Peru

Peru is much more than Machu Picchu, although Machu Picchu alone would be worth a trip. It is a country where five thousand years of civilizations have left their mark: the Nazca lines, the tombs of the Moche lords, the Inca fortresses of the Sacred Valley, the colonial churches of Cusco and Arequipa. But Peru is also nature: the Peruvian Amazon is one of the most biodiverse in the world; Colca Canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon; Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world; and the coast offers everything from deserts to marine reserves. And then there is the gastronomy. Lima has become the gastronomic capital of the world, with restaurants in the world's top 50 and a cuisine that fuses Andean, Amazonian, Creole, Chinese and Japanese traditions. Eating in Peru is a cultural experience in itself.