Contrary to popular belief, you can’t see llamas anywhere in Peru. In fact, the country of Peru has 3 very distinct geographical areas, history, and culture:
- The Coast – Peru has over 3,000 km of coastline along the Pacific Ocean.
- The Andes Mountains – Most of the Andes mountain range is at very high altitude.
- The Rainforest – This tropical area of Peru is filled with exotic flora and fauna.
Generally, you can find llamas in the mountainous areas of Peru, but not everywhere in the mountains. For example, I currently live in Huancayo, Peru (the fifth largest city in the country) at nearly the exact altitude as Cusco, Peru (near Machu Picchu), but there are zero llamas or alpacas here, not even in the rural areas in the Mantaro Valley surrounding Huancayo.
Llamas are, however, all over and around the city of Cusco, and seeing/petting/photo-taking with llamas are often a Peru travel highlight for our visitors. There’s a very high probability of you seeing llamas when you visit Peru if you plan to come to Cusco during your Peru trip.
Here’s a runaway llama I saw in the Plaza de Armas of Cusco:
@perutwp The kinda things you see walking around Cusco's historic center that you would never see anywhere else 😅 Walking tour, anyone? #peru #Cusco #cuscocity #cuscoperu #citytour #adventure #adventuretime #adventuretravel #travel #travelling #travellife #travelblogger #travelphotography #traveler #hiking #hikingculture #hikingadventures #perutravel #fyp ♬ sonido original – ™➻︎𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙈𝙞𝙭 🎧
And this mama llama with her baby are only half a block from that plaza at the Campo de Artesano (Artisan Field), which houses a bunch of souvenir shops:
And here’s a baby llama we saw during the 4-Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:
