There’s a feeling you get after a vacation, where you’ve left somewhere behind but every time you see pictures of it you’re like “awww, I was there!” and a fuzzy nostalgia hug envelops your stomach and you call over your husband/sister/best friend/dog to have them look at the picture so they too can go “aww! We were there!”
That’s basically what this entire post is like for Jeremy & I. Well, mostly. Turns out there are actually some really beautiful places in Peru that we didn’t even get a chance to see!
Don’t miss out like we did. Grab your camera (or your phone), hop on a bus (or plane … or whatever, look, I’m not giving literal instructions here), and go capture the 5 most Instagrammable Places in Peru like our Guest Post writer, Rohit!
Psst: Looking for more tips for traveling in Peru? Check out some of our other posts!
- 13 Things to Know Before You Go to Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
- 40 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Peru
- Hiking Laguna 69 in Huaraz, Peru: Everything You Need to Know
- The Kennedy Park Cats: Cat Lover’s Paradise in Lima, Peru
- The Best Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru
Let us help prepare you for your trip! We’ll send you a handy printable checklist with our recommendations for what to pack for South America (and a few important things to do before you leave). We’ll also send you some of our favorite tips for traveling in South America. Sign up below.
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The 5 Most Instagrammable Places in Peru
Desert, mountains, canyon, a splendid wonder of the world, a dense tropical forest…Peru can be described in terms of all those big words that you’ve read in your school years. You can’t click enough pictures while in this Inca empire birthplace that’s probably going to take enough of your breath away. You’ve seen all those immensely popular tourist destinations of Peru but they’re not the only ones that have been Instagrammed through the years. So, here’s a few more destinations from Peru that should make it on your Instagram the next time you visit.
Machu Picchu
You can’t talk about Peru and not mention Machu Picchu, since it would be a wild injustice to do so. Machu Picchu, the citadel of the Inca empire gathered its popularity through the years for photography lovers based on the amazing architecture and natural surroundings. Most images of Machu Picchu on Instagram include that of the sunset over the citadel, which is one of the most adored sights in the books of avid travelers. The mountainous background of Machu Picchu makes it a very photography friendly location in Peru.
Travel Tip: When heading to Machu Picchu you should also detour to Ollantaytambo, we have a handy guide of what to do in Ollantaytambo, Peru when you get there!
Monastery of San Francisco
Along with being the second most visited site in Peru, the Monastery of San Francisco in Lima is a brilliant opportunity for Instagrammers. The unusual design of the monastery alongside Lima’s first mausoleum and cemetery has brought some great results for photography lovers and travelers. The monastery is also a fantastic display of intricately patterned walls with skulls and bones arranged in a geometric fashion. Tourists have been attracted to the Monastery of San Francisco just as much as photographers and avid travelers.
Huacachina Dunes
The Huacachina Oasis, one of the most popular sights of Peru, is surrounded by the mesmerizing Huacachina dunes. Instagram is filled with some of the most exquisite pictures of the Huacachina sand dunes. Enthusiastic travelers visiting Huacachina for its primary adventure sport, sandboarding, will find an amazing opportunity to record great adventures in Peru along with getting really good photographs.
El Misti
Peru’s very own picturesque stratovolcano offers a mesmerizing view during different times of the year. El Misti has a snowy peak good enough to get you busy with your camera. Then there’s the added bonus of the Inca mummies that were discovered years ago in its depths along with rare artifacts of the Inca empire, making it an intriguing sight to behold. With two different yet equally wondrous climbing routes going up the volcano, one can get pictures of distinct attractiveness at El Misti. You’ll be busy wondering how many more you can click as the gorgeous environment of this stratovolcano will never disappoint.
Paracas Peninsula
The red-sand beach where the desert of Peru meets the Paracas Peninsula makes for an absolutely magical location to photograph. The Paracas Peninsula has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, proving it to be a popular tourist attraction. The beaches are shared on Instagram in stunning pictures that you just can’t get enough of. The marine reserve of this Peninsula, the Islas Ballestas, offers brilliant opportunities to get photographs of wildlife that would make anyone envious. Most travelers and photographers have found the Paracas Peninsula to be one of the most camera-friendly locations in Peru to capture astonishing images. Plus, the Peninsula offers a variety of spots from where you can get distinct photos. The twilight hour is especially good to capture pictures here!
