With so much history and cultural depth, Peru is an especially meaningful destination to explore through books. Reading before or during your trip can give context to the archaeological sites you visit, introduce you to perspectives you might not otherwise encounter, and help you better understand the places along your route.
I’ve curated a mix of fiction, history, and travel memoirs, including works by Peruvian authors, to bring those stories and perspectives together. Whether you’re planning a journey to Machu Picchu or simply dreaming about Peru from home, these books can help you feel more connected to the country. You can find them through Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores
THE READING LIST
20 Books that Enrich your Journey
01
Turn Right at Machu Picchu
by Mark Adams
Start with a book that feels like an adventure in itself. Mark Adams sets out to retrace Hiram Bingham’s expeditions through the Andes, blending history, humor, and his own very human struggles with altitude and endurance. Part travel memoir and part historical detective story, it is an entertaining introduction to Peru’s remarkable landscapes and layered past.
02
Cloud Road: A Journey Through the Inca Heartland
by John Harrison
Travel through the Andes alongside Harrison and his wonderfully difficult pack donkey as they cross isolated mountain passes and enter villages rarely visited by outsiders. Following the story of the Inca Empire’s rise and fall, Harrison discovers a region where the past remains closely woven into daily life. The result is an observant, thoughtful, and often funny journey through the Andean heartland.
03
Inca Kola: A Traveller’s Tale of Peru
by Matthew Parris
Light, observant, and frequently humorous, this travel memoir captures the quirks and complications of navigating Peru. Parris looks beyond the major landmarks to the conversations, mishaps, and small surprises that make travel memorable. It feels a little like swapping stories with a fellow traveler at the end of a long day.
04
The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland
by Hugh Thomson
For travelers fascinated by what lies beyond Peru’s most famous ruins, Hugh Thomson ventures deep into the Andes and cloud forest in search of forgotten Inca sites. His decades-long exploration combines archaeology, history, humor, and the irresistible pull of places still waiting to be understood. It may leave you looking at Peru’s mountains and the mysteries hidden within them in an entirely new way.
05
Forgotten Vilcabamba: Final Stronghold of the Incas
by Vincent R. Lee
Part expedition narrative and part historical investigation, this book follows Lee’s long search for the secrets of Vilcabamba, the remote final stronghold of the Incas. Filled with firsthand observations, maps, and original drawings, it reveals how exploration can become a consuming quest. This is an absorbing companion for anyone drawn to Peru’s lesser-known ruins and enduring archaeological mysteries.
06
The Last Days of the Incas
by Kim MacQuarrie
Before you stand among the walls and terraces of an Inca site, this gripping history brings the people behind the stonework to life. MacQuarrie recounts the confrontation between the Spanish conquistadors and the Inca Empire with vivid detail, turning historical figures and military campaigns into a sweeping, unforgettable narrative. It provides valuable context for Machu Picchu, Cusco, and the remnants of the Incas’ final resistance.
07
by Ronald Wright
For historical fiction that places you inside the upheaval of the Spanish conquest, follow Waman, a young Inca boy taken by conquistadors and forced to serve as Francisco Pizarro’s translator. Caught between languages, cultures, and competing loyalties, Waman witnesses the destruction of the world he knows. Sweeping and vividly imagined, the novel captures both the scale of the conquest and its devastating human cost.
08
The Peru Reader
edited by Orin Starn, Carlos Iván Degregori, and Robin Kirk
Dip into this anthology whenever you want greater context between adventures. Essays, memoirs, poems, stories, and historical documents illuminate Peru’s rich cultural tapestry, from ancient civilizations and colonial rule to political upheaval and contemporary life. Its range of voices makes it an especially valuable introduction to the country’s complexity.
09
Life and Death in the Andes: On the Trail of Bandits, Heroes, and Revolutionaries
by Kim MacQuarrie
Journey along the spine of South America through stories of explorers, revolutionaries, outlaws, and ordinary people. Blending history with firsthand travel, MacQuarrie connects the ancient Incas with figures such as Charles Darwin, Che Guevara, Pablo Escobar, and the detective who helped unravel the plans of Peru’s Shining Path. The book expands the view beyond Peru while showing how the Andes have shaped the history of an entire continent.
10
Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon
by Paul Rosolie
Step into the remote forests of Madre de Dios with naturalist Paul Rosolie as he travels by canoe, searches for elusive wildlife, and learns from the people who call the Amazon home. His encounters reveal a world of astonishing beauty, danger, and biological richness. Thrilling and deeply personal, this memoir also conveys the urgency of protecting one of Peru’s most extraordinary environments.
