The Best Ways to Spend New Year's Eve in Peru

Cusco is the perfect place to be for any celebration, but especially for Christmas and New Year’s. The city has an interesting mix of Catholic and Incan traditions that are mixed together to spectacular effect during the holiday season. For New Year’s, Cusco comes to party. There are fireworks that go off all day – literally all day – and everyone heads to the Plaza de Armas and the surrounding clubs. Prepare to party all night.

Mancora is one of the party capitals of Peru, and is the place where most Peruvians go on holidays. No matter the holiday, Peruvians head to the warmer waters and weather of the north coast, where the grey skies of Lima give way to bright sunshine. If you plan on being in Mancora on New Year’s, you have to book a pace to stay in advance, because most people in Peru will be trying to head there. If you want to lie out on the beach, sunbathe, surf and then party on the beach, Mancora is your place.

If partying on New Year’s isn’t your thing, Machu Picchu definitely will be. There are already a seemingly infinite number of reasons to go to Machu Picchu, but is there any better way to start the year than a day here? The sacred site is the best way to have a New Year’s Eve that you never forget. Also, it will be the down season at Machu Picchu, so there will be more rain, but fewer tourists.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a holy land, and a great place to begin the New Year. You’ll be able to relax in the grassy valleys, hike mountainsides, and see snowy mountain peaks. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but you’ll also be able to find Inca ruins such as citadels and temples in the countryside. It won’t be a party, but it’ll for sure be the most you ever do on a New Year’s Day.

It is the capital of Peru, so there are going to be some huge parties. Lima has a large number of clubs and cool bars to head to, and the people of Lima will take to the streets to hangout and celebrate the New Year’s. If you want to get real fancy, Lima is definitely the place for you. You can begin the night at some of the best restaurants in the world, eating food from world-renowned chefs, and then go clubbing in Miraflores or Barranco.

If you’re in Lima and want to escape to the beach for the New Year, head to Punta Hermosa where, during the summer months of December, you’ll get sunny skies and warm weather; even better if you’re a surfer, because Punta Hermosa is home to some of the best waves in Peru.

One of Peru’s largest and most beautiful cities, Arequipa is a perfect place to spend your New Year’s. You can either party in the beautiful, all-white Plaza de Armas, head to the Canyon Colca, one of the largest canyons in the world, or hike the Misti Volcano that looms over the city.