PERU

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The Republic of Peru measures 1.285.216 sq km. With almost 25 million people, Peru has about 20 people per sq km (50 per sq mile), but they are not uniformly distributed. The coast has 48% of the country's inhabitants and is the site of Peru's largest city and capital, Lima, with a population of about 8 million. The Sierra has 43% of the population and features large cities such as Cusco, Puno, Arequipa and Ayacucho. The remaining 9% live in the Amazonian Selva, which makes up more than half of the country's land area. Nearly half of Peru's population is of native American origin, and many of them speak Quechua or Aymara as their first language. Originally living mostly in the highlands, many migrated since the 70s to the big cities. The established official language of Peru is Spanish, although in 1975 Quechua was declared as second official language. About 95% of the population is Catholics, but the influences of traditional religions and rites are still evident within daily life and during ceremonies, especially with the Quechua people.

The most striking characteristics of Peru's landscape are the coastal desert, the Andean highlands and the big Amazon rainforest. Situated near the equator Peru belongs to the Tropics which means about twelve hours daylight throughout the year. The climate of Peru can be characterized by little differences in temperature throughout the year but great changes in temperature from day to night, especially in the Andean highlands.In contrast to temperate regions, where season largely determines temperature, in tropical Peru, elevation is the most important factor - the lower you are, the warmer you will be. Seasons in Peru cannot be distinguished as spring, summer, autumn and winter but can be marked as a rainy and a dry season. The dry season from May to October/ November is the best time for traveling to Peru.

The coastal region is influenced by an ocean current called the Humboldt Current, which moves cold water from the South Pole to the north, along the Peruvian coast. Even though the ocean is cold along Peru's coast, the land, baked by a tropical sun, is warm. The cold temperature of the water prevents cloud formation and following rainfalls, and as a result nearly the entire coastal region is desert. The driest desert of the world, the Atacama Desert, is situated in the south of Peru at the frontier with Chile.

The coastal region offers only a few possibilities for agriculture which means some fertile oasis. As a striking contrast to the poor and desolate landscape of the Peruvian coast the fauna of this region is very rich, due to the cold Humboldt Current as well. As this water moves, it causes an upwelling of dense, cold water from the ocean's bottom, laden with nutrients from dead fishes and other organisms that previously had fallen to the bottom of the ocean. This great concentration of nutrients provides food for large numbers of tiny plants and animals called plankton. In turn, the plankton serve as food for fish, and the fish, in turn, make it possible for large populations of fish-eating birds and marine mammals to live here.

The Sierra region runs north to south along the entire length of the country and makes up the Peruvian section of the Andes, characterized by a temperate to cold mountain climate. Daily temperatures are like spring though there are considerable differences between sunny and cloudy days as well as sun and shade. The nights are cold, above all during the dry season, with night frost above 3,800 m altitude. The Sierra can be divided into four geographic regions: Yunga, the western region between coast and highland as well as the eastern region between highland and Amazon tropical forest (500 m- 2,000 m), is the origin of a lot of tropic fruits. The Quechua region (2,000 m - 3,500 m) is home of the indigenous population and their traditional agriculture. Their land has been terraced and made fertile by an artificial irrigation system which has been introduced by the ancient Inca itself. The Puna (3,500 m - 4,000 m) is a cold grass-grown mountain area with wide "altiplanos" which are home of the well known llama and alpaca of Peru. The region above 4,600 is called Janca. It reaches from the snow line to the glacial rocks of the high Andes.

The steep eastern slopes of the Andat support dense cloud forests. The Amazon rainforest, the region below 500 m elevation in the Amazonians lowlands east of the Andes, covers more than half of the Peruvian territory. The mighty Amazon River has its origin in the Andes of southern Peru. Together with thousands of tributaries, it drains all of eastern Peru. The tropical rainforest is characterized by heat and tropical rainfalls and an immense variety of plants and animals.

Sympathetic understanding, tolerance and some flexibility are well recommended requirements for a trip to Peru. Traveling in Peru cannot be planned minute by minute. There may be slight changes within the schedule or itinerary but you can be sure that we have thoroughly prepared all our tours. Together with our staff we will take care of a satisfactory and unforgettable trip.

The Peruvian cuisine offers a great variety of meals, extending from simple potatoe- meals to rich fish and seafood dishes, for example "Cebiche" (marinated fish), "Palta rellena" (filled avocado), and "Lomo Saltado" (fried beef with onion, vegetables, rice and potatoes) or the typical Picante de Cuy roasted guinea-pig. Lots of tropical fruits and exotic fruit drinks invite you to taste them. Particularly recommendable are the Mates (herb-teas) which help the body to become acclimatized.