Peru is South America’s numero uno hotspot — for more than Machu Picchu

Llamas, ponchos, Machu Picchu and Paddington Bear, Peru is often encapsulated into cliches. But step beyond and you’ll discover a country of diverse landscapes — mountains, sea, desert and Amazonian jungle — and captivating culture.

Below, we’ve outlined a perfect introductory itinerary for an authentic experience in South America’s hottest nation.

Simply capital

Lima, the port capital of Peru, is a sprawling urban landscape, with roughly 11 million residents, high rises, snarled traffic and an excessive number of casinos. It usually marks the start for all points in Peru.

Divided into 43 districts, Lima is trending in the same direction as Mexico City in terms of food and art. Miraflores has become the place for foodies, with top-rated restaurants, as has Barranco to its south.

Once a fishing village, Barranco is also now the go-to part of Lima for shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, clubs and art museums, all of which are often found in brightly colored buildings that were once the beach mansions of Lima’s wealthiest.

There’s a vibrant, boho crowd in the mural-strewn streets. Standing behind it all is the dilapidated neo-Gothic remains of La Ermita de Barranco church, looking like the backdrop for a post-apocalyptic movie. The current structure dates from 1901, but fires and earthquakes have taken a toll, although restoration works are ongoing.

You can put the bustle behind you with a rejuvenating stay at the Westin Lima (from $261 per night) in the upscale neighborhood of San Isidro. The high-rise hotel boasts views over the city lights and claims to have the best urban spa in South America.

Best of all, their Alphonse speakeasy is a well-hidden, cozy mafia-themed bar where you can get your tequila fix.

Or, have the first of many of Peru’s own, the pisco sour — Peruvian brandy, blended with limes, egg whites and sugar, which goes down a little too easy.

See food

A 4-hour drive south from Lima will take you through seemingly endless desert with piles of sand stretching to the horizon. Eventually, irrigated fields emerge and you arrive at the playground of Paracas and its beachfront hotels popular with Lima residents for weekend escapes.

It’s situated on a peninsula and surrounded by the rugged, nature-filled Paracas National Reserve (a protected UNESCO site), which features the unique red volcanic sands of Playa Roja. The bay is full of bobbing fishing boats who trawl Pisco Bay for its rich harvest — you’ll enjoy oysters still pulsing in the shell and the freshest, tastiest ceviche (Peru’s national dish) right here.

Order it at Hotel Paracas (from $220 per night), which eschews the water trampolines of its neighbors to offer a more upscale retreat. Rooms, suites and oceanside villas all lead to an expansive pool overlooking the sea, and the adjacent Bar Zarcillo is the perfect spot for pisco sours.

The hotel offers exotic excursions such as flights over the enigmatic Nazca lines, and off-roading in the desert — but a day trip by luxury yacht is the best way to take in the uninhabited Ballestas Islands offshore. Here you’ll spot sea lions, Peruvian boobies, pelicans and Humboldt penguins and take a sail-by of the Paracas Candelabra — a giant prehistoric Nazcan geoglyph from 220 BC that’s carved into the hillside.

For more insight, twice weekly, the hotel hosts a cultural collection of more than 130 archeological artifacts from the Nazca civilization, as well as 2 million-year-old fossils discovered in the surroundings of the hotel.

As you sail, you can also haul up beside some oyster fisherman, who’ll dive down and bring you their catch to sample fresh from the sea. Afterwards, head to Chalana restaurant on the dock for a heaving pile of seafood, all caught within a mile of the location and expertly prepared.

Inca well

The little rustic town of Chichero is an often-overlooked part of the Sacred Valley, which once formed the nucleus of the Inca civilization. Somewhat lost in time, its locals are primarily Incan descendants and the main language is Quechua.

If you can take the altitude — 12,342 feet — visit Chinchero’s archaeological park, which boasts the remains of the Inca palace of 15th century emperor Túpac Inca Yupanqui. It was destroyed by fire in 1536 to keep it from falling into Spanish hands, but the tiered fields layered with stone walls remain. Behind it, the Catholic church that replaced it, built in 1607, is a prime example of local religious art, with an altar of gold leaf.

A must-do here is a visit to Awanallaqta Tocapo, a marketplace run by Marleny Callañaupa Quillahuaman. The company brings both income to local women and the chance to buy their wares firsthand.

Behind the inauspicious doors lies a small square featuring a range of stalls and some happy-looking alpacas. Their wool is hand colored with natural dyes and woven using traditional techniques, all demonstrated on-site. From rugs to bright garments, the guarantee of authenticity here (and the prices) can’t be beat.

