Ocean, mountains, ruins, jungle, desert, dunes and canyons – welcome to Peru! Peru is considered one of the most biodiverse countries in the world with over 10% of the world species of fauna. It’s been on our must-travel list for years and we were so excited to finally take a 8-day trip to explore the country. While we only had 8 days, we wanted to visit all three of Peru’s famous regions: the Pacific Coast, the Andes mountains and the Amazon Rainforest. Most itineraries online didn’t include all three locations, so we did our own research and pulled together what we believe is the perfect 8-day itinerary to visit all three regions. Follow this guide for an incredible exploration of Peru’s sea, mountains, and jungle! Note: This itinerary does not include travel time to & from Peru – ultimately our trip was 10 days counting travel days.
High Level Itinerary
- Day 1: Lima: Explore the city sites & culinary delights (Full City Guide)
- Day 2: Sacred Valley: Pisac & Ollantaytambo
- Day 3-4: Inca Trail & Machu Picchu
- Day 5: Explore Cusco & Onward Travel to Iquitos
- Day 6 – 8: Amazon Rainforest
Day by Day
Day 1: Lima
AM We started our day in Lima exploring the neighborhood of Miraflores, which has beautiful tree-lined streets full of bakeries, cafes and restaurants. We hadn’t had a real meal since departing Canada so we stopped at El Pan de La Chola for delicious croissants and coffee. If you have time, take a leisurely stroll around Miraflores to check out the boutiques and shops and Huaca Pucllana Site Museum, where you can see an adobe and clay pyramid located right in the middle of the city.
PM In the afternoon, we headed down to the neighborhood of Barranco to explore the art galleries and gift shops. Dédalo and Artesanías Las Pallas are two highly recommended shops that sell beautiful pottery, jewelry, textiles and more. After doing some shopping, we walked over to the Bridge of Sighs (Puente de los Suspiros) – a ~150 year old bridge. Legend says if you’re able to walk across the bridge while holding your breath, your wish might just come true!
For lunch we had the opportunity to eat at Central Restaurant, which when we visited in September 2022, was ranked #2 on the World’s Top 50 Restaurants List and had been on the list since 2013. Central’s core theme is Peru’s great biodiversity, with menus made to highlight ingredients that come from different regions & elevations across Peru. The meal was incredible, one of the best we’ve every had. Read more about our experience here. We highly recommend you try and get a reservation (they book up months in advance), but if you’re on a tight budget there are lots of other options in the city – Lima is the food capital of South America!
Day 2: Sacred Valley, Pisac, and Ollantaytambo
AM We got picked up by our guide (Alpaca Expeditions) around 8AM in the Sacred Valley and headed out for the day. Our first stop was Manos de la Comunidad, a local co-operative with alpacas, llamas, vicuñas, and guanacos and their own shop for local textiles, sweaters, and art. It was a great place to get photos of the animals, buy some real authentic alpaca sweaters & textiles, and learn about the process of weaving. These are high quality handicrafts and made with real wool, so pricier than the offerings from many stalls. Beware that many local market stalls mix synthetics with wool, but market it as “100% alpaca”.
Next up was a visit to the ruins of Pisac, an impressive Inca complex located up in the hills with graded terraces and spectacular views. This was our first exposure to Incan ruins and as we continued our trip we found each Incan site to be unique in its own way.
PM We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant serving up a buffet style lunch. This was a great chance to try the local cuisine – we had different soups and stews, llama, and guinea pig (a local delicacy!). As you drive through the towns in the Sacred Valley, it was common to see guinea pig statues outside restaurants advertising their wares.
After lunch, we headed to our final stop of the day, Ollantaytambo town & ruins. The houses in the town are some of the oldest occupied buildings in the region and the ruins are really well preserved. After seeing a couple of sites already that day, I continued to be impressed by how unique each Inca site was.
Entry to the ruins closes at 5pm and we were there just in time, which allowed us to walk around without the crowd. Ollantanytambo is a great example of Inca stone craftsmanship. It’s hard to believe how perfectly symmetrical and straight the stones are without all the advanced machinery. Keep in mind that there are a lot of stairs (a common theme in Inca sites!) but the views are worth climbing for – just take it slow as you adjust to the altitude. We were back at our hotel around 6:30PM to unwind and get ready for our early start!
- EZ TIP Use a Guide: Public transit isn’t great around the Sacred Valley, so we used Alpaca Expeditions, the same company as our Inca trail trek for this itinerary. It made it extremely easy to have a driver that could help get to all the sites. Additionally, the Inca sites really come alive when you have a knowledgeable guide there to explain the history along the way.
- EZ TIP Take it Slow: Don’t go overboard on your first day in Sacred Valley. The elevation definitely makes it harder to breathe and every Inca site has a LOT of stairs (thank you terraces…). Go at your own pace and make sure not to tire yourself out before the Inca Trail.
