Peru Guide
The south coast
Lunahuana
The attractive, inland river-based resort of LUNAHUANA is located 35km east from the busy market town of CAÑETE. Several hotels and a wide variety of tour agencies offer trekking, mountain biking, valley tours and, last but certainly not least, whitewater rafting ($12–20 an hour – including guide, transport and training) or canoeing.
As well as eco-adventures, Lunahuana is a great base for exploring the local Inca archaeological complex of Incahuasi, established by the Inca Emperor Pachacutec. On the plaza there's a fine colonial church with cool interior and a sky-blue wooden vaulted ceiling. Within easy striking distance there's a horse dressage (caballos de paso) centre, a traditional hanging bridge, plus several vineyards and rustic pisco haciendas, such as the Bodega Fidelina Candela, Anexo Jita, at Km 37 (Lima 
2841030). During the off-season, this is a relatively peaceful spot, a rural area with dry and beautifully sculptured dusty mountainsides surrounding a narrow, irrigated and fertile green valley floor.
There are several local tour companies: Lunahuana Adventure Tours, Jr Grau ( 96143873), offer tours that are mainly adventure-action based; Popy Tours, Jr Grau 380 ( 2841162) offer minibus tours to the main valley sites; and Lunahuana Service Tours, Jr Grau 284 ( 2841111), focus on minibus tours, biking and rafting. Cicloturismo Peru ( 4337981, 
www.cicloturismoperu.com ), meanwhile, provides opportunities for cycle tours into and around Lunahuana valley, but you need to make arrangements with them in advance.
Accommodation is generally easy to find on the main road, except in high season (particularly December and January). A few kilometres before the main Lunahuana settlement and Plaza de Armas, there's La Fortaleza del Inca, Carretera Central Km 31.5 ( 99411864, www.fortalezainca.com ; Price: $40-50), featuring pleasant, well-equipped rooms with private showers based around a courtyard dominated by a swimming pool; breakfast around the pool is included. Much more interesting is the nearby Refugio de Santiago, C Real 33, Paullo, Lunahuana 31km ( 996394434 or 4362717, www.refugiodesantiago.com , 
refugiodesantiago@yahoo.com; Price: $25–50), a beautifully furnished hostel inside a colonial-style house, with an internal courtyard bar and a few acres of gardens with outside tables and one of the finest restaurants (based largely around indigenous and ancient fruits, herbs and vegetables) south of Lima. The hotel also runs walking and minibus tours to interesting sites around the valley. The large, modern resort Hotel Embassy ( 2841194; Price: $25–50) has much less style and comfort, though it does offer a riverside location, reasonably big pool and bar/disco. Close to the Plaza de Armas in town, the Hostal Casurinas, Jr Grau 295 ( 2841045; Price: $10–25), is cheap, has clean hot showers and is close to much of the action. Camping can be found on the grounds of El Refugio as well as 2km up the valley at Km 33, overlooking the river at San Jeronimo, or at Km 41.2, Annexo Condoray ( 5318413) where Sra. Carmen Hererra runs Camping El Tambo; prices for both sites are around $5 per person.
For good food, apart from the excellent El Refugio, there's the traditional Restaurant Antojitos on the Plaza de Armas, which serves freshly cooked meals, from breakfast through to late-evening snacks and meals; they also stock some local wines and brandy.