Peru: "Incan Empires" cruise includes Lima and Salaverry ports

Holland America Line is offering a luxury cruise: “Incan Empires,” that follows the path of the ancient Incas, reports TNews.

With two overnights in Callao (Lima), this cruise offers time to explore Lima and even to take a domestic flight and visit Cusco.

“Incan Empires” is a 30-day round-trip cruise that starts at San Diego (US) and goes to Lima, and then back to San Diego, visiting seven countries; stops at Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo (Mexico), Puerto Quetzal, Fuerte Armador (Panama) and Salaverry on its way to Callao, and at Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Caldera (Costa Rica), Puerto Chiapas, Acapulco and San Lucas Cape on the way back to San Diego.

15-Day cruise segments from Callao, Lima, are also available, and can be sold by Peruvian tourism operators.

This may be the perfect itinerary for those who seek an affordable opportunity to visit South America without booking an international flight.

Tours Cruises facilities in North of Peru

Churches of volcanic rock in Arequipa, Peru: Travel the religious route

Touring the historic center of Arequipa, Peru, you will have a religious experience. A peaceful route full of history, stunning architecture and strange miracles.

Renowned for its stunning blue sky, its towering volcanoes and lush vegetation in the valley, the White City encourages Peruvians and foreigners alike to come and see two ancient cloisters that now function as museums.

The itinerary may take from three hours to an entire day: it all depends on your interest and available time. The trip involves two convents that will take you to the past and provide you with a perspective of the beliefs of Peruvian societies of past ages.

Foto: Cesar Moncloa

Colonial Treasure

During the day you can visit the Convent of Santa Teresa, which was built in 1700 and received women from different social strata who wanted to devote their lives to prayer.

Upon entering its five rooms open to the public, you can feel the loneliness they felt and their strength during the long years of confinement.

Even though this was a modest convent, inside, magnificent works of religious art, depicting the Nativity and the most important scenes of the life of the Lord are displayed.

Jewelery works in gold and silver are displayed in what was formerly the infirmary. Eighteenth century sculptures adorn the halls and classrooms.

In addition the site has a spectacular colonial architecture, with original vaulted ceilings, walls made of volcanic rock (sillar) and small gardens where one can only hear the birds singing.

The silence lingers in Santa Teresa, since currently, 21 nuns remain in this cloister that will soon be 300 years old.

Foto: Martin Tremblay

The mysterious convent

The monastery of Santa Catalina, known as one of the most important tourist attractions in Arequipa, is the next place on the itinerary.

To walk in the footsteps of women who dared to surrender entirely to God, leaving family and friends behind, is extremely interesting. But visiting it at night makes an entirely different experience: much more dramatic and spiritual.

We believe that that is the reason that led to its opening during the night twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday). We recommend you enter at 6 p.m. so that you can visit its 21 rooms and beautiful plazas and walkways illuminated by the moonlight.

It was August 15, 1970 when this convent opened its doors for the first time to the public and presented 400 refurbished pieces, dozens of works from the Cuzco School and an important collection of religious art.

According to the story, cells were built for the nuns due to the earthquakes, where currently equipment and utensils from that time are in exhibition.

The local guides explained that some of the nuns decided on the closure because of an impossible love, a marriage that they did not wish to realize or because they lacked maternal vocation. We know, too, that they came from wealthy families and some were interned along with their maids so that they would wait on them.

Its architectural style is colonial, but emphasizes the fusion of Spanish and Indian elements and its gardens suggest a stay of hours with a good book.

Santa Teresa Convent

Melgar 303, Historic Center of Arequipa.

Monday through Saturday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday: 9 a.m.-1:00pm.

Entry is 10 soles, 5 soles for students.

Santa Catalina Convent

Santa Catalina 301, Historic Center of Arequipa.

Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursday: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Entry is 30 soles.

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Peru eyes to double annual cruise ship arrivals

Peru is keen to boost its tourist sector increasing the number of tourist cruise ships arrivals from 30 to 60 each year, Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Martin Perez reported Thursday.

Paasengers od these cruise ships dock at Callao’s port take a tour around Lima city, but the idea is to make them visit other places such as Pisco (Ica) and Salaverry (La Libertad).
"In this way, tourists would stay longer. We will be addressing that issue in the coming months to attract tourists from around the world," he said.
Minister Perez will be heading to the United States in June to hold a meeting with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and include those routes in the list of cruise ship destinations.
Minister Perez noted that Panama has already offered its support to Peru in this area as it is one of the world leaders in cruise business.
The 30 cruise ships that annually arrive into Peru's main ports contribute with an average 40 million dollars, this number is expected to double as the number of cruise ships arrivals increases.
These ships arrive between October and April with an average of 3,000 passengers who stay 12 days.

Relax and surf: Peru offers the beaches of Pacasmayo

Growing up in Lima, on the coast, made going to the beach part of my regular life. It’s sad that the beaches in Lima aren’t that good unless you drive 40 minutes south. So the idea of going up north to look for a nice beach within walking distance of my accommodation sounded appealing.

A beach at Pacasmayo.

For most people, the best beaches are way up north in Máncora. I agree, but it’s a long drive, 16 hours. I had only the weekend and a long bus ride wasn’t my idea of fun. So I was open to new ideas.

I went to buy a bus ticket and it was right there where I made a decision. The destination would be: Pacasmayo, about 10 hours from Lima. Pacasmayo seemed to be what I was looking for: a laid back beach town, not crowded, but still lively and most importantly sunny, warm and with an endless beach. The only thing I knew for sure about it was that there’s a huge cement factory called Cementos Pacasmayo. I was thrilled of the idea of discovering somewhere new!

