Getting Oriented

A mere hour east of Lima puts you in the foothills of the Andes, a windy, barren landscape where llamas and alpacas wander upon vast, puddle-filled fields. Roads and rails twist around the peaks and pass by ramshackle mountain towns before gradually sliding down from the highlands into muggy jungle en route to Tingo María and Pucallpa. Southeast from Tarma on the way to Ayacucho is more mountain terrain, where over the centuries jagged stubs of forested stone have protected great archaeological finds.