Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
An engaging choice for travelers who want to connect Machu Picchu with the modern search for Inca sites and the physical experience of moving through the Andes.
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READING LIST
PERU
Reading List
Our reading list Peru are custom-designed to complement specific Peru Summit destinations. We feature a handpicked selection of travel guides, maps, literature, books on art, cuisine, nature and culture, designed to help you get more out of your travels to Machu Picchu & Peru.
A good reading list can turn names on an itinerary into places with meaning. Read one book before departure to build context, keep a field guide or map close during the journey, and return to the longer histories after the trip when the landscapes and archaeological sites are easier to picture.
Before you travel
Choose a history or narrative title to understand the people, events and landscapes behind the route.
While in Peru
Carry the compact guide, map or bird reference that best matches the places you plan to explore.
After the journey
Use the deeper histories and culinary selections to revisit what you saw and continue learning.
Stories, Exploration & Inca History
Begin here to place Machu Picchu within the wider Andean landscape. These selections connect archaeological discovery, Inca history, mountain travel and the people who have tried to understand this remarkable region.
Lost City of the Incas
A historical companion for readers interested in the expeditions that brought Machu Picchu to international attention and the questions those journeys continue to raise.
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Lost City of the Incas
A compact visual introduction to the Inca world, suited to readers who want a broad historical frame before seeing Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
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Incas: Empire of Blood and Gold
This selection adds context to the power, conflict and upheaval that shaped the final period of the Inca Empire and the colonial history travelers encounter across Peru.
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The White Rock
For curious travelers, this is a route into the wider landscape of Inca archaeology, remote sites and the continuing process of interpreting the Andean past.
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Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival
A demanding story of mountaineering and survival that conveys the scale, exposure and seriousness of Peru’s high mountain environment.
View bookNature, Birds & Maps
Use these references in the field. Together they help identify wildlife, read Peru’s changing ecosystems and understand how distant destinations connect across a country of exceptional geographic variety.
Birds of Peru (Princeton Field Guides)
A detailed identification companion for travelers watching birds across Peru’s coast, Andes, cloud forest and Amazon habitats.
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Birds of Peru (Pocket Photo Guides)
A lighter, image-led option for recognizing frequently encountered species without carrying a full reference volume on day walks or longer journeys.
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Peru (National Geographic Adventure Map)
A useful overview of Peru’s geography for understanding the distance between the coast, highlands and rainforest and for visualizing a multi-region itinerary.
View bookCulture, Cuisine & Practical Planning
Complete the picture with pre-Inca history, food and a practical guide. These books add everyday context to the sites and landscapes, making room for markets, regional traditions and the details of moving through Peru.
The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru
A broader historical starting point for understanding that Peru’s archaeological story reaches far beyond the Incas and includes many earlier regional cultures.
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Peru: The Cookbook
A culinary companion that helps travelers recognize the regional ingredients, dishes and traditions they may encounter in markets, homes and restaurants.
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Peruvian Cuisine
An accessible visual introduction to the diversity of Peruvian cooking and the relationship between local produce, geography and everyday food culture.
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Peruvian Cuisine
A practical planning reference for comparing destinations, shaping an itinerary and keeping transport, accommodation and local logistics together in one guide.
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Your story in Peru can start here
Tell our Cusco team what you hope to experience. We will help shape the route, pace and details around you.