Changes are coming to Chinchero, with a major airport under construction, so the time to see it is now.

Soul sister

Chincherro is 20 miles outside Cusco, a 1.5-hour flight from Lima and the former Inca capital. For a truly immersive experience, check in to the centrally situated Palacio del Inka (from $280 per night), across from Qoricancha (“temple of the sun”). Surrounded by Cucso’s historic sites, shops and museums, stepping inside the cool walls is like entering a museum of art and archeology. The hotel morphed from a 500-year-old mansion and is part of Cusco’s national heritage. Part of the building even dates to Inca times, including an eight-angled setting stone.

These were considered alive and gave the building a soul. Vibrant Inca blessings occur here, where guests can give thanks to the sun, the moon and pacha mama (“mother Earth”).

More than 195 pieces of artwork decorate the hotel, some dating from the 16th century. Foodies are also well-catered for at Inti Raymi, where, yes, alpaca (served with uncucha, parmesan and baby carrots) and guinea pig (cooked in a clay oven, with native potatoes) are on the menu. Wash it down with a cocktail from the Rumi Bar — the Pachatusan, named for a local mountain, has Andean black whisky, Viñas de Oro brandy, lime, purple corn syrup and activated charcoal.

Sanctuary city

Peruvian peace? You’ll find it throughout the small town of Urubamba in the province of the same name, but most notably at the luxurious Tambo del Inka (from $476 per night).

Situated along a rushing river at the base of the mountains, visitors are greeted by fluffy white alpacas grazing on the lawn (they’re so well-behaved that they move inside and lay by the fireside in the evening).

Tambo is Incan for “place of rest” and nature is the name of the game. Built in 2010, it’s Peru’s first LEED hotel. The rooms and villas, some with private patios leading down to the river, look out to the mountains, where you’ll spot parrots and some of Peru’s 124 species of hummingbirds. There’s even a small Andean forest to explore.

With an indoor and outdoor pool, spa, even an onsite brewery, the hotel is pretty much a self-sufficient destination. The recently launched organic garden here is fed by the glaciers on the mountaintop, which irrigate the rich soil. Along with veggies and edible flowers, are spices like cumin and coriander, all pollinated by local bees.

Chef Liner Vega works magic with these fresh ingredients, and a barbecue by the garden is the perfect setting for an epicurean delight.

A unique feature of this location is the train station, Ollantaytambo, next to the hotel. It’s the first stop on the PeruRail route to Aguas Calientes, a service that features a renovated vintage 1920s train for an elegant 3.5-hour trip through the countryside.

With an observatory carriage for sweeping mountain views, you’ll pass farms, rivers and remote villages. On the return journey, you’ll be treated to the crew’s fashion show for nearly always multi-functional Peruvian cashmere garments. (Be prepared: there’s also an enactment of some local myths and legends for which some passenger participation is needed). The cost is $121 each way, and it’s well worth it, since Aguas Calientes is the gateway to Manchu Picchu.

Peak show

If you’re in Peru, there truly is no skipping Machu Picchu. This wonder of the world shows off the distinctive and evocative peaks of the Andes, lined with Inca trails and the remains of a 15th-century mountaintop citadel. It’s the stuff of Instagram legend.

The site was uncovered by Yale professor and adventurer Hiram Bingham III in 1911, who mistakenly thought it was the Lost City of the Incas, filled with gold. In a way he was right, with Machu Picchu being the nation’s hottest tourist hot spot.

Too much so: In 2008, it was deemed an endangered site, and access was reduced to 2,500 visitors per day. That’s obviously still a sizable amount, so yes, it’s crowded. An entry fee of $45 must be bought ahead of time, and passports will be checked. A guide for the day (recommended) will run about $150.

To get there, you can go hardcore and sign up for an official hike on the 26-mile Inca route, which usually takes about four days, but touristy Aguas Calientes, at the foot of the mountain, is the hub for the majority of visitors. It’s a 2-hour walk up from there, but the bus does the work for most (about $15 each way).

Note that it’s a winding, sometimes alarming ride (one of ours skidded off the edge of the mountain during our visit, thanks to spring rains turning the road to mud).

However you get there, the view from the top is certainly everything you hoped it would be. Even with mists rolling back and forth, and the need to avoid getting trampled by visitors making wild dashes to the selfie spots, there’s a magical quality.

We took a short hike along some of the Inca Trail, on which the original residents ran from the invading conquistadors during 16th-century Spanish expansionism, awed by the prospect of their journey, through the crenelated mountains and steep cliffs.

Rather than just ticking the box, it’s worth taking time to stop here, breathe in the mountain air and ponder those ancient footsteps that went before.