Highlights of Gringo Trail

Quito

Quito, located at 2,850 metres in the western cordillera of the Andes, is the second highest capital city in the world and is situated in a dramatic setting in a long narrow valley beneath the imposing Pichincha Volcano and surrounded by snow capped mountains and extinct volcanoes. The city was founded in the 16th century on the ruins of an Incan city and has one of the best preserved historic centres in Latin America. The old part of the city is a beautiful mix of narrow, cobbled streets and colonial architecture, including the Church and Jesuit college of La Compañía with its gilded altars, walls and ceilings, and the San Francisco and Santo Domingo monasteries. The lively Plaza Grande, Plaza San Francisco and Plaza de la Independencia are well worth exploring. Elsewhere the hilltop El Panecillo (The Little Bread Loaf) has superb views over the city and surrounding mountains while in the nearby village of San Antonio lies ‘La Mitad del Mundo’ (the middle of the world), the Equatorial Line Monument where you can have a foot in each hemisphere.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: City of Quito

Cuenca

The historic city of Cuenca is Ecuador's third largest city and has a beautiful and well preserved colonial centre. The city was founded in 1557 on the ruins of the Inca settlement of Tomebamba but little trace of this heritage remains. Cuenca's town centre is characterised by fine colonial churches, narrow, cobbled streets and whitewashed and red-tiled buildings, making for a vibrant and atmospheric city.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca

Chan Chan, located near the northern city of Trujillo, was the capital city of the disappeared Chimu Kingdom. The city reached its zenith in the 15th century when it was the largest city in pre-Hispanic America and the largest adobe citadel in the world, before it fell to the great rivals of the Chimu - the Incas. The city covers six km², divided into nine autonomous palaces which comprised squares, temples, dwellings, gardens, storehouses and funeral platforms. The city’s walls and buildings are decorated with detailed friezes. There is also evidence of industrial sectors dedicated to woodworking, weaving and precious metalworking and an irrigation system to channel water from the Moche River for use in farming.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

Lima was founded in 1535 and was the capital and most important city of the Spanish dominions of South America until the mid-18th century. Known as the 'City of the Kings', Lima's historic centre is a superb and well preserved collection of 17th and 18th century colonial buildings in the Hispano-American Baroque style. Notable buildings include Lima Cathedral and the Convent of San Francisco, while the historic quarter of the city also boasts many excellent museums filled with priceless artefacts from Incan and other pre-Hispanic civilisations, including the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera, Museo de La Nacion and the Gold Museum. The lively Barranco Quarter is a good spot to experience Lima at night, with many restaurants, bars and clubs with traditional Afro-Peruvian music.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of Lima

Cuzco was the historic capital of the Incas, developed under its ruler Pachacutec (1438-71) into a complex urban centre with distinct religious and administrative functions. The conquering Spanish preserved its structure and layout but built a colonial city over its foundations. Today, remnants from both these historical periods make Cuzco one of the most attractive and interesting cities in Latin America, as well as a great base for exploring the nearby Inca ruins including those at Machu Picchu. The Spanish colonial town is characterised by attractive pink tiled roofs, arcaded plazas and steep winding alleyways with the cathedral and Plaza de Armas being particular highlights. Many of the buildings are constructed on tremendous Inca foundation stones, ingeniously constructed with interlocking joints and stonework. Some of the prominent Inca remains include the Koricancha Sun Temple located in the Santo Domingo Church and the wall of Hatunrumiyoc with its famous twelve-sided stone. Cuzco is also filled with markets and artisan shops for buying souvenirs and numerous museums detailing Inca history and art.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: City of Cuzco

The Inca Trail and its alternative routes are some of the best trekking destinations in the world. Perhaps nowhere else combines stunning mountain scenery with beautiful and important historic sites, with the peaks and valleys of the Andes a dramatic backdrop for a series of spectacular Inca ruins. The destination is the most impressive of all, as you stand at the Sun Gate and gaze at the stunning lost city of Machu Picchu below. First explored by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and opened for walkers in 1970, the Inca Trail today is extremely popular and, with a limited number of permits issued by the government, you may need to book up to five months in advance. To escape the crowds, the alternative Lares Trek passes through similar scenery and altitudes but is well off the beaten path and away from the tourist crowds. At the end of the trail at Ollantaytambo, you can catch the train to Aquas Calientes and onto Machu Picchu.

