Once you’ve decided you want to visit the incredibly diverse nation of Peru, now comes the time to properly plan everything you will see and do on your Peru itinerary.
Surprisingly, it’s very much possible to see a lot of highlights in even such a short space of time. This includes exploring the Nazca Lines and Huacachina desert near Lima, the ancient ruins around Cusco such as Machu Picchu as well as hiking through the Amazon Jungle.
In this guide we’ll explore everything you’ll need to know when planning your own Peru itinerary. This includes how much time you’ll need, planning around your own budget as well as our very own custom 2 week itinerary.
Table of Contents
Before taking a look at exactly where you should visit and what you should do, let’s first cover the important basics of a trip to Peru.
This really depends on you and what your goals are with your Peru itinerary. For example if you are an avid hiker and want to hike several multi-day treks such as the Inca Trail and Huayhuash Circuit, then you’re going to need around a month. However travellers who just want to see the best highlights in Lima and Cusco could easily do so in as little as a week.
Overall in general, we would say that 2 weeks is the ideal amount of time to explore Peru. Firstly it gives you time to head on different day trips whilst enjoying each city and town. It also gives you sufficient time to acclimate too, given destinations like Cusco and Huaraz are located at higher altitudes and should be approached much slower when arriving.
Peru is quite a large country, and many of the very top destinations can be located quite far from each other. Flying is typically the best way to get between different areas of Peru, and especially so when crossing from the coast into the Andes or Amazon Jungle (for example with Iquitos you can only fly there from Lima).
If you’re in a rush to see many destinations, then using domestic airlines such as Sky and LATAM will be necessary. If you want a lower budget or have more time in Peru, then you can also use buses to get around which are still very reliable (although certain routes can be very long if you are not making any stops along the way).
There are lots of worthwhile places to base yourself in, and each will need different amounts of time for you to get the most out of your experience. Cusco for example is best to spend between 5-10 days in, given the abundance of ancient ruins, beautiful treks as well as the various rural mountain towns that you’ll want to visit.
Puerto Maldonado and the Amazon Jungle will usually require 3-5 days, and especially so if you plan on heading on a longer jungle trek. The capital of Lima is best seen within 3-5 days, where you can see the highlights of the Historic Centre and also have some memorable local experiences. You can also visit the Ballestas Islands, Nazca Lines and Huacachina all from Lima too, where you can do it all in just one day with our unique day tour from Lima.
Are you looking for some inspiration when building your own itinerary around Peru? Then check out our custom 2 week itinerary below.
The Peruvian capital will be your first stop on a trip around this incredible country, where we can visit classic destinations such as the San Francisco Catacombs, the Costa Verde in Miraflores as well as the impressive archaeological findings at Larco Museum. It’s also the very best place to head on a memorable food tour too, where we can sample all kinds of tasty dishes which hail from around Peru.
Wait – is it really possible to see all three of these unforgettable destinations in just one day? It certainly is when heading on our all-inclusive tour from Lima, where we can go Sandboarding in Huacachina whilst seeing Humboldt Penguins and marine wildlife in Paracas. We’ll also get to fly over the Nazca Lines too – before arriving back in Lima that same evening.
The kingdom of the former ancient Inca civilization, Cusco simply must be explored when in Peru. Here we can see incredible colonial and antique architecture in the city centre, whilst also heading on memorable day trips to Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and several glacial lagoons. You’ll also need the extra time to visit remote mountainous towns within the Sacred Valley, such as Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo.
From Cusco we can then hop on a short flight over to Puerto Maldonado, which lies deep within the Amazon Jungle. Here we can head on a mesmerising wildlife tour where we can spot Caiman, Giant River Otters, Monkeys and even Jaguars if we are lucky. From Puerto Maldonado we can then fly back directly to Lima to end our Peru itinerary.
And that’s all for this guide on how to plan your very best Peru itinerary.
This incredible South American nation has a bit of everything for everyone here, whether that’s trying incredible foods in Lima, exploring ancient ruins such as Machu Picchu or even going Piranha fishing deep within the Amazon Jungle. As we have covered in this guide, it’s more than possible to fit all of these incredible experiences into your itinerary with proper planning and know-how.
Get in touch with us now where we can help you build your ultimate customized Peru itinerary – exactly the way you want it.
Sunday December 15, 2024
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