11
Touching the Void
by Joe Simpson
If your travels take you into Peru’s mountains, this true story will stay with you. Simpson recounts a near-fatal climbing expedition on Siula Grande, where one terrible decision leaves him injured and alone in an unforgiving landscape. Harrowing and deeply human, it is an unforgettable story of endurance, friendship, and the instinct to survive.
12
American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood
by Marie Arana
Arana’s memoir moves between an earthquake-prone childhood in Peru and the wide-open landscapes of Wyoming. Rich with family stories, cultural contrasts, mythology, and memories of migration, it captures the experience of growing up between North and South America. At its heart is an intimate exploration of identity and what it means to belong to two worlds at once.
13
Deep Rivers
by José María Arguedas
This reflective coming-of-age novel follows a boy living among Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Andes. Drawing on Arguedas’s intimate understanding of Quechua culture, the story captures the beauty of the landscape, the pain of social division, and the search for belonging in a changing world. It offers a quieter but profoundly affecting journey into Peru’s emotional and cultural heart.
14
Sexographies
by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Jennifer Adcock and Lucy Greaves
Bold, curious, and frequently provocative, Peruvian journalist Gabriela Wiener enters spaces many writers would hesitate to approach. Through immersive essays about sexuality, gender, motherhood, relationships, identity, and the body, she turns intensely personal encounters into sharp observations about contemporary society. Her voice is candid, irreverent, and unlike almost anything else on this list.
15
The Distance Between Us
by Renato Cisneros, translated by Fionn Petch
Cisneros investigates the private life and public legacy of his father, Luis Federico Cisneros Vizquerra, a controversial Peruvian general and government minister. Moving between memoir, biography, investigation, and fiction, he confronts the difference between the father he knew and the powerful public figure remembered by history. The result is an unflinching exploration of family, memory, masculinity, and political power.
16
Blood of the Dawn
by Claudia Salazar Jiménez, translated by Elizabeth Bryer
This fierce, fragmented novel follows three women—a journalist, an Indigenous villager, and a Shining Path revolutionary—during Peru’s internal conflict. Their lives converge amid political extremism, military violence, and the dangers faced by women on every side. Brief but powerful, the book brings female perspectives to a period of Peruvian history too often narrated through the experiences of men.
17
The Neighborhood
by Mario Vargas Llosa
For evenings when you want a page-turner, this tense political thriller draws you into Lima during the authoritarian government of Alberto Fujimori. Through scandal, blackmail, sensational journalism, and struggles for power, Vargas Llosa reveals a city shaped by fear and corruption. It presents a modern side of Peru whose complexities feel far removed from the country’s ancient ruins.
18
Lost City Radio
by Daniel Alarcón
Set in an unnamed South American country resembling Peru, this haunting novel follows a radio host whose program reconnects families separated by years of war. When a boy arrives carrying a list of missing villagers, the boundaries between personal grief and national memory begin to blur. Thoughtful and atmospheric, the story explores disappearance, loss, and the quiet aftermath of political violence.
19
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
Born in Lima and raised in Chile, Isabel Allende weaves generations of family secrets, political upheaval, love, and loss into this landmark novel. Although its unnamed country most closely resembles Chile, its themes echo across Latin America. The novel’s spirit-filled world offers a sweeping introduction to magical realism, where family memory and national history are never far apart.
20
The Glory of Gold
by V.F. Mejia
For a fantastical journey inspired by Inca culture, follow ambitious soldier Sinchinrei after the empire’s sacred Guardians choose her to confront an ancient calamity. Forced to travel across a threatened realm with a furious princess, she must balance her hunger for recognition against an unexpected bond and the fate of her people. The novel brings the list to an imaginative close with sacred magic, adventure, and a world shaped by Andean inspiration.
What I remember most about traveling through Peru is the contrast between movement and stillness. One moment I was climbing into the mountains before sunrise, and the next I was sitting in a warm plaza watching everyday life unfold. These books gave me something to carry between those moments.
Some helped me understand the places I was seeing, while others challenged the version of Peru I thought I knew. Together, they introduced me to a country shaped by living traditions, family memories, political struggles, and voices as varied as its landscapes.
Choose one to read before your trip and another to keep close along the way. When you return home, come back to the rest. They may help you recognize why Peru continues to occupy your thoughts long after the journey ends.
ONE PAGE AT A TIME
“Machu Picchu isn’t just beautiful, it’s sublime.”
MARK ADAMS, TURN RIGHT AT MACHU PICCHU
THOUGHTFULLY RESEARCHED
Written by Jacqueline Miller, founder of Adventurous Ambles. Through firsthand travel, original photography, and detailed route research, Jacqueline creates walking guides, hiking resources, destination reading lists, and travel inspiration for curious travelers. Unless otherwise noted, all content and photography on Adventurous Ambles are original works protected by copyright. Book cover images remain the property of their respective copyright holders and are displayed for identification and review purposes only.
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