Named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is one of the most extraordinary and beautiful archaeological sites on earth. Its setting amidst tropical mountain forest on the slopes of the eastern Andes is unparalleled and demonstrates a wonderful interaction of man-made structures with the natural environment. Macchu Picchu was probably the greatest urban achievement of the Inca Empire, the largest civilisation in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans, and dates to the period of the rule of Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438-71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472-93). The exact purpose of the city, 100km from the capital at Cusco, is unknown, but different quarters have been identified - Farmers, Industrial, Royal and Religious. However it is Machu Picchu's architecture, stonework, and integration with its environment that makes it so impressive. The ruins are best reached after a 4 day trek along the Inca Trail, when they come spectacularly into view through the Sun Gate. It's also possible to take the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes and catch a bus to the site - if staying at Aguas Calientes after trekking the Inca Trail, be sure to return to Machu Picchu early next morning to experience it before the daytrippers arrive.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

The Nasca Lines, geoglyphs scraped on the grounds of Nasca and the pampas of Jumana, are of the great mysteries of archaeology. Created by the Nasca culture between 500 BC and AD 500, the geoglyphs cover some 450 km² in Peru's arid coastal plain and depict living creatures, plants and imaginary figures as well as geometric lines and figures several kilometres long. Their purpose remains enigmatic but they are believed to have astronomical functions. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Lines is the fact that they can only be recognised as coherent figures from the air. There are viewing platforms available near some of the Lines, but the best impression is found by taking a flight over the area. The surrounding region contains many ancient cemeteries containing hundreds of preserved mummies and tapestries which can be visited.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana

Arequipa is southern Peru is the second largest city in the country and arguably the most beautiful. Located in a stunning setting at an altitude of 2380 metres and at the base of the perfect conical peak of the El Misti volcano (5882m), Arequipa was founded in 1540 and has a beautifully preserved historic colonial centre. Many of the buildings are constructed with sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock, giving the city its nickname La Ciudad Blanca, or the White City. Arequipa's buildings are characterised by robust walls, archways and vaults, courtyards and open spaces, and intricate Baroque decoration of its facades. Around the arcaded Plaza de Armas lies the city's cathedral, built in 1612, which is one of the finest in South America. The Santa Catalina Convent is a miniature town enclosed within a city block that was built in 1580 but closed to the outside world until the 1970s. Once housing 450 nuns and serving ladies in total seclusion, it provides a fascinating glimpse into their lives. Elsewhere, the Museum of Andean Sanctuaries has an intriguing exhibit of the ice mummies found atop some of Arequipa’s surrounding volcanoes.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa

Tiwanaku

The ruins at Tiwanaku near La Paz are Bolivia's largest archaeological site and the remains of the capital of powerful pre-Hispanic empire extending over northern Bolivia, southern Peru, northern Chile and north-western Argentina. Initially settled around 1200 BC, the empire reached its apogee between 500 and 900 AD and is distinct from other pre-Hispanic empires in the Americas. The Temple of Akapana and the Gate of the Sun are the most notable structures found at Tiwanaku.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Tiwanaku: Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture

Potosí

The biggest silver lodes in the Americas were discovered in Cerro de Potosi, the mountain overlooking the city, in 1542 and the site soon became the world's largest industrial complex, producing more than half of the silver found in the continent. The silver production made the town one of the wealthiest in Latin America and fuelled the Spanish economy for almost 300 years. The human cost was horrific however, with an estimated 8 million people (indigenous and African slaves) dying in the mines. It's possible to visit the mines today, still used to extract tin, but it is an uncomfortable and distressing, though enlightening experience. Conditions for the miners are still difficult but are now much fairer as it is run as a co-operative. The silver wealth ensured that Potosi was one of the most beautiful colonial cities in the Americas and much of that heritage still exists today. The highest city in the world at 4,090 metres, Potosi has some grand colonial architecture and numerous ornate Baroque churches. Buildings of note include the Church of San Lorenzo, the Convent of Santa Teresa and the Casa de la Moneda, the original 18th century royal mint which is now a museum.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: City of Potosí

Historic City of Sucre

The colonial city of Sucre was founded in 1538 as La Plata and was the first capital of Bolivia. The city's name was changed to Chuquisaca in 1776 and later to Sucre in honour of the general who fought for Bolivian independence. The House of Freedom is Sucre is one of the country's most important historical monuments, where many of the keys events in the independence struggle took place. Today Sucre is the cultural and education centre of Bolivia, with a host of historic buildings and museums. Its 16th-century religious buildings include San Lázaro, San Francisco and Santo Domingo while the Cathedral contains the jewel encrusted ‘Virgen do Guadalupe’ by Bernardo Britti. The colonial ambience and student culture make Sucre a great city to explore and enjoy while the surrounding countryside is ideal for hiking, mountain biking and horse riding.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic City of Sucre

Paraty was an important port town during the height of the Brazilian gold rush and today is a beautifully preserved Portuguese colonial town. Its town centre is filled with colonial whitewashed buildings and pedestrianised cobbled streets, some of which are partly covered with seawater at high tide. There are four impressive colonial churches, the most imposing of which is the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios. As well as exploring the atmospheric town, its bay has islands with excellent beaches and inland the town is surrounded by mountainous national parks filled with trails and wildlife.