Peru (Country Guide)

by Sara Benson, Paul Hellander, Rafael Wlodarski

Bike, hike and ride a scary cable car to Machu Picchu on one of five alternatives to the busy Inca Trail, p. 277. Glide past manatees, dolphins, monkeys and macaws in the Reserva Nacional Pacaya-Samiria, p.482. Swill a scoopful of chicha - saliva-fermented corn beer - to earn the respect of the locals, p.78. Descend into the narrow, hallucinatory underground chambers of the millennia-old ruins at Chavin de Huantar, p.415.

Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $22.99

Lines in the Water: Nature and Culture at Lake Titicaca

by Ben Orlove

This beautifully written book weaves reflections on anthropological fieldwork together with evocative meditations on a spectacular landscape as it takes us to the remote indigenous villages on the shore of Lake Titicaca, high in the Peruvian Andes.

Amazon Price: $23.95 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $23.95

Secret of the Andes (Puffin Newbery Library)

by Ann Nolan Clark

Young Cusi lives in a hidden valley high in the Andes, tending llamas. Lyrical story of Cusi's trip from the high mountains to the lush lowlands, to Cusco and back, as he discovers the mystery of the Incas, his ancestors. A gem

Amazon Price: $15.25 (as of 10/13/2008)

Lost City: The Discovery of Machu Picchu

July, 1911. Walk in the footsteps of Hiram Bingham as he tramps through the Urubamba River canyon, beats his way through the tangled jungle, and scales the slippery slopes to discover Machu Picchu, overgrown with vines, but "a city lost in time." Marvelou

Amazon Price: $12.23 (as of 10/13/2008)

Llamas (True Book)

by Emilie U. Lepthien

Fun facts about those irresistible llamas, native to Peru - llama's are sure-footed, with padded toes rather than hooves, they use their ears to communicate, only spit when angry or scared

Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 10/13/2008)

Carolina's Gift: A Story of Peru

by Diaz Katacha

Carolina goes to the Sunday market to buy a present for her grandmother. Brightly colored folk art illustrations bring to life the sights and sounds of the market in the Andes

Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 10/13/2008)

The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour

by Ruth M. Wright, Alfredo Valencia Zegarra

"Essential for Machu Picchu" >>
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This book is a "must have" if you are visiting Machu Picchu. I carried this book in my backpack for 4 days on the Inca Trail hike and it was well worth carrying the extra weight.

Machu Picchu is the remains of an entire urban area complete with agricultural, residential, royal and religious areas. You should plan on spending at least a day at Machu Picchu to fully experience this site. This book is all you need for a complete self-guided tour of Machu Picchu. This book covers everything in detail and packs in a lot more information and insights into the Inca culture and style of architecture than any guided tour will cover (guided tours typically last only 2-3 hours). Even if you have a guide, this book will be an useful supplement.

The book comes with a clear fold out map of the entire Machu Picchu site. The book divides the site into several zones (the Temple of the Sun area, the Royal Residence, the Sacred Plaza etc.) and devotes a separate chapter to each zone. Each chapter comes with its own maps, nice photos and concise descriptions of everything that is interesting to see in that zone. The authors have ordered the chapters according to their recommended sequence of areas for exploring Machu Picchu. I followed the same sequence and would highly recommend it also. Apart from these above chapters the book also contains several additional chapters that provide background and supplemental information. The chapter on the Inca Water Management system is particularly enlightening because the complexity of the water system is not readily apparent when you stare over the maze of ruins in Machu Picchu. Water still flows into Machu Picchu from a mountain spring and this chapter provides some insight into the ingenuity of the Inca engineers in providing ample water for the agricultural terraces and the inhabitants of the urban center. The chapter titled "Side Trips" gives you ample information on the sites around Machu Picchu like the Inca Drawbridge, the trail to the peak of Huayna Pichu and the Temple of the Moon etc. One other nice feature is that the new edition has an interesting fold-out section showing an artist's depiction of how Machu Picchu looked liked in its heyday.

If you are interested in learning more about Inca architecture, I would highly recommend Inca Architecture by Gasparini and Margolies. Hiram Bingham's Inca Land and Lost City Of The Incas are staple reads before you venture out into the land of the Incas.

Also, some general advice on visiting the Machu Picchu site. The site opens early in the morning at 6am and the site is relatively calm until the trains from Cusco start arriving at around 10:30 am onwards. If you do the Inca Trail hike you will get to Machu Picchu at sunrise. If not, I would suggest that you take the train from Cusco the previous day and spend the night in Aguas Calientes. This way you can catch the early bus to Machu Picchu (a 20 minute ride) and enjoy the site before the crowds arrive. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. Make sure you have the time and space to enjoy it!
*****

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 10/13/2008)