The Best Attractions in Lima’s Miraflores District [Peru]

Although many travelers visit Peru to explore its pre-Columbian heritage, most travelers passing through the nation’s capital, Lima, prefer to stay in the city’s most modern neighborhood: Miraflores.

Travelers choose Miraflores for its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, its vibrant arts and entertainment scene, and its wide range of attractions that appeal to every kind of traveler. 

When you visit Lima, make sure to check out some of the very best that Miraflores has to offer.

1. Casa Museo Ricardo Palma

Ricardo Palma was a Lima-born writer and thinker who oversaw the country’s National Library from 1883 to 1892.

Today, the government has preserved his long-time home as a museum where visitors can see the original furnishings, paintings, documents and art that he cherished during the last years of his life.

Currently, the museum is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 5:00, but is closed for a lengthy daily lunch from 12:45 until 2:30.  Entrance is six soles ($1.75 USD).

For updated information and opening hour, visit their website>>>

2. Huaca Pucllana

If your trip to Peru doesn’t include time in Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, you can visit this sacred historic site that has been preserved on its original location in the Miraflores neighborhood.

It features a typical pyramid crafted from adobe and clay, surrounded by a central square and walls.

At press time, Huaca Pucllana is open daily from Wednesday to Monday, and regular entrance fees are twelve soles ($3.50 USD).

For updated information and current opening hours, visit the Huac Pucllana official site here>>

3. Larcomar

Larcomar is Miraflores’ most famous, and most architecturally interesting, shopping center.

It is carved into the seaside cliffs at the south end of Avenida Jose Larco and features several open-air and glass-walled viewing decks offering panoramic views of the sea. 

Larcomar is home to several upscale restaurants and coffee shops, as well as the best selection of international clothing shops in town.

There are eight shops where you can stock up on high-quality athletic and outdoors apparel and equipment before your Inca Trail trek.

For updated information and current opening hours, visit Larcomar’s official site here>>

4. Malécon

The malécon is a six-mile stretch of oceanfront parks, walking paths and cycling routes that runs along the Pacific Coast from the artsy Barranco neighborhood in the south all the way to the north end of Miraflores.

Active travelers will love going for a jog or bike ride beside the ocean, adventure travelers will want to try paragliding (buy your tickets from the booth at Block 2) and creative types will want to take in the many different sculptures erected along the walkways.

For updated information about the park (in Spanish only), visit Miraflores Parks page here>>

5. Parque del Amor (Lover’s Park)

Also known as the “Park of Love”, Parque del Amor is Lima’s most romantic park.

At the center of the park is Victor Delfin’s gigantic red statue El Beso (The Kiss), shown above, that features two loves entangled, horizontally, in a kiss.

The park also has some of the best sunset views in the city, making it the perfect place to snuggle up with the person you love.

6. Parque Kennedy

Situated in central Miraflores, away from the ocean, Parque Kennedy has become a controversial tourist attraction that often pits frustrated locals against wide-eyed tourists.

The park was named after John F. Kennedy and is frequented by buskers, shoe shiners and the elderly.

It is also frequented by the one hundred (or more) stray cats who call the park home.  There are cats on the grass, cats on the benches and even cats in the trees.

While some consider the cats to be a public health hazard, other consider them an adorable addition to the neighborhood.

You’ll have to visit and decide for yourself!

Whether you want to explore the history of Lima, have an active holiday or simply relax with a cup of hot chocolate while you pet a stray cat, Miraflores has something for you.

It is also well-connected by bus rapid transit (BRT) to the historic center of Lima, so you can see the very best of old and new Peru during your stay.

Bonus: The Best Sites in Lima Peru [Video]

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5 Amazing Islands You Can Afford to Rent on Your Holiday Vacation

You don't have to be a billionaire or be listed among Hollywood's rich and famous in order to enjoy a dream holiday on a private island.

Here's a list of islands you might want to consider leasing the next time you plan your vacation.

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1. Porer Island in Croatia

2. Robert's Caye in Belize

3. Coco Plum Caye in Belize

4. Dunbar Rock in the Honduras

5. Utter Inn in Sweden

1. Porer Island in Croatia

At around $527 per person weekly, Porer Island is a half-acre islet that sits 2.5 kilometers away from the Croatian coast. 

