

     *      Lima – Piura: 1035 km / 643 miles by the Pan-American Highway North (12 hours by car)

By air:

    *      Regular flights to Piura from Lima (1 hour and 15 minutes), Trujillo (40 minutes) and Chiclayo (30 minutes).

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TRAVEL TO ICA - PERU

Ica, Paracas and Nazca: In this desert area of Peru we can find traces of the Paracas (700 - 200. BC) and Nazca (200. BC - 700 AD) cultures, Inca ruins and Spanish architecture as well as the desolate beauty of the desert running into the sea.

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Ica Peru Overview:

    * Location: Central Coast.
    * Area: 21 305 km2.
    * Capital: Ica (406 masl)
    * Altitude
      Minimum: 2 masl (Paracas)
      Maximum: 3796 masl (San Pedro de Huacarpana)

IIca:

Ica is known as an area of sand, sea, oases and valleys, the cradle of Peru's Creole culture, saints and medicine men, where the best pisco brandy is distilled and where religious fervor is strong in the worship of the Señor de Luren or the Yauca shrine. The sandy wastes of this area gave rise to major pre-Colombian civilizations, leaving traces that have survived the ravages of time and wind erosion.

Founded in 1563 by Luis Jerónimo de Cabrera, the city of Ica, capital of the department of Ica, still features superb colonial constructions such as the Cathedral and centuries-old mansions.

The road to Ica provides the traveler with a variety of attractions. First stop along the way is Chincha, a balmy valley that combines festivals and tradition and which is the heart of a culture forged by the descendants of African slaves brought to work the cotton plantations. A few kilometers further on lies the Paracas National Reserve, the only protected area in Peru that includes a marine eco-system. From the pier at Paracas one can take boatrides out to the Ballestas islands, where one can spot sea lions, Humboldt penguins, flamingos and sea birds.

South of the city of Ica lies the Huacachina Oasis, and a few kilometers ahead, the Nazca Lines, an extraordinary legacy bequeathed by the ancient people of the Nazca culture. The Lines, an enormous network of lines and drawings of plants and animals that cover an area of some 350 square km, provide an unforgettable experience for those who fly over them.

Ica celebrates three major events: the Wine Festival (Ica is home to many vineyards which produce excellent wines and pisco) and the festivals of the Señor de Luren and the Virgen del Carmen of Chincha. This is a good time to try typical Ica dishes and sweets, as well as to visit the town of Cachiche, famous for its folk healers who are said to be able to cure all kinds of ills.

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Access Routes

By land:

     *      Lima – Ica: 303 km / 188 miles on the Pan-American Highway South (4 hours by car)

By air:

    *      There are no regular flights. Air taxi service from Lima is available.

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