The Records, or some of them...

The highest navigable lake in the world

Located in the southern Andes of Peru, between the border Peru - Bolivia, the Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, which altitude is 3,812 metres above sea level. The Titicaca is situated in the Collao plateau in Puno, and as the biggest peruvian lake it receives the waterflows of rivers Huancané, Coata, Ilave and Ramis (from Peru) and its waters give birth to the Desagüadero river that goes inside Bolivia.

Peru has the 59.6% of a total surface of 8,380 km2, in which you can find interesting islands with ancient culture and people like: Uros, Taquile, del Sol or Amantaní, for example. Along its shore are spread multiple towns that keep the rich testimony of pre-columbian and colonial times.

The importance of Titicaca lake is that works as a weather-regulator in a place where temperature would be below 0 Cº. It helps to maintain a higher temperature at nights when the heat of sun rays is irradiated to the surroundings. That is why, Puno (3,827m), which lies at its border, is warmer (but cold) than Juliaca (3,824m), a city located some kilometres far behind it.

The deepest canyon in the world: Cotahuasi (not the Colca Canyon)

Located in Cotahuasi (La Unión, Arequipa), the river of the same name has created the deepest canyon in the world. A scientific expedition made in 1991 determined that the Cotahuasi Canyon has a depth of 3,535 m, some metres more than the Colca Canyon in Caylloma, Arequipa (3,200m). Although other explorers say that the real deepest canyon is the Apurímac Canyon (between Apurímac and Cusco) with 4,772m in the area of Chojesapra and Huarjajata, it is not scientifically proved until today.

Around the area of the Cotahuasi canyon there are plenty of gorges joined by ancient suspension bridges. We can also find high waterfalls like the Catarata de Sipia of 150 m of height. The place can be explored by bike, trekking, horse or car. Another option is to visit the thermal baths available nearby or the geological formations like the rock forest.

Highest railway pass in the world

The Ferrocarril Central del Perú is, undoubtedly, the highest in the world. Starting in Callao port, from almost the sea level, it passes by Lima city and then reach the peak-altitude of 4,818 m. in the Anticona pass (Ticlio, Lima). In La Oroya mining town, the railway forks in two routes: one to Cerro de Pasco and the other to Huancayo and Huancavelica.

This is probably one of the more interesting and awesome railways in South America, because it goes into the hardy Andes through more than 60 tunnels and several bridges. It reaches its highest altitude in a distance less than 150 km of length. Built in the last century, it was the first railway in South America with the Lima-Callao route.

 

The biggest convent city in the world: Santa Catalina

With an area of 20,426m2, the Monasterio de Santa Catalina in Arequipa, is the biggest convent city in the world and the most important religious building in Peru. Built in 1579, this convent was closed for the seclusion of about 450 nuns and was open to the "world" in 1970. Inside it, there are colonial narrow streets, gardens, cloisters and squares with the original Spanish names like Granada, Sevilla or Zocodober.

Santa Catalina is located in the middle of the city and has kept the original architectural style of the 16th and 17th centuries. Beautiful by all sides, this convent maintains the same furniture and utensils used once by the first nuns. There are two site museums with original colonial paintings, sculptures and porcelain pieces.

The longest tropical mountain range : Cordillera Blanca, Ancash

The Cordillera Blanca or White Mountain Range is not only the longest tropical one, it is also the highest in the tropics area. With a length of more than 150 km, the Cordillera Blanca has the most beautiful mountains half-covered with ice and snow with an average of 5,500 masl. In the surroundings, there are more than 300 lakes and lagoons with unequal colors and shapes.

This mountain range has an approximate surface of 2,000 km2. It contains the Huascarán National Park and runs along the River Santa valley, known as Callejón de Huaylas (Huaylas alley), where picturesque towns and villages are settled for long time ago. In the Cordillera Blanca is located the highest peak of Peru and highest tropical mountain in the world, the Huascarán, with 6,768 masl.

Highest capital city : Cerro de Pasco

With 4,338 m. above sea level, the mining city of Cerro de Pasco is considered the highest capital city in the world, almost a kilometre higher than La Paz in Bolivia. The capital of Pasco department is also known as "the city that moves itself" because of the intense mining activities that started the last century and causes the enhancement of the open-cut mine in the heart of the city. In these mines are exploited big seams of silver, copper, zinc, plumb and other minerals. The Cerro de Pasco mining centre, concentrates the most important mining companies of Peru and other countries.

