Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel to Peru. Our book club is a way for travelers to learn through literature about the places they’ll be visiting.

These are some of our favorites about Peru, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.

You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!

Recommended books to read before traveling to Peru:

Fiction:

• Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Nonfiction:

• The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

For those looking for more suggestions, here are some other books you may want to consider:

• Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcon (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• War by Candlelight by Daniel Alarcon (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Dancer Upstairs by Nicholas Shakespeare (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Yawar Fiesta by Jose Maria Arguedas (Amazon)
• Deep Rivers by Jose Maria Arguedas (Amazon)
• A World for Julius by Alfredo Bryce Echenique (Amazon)
• Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Tonight is Carnaval by Arthur Dorros (children’s book) (Amazon)
• The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru by Nigel Davies (Amazon)
• Running the Amazon by Joe Kane (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Bonus recommended films and videos to watch before traveling to Peru:

GEEO travelers can register with SIMA Academy for free using a unique access code that we provide after our programs end. Feel free to contact us if you would like to receive the access code early. For this program, we recommend watching Oil On Their Hands and Quipu: Calls For Justice. SIMA Academy utilizes the storytelling power of award-winning global short documentaries to nurture globally competent and socially active learners worldwide.

GEEO utilizes both Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!