Peru packs into one country what others spread over three trips: a desert coast, Andean peaks above 5,000 metres and the Amazon rainforest. Here are the key facts for travellers from Germany – followed by my travel story.
Peru at a glance
Top sights
Machu Picchu
The Inca citadel at 2,430 metres can only be visited with a ticket booked in advance – exclusively via the official portal tuboleto.cultura.pe. There are three circuits (Panoramic, Classic, Royal with Huayna Picchu), with 4,500 to 5,600 visitors admitted per day. Foreigners pay around PEN 152, around PEN 200 for mountain routes such as Huayna Picchu, plus a PEN 11 conservation fee since May 2026. Take the train to Aguas Calientes – according to the German Foreign Office, safer than the bus route via Santa Teresa. The Inca Trail requires a permit through licensed agencies and is closed in February.
Nazca Lines
The giant geoglyphs are best seen from the air: flights from Nazca take 30–35 minutes and cost about US$85–120 plus fees; from Pisco/Paracas they cost considerably more. Mornings are calmer and less windy. Budget alternative: the 13-metre viewing tower on the Pan-American Highway. Note: small-aircraft safety standards have historically been below European level – choose your operator carefully.
The Amazon
Two gateways: Puerto Maldonado (Tambopata) in the south – 1.5 hours by air from Lima, easy to combine with Cusco, low malaria risk – or Iquitos in the north, reachable only by air or river, with a higher malaria risk. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for both. Lodges in the Tambopata reserve work with licensed guides.
Vinicunca – Rainbow Mountain
About three hours’ drive from Cusco, the striped mountain rises to roughly 5,200 metres. The climb takes 1.5–2 hours – not a good idea without several days of acclimatisation in Cusco. Best from May to October; in the rainy season snow can cover the colours.
My travel story
For most people, Peru starts in Lima – loud, grey and surprisingly good for food. Anyone travelling to Peru should save at least one evening for ceviche and a pisco sour.
The real shift comes in Cusco. At 3,400 metres every staircase hits your legs, and you quickly learn to slow down. Those days are exactly what you need before Rainbow Mountain, where the air is thin and the colours look unreal.
Machu Picchu lives up to the photos – most of all in the early morning, when the mist rises out of the valley. The contrast with the Amazon could hardly be greater: humid heat, sounds from every direction, and in the evening the feeling of being very far away.
And the Nazca Lines? A short, bumpy flight after which you understand why people have puzzled over them for decades.
Getting there from Munich
There is no direct flight from Munich to Peru. The most common connections run via Madrid, Amsterdam or Paris to Lima; including the change you will travel around 16–17 hours. Many of these flights leave early in the morning – before the first S-Bahn. We take you to the terminal door at a fixed price and pick you up after the long flight home, with flight tracking and 60 minutes of waiting time included.
As of November 2026. All information without guarantee; entry and vaccination rules can change at short notice. Entry details apply to German citizens. Please check the German Foreign Office travel advice and consult a travel-medicine specialist about vaccinations.