Just 5km from the city of Ica lies a picturesque lagoon surrounded by the biggest sand dunes you might ever see. Huacachina is a tiny town in southern Peru, an hour away from the Pacific coast. The town is basically a collection of resorts and restaurants around a blue-green laguna surrounded by huge sand dunes. It was originally built as a resort for the Peruvian higher classes. Huacachina has a permanent population of 100 residents, however the village is an extremely popular holiday destination for locals, backpackers and adventurers. Local legend holds that the lagoon was created when an inquisitive young hunter disturbed a local princess while she was bathing. She fled, leaving the pool of water behind which became the lagoon. The legend now proclaims that the princess inhabits the lagoon in the form of a mermaid – there’s even a statue depicting this on the lagoon’s banks.

credit: fjaviergarciaorts

credit: fjaviergarciaorts

credit: fjaviergarciaorts

credit:  Christopher Crouzet

credit:  Christopher Crouzet

credit:  fabien_m

The former capital of the Inca Empire, Sacsayhuaman, is one of the most stunning Inca ruins, located on the northern outskirts of the old city of Cusco, Peru. It is a walled complex at an altitude of 3,701 m, built like a fortress. The site is part of the City of Cuzco, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. It consists of three outer lines of gargantuan walls, 1,500 ft long and 54 ft wide, surrounding a paved area containing a circular stone structure believed to be a solar calendar. The ruins also include a 500,000 gallon water reservoir, storage cisterns, ramps, citadels and underground chambers.

credit: TyB

The ruins of Machu Picchu are one of the most beautiful ancient sites in the world. Ruins are located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, South America, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cusco. Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. Machu Picchu have been utilized as a secret ceremonial city, but one of primary functions was astronomical observatory. Officially Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by American explorer-historian Hiram Bingham.

credit: Vaitonis