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Cusco, the former capital of the Inca empire and the gateway to Machu Picchu, is where most Peru itineraries begin. Stone streets, Quechua spoken in the markets, and Inca ruins like Sacsayhuaman and Qorikancha on every hillside.

From the city you drop into the Sacred Valley, with the Inca towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo and lower air that's easier to acclimatise to, then ride the train up to Machu Picchu. Add Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lagoon when you want a big high-altitude day.

Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, sits on the Bolivian border near the city of Puno. On the Uros floating islands, families build the very ground they live on out of totora reeds.

On Amantani and Taquile you can stay overnight with a host family and eat what the lake provides. It sits higher than Cusco, so most travellers come here once they've already acclimatised; two or three days is enough to see it properly.

Arequipa, Peru's "white city", is built from sillar, a pale volcanic stone that glows at sunset beneath the Misti volcano. Its food scene rivals Lima's, with a fraction of the crowd.

Two hours out, the Colca Canyon falls away beneath you and Andean condors ride the morning thermals at Cruz del Condor. Most travellers do it as an overnight from the city, often with a stop at the Santa Catalina Monastery.

Tambopata, near Puerto Maldonado, is one of the most biodiverse corners of the Peruvian Amazon: macaw clay licks, oxbow lakes, monkeys, caimans, and night walks you hear long before you see.

You stay in jungle lodges deep in the Tambopata National Reserve, so plan three nights minimum. It's a short flight from Cusco, which makes it an easy add-on to a multi-day Peru package once you're done with the highlands.

Lima, Peru's capital and the gastronomic capital of South America, is where almost every trip lands, so use the days well. The historic centre and Barranco hold the history; Miraflores holds the cliffs and the sea.

It's a city of ceviche and world-ranked restaurants like Central and Maido, with food tours that explain why. Down the coast, Paracas and the Ballestas Islands add wildlife, within reach of the Nazca Lines.