Warachikuy is an ancient Inca manhood ritual harking back to the 16th century.

It is one of the most dramatic and colourful annual festivals to take place in the ruins of Sacsayhuaman (pronounced Sexywoman), high above the city of Cusco.

Some 1,500 people are involved in the elaborate 'initiation' dramatisations which kicks off in the morning of the third Sunday in September, drawing thousands of spectators. 

So you've just touched down in Cusco with grand plans to tackle the legendary Inca trail. But - doh! - no-one told you that you need to book the Inca trail months in advance and you're cursing like a trooper for having missed out on one of the highlights of South America.

But don't despair dear traveller, for an alternative Inca trail awaits in the form of the Salkantay track. It may lack some of the archaeological splendors of the classic Inca trail, but it definitely kicks high-altitude arse when it comes to dramatic scenery. 

Find a 100-story skyscraper and take the stairs to the top. This will give you some preparation for walking the Inca Trail - a four-day slug up and over the Andes to the 'Lost City of the Inca' - Machu Picchu.

The Inca Trail is only one small part of the once-great Inca Road System, which covered approximately 22500 kilometres of ground and provided access to more than three million square kilometres of territory.

A monkey etched into the Nazca Desert as seen from the air. Photo: Maria Reiche

Another of Peru's great mysteries, the Nazca Lines have long baffled archaeologists and scientists alike.

Cooking on a flotilla of reeds is a complex process

Imagine living on a lake on a flotilla of reeds, never stepping foot on land unless you had to.