If you’re looking to plan your Peru itinerary, you’re already one step ahead of me when I went travelling in Peru this year as part of a larger trip through South America. I was very much a “turn up and see what happens” kind of traveller, and whilst I love travelling that way, if you’re short on time then putting together a Peru travel itinerary before you go is probably a very good idea.
You can still use this itinerary planner if you’re using a bus tour operator, like Peru Hop, which are very popular in Peru. I took some Peru Hop buses while I was travelling (some on purpose, some by accident, full review coming soon), but I also took quite a few public buses, too. Basically, I tried a bit of everything so that I could report back here and let you know what’s what. So let’s get to it!
Some time this week I’ll also be sharing my ideal 7-day Peru itinerary (although if you have the luxury of time, I’d recommend spending at least a few weeks here).
Important Factors in Planning Your Peru Itinerary
Peru’s Famous Altitude Climbs
So, let’s talk about altitude. If you didn’t already know, Cusco sits at an impressive 3,399 metres above sea level, which is enough to make anyone ill with altitude sickness. I read a lot of Peru itineraries for inspiration, and they all seem to suggest flying straight to Cusco from Lima, which is at sea level. I think this is a seriously terrible idea. Going from sea level one day to high altitude the next day is going to make you sick, even if you’re not prone to altitude sickness.
I highly recommend adjusting slowly to the altitude, and stopping off in Arequipa on your way there is a great way to do it. Arequipa is at 2,335 metres (still enough to make you a little lightheaded, by the way), so you can adjust to being at altitude before you climb further. I stayed there for four days before I went to Cusco.
Anyway, I didn’t mean to start this blog post with a rant, but here we are. If you really have your heart set on arriving straight to Cusco, set aside a couple of days to rest and acclimatise before you do anything else.
Getting Around Peru by Bus and Night Bus
Another important factor to take into consideration when you’re planning is how willing you are to sleep on an overnight bus. The buses in Peru are known to be comfortable and well-equipped, and I slept on a fair few during my trip to Peru. It saves you money on one night’s accommodation, saves you time on a travel day, and you don’t have to sit through a boring 10-hour bus ride (although, the views can be pretty great, I admit!).
If you’re really into getting a good night’s sleep then maybe this isn’t the right decision for you, and there are other ways to avoid the really long bus rides, like taking internal flights or making more stops along the way.
After one of the tour companies, like Peru Hop, Cruz del Sur is the next most reliable and extensive bus company in Peru. They run like clockwork, properly check in your bags, and often give you snacks and water on board (they’re especially diligent with this on journeys at higher altitudes).
Whilst I was travelling, I did a mix of booking my tickets directly with the bus company and booking through BusBud, which I highly recommend, especially if you want customer service in English! (In Peru I booked directly with Cruz del Sur.)
🇵🇪 More about Peru: 24 Unmissable Landmarks in Peru
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Choosing What to See in Your Peru Itinerary
There is honestly so much to see in Peru that the 3 weeks I spent there wasn’t nearly enough. I’m certain that I’ll go back one day! The amount of things to do and places to see can be a bit overwhelming, so here are the key things to hit on your Peru itinerary based on your preferences:
Hiking
Machu Picchu has to be on your list, of course, but there are a whole range of treks and hikes you can do to get there, including the famous Inca Trail and the Salkantay Trek (this is the one I did). You also shouldn’t miss Colca Canyon, accessible from Arequipa. If you’ve got time to go north of Lima there’s also an incredible one-day hike to Laguna 69, close to the city of Huaraz.
Archeology & Inca Ruins
If ruins and ancient architecture is more your thing, then prioritise the cities of Arequipa and Cusco. All of the most impressive remnants of the Inca empire are located close to Cusco, such as Machu Picchu, of course, Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley, and Pisac, a town not far from Cusco. Most of the archaeology you’ll find in and around Arequipa is pre-Inca Empire, but equally as fascinating.
