Honeymoon Trails 11718 views

Go to Peru
Peru is on the north-west coast of South America, nestled between Brazil and the Pacific Ocean. It has a fabulously rich culture with colonial cities where Spanish conquistadors once rampaged across the land, toppling the native Inca empire to claim the New World for themselves.

What to do
Today, the only rampaging to be had is up the hair-raisingly steep Inca trail – part of more than 23,000km of road system built by the Incas across South America.

The Inca Trail is Peru's most famous hike. Combining a jaw-dropping mix of Inca ruins, mountain scenery, lush forest and rich subtropical jungle. Winding up to the sacred Inca city of Machu Picchu, the trail is 45km long and takes about four days to complete. It’s quite challenging and a fair amount of stamina is required to reach the summit. Prices for a four-day guided trip start at £290 per person with chimuadventures.

Travel in style
If you’d rather do Peru in luxury, why not go for a package trip, including flights, accommodation and excursions.

Greenbee Specialist Travel (0845 610 0341) offers a lavish 10-night trip (from £3,234 per person, including all flights, transfers, train tickets and accommodation), exploring Peru in the lap of luxury.

When you arrive in the capital city of Lima, you’ll be transferred to the oceanfront Miraflores Park Hotel for the first two nights of your honeymoon adventure. After a day touring Lima, you’ll fly to Cuzco and stay at the Monasterio Hotel in a deluxe room for two nights (right). You’ll then board the Orient Express Hiram Bingham train, and relax as the luscious countryside of Peru drifts by. Once in Machu Picchu, you and your new husband will be treated to the ultimate in luxury at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (below), where you’ll stay overnight before taking the train back down to Cuzco.

Know before you go
*Summer in Peru is from December to March and the beaches south of Lima are fabulous throughout these months.

*During February, the Inca Trail is closed for tourists.

*North of Peru is Mancora, which is close to the equator and enjoys hours of sunshine – perfect for topping up your tan before you hit that trail.

*All EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand citizens can currently stay in Peru as tourists for up to 90 days without a visa. However, the situation does change periodically, so always check with your local Peruvian embassy before departure.

*The local currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol and you can exchange USA dollars or euros at most hotels or banks. ATMs are available, but plan to take cash if you go to the Sacred Valley and Aguas Calientes as a cashpoint will be hard to find.

*British Airways flies daily to the capital city of Peru, Lima, and flights start at around £998 per person return.

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