Peru, Beyond Machu Picchu — Ebook by Cesar Vargas
An ebook by Cesar Vargas

Peru, Beyond
Machu Picchu

A journey to discover the real Peru — told by someone who grew up between Lima and Huarmey, spent ten years living in Germany, and only truly understood his own country once he was far from it.

Get my ebook Digital ebook · $20 $9
With every book you buy, you're helping support Andean Peruvian families and schools
Portada del ebook Perú más allá de Machu Picchu
Digital
Edition
2026
The cause, first

Here's how your purchase supports Andean families

Long before the book existed, the donations already did. Here are some of the videos posted on @derlaygilivanilli showing the work with families in the Peruvian Andes.

Video 01
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Buy the ebook — $9
With every book you buy, you're helping support Andean Peruvian families and schools
The premise

Most people know Machu Picchu.
Very few know the real Peru.

Machu Picchu, llamas, ceviche: the postcard is real, but it's only a postcard. This book is a guide to an entire country, written by someone who saw it from the inside and, over a decade in Germany, learned to see it from the outside too.

The Coast

Over two thousand miles of desert along the Pacific. Ceviche, small-scale fishing, and the Lima most foreigners never get to see.

The Highlands

The Andes of the author's grandparents: communities, markets, and a way of understanding work and family that shapes the whole book.

The Jungle

The Amazon and its communities, almost always missing from traditional travel guides.

I was born in Lima in 1998 and grew up between Huarmey, a small coastal town in the north, and Surco, a completely different district. That's where I first noticed that very different realities coexist within the same country.

My grandparents were born in small towns in Áncash. From them I inherited pride in my Andean roots and the certainty that education can change an entire life.

Later I spent ten years living in Germany. And it was precisely from far away that I learned to see my own country with different eyes: what was ordinary to me was extraordinary to others.

This book doesn't just tell you where to go. It helps you understand why Peru is the way it is.

Buy the ebook — $9
With every book you buy, you're helping support Andean Peruvian families and schools
What's inside

Fourteen chapters, one common thread

From the desert to the jungle, from the family table to the real value of a coin: each chapter chips away a little more at the idea that Peru fits inside a single photograph.

01

Peru isn't the country you imagine

02

The story of a country that feels like many countries

03

Lima and the Peruvian dream

04

What poverty won't let you see

05

The Peruvian family

06

Sitting down at the table

07

The route to the real Peru

08

Responsible tourism: how to help without doing harm

09

The value of a sol

10

Lessons from the Andes

Buy the ebook — $9
With every book you buy, you're helping support Andean Peruvian families and schools
What readers say

Real feedback from real readers

A few words from people who've already read it — before ever setting foot in Peru.

★★★★★

"So much more than a travel guide"

I bought this book because I'm planning a trip to Peru, but I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected. It doesn't just tell you where to go — it helps you understand the culture, the people, the food, and what makes Peru such a special country. After reading it, I feel like I'll experience Peru very differently when I visit.

— Nico Ratcliffe
★★★★★

"The Peru most tourists never get to see"

What I loved about this book is that it goes far beyond Machu Picchu and the typical tourist recommendations. You can tell it was written by someone who genuinely knows and loves his country. There are so many places, traditions, foods, and stories I had never heard about before. Definitely recommended if you want a more authentic experience of Peru.

— Mehmet Özer
★★★★★

"Made me want to book a flight to Peru"

I honestly didn't know Peru had so much to offer. I originally associated the country mostly with Machu Picchu, Lima, and Peruvian food, but this book completely changed my perspective. It's easy to read, personal, and full of interesting information. By the end, my list of places I want to visit had become much longer.

— Jason Miller
★★★★★

"Personal, authentic and inspiring"

This doesn't feel like a typical travel guide written from behind a desk. It feels like someone from Peru is personally showing you around his country and explaining the things tourists often miss. I especially enjoyed learning about the culture, regional food, hidden destinations, and everyday life. The social purpose behind the book also makes the purchase feel even more meaningful.

— Giliana Roth
Buy the ebook — $9
With every book you buy, you're helping support Andean Peruvian families and schools
The value of a sol

One price, two kinds of value

In Germany, someone once told me: "it's just one euro." They were right — for their reality. But the value of money never depends only on the number on the coin — it depends on the context.

$9 EBOOK
"I hope that by the time you finish this book, you don't just know Peru. I hope you understand it."

This ebook costs $9. It's not just the price of a digital file — every purchase directly supports the same Andean families and schools this book is about.

Every ebook you buy helps fund ongoing support for families and schools in the Peruvian Andes — the same communities featured in this book.
Buy the ebook — $9 See the impact on Instagram
With every book you buy, you're helping support Andean Peruvian families and schools