Peru’s beauty can’t possibly be contained in the eyes of a single traveler with a camera. The exotic destination needs to be taken seriously to find all those beautiful parts of it that are guaranteed to leave you absolutely mesmerized.
Psst: Looking for more tips for traveling in Peru? Check out some of our other posts!
- 13 Things to Know Before You Go to Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
- 40 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Peru
- Hiking Laguna 69 in Huaraz, Peru: Everything You Need to Know
- The Kennedy Park Cats: Cat Lover’s Paradise in Lima, Peru
- The Best Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru
Let us help prepare you for your trip! We’ll send you a handy printable checklist with our recommendations for what to pack for South America (and a few important things to do before you leave). We’ll also send you some of our favorite tips for traveling in South America. Sign up below.
And if you are looking for even more tour tips during your visit to Peru the amazing guys over at ViaHero will connect you with a local person who will share all their juicy knowledge and help you plan your perfect itinerary. Check it out here.
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Author Bio: Rohit is a passionate traveler and explorer who likes to check out all the popular locations in the world. He shares his adventurous experiences on TransIndiaTravels.com.
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Our Top Travel Tips & Resources
- Booking Flights: To score flight deals, search on Google Flights or Kayak. Money-saving tips: fly mid-week or on the weekend; fly carry-on only on a budget airline; and take red-eyes or early morning flights.
- Accommodations: We usually stay in budget-friendly vacation rentals, boutique hotels or private rooms in hostels. We use Booking.com to book hotels (we love their flexible cancellation policy) and Hostelworld to book hostels (low deposit, easy change/cancellation, and excellent reviews). For vacation rentals, we prefer to book using VRBO because they've got lower fees and better support than Airbnb, and we're not fans of Airbnb's unethical track record. You can also book vacation rentals on Expedia and Hotels.com. We also use TrustedHousesitters as both hosts (for our home and our fur-child) and travelers!
- Travel Insurance: We always, always, ALWAYS buy travel insurance for international trips, and we STRONGLY suggest it - visit our Travel Insurance Guide to find out why. We recommend either World Nomads or SafetyWing for international travel insurance. SafetyWing is one of the few policies that covers Covid-19, and they have excellent monthly policies that are perfect for Digital Nomads and long term travelers!
- Travel Credit Card: We book all of our trips on our favorite travel credit card. Not only do we earn cash back that we can spend on more travel, but the card offers fantastic travel perks like travel insurance, trip delay and cancellation coverage, lost baggage reimbursement, and rental car coverage, which helps protect us on our travels. Learn more here.
- Vaccines & Meds: We use the travel guides on the CDC website to research recommended medications and vaccines for international trips. We always recommend getting every vaccine recommended by the CDC! You can get them at your primary care doctor's office or a walk-in pharmacy.
- Tours: We love booking guided tours, especially food tours and walking tours, to get a local's perspective and a history lesson while sight-seeing! We book our tours using Viator and GetYourGuide.
- Transportation: We use Rome2Rio to figure out how to get from place to place, and book local transportation online using Bookaway wherever we can. When we book a rental car, we use Kayak to compare rental companies and find the best deal.
- Luggage Storage: Whenever we're checking out early or taking advantage of a long layover, we use LuggageHero to safely store our luggage while we're running around. Use the code PRACTICALW for 2 hours of free luggage storage on us.
- VPN Service: A VPN keeps your digital information (like website login details, bank info, etc) safe, even when you're connected to an unsecured network while traveling. Plus, it lets you use Netflix & other streaming sites abroad! We use NordVPN. Use the code WANDERLUSTPROMO when you sign up!
- What to Pack: Here are the travel essentials that we bring on every trip. We also have packing lists for hot weather, cold weather, and many more. Take a look at all of our packing guides!
Brandi says
Have you been to the Amazon in Peru? Trying to decide between Iquitos & Puerto Maldonado.
Your site is awesome and so much fun to read!
Lia Garcia says
Sadly we haven’t 🙁 Wish I could be more helpful!
Brandi says
Your site has been a huge help! It’s all good.
Owen says
I really like your blog (and I understand this is a guest post) but I gotta disagree with this. How can the Rainbow Mountain not be one of the top 5? I see it everyday on my Instagram feed!
neni says
Peru is so photogenic, I could look at all those pictures for hours and hours.
Lia says
I agree! Thanks Neni!