At Porer Island, your holiday getaway in the Adriatic Sea will involve watching Porer's magnificent sunsets and boat trips (that should all be arranged beforehand) to the small islands in the vicinity.

This private island rental has a 35-metre-tall lighthouse tower.

Its main accommodation for guests is the modest stone edifice at the base of the lighthouse tower.

2. Robert's Caye in Belize

Situated 10 miles from the coast of the mainland, this one-acre private island is a steal at an estimated $150 per person.

Robert's Caye is an offshore island in the Caribbean Sea. It is part of Robert's Grove Resort located in the mainland's sandy beaches.

There are a few sparsely outfitted yet fully functioning rooms at Robert's Caye, a setup that is all too perfect for a castaway-from-modern-civilization lifestyle.

You might be staying with a caretaker and some other guests, depending on the time of the year.

3. Coco Plum Caye in Belize

Coco Plum Caye is another affordable private island for your dream holiday destination in Belize. 

Situated eight miles from the coast of the mainland, Coco Plum Caye offers attractions like breathtaking views, as well as unforgettable diving and kayaking experiences, for an estimated weekly starting rate of $1,550 per person.

Just like in Robert's Caye, everything at Coco Plum Caye is managed at a casual, fun, and relaxing pace.

For example, there is no uniformed staff to wait out on you as you drink local beer and rum while lazing away on the hammocks.

There are ten romantic oceanfront cabanas for guest accommodations.

Watching sundown on one of the private island's lounge chairs, you can mingle with the guests occupying the other cabanas.

4. Dunbar Rock in the Honduras

The notorious pirate Blackbeard once inhabited Dunbar Rock, which now sports one of the most stunning villas in Honduras. 

At a weekly rate of around $1,200 per person, you get to enjoy a concierge-assisted diving and reef exploration, your very own white sandy beach, on-call masseur, and a pool bar for happy hour.

Numerous other pampering options are on hand for guests in Dunbar Rock, starting from being warmly welcomed upon arrival at the GuanajaAirport and the ensuing boat ride to the caye.

Related: Pirates of the Seychelles

5. Utter Inn in Sweden

This fascinating holiday destination is for the adventurous and definitely not for the claustrophobic.

Utter Inn is a uniquely charming floating house, which doubles as a private island outfitted with underwater rustic lodging. 

It sets you back an estimated $1,800 per week.

Climb the narrow stairs to reach the structure's above-water area.

The bedroom is built underwater, and you get to see fish on the glass portholes.

There is a small dining area, a latrine, and a battery-run hotplate in the makeshift kitchen.

Wrapping Up: Rent an Island for Your Holiday

The aforementioned five private islands won't necessarily break the bank for most people.

Look at quotes from various sites and make your reservation months ahead.

Also, don't forget to note peak holiday seasons because rates may be higher during those times.

10 Extreme Destinations for the Most Adventurous Travellers

In the broadest definition, there are two types of traveller.

First, there is by far the most common kind, that being the type who wants to experience the world with some semblance of comfort and safety and without having to spend a fortune as well as months of preparation.

The second type concerns the world’s most adventurous type, that being the person who thrives on pushing themselves to the absolute limits to do something utterly crazy if only just to be one of the few on the planet who can make such a claim. This list is for the latter.

1. Oymyakon, Russia

There’s bitter, frostbite-inducing cold, and then there’s cold that’s so intense that a cup of coffee turns to snow if it’s thrown off a balcony.

Welcome to Oymyakon, Russia, the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, and a place where diesel spends half of the year frozen solid.

The remote Siberian town of 500 people is built entirely on permafrost and surrounded by a tundra where the mercury regularly plummets below -50 °C during the winter months.

Appropriately, the Soviet-Era entry sign to the town reads ‘Oymyakon, The Pole of Cold’.

2. Lut Desert, Iran

If you feel the need to warm up a little after a visit to Pole of Cold, the Lut Desert shouldn’t disappoint.

The 20,000-square-mile salt desert in Iran is one of the driest and hottest places on the planet, with surface temperatures reaching a balmy 70 °C. In 2016, the Lut Desert was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List owing to its unique geography, climate and bizarre sand formations.

Beautifully post-apocalyptic in its appearance, the Lut Desert is characterised by countless towers of mud and sand, eroded over the eons by the wind.

3. Atacama Desert, Chile

The driest place in Earth, some parts of the Atacama Desert, which is mostly located in Chile, haven’t seen rain since records began.

Much of the region is almost entirely lifeless, looking more like the surface of Mars than anywhere else here on Earth.

In fact, that’s precisely the reason why it’s long been one of the world’s favourite places for filming movie scenes set on the Red Planet.

With nary a cloud in the sky, the Atacama Desert is also a paradise for skywatchers seeking the world’s best views of the heavens, completely devoid of any light pollution.

4. Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic

Some people just want to get away from it all, so what better option than the remote island of Tristan da Cunha, located in the middle of the South Atlantic.

The island is some 1,200 miles away from the nearest inhabited area, Saint Helena, which itself is one of the most remote settlements on the planet.

The population of 265 lives entirely in the village of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas relying largely on the local crawfish industry and the sale of postage stamps. There are more rockhopper penguins, known locally as pinnamins (image above), that are residents Tristan da Cunha than people.

The only way to get there is by fishing boat, a handful of times per year from South Africa.

5. La Rinconada, Peru

The highest permanent settlement in the world is, sadly, also a thoroughly dreary place of abject misery.

Its population of some 50,000 relies entirely on the local gold-mining industry where they work for free every day of the month except for one, when they’re allowed to take home anything they find.

In addition to what most of the civilised world would describe as corporate slave labour, the residents of the town have to make do without any plumbing or sanitation.

Making matters even worse is the fact that breathing at a height of 16,700 feet is hardly easy.

6. Coober Pedy, Australia

Coober Pedy, a remote town of some 1,700 inhabitants, is the world’s biggest supplier of opals.

However, while daily temperatures regularly exceed 40 °C throughout the year to make this a rather inhospitable place, the ever-resourceful Australians have found a novel way to live with the harsh climate – to build underground.

Much of the population lives, shops and even worships under the Earth, and there’s a subterranean hotel, bookstore, church and more where temperatures consistently hover around a rather more pleasant 22 °C.

7. Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland

With only 56,500 inhabitants, Greenland is by far the least densely population country in the world, so its remotest town, Ittoqqortoormiit, is quite literally in the middle of nowhere.

Far above the Arctic Circle, this small town of 500 people is a place where the sun never rises above the horizon in winter.

The mercury rarely goes above 6 °C, even in summer, and the place is not exactly easy to get to either.

Nonetheless, it offers a truly unique experience to visitors who can enjoy their time dog-sledding and kayaking in one of the world’s most unspoiled destinations.

8. Lloró, Colombia

Don’t forget to bring your umbrella if you decide to visit the village of Lloró in Columbia.

The British might be infamous for complaining about the weather, but they’ve got nothing on this place, which receives an average annual rainfall of almost 300 inches. That’s 40 feet of rain per year, compared to 2 feet in London.

In the wettest place in the world, temperatures average 25-30 °C throughout the year, and there’s almost never a day without rain.

However, the surrounding area is abundant with lush jungle, making it a haven for exotic plants and animals.

9. Krubera Cave, Abkhazia

Those seeking a caving adventure may find it worthwhile to pay a visit to Georgia’s breakaway republic of Abkhazia.

Though the troubled region is not easy to get to, it is home to the deepest cave in the world, located high in the mountains.

The limestone cave is around 7,200 feet deep and over eight miles long, and much of it still remains unexplored due to its very narrow passages.

Even more impressively, the unique environment has given rise to some equally unique animals, including several endemic species of spider, crustaceans and beetles.

10. Outer Space

There are some adventurers for whom Earthly delights simply don’t cut the mustard.

Fortunately, there’s an infinity to discover beyond and, slowly but surely, tourism to outer space is becoming a reality.

It will still cost you a fortune, with ticket prices for a brief Virgin Galactic trip, albeit one where you can experience a microgravity environment, costing $200,000.

However, now that many private companies are investing heavily in space tourism, it seems almost certain that, in the next couple of decades, it will no longer be a luxury exclusive to the world’s millionaires.

Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and Space X… time will tell when you and with who you can push the edge to the final frontier.

Wrapping Up: Extreme Destinations

The exciting world of adventure travel presents literally limitless exciting possibilities, and the above represent just a few of the most extreme.

None of them are particularly hospitable, but for the most daring, they certainly promise to be among the most memorable.