Visiting Lima, Peru? Here's 5 things to check out


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SALT LAKE CITY — President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints landed in Lima, Peru, Friday to start his South American ministry tour.

President Nelson is set to speak there Saturday before heading to Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile.

In honor of this historic tour, here are a few places you could visit in Peru’s beautiful, coastal capital city. As one would expect, there’s plenty of fun things President Nelson or others could do while in Lima.

1. Circuito Magico del Agua

In 2007, Lima municipal government turned a rundown park on the edge of downtown into a park that mixes water, music, sound and lasers into unique shows for visitors to experience.

It’s “a delightful tour of dancing water and lights — more than a dozen fountains send water shooting into the air, choreographed to music and light,” according to Time Magazine.

The fountains are open Wednesday through Sunday from 4-10 p.m. The light shows at night costs $1.50, according to the magazine.

Circuito Magico del Agua (Photo: Paolo Costa, Shutterstock)
Circuito Magico del Agua (Photo: Paolo Costa, Shutterstock)

2. Historical buildings

Lima’s historic center, founded by Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro in 1535, was once the political, economic and cultural hub for all of the Spanish colonies in South America, according to Best of Travel Peru. It houses all sorts of amazing buildings still around to this day.

It features gems such as Balconies of Lima, Cathedral of Lima, Church & Convent of San Francisco, Church & Convent of Santo Domingo, Plaza Bolivar, Plaza de Armas, Presidential Palace, which was built in 1535, and San Pedro Church.

The website states that some of the buildings have been damaged by earthquakes but “is a great place to get a feel for Peru’s intricate, complex history.”

3. Outdoor adventure

Conde Nast Traveller notes that Lima is a great place to catch some waves or even glide over. The travel outlet states Lima’s surfing scene brings people of all ages and walks of life to the ocean.

“Few major cities can claim a thriving surf culture to match Lima’s,” David Annand, editor of the magazine, wrote.

Lima (Photo: Kay Wiegand, Shutterstock)
Lima (Photo: Kay Wiegand, Shutterstock)

Annand also recommends the paragliding options. He wrote that the city’s clifftop location and strong winds make for perfect paragliding conditions. He added that this allows people “the incredible view of the Costa Verde.”

Peru Hop, a website dedicated to guides around Peru, also suggests taking bicycle tours of the city. The tours include green parks and cliffs that overlook the ocean, according to the website.

4. Larcomar

Larcomar is a shopping center built into the side of a cliff that’s mostly underground in the Miraflores neighborhood, according to Peru Hop.

The center offers “incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and is perfect to spend an afternoon shopping,” the website states.

5. Peru’s purr-fect park

Parque Kennedy, located about seven miles from Lima’s main square, is known as the “cat park.” It’s more than that.

It started as a part of Lima’s Miraflores neighborhood and was once known as Parque Central in 1900, according to Peru For Less, a blog about Peru travel. Half of it was renamed in honor of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, for his help in U.S.-Peru relations.

Cats at Kennedy Park (The Cat's Park) in Miraflores District. (Photo: Diego Grandi, Shutterstock)
Cats at Kennedy Park (The Cat's Park) in Miraflores District. (Photo: Diego Grandi, Shutterstock)

There are painters and vendors and an amphitheater in the area, but the park is famous for cats. As the blog notes, the park is a cat haven for some reason. It states you can see dozens of cats roaming around the park and climbing trees.

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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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