The tiny town of Caraz, east of Chimbote, is one of the few places in the region not to have been ravaged by earthquakes or landslides. It has the attractive Plaza de Armas, several inexpensive hotels and restaurants and, importantly, a number of beautiful walks in the surrounding hills. Caraz is also the finishing point of the popular Llanganuco to Santa Cruz trek and the point of departure for road excursions to the beautiful Laguna Parón and Cañón del Plato

Isla Taquile, a 24km (15mi) passage from Puno, is an enchanting island in Lake Titicaca. Its inhabitants dress splashily in traditional clothes (on sale at the local cooperative store), speak Quechua and maintain strong group loyalties. Pre-Inca terracing and small ruins dot the landscape and there are plenty of walks to keep you busy. The island is bereft of hotels, electricity, roads, vehicles and, importantly, dogs. Accommodation is provided by locals, while skimpy restaurants serve only what's available: fresh trout if you're lucky, boiled potatoes if you're not. Boats leave daily from the dock at Puno and take about four hours to reach the island.

The site of Sechin, 50km (31mi) south of Chimbote, is one of the oldest in Peru (founded around 1500 BC) and is among the more important and well-preserved coastal ruins. Its major attraction is the outside walls of the main temple, which are covered in ghoulish carvings of warriors disembowelling their captives. Restaurants are few and far between, but cheap accommodation is available in Casma, 5km (3mi) away.

The attractive oxbow lake of Yarinacocha lies 10km (6mi) northeast of Pucallpa in the Amazonian Basin. It was once part of the Río Ucayali but is now landlocked, apart from a small canal linking it to the river during the rainy season. The small port of Puerto Callao is the main population center on the lake and has a few places to stay, several bars and restaurants and boats for hire for trips around the lake. You can visit Shipbo Indian villages, buy handicrafts, go canoeing and watch for wildlife in and around the lake - keep your eye open for freshwater dolphins.