Ayacucho
Situated in the heart of Peru's Andean highlands, 9 hours east of Lima, Ayacucho is a beautiful, not-too-touristed town with a colourful history. Ayacucho is the place to be on Semana Santa (Easter), as it's a very religious place (packed with over 30 churches — one on every corner), and as it's famous for its big Easter celebrations. It was also the home of Peru's Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) terrorists, before they were stamped out in the early 90s.
I made it to Ayacucho for the tail end of Semana Santa, and then stayed for a few days after. My main reason for coming here was to see my friend-of-a-friend, Abimael Riveros, who lives and works here.
The mountainous surroundings, the quaint town, and the friendly people, all combine to make this a beautiful place. Plus, it's in the heart of Quechua-speaking Peru, so it's also a great place to pick up a few words of South America's most widely spoken indigenous language.
Luxury bus from Lima to Ayacucho
The trip from Lima to Ayacucho — 9 hours overnight — was my first-ever luxury long-distance bus journey. Much nicer than the comfortable, but not lavish, 1st class buses in Mexico. I went with Cruz Del Sur, one of Peru's top bus companies. Seats that reach back all the way. Large, padded footrests. Tea / coffee and sandwiches served in-trip. And a few movies along the way. Not quite up there with what I've heard about the super-luxurious coaches in Argentina, but impressive nonetheless.