Deserts & Beaches
Conversely, if deserts, beaches and adventure activities are more your thing, then Lima and the smaller towns and cities between Lima and Arequipa will be where you want to spend most of your time. Of course, Lima is one of the best cities in the world for surfing, but just a few hours away in Paracas and Huacachina you can go sandboarding and sand-skiing in the sand dunes, too.
Around this area of desert you’ll also find vineyards, Pisco (both the city and the drink), the Nazca lines, and many more interesting things to do.
Food & Drink
For avid foodies, Lima is the place for you. Lima generally gets a bad reputation, but I’m assuming that’s just because everywhere else in Peru is so amazing, because I quite liked Lima. Lima is home to Central, the best restaurant in the world, and is the culinary capital of South America.
You should also definitely put Pisco (the city) on your list, as Pisco (the drink) is the national drink of Peru (…and of Chile, but let’s not start that argument).
Destinations for Your Peru Itinerary
Lima
As I mentioned already, I quite liked Lima. Although I do agree with the general sentiment of “move on from Lima as soon as possible” because there is so much else to see in Peru, there is plenty worth seeing here, especially if you like your food.
Lima is, of course, the capital city of Peru, and it’s where most international flights land. Lima is where you want to start your Peru itinerary if you’re looking for good food, especially if you want to try the local Peruvian ceviche (their speciality dish), guinea pig (you couldn’t pay me enough), or perhaps an llama burger (you heard me right).
It’s also a great place to go surfing, or to learn how to surf, with a growing community of surfers in the city. It’s also one of the only places in Peru to hit the beach, but let’s be honest, nobody goes to Peru for a beach holiday.
My favourite thing about Lima is about as cliche as they come: the sunsets. Because the sun sets to the west, and the sky is often clear in Lima, here on the pacific coast you get to see almost perfect sunsets every evening. They truly took my breath away and were one of my favourite parts of Lima.
In Lima, I stayed in Ancestral Hostel in Barranco, which is about half an hour south of Miraflores. Both Barranco and Miraflores are safe-ish and popular areas to stay with tourists. I really liked Ancestral Hostel – it was clean, had a cool vibe, and I made friends there. It was also one of the cheapest hostels I stayed in on my trip!
🇵🇪 More about Peru: How to Get from Lima Airport to Miraflores
Pisco
Pisco is a city just a couple of hours south of Lima. I didn’t stay there myself so I can’t be entirely sure, but other than the obvious (get drunk on Pisco sours), I don’t think there is much to see.
If you’re travelling with one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tour operators, there is usually an option to make a stop or detour to have lunch and do a pisco tasting. This, in my opinion, is the best option, because you get to visit the city and do a pisco tasting without spending too much time there. The bus tour operator will then usually take you further south to Paracas or Huacachina the same day.
Paracas
Paracas is a really small town a couple of hours south of Lima. Honestly, the vibe here was pretty low-key and I didn’t find that there was much to do in the town itself. Staying here gives you great access to Paracas National Reserve and the Ballestas Islands, which you can only visit by boat tour. Both of these activities come well recommended from me, but beyond that I don’t think there is much more to see in Paracas. I won’t recommend where I stayed here, because I didn’t like it..!
Huacachina
I’m not going to go into too much detail about Huacachina, because I’ll be writing a full post on the many things there are to do here soon!
Huacachina is a small desert oasis just outside of the city of Ica, surrounded by sand dunes. You can go sandboarding, surfing or sand-skiing on the sand dunes, as well as catch some more incredible sunsets. There are also a lot of really social hostels, party hostels, and even clubs in this small town. I stayed in Viajero Hostel Huacachina, and I liked it; there were a lot of free events and activities to get people socialising!
📆 Book: Sand dunes tour in Huacachina
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Ica
Ica is the aforementioned city close to Huacachina. If you’re getting public buses around Peru, this is probably where you will come and go from, but a taxi ride between Huacachina and Ica doesn’t cost much.
Ica is a great jumping off point for activities like vineyard tours, visiting el Cañón de los Perdidos, or various tours to the desert. There are a lot of museums and activities in the city itself, and you can also stay here and take a day trip to Huacachina if you don’t want to stay in the oasis itself.
