4 AMAZING Itineraries for the Trip of a Lifetime to Peru!

Peru is a country that has it all: mountains, deserts, jungles, and beaches. Add to that list ancient Inca ruins and some of the best restaurants in the world, and it’s the perfect bucket list travel destination. In order to help you plan an amazing trip to Peru, we’re sharing 4 itineraries. We’ve crafted a one-week itinerary, a 10-day itinerary, a two-week itinerary, and the ultimate itinerary for Peru. These itineraries were informed by our own visit to Peru. We share some of our favorite places, and we also share the things we wish we would have seen in hindsight!

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One Week Itinerary 

If you have just seven days to spend in Peru, we recommend that you focus your trip on the Sacred Valley. You’ll get to see Machu Picchu and the historic city of Cusco.

Itinerary Summary	Recommendations
Day 1: Fly from Lima to Cusco	Get settled at the Inkaterra La Casona
Day 2: Cusco	Explore Cusco! Visit the Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuaman. For more ideas, see our list of things to do in Cusco.
Day 3: Cusco	Take a day trip from Cusco to see the Sacred Valley. We recommend visiting either Pisac (Inca ruins and market), Moray (concentrical Inca terraces), or the Salineras de Maras (salt flats).
Day 4: Take the Train to Machu Picchu	Leave Cusco in the morning, drive to Ollantaytambo, then take the train to Machu Picchu. Get settled at the Sanctuary Lodge Hotel. It’s the only hotel adjacent to Machu Picchu. It is a little more expensive. There are other options in the town at the bottom of the hill in Aguas Calientes if you’d like to see more options.  We recommend booking the 2-day trek of the Inca Trail. There are lots of tour operators, and we personally recommend Llama Path based on our experience.  Start Day 1 of the Inca Trail. You’ll see Winay Wayna, the Sun Gate, and Machu Picchu.
Day 5: Machu Picchu	Wake up early and see Machu Picchu again.  If you can, book the add-on ticket to Huayna Picchu. There are a set number of tickets available for this hike, so you have to book them in advance.  Make the return journey to Cusco
Day 6: Cusco and the Sacred Valley	For your last full day, you can further explore Cusco or make another day trip to the Sacred Valley.
Day 7: Return Home	Depart Cusco and return back home

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10 Day Itinerary

This itinerary builds on our 7-day itinerary by adding Lima as a destination. 

(See above for days 1-7)	Recommendations
Day 8: Fly from Cusco to Lima	Get settled in at the Miraflores Park, a Belmond Hotel
Day 9: Lima	Explore the city of Lima! Visit the Plaza de Armas and the Monastery of San Francisco and the catacombs Visit the Malecon boardwalk in Miraflores  Read our full guide of things to do in Lima for more ideas an restaurant recommendations
Day 10: Return Home	Depart Lima and return home

Two Week Itinerary

If you have two weeks to spend in Peru, you can easily visit the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Lima. This itinerary includes more time in Lima. However, you could easily substitute more days in Cusco, more days on the Inca Trail, or even a quick trip to the Amazon Rainforest!

(See above for days 1-10)	Recommendations
Day 11: Lima	Continue to explore the city of Lima
Day 12: Lima	Book a tour for a day trip to visit Huacachina (a desert oasis) and the Nazca lines.
Day 13: Lima	Spend the day in the Miraflores neighborhood Enjoy the beach
Day 14: Return Home	Depart Lima and return home

The Ultimate Peru Itinerary

This is our recommended itinerary if you have lots of time to spend in Peru. In this itinerary, you’ll see the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Lake Titicaca, and Lima. This itinerary includes the 4-day Inca Trail trek as well as a 4-day Amazon River cruise. 

