100 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Peru - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Peru

Aguas Calientes, Peru

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of The Inca

The intricate stonework of Machu Picchu serves as a testament to Incan engineers.

Added by LongNow

Q'eswachaka Rope Bridge

Keshwa chaca, among the last handwoven Incan bridges, crosses Apurimac Canyon in Peru.

Dylan

Pitumarca, Peru

Rainbow Mountain

A remote candy-striped mountain in the Peruvian Andes straight out of the pages of Dr. Seuss.

Molly McBride Jacobson

Added by Molly McBride Jacobson

Convento de San Francisco Ossuary

The mortal remains of an estimated 70,000 people lie in the basement of a monastery in Lima, Peru.

Added by zeppomarks

Nazca Lines

Giant ancient line art drawn in the Peruvian desert so large that it can only be fully seen from the sky.

Puerto Inca, Peru

The Boiling River of the Amazon

This scalding hot river was thought to be a myth, until one geoscientist made it his quest to study the mystical waters.

Lauren J Young

Added by Lauren J Young

Casma District, Peru

Huayllay National Sanctuary

A remarkable geological formation resembling a forest made of stone.

Mark Casey

Added by Mark Casey

Mercado de Brujas

A market for witches is hidden within a train station.

Added by cinapelayo

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Unique
Food & Drink
in Peru

Peanut Butter Fruit

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

Peanut Butter Fruit

Its pulp tastes just like the creamy spread.

Gastro Obscura

Jared Rydelek

Added by Jared Rydelek

Ice Cream Bean

Gastro Obscura

Ingredients & Condiments

Ice Cream Bean

The South American bean that looks like cotton candy and tastes like ice cream.

Gastro Obscura

AbiInman

Added by AbiInman

Banana Passionfruit

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

Banana Passionfruit

This tangy fruit flavors everything from ice cream to cocktails.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Stinging Nettles

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

See all 38 things to eat in Peru See all 38 things to eat in Peru

Atlas Obscura Trips

Expedition Amazon

Mar 1—Mar 7, 2020

Come experience rare wildlife and conservation biology on this adventure deep into the jungle.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Expedition Amazon

Come experience rare wildlife and conservation biology on this adventure deep into the jungle.

Jason Goldman

Community Forums / South America / Peru

Top Discussions in the Peru Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Causa	3 January 27, 2019	702	January 27, 2019
Gran Hotel Bolivar	1 July 15, 2019	382	July 15, 2019
The Twelve-Angled Stone	1 March 01, 2019	572	March 01, 2019
Taquile Island	1 February 10, 2019	480	February 10, 2019
Rodadero Slides	1 February 17, 2019	464	February 17, 2019

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Stories
About Peru

Researchers recreated Wari chicha.

How Breweries Helped Keep This Pre-Columbian Empire Together

Researchers recreated Wari chicha for science and happy hour.

by Reina Gattuso

Bravo shows off a collection of cultivated tubers.

The Potato Whisperer

Manuel Choqque Bravo’s delicious, colorful creations are adored by world-class chefs.

by Alona Martinez

October 04, 2018

An agouti, perhaps trying to remember where it last placed its Brazil nuts.

Brazil Nuts Are Brought to You by Rodents

The snack wouldn’t exist without the help of one furry critter and its unusually sharp teeth.

by Abbey Perreault

September 14, 2018

Once a florist in Utah, Victor V. Morris lived half his life in Peru and opened a famous bar.

How a Mining Boom Led a Mormon Florist to Invent the Pisco Sour

The unorthodox backstory of Peru's signature cocktail.

Two men at the Takanakuy celebrations, Chumbivilcas, Cuzco, Peru.

December 25, Day of the Fistfighting Festival

In the Peruvian province of Chumbivilcas, physical conflict is an annual sporting event.

December 22, 2017

The bridge spans 118 feet and the first few steps across it are on a 30-degree angle.

Photos of the Peruvian Festival That Creates a New 118-Foot Bridge Every Year

A centuries-old tradition brings Inca infrastructure into the present.

by Scott Ferrara

August 29, 2017

A new species of frog in the genus <em>Pristimantis</em> discovered near Camp 3.

Frog-Spotting in One of South America's Least Accessible Mountain Ranges

A team of herpetologists trekked into Peru’s remote Vilcabamba Range and discovered animals found nowhere else on Earth.

by Andy Isaacson, bioGraphic

The <em>Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen</em> is celebrated in Paucartambo, Cusco, from July 15-18

The Sleepy Peruvian Town that Comes Alive Each Year to 'Please the Virgin'

Demons, jokers, and colonial characters get together to celebrate tradition and faith with a raucous party.

by Mariana Zapata

December 13, 2016

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