Anyone who’s ever been there will tell you that you just can’t experience South America without seeing Peru – and if you happen to be a lover of adventure, this advice goes double.

Peru is an incredible country: a cradle of ancient civilisation blessed with some of the most dramatic and diverse terrain on Earth. From spectacular mountain peaks in the Peruvian Andes, lush inland waterways, deserts and canyons, to a wild surf coast, Peru is a haven of totally amazing and unique experiences just waiting for you to soak them up.

Today, we’re taking stock of some of the most unmissable Peruvian experiences on offer – prepare to feast your adventure-loving eyes.

#1 Join An Andean Community On The Shores Of Lake Titicaca

If you’re the type of traveller that likes to be immersed in the local scene, nothing will satisfy you more than an overnight stay with a local Andean community near the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable body of water and one of the most dazzling spots in Peru. Getting to the lakeside community involves a stop at the remarkable floating islands of the Uros, Indigenous peoples constructed the floating islands from totora reeds hundreds of years ago, in order to isolate themselves from rival tribes.

All in all, it’s an eye-opening experience that shouldn’t be missed.

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#2 Surf The Raging Pacific Coast

Amongst its countless natural virtues, Peru is a haven of immaculate surf. Home to thousands of miles of Pacific coast, there’s no shortage of epic waves to catch round these parts. The Pico Alto is the nation’s largest and most intense wave of all (you’ll need some serious moxie to tackle this one, and probably a decent jetski, too).

Less full-on swell can be found on Playa Chicama and Mancora along the north coast, or La Herradura and Punta Roquitas further south. Surf’s up.

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#3 Help An Inca Family With Farming In Cusco

Just outside Cusco (AKA the former capital of the Inca Empire and starting point for most travellers hitting up the Inca Trail) lies the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Thanks to its rich soil and location, this valley has been hugely important to locals for centuries.

The produce grown and harvested in the valley – like quinoa, corn, and hundreds of different types of potato – used to be delivered to all corners of the Inca Empire on the back of a llama. Delivery options have well and truly improved since then, but the importance of the valley to local communities remains the same.

To see what the Sacred Valley’s really like, get amongst it on a local level by meeting and greeting a local community, rolling up your sleeves and helping out with their day-to-day farming activities: it’s a holistic, down-to-earth, and ultra-real experience.

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#4 Climb Or Ride In The Sacred Valley

This one’s for the real adventure buffs: an epic trip through the Sacred Valley of the Inca and into the vertical world of via ferrata, a climbing technique that involves climbing walls and steep terrain with permanently-installed metal ladders and chains. The best part about via ferrata is that you don’t need any special skills for it – it’s as good for novices as it is climbing experts.

While you’re there, keep the adrenaline flowing with a ride on one of the area’s seven epic zip-lines, which range from 150m to 700m-long!

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#5 Hike The Inca Trail, Quarry Trail Or Choquequirao Trek

Hikers, Peru is for you. Whether it’s the infamous Classic Inca Trail, the picturesque (and much less-crowded) Inca Quarry Trail, or the more challenging Choquequirao trek, the ancient pathways of the Inca make for some of the most spirited and spectacular moments of your travelling lives. These treks are total life-transformers, full of ancient wonder and spectacular views.

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#6 Take On The World’s Deepest Canyon

Sure, Machu Picchu might get the most attention, but Peru’s Colca Canyon (or Cañón del Colca) is right up there when it comes to adventure wow-factor. The extreme topography and incredible vistas of Colca Canyon are what make it such a wild experience – at 3350m deep, it’s almost twice the “canyon” that the Grand Canyon is.

Expect soaring condors, tiny mountain villages, hot springs, waterfalls and volcanoes (and a lot of sweat).

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#7 Sandboard Huacachina

Sandboarding: next to cruising on a dune buggy, it’s one of the most exhilarating things you can do on sandy turf. And you can do both at Huacachina, an incredible desert oasis and surreal village west of the city of Ica. Be blown away by the village itself, then get your kicks in a 4WD dune buggy, before yanking out the sandboard for hours of awesome sandy action.

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#8 Chill With Pink Dolphins

Yep, you read that right: those dolphins are real, folks – and they’re pink. Introducing the famed pink dolphins of the Amazon (also knows as the boto, or the bufeo), a borderline magical realist creature that dwells in the waters of the Peruvian Amazon. Legend has it that, if you go swimming alone here, and if you’re lucky, the dolphins might just whisk you away to an enchanted underwater city.

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(Lead image: Intrepid Travel)

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Ready to start planning your next adventure? Check out Intrepid Travel’s range of Peru trips.