Itinerary Summary	Recommendations
Day 1: Fly from Lima to Cusco	Get settled at the Inkaterra La Casona
Day 2: Cusco	Explore Cusco! Visit the Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuaman.
Day 3: Cusco	Take a day trip from Cusco to see the Sacred Valley. We recommend visiting either Pisac (Inca ruins and market), Moray (concentrical Inca terraces), or the Salineras de Maras (salt flats).
Day 4: Inca Trail	Leave Cusco in the morning to start the Inca Trail. We are recommending the 4-day trek of the Inca Trail. You can choose from lots of tour operators. We really liked working with Llama Path.
Day 5: Inca Trail	Dead Woman’s Pass Camp at Chaquicocha View the Inca sites of Runcuraccay and Sayacmarca
Day 6: Inca Trail	Ruins of Phuyupatamarca and Winay Wayna
Day 7: Inca Trail and Machu Picchu	Hike to the Sun Gate Explore Machu Picchu!
Day 8: Head to Ollantaytambo	If you were able to secure a ticket for Huayna Picchu, hike to the top Take the train to Ollantaytambo If you’re feeling adventurous, stay at the Vertical Sky Luxury Suites
Day 9: Ollantaytambo	Explore the Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo
Day 10: Rest Day	Rest day Feel free to explore Ollantaytambo, travel to Cusco again, or visit another cite at the Sacred Valley
Day 11: Rainbow Mountain	Take an excursion to Rainbow Mountain
Day 12: Head to Lake Titicaca	Depart Ollantaytambo and take the luxury train to Lake Titicaca Get settled in at the Uros Titicaca Lodge
Day 13: Lake Titicaca	Enjoy the day at Lake Titicaca See the floating islands at Uros
Day 14: Lake Titicaca	Enjoy the day at Lake Titicaca
Day 15: Return to Cusco	Take the train to Cusco Explore the San Blas neighborhood
Day 16: Fly from Cusco to Lima	Depart Cusco and fly to Lima
Day 17: Lima	Explore Lima We recommend exploring the Plaza de Armas and the Monastery of San Francisco and the catacombs Walk along the Malecon boardwalk in Miraflores
Day 18: Lima	Take a day trip from Lima and visit Huacachina (a desert oasis) and the Nazca lines
Day 19: Fly from Lima to Iquitos	Next is a visit to the Amazon Rainforest! Get settled in Iquitos at the Doubletree by Hilton Iquitos You can choose either an eco-lodge within the rainforest like we did, or you can choose a luxury Amazon cruise.
Day 20: Amazon Rainforest	Excursion in the Amazon Rainforest
Day 21: Amazon Rainforest	Excursion in the Amazon Rainforest
Day 22: Amazon Rainforest	Excursion in the Amazon Rainforest
Day 23: Return to Lima	Fly from Iquitos to Lima
Day 24: Lima	Enjoy one last day in Lima
Day 25: Return Home	Depart Lima and return home

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Our Trip to Peru

We planned a trip to Peru shortly after I accepted a new job. I had saved up my vacation days from my previous job for our honeymoon, but since I accepted a new position, I needed to use up my vacation days or lose them. So, we booked a budget trip at the last-minute to Peru. We called it our “pre-honeymoon”.

We spent 16 days backpacking through Peru, and it was one of our favorite trips of all time. We also visited my “Tia Peruana”, the sister of my Spanish host father from when I studied abroad. It was very meaningful getting to meet her in person. We were so glad we were able to book our impromptu trip to Peru! 

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Tips for Visiting Peru

• Before you leave for your trip, order some currency (Nuevo Soles) in advance from your bank. We needed to give our branch 2-3 weeks’ notice prior to our departure. Our bank called us when the currency arrived and we were able to exchange some of our money before we even left for our trip without large exchange fees. It’s always a good idea to have some small bills in the local currency on hand upon arrival for tips. It’s also good to have some emergency funds in the local currency in case you have difficulty accessing an ATM right away. 
• Also before you leave for your trip, call the phone numbers listed on the back of your credit and debit cards to notify your banks that you will be leaving the country. Provide the bank your dates of travel and itinerary. That way, your credits cards will not be frozen for ‘suspicious activity’ when you use them outside your home country.
• Remember to stop your mail if you will be gone for an extended period of time.
• Make sure you have travel insurance. Do not travel if you do not have medical insurance abroad. You can purchase travel medical insurance from a number of companies.
• Let your doctor know about your travel plans. You may need vaccinations prior to traveling. Our doctor prescribed us anti-malarial pills because we were planning on being in the Amazon Rainforest.
• If you plan on visiting Cusco, the Sacred Valley, or Machu Picchu, you’ll want to build some time into your itinerary to adjust to the altitude. When we visited Cusco, we were fairly young and in good health. We felt pretty great our first day in Cusco, which was deceiving. When we woke up the next morning, both of us felt mild altitude sickness. We experienced mild nausea and we definitely had a headache. Make sure you give yourself a little wiggle room in your itinerary for a day or two, because you will probably want to take it easy as you adjust to the altitude.
• If you bought new hiking boots, remember to break in your boots well before your trip. Stiff boots will definitely give you blisters, which will make hiking miserable. This is especially important if you plan on hiking the Inca Trail. Walk around your neighborhood in your new hiking boots a few times, and then try a small hike near home. You want to be confident that your boots will be comfortable for any trekking plans.
• If you plan on visiting the Amazon Rainforest, expect to see a lot of bugs! You’ll want to bring bug spray and wear long-sleeved shirts. Pack accordingly! 
• Be sure to leave a copy of your itinerary with a trusted family member or friend back home. If you’re a citizen of the United States, you can enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

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Summary

We hope these itinerary guides were helpful to you as plan your trip to Peru! We spent 16 days in Peru and we feel like we barely scratched the surface. I would love to return to Peru to see all of the sights that we missed, like Rainbow Mountain, Huacachina, the Nazca Lines, and Lake Titicaca. Don’t tell my husband, but I’d like to go back and hike the full Inca Trail. It looks like we have a reason to go back to Peru! 

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