Lima
~150 mThe capital, the clifftops and the best tables in South America
Destination
The Coast
A long strip of desert between the Andes and the Pacific. Lima's kitchens, sea lions off Paracas, dunes at Huacachina and lines in the Nazca plain that only make sense from the air. It's all near sea level, which makes it the right place to start.
- Altitude
- ~0–600 m (verify)
- Best months
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr (verify)
- Regions
- 4
- Journeys
- 4
Regions in The Coast
Where to go
Sea lions, desert cliffs and a boat ride to the 'poor man's Galápagos'
Huacachina
~400 mA palm-ringed oasis surrounded by giant dunes
The Nazca Lines
~520 mGiant figures drawn across the desert, best seen from above
What to eat in The Coast
Ceviche
Raw white fish 'cooked' in lime juice with red onion, chilli and salt, served with sweet potato and corn. Lunch food: Peruvians rarely eat it at night.
Tiradito
Ceviche's Japanese-influenced cousin: thin slices of fish, no onion, a smooth chilli sauce poured over the top.
Causa limeña
Layers of yellow potato mashed with lime and ají amarillo, filled with chicken, tuna or crab. Cold, bright and very Lima.
Lomo saltado
Beef, tomato and onion stir-fried in a wok with soy sauce, served with chips and rice. Chinese-Peruvian cooking at its most loved.
Ají de gallina
Shredded chicken in a creamy yellow-chilli and walnut sauce. Comfort food, mild enough for most children.
Anticuchos
Skewers of marinated beef heart grilled over charcoal, with an Afro-Peruvian history going back centuries. Street food at dusk.
Pisco
Grape brandy from the valleys south of Lima. Drink it in a pisco sour, or neat to taste the grape.
Picarones
Squash and sweet-potato doughnuts fried to order and drizzled with fig-leaf syrup.
Lima's restaurant scene
From tasting menus that map Peru by altitude to cevicherías that close at 5pm, Lima is the place to book a table months ahead.
Journeys
Journeys that go here
10 daysFirst Peru, Done Right
Lima's tables, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, in the order your lungs would choose.
From US$4,200 pp
14 daysAndes & Amazon
The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, then down into the rainforest, and a last night by the Pacific.
From US$6,800 pp
10 daysPeru for Food Lovers
Lima's tables, Sacred Valley farms, Cusco's markets and Arequipa's picanterías.
From US$4,800 pp
11 daysPeru with Kids
Sea lions, Inca ruins, a train through the gorge and three days in the rainforest, at a family pace.
From US$4,600 pp
Accommodation
Where to stay
Lima · boutique
A garden house in Miraflores
A restored 1920s house a short walk from the clifftop parks, with a quiet garden and a bar that takes its pisco seriously.
Paracas & the Ballestas Islands · hotel
A bayside hotel in Paracas
Low-rise rooms on the bay, with the Ballestas boats leaving from the jetty in the morning.
Ready when you are
Tell us when you'd like to go and what you'd love to see. Your Peru Specialist will come back with ideas, honest advice on altitude and timing, and a clear price.