Qwest and Rionomad, good questions.
The best spots to hit up near Lima
Lunahuana http://www.hemiriver.com/website/activid...huana.html
Extreme Sport Capital
"Very popular, it's only 2.5 hours south of lima, very affordable, they offer rentals and services for:
White water rafting and Kayaking
Atving
Rock climbing & Rappeling
Zip Line
Hiking
Mountain Biking
San Pedro Cactus (Mescaline) Psychedlic Experience
http://www.refugiodesantiago.com/
Small Farm/Vineyard Tours
Wine and Pisco (Peruvian grape brandy) tasting
Really Good Food (known for river prawns)
Bee Hive Farm Tour
This is how to get there
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/th...ID=2175427
Also worth mentioning a few hours up the road from Luanahuana is a very picturesque sierra full of clear turquoise lakes fed by nearby glaciers, there are numerous waterfalls and lots of fishing for trout available, as well as hiking and long term treks, it's the town of huancaya in la reserva paisajistica
one of the many scenes in this reserve
Ica
Main Limeno Getaway
It is the most popular destination for Limenos just 4 hours or so south of Lima, interesting place has a bar and club scene like lima with the addition of vineyard tours, sand dunes and of course sanboarding however in the outskirts of Ica lies the most popular destination for sandboarding, its called huacachina which I highly recommend.
Huacachina http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserRev...egion.html
looks a lot smaller than it is
Offers rentals and services for:
Sanboarding (highly recommend)
Dunebuggy rides
Atving on sand dunes
Good Food affordable hostels and hotels
Plenty of international and local tourists
Bars and Clubs
It is basically an oasis in the middle of the desert, very cool and unique spot.
This is how to get there
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/th...ID=2175427
Churin 5 hour bus ride from Lima | How to get there:
http://unconventionaltravel.com/churin-p...t-springs/
Hot Springs
This is the Peruvian mecca of hot springs and the entire region in and around churin is packed with them, there everywhere.
It's full of personal hot spring fed baths (particularly in the huancahuasi area) and common area mineral rich hot springs all though out the city and around the area.
This is where you want to go to reenergize your batteries, relax deeply and get a massage for dirt cheap (10 bucks an hour), although I haven't been there my good buddy is taking me soon and he swears by it as the most health promoting tourist destination in Peru.
The food here is pretty good it's known as andino which comprises of guinea pigs, chicken, pig, trout, potatoes and rice, not the highlight of Peruvian cuisine but it's still better than colombias highlights.
For the record
http://www.groupon.com.pe and
http://www.cuponatic.com.pe have limited time 50% off deals+ right now for some of the locations above.
Oh and don't leave Lima without going to Pardo's chicken in central Miraflores on Benavides ave and trying there anticuchos (Beef hearts) and standard mesquite bbq chicken, there steak is pretty good too.
Last tip
Good Quality Meals for a Bargain
Throughout all of Peru during lunch time many restaurants and hole in the wall joints offer two course meals and a drink at bargain prices up to 70% off what their normal price would be during dinner hours, they call these two course meals menu (pronounced menoo). This offer does not happen during dinner hours but a similar bargain may be available for breakfast (particularly in food markets). Miraflores has tons of good quality ones so take advantage and of course if you go into the ghettoer neighboring districts like Surquillo you can find deals as low as $2 for a decent two course meal.
Hope that helps.