Peru is a land of contrasts encompassing white sandy deserts on the southern coast, breath-taking highlands in the Altiplano and lush jungles in the interior home to the country's greatest attraction: the Inca city of Machu Picchu.

COUNTRY CLUB LIMA HOTEL
Los Eucaliptos Cuadra 5, San Isidro, Lima (00 51 1 211 9000; fax: 421 7220). Situated in the fashionable residential district of the city. ££

MIRAFLORES PARK PLAZA
Avenida Malecón de la Reserva 1035, Miraflores, Lima (00 51 1 444 1212; fax: 242 3393). Surrounded by parkland with sea views. £

LIBERTADOR AREQUIPA
Plaza Bolivar, Selva Alegre, Arequipa (00 51 54 215 110; fax: 241 933). Colonial-style hotel, amid parkland. £

PARADOR DEL COLCA PUENTE
Bolognesi 132, Arequipa (00 51 54 288 440; fax: 218 608). An intimate lodge sleeping just seven. £

HOTEL MONASTERIO DEL CUZCO
Calle Palacio 140, Cuzco (00 51 84 241 777; fax 241 779). Once the Seminary of San Antonio Abad. ££

POSADA DEL INCA, YUCAY
Plaza Manco Il de Yucay 123, Umbubamba, Cuzco (00 51 1 222 4777). A 300-year-old hacienda with garden rooms. £

LIBERTADOR ISLA ESTEVES
Isla Esteves, Puno (00 51 54 367 780; fax 367 879). Situated on Lake Titikaka, with spectacular views. £

HOTEL MACHU PICCHU
Pueblo Km 10, Via Tren a Quillabamba, Aguas Callientes, Machu Picchu, Cuzco (00 51 84 211 122; fax 211 124). Set in the middle of Machu Picchu National Park. ££

PANATAGRUEL
Calle Cantuarias 151, Miraflores, Lima (00 51 1 242 8465). Peruvian nouvelle cuisine.

COSTA VERDE
Playa Barranquito, s/n Barranco, Lima (00 51 1 477 2424). Lima's most famous restaurant. Particularly good for its seafood and buffet.

JOSE ANTONIO
Bernando Monteagudo 200, San Isidro, Lima (00 51 1 264 0188). The best place in town for Creole food.

INCA GRILL
Portal de Panes 115, Plaza de Armas, Cuzco (00 51 84 262 992). Atmospheric bistro.

PUCARA
Calle Plateros 309, Cuzco (00 51 84 222 027). Cosy with very good local cuisine.

CHEZ MAGGY
Calle Plateros 339, Cuzco (00 51 84 234 861). Pizzas with a local twist - garlic sauce baked in clay oven.

HACIENDA HUAYA CARI
Calca Urumamba (00 51 84 226 241). Andean nouvelle cuisine.

Peru plays host to three astonishing spectacles, none of which are for the faint-hearted: the ruins of Machu Picchu, the prehistoric Nazca Lines and the giant condors of the Andean Colca Canyon. The four-day Inca Trail, meanwhile, is a giant among treks, taking you through Urubamba, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, to the Gate of the Sun and on to Machu Picchu. The ruins can also be reached by train or by helicopter, all from Cuzco, 70km to the south.

Also worth a look are the Nazca Lines, giant runways and pictographs of a monkey, a whale, a condor and an astronaut, measuring as much as 200 metres across, which have been etched in the burning desert. And be sure to visit the white city of Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, which at twice the depth of the Grand Canyon is said to be the deepest ravine in the world.

AIRPORT
Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima.

AIRLINES FROM THE UK
There are no direct flights to Peru from London. British Airways (0845 779 9977; www.british-airways.com) flies via Miami, Iberia (020 7830 0011; www.iberia.com) flies via Madrid, and KLM (0990 359 556; www.klm.com) flies via Amsterdam.

WHO TO GO WITH
Several travel agents offer individual, group tours and activity holidays to Peru:Aracari Travel (00 51 1 242 6673; fax: 242 4856; www.aracari.com), based in Lima; Cazenove & Loyd Expeditions (020 8875 9666; fax: 8875 9444; email: c&l@caz-loyd.com); Discovery Initiatives (01285 810621; fax: 810693; email: enquiries@discoveryinitiatives.com); Journey Latin America (080 2747 8315; fax: 2742 1312; www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk); Last Frontiers (01296 658650; fax: 658651; email: travelinfo@lastfrontiers.co.uk); Scott Dunn Latin America, (020 8767 8989; fax: 8767 2026; email: latin@scottdunn.com).

Peru can be divided into two distinct weather zones: the coast and the Andean highlands. On the coast, the climate is hottest between December and March. The rest of the year is cooler and frequently misty. In the highlands, December to March is the rainy season, while April to December is mostly dry and sunny. Consequently, there is no ideal month to see the whole country. But to reduce the risk of seeing Machu Picchu in the rain, go between May and September. Daytime temperatures rarely drop below 15ºC, even in winter, although, in very high altitudes, it can fall below freezing.

Consult your doctor before you travel. No immunisations are necessary, but the further down the beaten track you go, the more sensible it is to take precautions. For example, if you are planning a trip to the Amazon, you will need a vaccination against yellow fever, even though this is not necessary for visitors to the coast or highlands.

The main tourist office in Lima is Infotur Peru (00 51 1 424 5131 or 00 51 1 432 3559; fax 431 0117) in the arcade at Jirón Belén 1066, near Plaza San Martin. Open Mon to Fri, 9.30am-5pm; Sat, 10am-1pm.