December 10, 2025

Where to Go in 2026: Why Peru's Second City Might Be Its Best-Kept Secret

28 minutes

This month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's just-released Where to Go list—but this year's picks are different. In 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. Our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure.

For Peru, that means looking beyond Machu Picchu and Cusco to discover what lies south—a region of white volcanic cities, canyons twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, and a food scene that rivals Lima's in flavor (if not fame).

In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with Mark Johanson, a Chile-based travel writer and author of Mars on Earth: Wanderings in the World's Driest Desert. Mark recently explored southern Peru—from the gleaming colonial streets of Arequipa to the condor-filled skies above the Colca Canyon—and found a landscape rich with adventure, history, and some of the heartiest food in the Andes.

Plan Your Southern Peru Getaway

In Arequipa

Stay at Cirqa—a luxury hotel in a 16th-century monastery

Explore the Santa Catalina Monastery—a city-within-a-city with salmon-pink walls and centuries of history

Eat at a traditional picanterías like La Nueva Palomino or the more modern Victoria Picantería

Try the rocoto relleno (stuffed spicy pepper), chupe de camarones (river shrimp chowder), and adobo arequipeño (tangy pork stew)

Wash it down with chicha de guiñapo—the original Andean purple corn beer served in huge glasses called "el caporal"

Colca Canyon & Beyond

Stay at Puquio—Peru's first safari-style adventure camp in Colca Canyon

Watch dozens of Andean condors ride the thermals at sunrise

Hike into the canyon and experience the climate shift from cold highlands to near-tropical canyon floor

Mountain bike down a volcano (for the brave) or hike up one (for the rest of us)

Cotahuasi & Toro Muerto

Stay at Tinajani—a new tented camp in the Tinajani Canyon

Explore pre-Inca ruins with very few other visitors

Experience the wind-swept plains and golden seasonal landscapes

Lake Titicaca

Stay at Titilaka—with a new sister property coming in 2027

Visit the world's highest navigable lake at 12,500 feet

Spot flamingos in high-altitude lagoons along the way

Getting Around

Belmond Andean Explorer—a luxury train connecting Arequipa to Lake Titicaca and Cusco

SA Expeditions—for tailor-made trips and off-the-beaten-path Qhapaq Ñan (ancient Incan trail) adventures

Resources

Follow Mark's work on his website and pick up his book Mars on Earth

Explore all 24 destinations on our Where to Go in 2026 list

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