Exploring the majestic landscape, travel expert Levison Wood felt magic he hadn’t felt in years (Picture: Getty Images/500px Prime)

I hadn’t expected the antics of a marmalade-loving bear to set the stage for my next adventure, but as Paddington leaves Peru for rainy London, I —ironically — am leaving rainy London, hoping to rediscover a spark of childhood wonder and maybe a bit of sunshine in a country I haven’t yet visited.

After 15 years of roaming the world through more than 120 countries, from deserts and jungles to war zones, I’ve become a little hardened.

People often ask me “What’s your favourite country?”

I usually dread this question, never having a definitive answer. But standing on the rim of Colca Canyon, watching a condor glide gracefully on thermals, I feel an undeniable thrill. Goosebumps rise on my arms, and I grin like a child seeing the ocean for the first time.

This might be it.

Even explorers need a holiday

I arrive in Peru a bit jaded. After decades of trekking across continents and sleeping wherever I laid my hat, I’m not easily impressed by creature comforts.

The Sacred Valley is a landscape straight out of childhood adventure books (Picture: Levison Wood)

But at 42, even explorers need a holiday. So, I trade my usual rough-and-tumble style for something gentler, starting in Lima at the boutique hideaway Atemporal in Miraflores (rooms from £68).

It feels like staying at a generous friend’s oversized house — complete with an honesty bar and hummingbirds flitting in the garden. That first night, sinking into a king-size bed, is a guilty pleasure I quickly embrace.

Lima itself is a revelation. Mornings on the clifftop malecón offer misty ocean views; afternoons in its barrios reveal vibrant street art and music. And, of course, the food.

Inspired by a lifelong fascination with archaeology, I fly up to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas, perched high at 3,400 metres.

Lima’s energy sets the tone for everything that follows (Picture: Getty Images)

Slightly out of breath, I wander among the giant stones of Sacsayhuaman, where local shamans once worshipped Pachamama — Mother Earth — and sense an authentic magic I haven’t felt in years.

I stay at Palacio Nazarenas, the former base of Spanish conquistadors turned boutique hotel (rooms from £203). It feels fitting for Cusco —history layered upon history, quietly luxurious without losing its soul.

But I can’t linger long; the Sacred Valley is calling, a landscape straight out of childhood adventure books.

A blissful retreat

In Urubamba, I stay at Sol y Luna, where cosy casitas in blooming gardens offer a blissful retreat in the Andes.

Mornings wandering along the river and riding smooth-gaited Peruvian Paso horses through patchwork fields provide a serene transition.

Travel at this gentler pace is rare for me, and I savour it.

The owner Petit and her son Thomas explain how they have spent decades creating this haven of peace (and if you feel guilty about all the luxury, fear not: the hotel exists to support community projects. It’s even built a school for local disadvantaged children).

To reach Machu Picchu, I decide to travel in style, boarding the Hiram Bingham, a plush 1920s-style train complete with live music (one-way fares from Lima to Cusco typically start from £81pp).

The Higham Bingham train is a luxurious alternative to hiking the Inca Trail (Picture: Levison Wood)

Paddington might have had marmalade sandwiches; I have pisco sours —equally restorative, I’d argue —as jungle-clad peaks drift past.

For a brief moment, I wonder whether I ought to be hiking the Inca Trail with the backpackers, but as dessert arrives and the drizzle splashes against the window, I am at peace with my choices. And Machu Picchu itself? It surpasses every expectation.

In the golden hour light, the lost Inca citadel emerges from wisps of cloud, perched atop a verdant mountaintop.

I’d seen countless photos, but nothing compares to actually being there. After exploring ruins around the world, this one left me utterly speechless.

Arequipa got its nickname the ‘White City’ due to its architecture made of white volcanic stone extracted from nearby volcanoes (Picture: Getty Images)

Childhood thrills

My journey continues to Arequipa, the ‘White City’ of the south, framed by three snow-capped volcanoes.

Its historic centre, with baroque churches and colonial arcades carved from white volcanic stone, feels blissfully unhurried.

I stay at CIRQA, a hotel set in a 16th-century convent (standard rooms from £124), where I sleep beneath centuries-old arches with the bonus of a massage in the spa.

Before leaving the Andes, I seek a bit of wilderness. A drive over high plains dotted with vicuñas — wild camelids not unlike alpacas — brings me to Colca Canyon, one of Earth’s deepest gorges.

I overnight at Puqio, a tented camp that adds a safari flair to the highlands (plush bed, starry sky, and a forest hot tub). Prices start from £167 per night.

An easy sunrise hike to the summit of the gorge reveals the canyon’s famous condors. That quiet morning, overlooking the chasm with a few graceful scavengers, thrills me as much as any expedition.

The vicuña is the wild cousin of the domesticated alpaca (Picture: Levison Wood)

On my final day, I find myself squeezed into a small plane banking sharply over the sun-baked Nazca desert.

Below, vast and ancient geoglyphs unfolded — perfectly formed shapes of animals etched in sand and stone centuries ago, visible only from the sky.

We tilt gently above a colossal hummingbird, and I feel that familiar jolt of amazement. No one truly knows why they’re there, and perhaps that’s the magic of it. Four weeks in Peru, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.

On my last night, looking up at the stars, I realise what truly sets Peru apart.

It’s not just the epic landscapes or the layers of history — though they’re unforgettable — but the warmth I’ve found at every turn.

This is a country that allowed me to slow down, find comfort, yet still feel that old thrill of discovery. After years of expeditions, Peru gave me the simple joy of travel again.

Thanks to a bear named Paddington — and this extraordinary country —when people ask if I have a favourite now, I finally have an answer.