Nazca
Again, Nazca is somewhere that I didn’t stay myself, but that’s because I heard along the way that there’s not much to do there. It’s mainly known as a jumping off point for visiting the famous Nazca lines, a set of mysterious, giant geoglyphs made in the soil of the Nazca desert. You can either take a short flight tour of the Nazca lines, which is the best way to see them, or you can visit a viewing tower that gives you sight of just a couple.
Arequipa
The “white city” of Arequipa was one of my favourite places in Peru. There’s a lot to do in the historic centre of the city, and it’s a great place to meet other travellers, eat great food, and drink a lot of Pisco sours. The free walking tour I did in Arequipa was also one of the best I’ve ever done, and if you’re following along you’ll know I love a free walking tour.
The Plaza de Armas (main square) in Arequipa is beautiful and the buildings are beautiful. There are also many tours you can do from Arequipa including a day trip to Quebrada de Culebrillas, Colca Canyon (you can do a day trip, or visit as a multi-day hike), and Salinas Lagoon.
I stayed in Arequipay Backpackers Downtown which is the most popular hostel in Arequipa. I recommend staying there because of the great vibe and clean dorms, but book ahead to make sure you get a spot, and be sure to confirm your booking with them (a friend’s booking was cancelled because he arrived after midnight and he hadn’t replied to their confirmation email saying that he’d be arriving late).
Colca Canyon
The Colca Canyon is one of the main attractions you can see from Arequipa, but you can also see the full canyon in all its glory by completing the multi-day hike. You can do it with a tour guide, over three days, or it’s safe enough to hike unguided by yourself or in a group, staying in hostels along the way.
Cusco
Cusco is, of course, the ancient capital of the Incan Empire, and you can feel the history of the city simply by walking around. There are a few sights to see here, but unfortunately it is quite overcome with tourism, and it’s impossible to walk around without getting accosted by people trying to sell you tours, tickets and massages. Most of the time I spent in Cusco was acclimatising and preparing for the Salkantay Trek.
From Cusco most of the day trips are quite adventurous, including treks or day trips to Machu Picchu and the famous Rainbow Mountain hike.
In Cusco, I stayed in Magar Hostel Bar. It was clean enough and had free breakfast included, but there was not much of a social vibe there.
Sacred Valley
If you’re especially into archaeological sites and ancient ruins, there are more places to visit in Sacred than just Cusco. You can visit the Pisac markets in Pisac, take a rafting tour, or even zip through the valley on a series of zip lines.
Machu Picchu
If you want to hike to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail, Salkantay Trek, or any of the other various hikes to Machu Picchu, then the likelihood is you’ll start from Cusco (and probably with a very early start!). I did the Salkantay Trek and loved it. It’s not just a hike; you get to visit other landmarks, like the Cocalmayo hot springs, the Salkantay Pass and the town of Aguas Calientes that sits below Machu Picchu.
You can also visit Machu Picchu as a full day trip from Cusco, but I would recommend taking the train to Aguas Calientes to spend a day or two soaking up the culture and atmosphere before or after you go to Machu Picchu.
Puno/Lake Titicaca
Puno is a city on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. It gives you great access to visiting the Uros Islands and Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, but as a city I was quite unimpressed with it! Aside from using it as a jumping off point for visiting Lake Titicaca, I wouldn’t really recommend staying here. I just spent one night in Puno before taking a PeruHop bus from Puno to La Paz, which stops close to the border to give you a tour of the islands.
I stayed in Iguana Hostel Puno, because it was the best rated on Hostelworld, but I can’t say that I recommend it. It was clean, but it was quiet with an almost eerie vibe. (Maybe I got it on a bad day.)
Amazon Rainforest
I didn’t visit the Amazon Rainforest when I went to Peru, other than the very edge of it that you see on the Salkantay Trek. It really is a whole other world up there, and you have to fly from one of the cities in southern Peru. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can get there by sailing down the Amazon River from Colombia and Brazil, but from what I hear it is quite the adventure to arrive this way. Most people I met took a flight from Lima or Cusco.