Peru

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.

Three authors, 144 days of on-the-road research via planes, riverboats and dozens of death-defying bus rides. Dedicated Peru Outdoors chapter, plus expanded activities coverage throughout. Get the inside story on the Inca world from notes explorer and author Hugh Thomson. Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com fro up-to-the-minute reviews and traveler suggestions.