Peru & Bolivia Travel Blog: Expert Guides & Insider Tips 2026

As of this week, you can now travel the same path that pilgrims walked half a century ago, hiking past ancient streets and temples towards the spot where one of the preeminent oracles of prehispanic Peru resided. After two years of work by archeologists, who uncovered a large tomb used for mass dog sacrifices and accompanying funereal offerings in the process, the new touristic circuit known as the Pilgrims' Route has opened in Pachacámac Sanctuary in Lima, Peru.

It was announced today that various artifacts were discovered at Salapunku, which is located along the Inca Trail, in the "buffer zone" for Machu Picchu Sanctuary. A variety of bones, ceramics, and textiles which appear upon preliminary examination to date back to the Inca culture suggest that the area may be part of an Incan cemetery, although excavation and examination must continue in order to be certain.

It was announced last week that a museum focusing on the history of mining in Peru's central sierra will be built in the Pasco region, at 14,042 feet above sea level, which according to Peruvian news organs will make it the highest museum in the world.

A demanding and exciting route's been announced for this January's Dakar 2013, which is expected to bring more than a million spectators to its starting point in Lima and 10,000 to Arequipa. Challenges will include the largest chain of dunes the off-road racers have ever had to face, and the south to north route is expected to cause some big gaps and high drama early on.

Peru's struggle to protect its cultural heritage continues, with recent victories such as the increasingly popular repatriated Machu Picchu relics  now housed in Cusco, Peru, to the return today of the tiny- no more than a foot tall- pre-Incan mummified toddler who was confiscated in Bolivia two years ago while traffickers attempted to ship it to France.

After four years and US$1.5 million, the restoration of the Church of San Pedro in the remote Andean village of Andahuaylillas, a priceless colonial art treasure showcasing the "Andean Baroque", has been completed. With the backing of the World Monuments Fund and regional and national authorities, restorers tackled the ill effects of earthquakes, shoddy restorations, centuries of grime and even bat droppings.