The Peruvian Altiplano is the cultural and biological heart of the South American camelid family. Domesticated llamas and alpacas graze alongside Inca terraces throughout the Sacred Valley and around Cusco, tended by Quechua communities whose way of life has barely changed in centuries. The high-altitude Pampas Galeras National Reserve near Nazca protects roughly 60 % of Peru's wild vicuñas — the graceful ancestor of the alpaca, prized for the world's finest natural fibre. Further south, the Colca Canyon and Salinas y Aguada Blanca Reserve near Arequipa offer some of the most reliable wild vicuña sightings, often on the drive up to the Mirador de los Volcanes at 4,900 m. Dry season (May-September) is best; altitude acclimatisation is essential above 3,500 m.
