Everyone Talks About Machu Picchu. But What About Your Second Trip to Peru?

Everyone talks about Machu Picchu — and for good reason. It’s one of those places you should experience at least once in your life.

But while I was talking to Miguel Mudbidri, Founder of Konterra Experiences and former President of the Peruvian Chamber of Commerce in Australia, he made me think about a completely different question:

Where should you go when you visit Peru for the second time?

Miguel is one of the most passionate Peruvians I’ve ever met. Listening to him describe his country, I realised just how much of Peru we rarely hear about as international travellers.

He walked me through the well-known tourist routes, but then started telling me about the places Peruvians themselves travel to — what he described as a kind of “national tourism.”

And that really caught my attention.

Because when you love a country enough to visit it again, perhaps you don’t want to repeat the typical itinerary. You want to go deeper. You want to discover places that still feel local, meet the people who live there, eat what they eat and experience destinations that haven’t yet been shaped entirely around international tourism.

Here are some of the places Miguel put on my radar — and now I want to visit every single one of them.

1. Nor Yauyos, Caral & the lesser-known treasures close to Lima

You don’t necessarily need to travel to the other side of Peru to find something extraordinary.

Nor Yauyos-Cochas is home to incredible mountain landscapes, waterfalls and beautiful turquoise lagoons — a completely different side of Peru within reach of Lima.

Then there’s Caral, one of the oldest centres of civilisation in the Americas. For someone interested in history and archaeology, it offers another fascinating perspective on Peru that goes far beyond the Inca story.

Miguel also mentioned Lomas de Lachay, a protected natural area that transforms with the season and offers yet another unexpected landscape close to Lima.

2. Pisco & Ica — wine, pisco and gastronomy

This one immediately caught my attention.

Peru is internationally famous for its food, but there is another experience growing around its vineyards, wineries and traditional pisco producers — or pisqueras.

The Pisco and Ica region offers the opportunity to build a journey around wine routes, pisco tastings and gastronomy such as the Pisco Huamani Pisquera.

For travellers who have already explored Lima and Cusco, this feels like such a beautiful way to experience Peru differently: slowly, through its flavours, producers and local stories.

3. Go deeper into Peru: communities, research, coffee and unexpected cultures

This is perhaps what fascinated me the most.

There are so many experiences that don't fit into the traditional image we have of Peru.

In Arequipa, there is the spectacular Santa Catalina Monastery and an incredible gastronomic and cultural identity.

On Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca, travellers can experience community-based tourism, spending time with local hosts and learning about traditions and ways of life that have been preserved for generations.

Lake Titicaca is a place famous for its strong textile traditions and colourful clothing, and we couldn’t help thinking how perfectly a little Tolu colour belongs in a destination like this.

Our colourful father-and-son matching swimshorts were created for family adventures: swimming, exploring, travelling and making memories together.

While Lake Titicaca might be a little cooler than your usual tropical beach holiday, packing swimwear is still worthwhile when your Peru itinerary includes hotels with pools, thermal waters or other water adventures along the way.

And there’s something we love about travelling with our Tolu prints: they bring a little piece of our own Latin American story along for the ride.

In the Amazon, places such as Taricaya open another kind of travel altogether — conservation, wildlife and research experiences where the purpose of the journey can go much further than sightseeing.

Then there is Chachapoyas, surrounded by cloud forests, archaeological treasures and coffee-growing regions.

And perhaps the biggest surprise for me: Pozuzo.

A town in the Peruvian jungle with German and Austrian heritage, founded by European settlers in the 19th century. German-Austrian traditions in the middle of Peru? I had no idea!

Miguel also introduced me to routes and destinations I had simply never heard about before — the kind of places that remind you how enormous and diverse Peru really is.

Maybe Machu Picchu is only the beginning

What I loved about this conversation was realising that visiting Peru once doesn't mean you've “done Peru.”

Not even close.

Your first trip might be about the icons: Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.

Your second trip can be about something completely different.

The turquoise lagoons.
The wine routes.
The coffee producers.
The Amazon research lodges.
The local communities.
The unexpected towns and cultures you didn't even know existed.

And perhaps that's where travel becomes even more interesting — when you stop travelling only to see the places everybody knows and start discovering a country through the people who know it best.

And now I want to go to all of them.

Whether you’re exploring archaeological sites, walking through small towns or heading out for a full day surrounded by nature, a good water bottle is one of those travel essentials you’ll be grateful you packed.

Our Tolu insulated water bottles are designed to keep drinks cool while you’re out exploring.

Perfect for long travel days, family hikes, road trips and all those little adventures in between and even with colourful designs that kids actually want to carry themselves.

Konterra Experiences creates personalised journeys through Peru and Latin America for travellers looking for something beyond the standard itinerary — from gastronomy and culture to nature, research, adventure and unique local experiences.

If you've already been to Peru and are wondering “Where should I go next?”, I'd love to help you discover your second Peru.

Enquiry Now - liliana@konterra.com.au

Whatsapp: +61433733136

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