The biggest pre-columbian mud city in the world

Chan-Chan or "Sun-Sun" was the capital of the Chimú Empire. It is a huge urban complex made of a kind of mud called adobe. It is located in Trujillo (north of Peru) and was built by the 13th century. In fact, Chan-Chan is a city of citites with a surface of 1'417,715 m2. When a chief died, his city had to be closed and the next chief built a new one near to it.

In Chan-Chan there were different neighborhoods for the priests, warriors, servants, and pottery and gold workers. The greatness and perfection of this city is expressed in its high decorated walls, long passages, ceremonial squares, palaces, workshops and warehouses. Nearly all the walls, some of more than 4 metres of height, are decorated with relieves of marine-life motives.

The biggest and unique collection of pre-columbian erotic ceramic

The Museo Larco Herrera is the place where we can find an exclusive collection of pre-columbian erotic ceramic, the biggest and unique in the world. Placed in Lima, this private museum has a number of more than 40,000 ceramic pieces, most of them belonging to the Moche culture, which makes it the biggest ceramic museum in the world. The Moche people were very expressive and they did not hesitate to reflect this in their crafts. Also known are the descriptive huacos-retrato, a kind of portrait ceramic that shows happiness, sadness, anger and other states of the human soul.

The potato was born in Peru

One of the most common vegetable for meals, fast food and vegetarian food, the potatoe, saw the light for first time in the ancient Peru. Known from pre-columbian times, the potatoe was domesticated by hunter-gatherers and improved by the Incas. That is why Peru also offers the biggest variety of potatoe: more than 2,000 different kinds!! Almost all the towns in the highlands have their own kind of potatoe. For example, Yauli is a village located in Huancavelica and is the only place in the world where are produced more than 250 potatoe types. And the quality of the Peruvian potatoe is one of the best, having won a lot of prizes in international annual competitions. There is also in Lima, an important scientific centre for the potatoe, the Centro Internacional de la Papa.

The biggest weapons collection in the world: Museo de Oro del Perú y Armas del Mundo

Located in Lima, this fine private museum houses the biggest collection of weapons and military goods in all over the world. Here you will find almost all the countries and empires represented by its original weapons, armors and combat supplies. A part of them belonged to famous people like Napoleon, P.Díaz or Pinochet. The collector, Miguel Mujica Gallo, is also the owner of the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum), an exquisite collection of golden artifacts from the pre-columbian and Inca stage in Peru and obliged destination for all the visitors to Lima.

The most famous and amazing trekking route in South America

The Inka Trail (Camino Inca) to Machu Picchu is a must-do for every traveller that says to be a trekker. This trekking route, based in the ancient Inka Trail has a length of 33km and can be made in 3-4 days. From the beginning, we start at approx. 2,600 masl, at the second day is reached the highest pass at 4,200masl and the following days, the way goes down the mountain slopes to the steepy rainforest area where the Machu Picchu citadel (2,200masl) is located. This trek offers great views of the mountains and nature. Of course, you will find on the trail a lot of impressive archaeological sites. the classical route begins at the Km88 of Cusco-Machu Picchu railway, but there are other shorter and longer routes.

Climates and biodiversity

In the world, there are 32 kinds of climate, as per the Thornwaite classification. Peru has 28 climates of it. So, it means that travelling by Peru we can come across with hot deserts, dry forests, humid savannas, plain rainforests, cold plateaus, cool steppes and icy mountains. As good as it gets, Peru also concentrates 84 of a total of 104 zones of life (Holdridge classification) available in the world. This is what it makes Peru to be one of the most biodiverse countries in our planet.

The longest river in the world: the Amazonas

With 7,200 km of length, the Amazonas river is the longest in the world and has a fluvial basin surface of 7'050,000 km2. The Amazonas is born in the altitudes of the snowcapped mountain Mismi, in the Cordillera de Chila, in Arequipa with the name of Monigote river. Then, it goes down the Peruvian rainforest and receives the water of more than 70 tributary rivers. After crossing the Brazilian jungle it ends at the Atlantic Ocean. Known as the sea-river, the Amazonas is also the wealthy river in the world.

The longest journey by bus: Ormeño

Expreso Internacional Ormeño is a bus company created in 1970. Is one of the largest in Peru and it has been included twice in the Guiness Book of Records because it makes the longest international overland journey. Ormeño buses links the cities of Caracas (Venezuela), Cúcuta, Bógota and Cali (Colombia), Quito and Guayaquil (Ecuador), Lima (Perú), Santiago de Chile (Chile), Mendoza and Buenos Aires (Argentina). The covered distance is more than 9,000 kilometres between all these cities.