11 Places to Visit in Peru!

Peru is a fantastic country to visit and is full of different treasures of traveling to explore and these are the 11 places I recommend to visit on any trip to Peru.

Peru is a county located in western South America. The countries Ecuador and Colombia border it to the north while Brazil surrounds it to the east and along the southern border is Bolivia and Chile. To the west, is the Pacific Ocean that allows for lots of trade in and out of the country. Peru is a country of many contrasts and is a wonderful place to visit on any trip through South America. When most people think of Peru, the Andes Mountains are generally the first thing that comes to most people’s minds, but Peru’s western coast is in stark contrast with its dry and arid desert, while to the east of the Andes is the Amazon jungle, steaming with wildlife.

Not only does Peru have stunning beauty and varied landscapes throughout the country, but the many different ancient civilizations and cultures have given Peru some of the most interesting archaeological sites in South America from the Inca Empire in the Andes to the Chimu Empire on the north west coast. Peru is filled with an immense quantity of treasures, so continue reading below and start exploring some of those 11 unique places to visit in Peru on the Treasures of Traveling website!

-- Luke Keeler

Experiencing the Bullfight in Socos!

The mountainous terrain and beautiful vistas of Socos!

While living and working in Ayacucho, we decided it was time to explore the small rural village of Socos, Peru, high up in the Andes Mountains with an elevation of 11,200 feet above sea level to be exact. At this point we had spent a decent amount of time in the hustle and bustle of the urban center of Ayacucho and we wanted to be surrounded by mountainous countryside with less motor vehicles and motorcycles so we went to visit the small and remote village of Socos!

Gathering in front of the church in Socos, Peru.

It was a treat to say the least!  The long journey in the back of a truck with people and animals and really anything that could fit back there was an experience in of itself.  We thought when we arrived it was going to be a low key experience, but Socos was having a bullfight in the village so the village was packed with people who were there to see the fight and have a good time at the festival!  Now, you have to remember, this is not like the bull fights that occur in Spain where

The mountainous terrain and beautiful vistas of Socos!

they actually kill the bulls.  In Peru and at this bullfight, they were just playing with the bull, but they did not kill it.  The matador had his red cape to entice the bull to attack and after each session the matador spent with the bull, they also had multiple clowns to entertain the crowd!  They were hilarious to watch while they were antagonizing the bulls and running away from them.  Some of the clowns didn’t run fast enough and had a run in with the bull’s horns, but they were prepared and had lots of padding on their rear ends!

Read more about Socos and the bull fight at Treasures of Traveling Website!

-- Luke Keeler