We left Lima at 7 p.m. It was a night bus, no options to see the landscape but no big deal since the Peruvian coast is mostly a desert. It was around 5 a.m. when we arrived to Pacasmayo. My first thought was: "This is definitely a small beach town."

A small town with colonial touches

Coming from a city with more than eight million inhabitants, a town with about 27 thousand people was tiny, but they all are very friendly. They let me check in to my lodging although it was very early, just because they assumed I would be tired.

After a nap and a quick shower I was ready to explore the area. Streets are narrow, there are few cars but a lot of mototaxis, not only because of the small size of the town but also due to the warm weather which lasts all year long. It was really quiet. I was expecting a bright sunny day, but it looked a bit gloomy. The positive side: Walking around was more comfortable.

In Pacasmayo you will find very pretty colonial houses, similar to the ones you see in Trujillo. Unfortunately they are not that well preserved, but the charm is still there.

Sure, a beach town is different than small towns in highlands, just think about the houses with flat roofs. But I could also notice differences in the locals. I found people more outgoing and ready to talk to you, while in highlands they could be shy at the beginning. I think people in Pacasmayo are like the architecture of the area, a mix of lovely colonial buildings, nostalgia for a wealthy past, new buildings and high expectations for the future. Everyone seemed to know to each other here and I felt a bit like an outsider, but this feeling didn’t last very long thanks to the people’s warm welcome wherever I went.

Well, it was time to look for something to eat and I knew exactly what to get: a ceviche! I found a small and cozy place selling ceviche, which cost not even half the price of a similar dish in Lima.

Beach time

Pacasmayo is blessed with nice beaches, but there is one, El Faro, which is especially attractive for surfers. It wasn’t a big surprise seeing young people running to the beach to check the waves and then coming back carrying their boards. (One of the most popular and maybe also the biggest store was a surfshop.)

Surfing is becoming more popular in Peru, not only by Peruvians, but also foreigners looking for the perfect break. They like it here because it’s still uncrowded and there are plenty of places to discover. The best waves can be found from April to October. To entice surfers even more, the fishing village of Chicama has waves that stretch two kilometers wide, and is located 30 kilometers from Pacasmayo.

Next morning was Sunday and the sun came out very early, a perfect beach day. But first I went to the highest point in town to get a nice view. As in many other places in Peru, on top of the highest point there was a tall white Christ, arms wide open, like if he was guarding the whole town. From there I saw the pier and couldn’t help it walking along it, which is one of the longest in Peru.

The beach was getting crowded, mostly with locals who wanted to enjoy a quiet day. The only noise I heard came from the waves and children playing. After a couple of hours at the beach, sitting on the porch of the hotel with a cold drink and a book was perfect.

A tip: Pacasmayo is still a small town, so if you miss lunch time, you’d probably have to wait until dinner. Sunday evening is so quiet here. It seems to be everyone goes to bed early either to wake up early to start the work day or to look for waves.

Next morning I left Pacasmayo. There was no bus going to Lima, so I went to Trujillo and from there back to Lima. It was a great opportunity to walk around this lovely city. Pacasmayo will suit you if you want to stay away from the crowded beach areas and prefer a beach town lost in time.

Surfing information
Pacasmayo is recommended for experienced surfers. The best spot is El Faro beach.
Wave quality: World Class
Wave type: reef-rocky
Normal wave length: 300-500 meters.

How to get there

Go to Trujillo and make a connection to Pacasmayo. Buses from Lima to Pacasmayo don’t run often. (Trujillo is a lovely city and spending a few hours in this colorful city would be a wonderful idea.)

Relax and surf: Peru offers the beaches of Pacasmayo

More about beaches in the North of Peru

Peru to invite Sandra Bullock to boost tourism in Machu Picchu

As part of the campaign planned to boost tourism in Peru, authorities are assessing the possibility of inviting Oscar winner Sandra Bullock to visit Machu Picchu Inca citadel, alike US actress Susan Sarandon, Peru's Foreign Trade Minister Martin Perez said Tuesday.

“We are trying to contact her agents so she can join the group of famous people we seek to attract to Machu Picchu; our campaign continues,” he said.

Perez pointed out that the visit of famous American actress Susan Sarandon for the reopening of the Inca citadel had a huge impact overseas, which demonstrates that this type of campaigns produced positive results.

According to Peru's Export and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPeru), the visit of Susan Sarandon, had a great advertising impact of several million dollars, having international media coverage in different languages.

“The idea is that every 2 months we can attract one celebrity, and we will continue along this year,” he added.

Other future possibilities are Sting, lead singer and bassist of the rock music band The Police; American film director and film producer Steven Spielberg; and also Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra.

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Machu Picchu receives some 1,500 tourists daily since reopening

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu receives some 1500 visitors a day from Thursday, when it officially reopened to domestic and foreign tourists, reported the manager of the Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu Marco Palomino.

Most visitors are European -mainly French and British- and Latin American -Argentine and Brazilian. Domestic tourists are mainly from Lima.
"Visitors have great expectation of seeing Machu Picchu due to its status as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the recent events," Palomino said adding that he noted the presence of families, young people and even seniors.

He said maintenance and restoration works were undertaken during the closure of the famous citadel, mainly in the area of mount Huayna Picchu.
According to Palomino, the Institutional Image Department of the National Institute of Culture (INC) in Cusco will soon issue a statement with further information on the subject.
Heavy rains caused the Vilcanota River to rise to its highest level in 25 years, flooding roads and destroying the railway near the famous Inca citadel, which forced the closure of this tourist attraction for the past two months.