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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Peru

115 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Peru

Updated April 10, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
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  1. Aguas Calientes
  2. Arequipa
  3. Casma District
  4. Cusco
  5. Ica
  6. Iquitos
  7. Lima
  8. Moche
  9. Nazca
  10. Provincia De Bongará
  11. Puno
  12. Tambopata
  13. Urubamba

Unusual Attractions in Peru

See All 115 Things To Do in Peru

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Peru

See all 7 Places to Eat in Peru
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115
Ruins 26
Archaeology 23
Cultures And Civilizations 14
Nature 14
Incas 13
Natural Wonders 12
Geology 11
Ancient 9

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Podcast: Taquile Island

On a tiny island in Lake Titicaca, a knitted hat symbolizes a man’s code of honor, marital status, and love for life.
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High-altitude archaeologist Constanza Ceruti climbs towards the highest archaeological site on Earth at the top of the 22,110-foot-tall Mount Llullaillaco in Argentina.

In High Altitude Archaeology, One Woman Isn’t Scared of Heights—Or Mummies

Even when those mummies still have skin, hair, and clothing.
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In western Bolivia and southeastern Peru, angels are armed and ready—like the one shown in this 17th-century painting, Asiel Timor Dei.

Decoding the Gun-Wielding Angels of Bolivia

The 'angeles arcabuceros' morphed from Catholic messengers to symbols of Indigenous independence.
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Of the 151 species they studied, all of them, including this tree frog, Dendropsophus rhodopeplus (shown under blue light), displayed some level of fluorescence.

Biologists Threw a Fluorescent Frog Rave in the Amazon, for Science

Turns out many of the frogs glow, maybe to communicate.
by Roxanne Hoorn
A reconstruction of P. colossus shows it in its coastal habitat. The head is an educated guess because a skull has not been found yet.

Paleontologists in Peru Discover What Might Be the 'Chonkiest Whale Ever'

And maybe the heaviest animal the world has ever seen.
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The Gocta Waterfalls in northwestern Peru are the subject of one of our favorite recent Atlas Obscura Podcast episodes.

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Lists Featuring Peru

A view of the Cushing Center from the entrance
Brain of Helen Hamilton Gardener

The World's Most Fascinating Displays of Preserved Brains

The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

8

Including The Cushing Center, Mammalian Brain Collection, and Brain Museum

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