Alpaca
Day 3: Inca Trail
AM Early start! We were lucky because we were staying in Sacred Valley, so instead of a 4 AM pickup like those in Cusco, we got to sleep in and start at the leisurely hour of 5AM. We had in total a group of 7 plus our guide from Alpaca Expeditions. The bus will pick you up from hour hotel and bring you to the Ollantaytambo train station. At the station there is a ‘Inca Rail Waiting Room’ where you can use the restrooms, grab a coffee and a muffin if you didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast.
After a coffee, we set off on a ~1.5 hour picturesque train ride alongside the Urubamba River with views of Incan ruins, snow-capped mountains, and the flowing river. We stopped at KM 104 where we began our hike at Chachabamba, the first of many Incan sites along the trail.
The first ~3 hours of the hike is difficult; we had a hot sunny day and it was mostly an uphill climb. Don’t let that scare you though. The stunning mountain vistas and waterfalls will keep you distracted as you make your way along the ridge to Wiñay Wayna. You will get glimpses of Wiñay Wayna during the hike, but seeing it up close is impressive. This Incan site features temples, storehouses, and terraces to explore. Once you reach Wiñay Wayna, you just have one more staircase left and then you break for lunch.
PM After lunch, you make your way from Wiñay Wayna to the Sun Gate. Luckily this part of the trail is less difficult. The steepest part is a set of Incan stairs right at the end, but once you reach the top you are rewarded with your first look over Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountain. From here, it’s an easy descent to the terraces overlooking the stunning sites of Machu Picchu (you might even be able to snap a pic with one of the many “conveniently placed” alpacas in the foreground.
As we were on a hiking tour, we were allowed to visit a special viewing spot on the Upper Terraces that allows you to get that famous photo overlooking the full site. This viewing platform is part of Circuit 1 & 2 (scroll down to Day 4 for more info on the circuits).
After we got 100s of photos (literally) we got on a bus to Aguas Calientes, the main town at the base of Machu Picchu where most tourists stay. The buses to and from Aguas Calientes leave every 5-10 minutes, are ~$25USD round trip and can be bought online or in town.
When we arrived in Aguas Calientes we checked into the hotel and had a hot shower. On our Alpaca Expedition trip, we had an included dinner with our group at Bistro Indio Feliz which had great food, drinks and vibe. While most of our group crashed quickly, we headed out for craft beers at Mapacho Craft Beer Restaurant which overlooked the river and had beers from all around Peru.
- EZ TIP Get Breakfast to Go: If you are staying in a hotel, you can often ask them for a packed breakfast to go. We did this for our early morning 5am pickup and ensured we were well-fueled for the day!
- EZ TIP Go with Alpaca Expeditions: We did a lot of research on guiding companies for our hike & Machu Picchu visit and ended up using Alpaca Expeditions. This was definitely the right decision – Alpaca is extremely well organized, sending lots of information in advance of the trip and communicating every step of the way. Once you are “on trail” you will see lots of people in bright green representing the “green machine”. They are Peruvian owned and support the local community by hiring the local population to be porters on their trips.
- EZ TIP Opt for the Hotel Stay: We did this trip with our parents, so we decided to do the 2 day, 1 night trip which was the perfect amount of hiking & challenge for our group. We definitely thought it was worth doing the hotel stay as opposed to camping as it enabled us to explore the shops, restaurants and bars in Aguas Calientes. The 2 day, 1 night hotel tour also includes a hot lunch during the hike (which was incredible). The 2 day, 1 night camping only included a packed picnic lunch.
Day 3: Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu
AM Catch an early bus up to Machu Picchu for when the park opens. When you buy tickets to Machu Picchu, you need to decide if you want to only visit Machu Picchu or also hike one of the nearby mountains. Some only provide access to different areas, so we’ve summarized below your options!
- Machu Picchu Only – Circuits 1, 2, 3, 4
- Machu Picchu & Machu Picchu Mountain – Circuit 3 Only
- Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu – Circuit 4 Only
- Machu Picchu & Huchuy Picchu – Circuit 4 Only
- Machu Picchu & Inca Bridge – Circuit 1 or 2
- Note: Circuit 3 and 4 do not provide access to the upper terraces, so you won’t be able to get the ‘postcard photo’ on these routes unless you are doing a 2+ day hike with a tour company, who will bring you to the upper terraces on you way from the Sun Gate.
If you aren’t doing an overnight tour you’ll need to decide how much you want the postcard shot. If you’re set on getting the shot, make sure to book a ticket that gives access to Circuit 1 or 2. If you don’t care about the photo, we’d highly recommend doing the Huayna Picchu hike.
We had a chance to see the upper terrace on our hike down from the Sun Gate the day before and then did Circuit 4 and Huayna Picchu the next day. The Huayna Picchu hike is about 90 minutes round trip and provides AMAZING views. It’s a challenging hike (straight switchbacks up for 30-40 minutes) and the last 5 minutes has a very steep staircase (called the Death of Stairs). If you’re really afraid of heights, we’d advise not to do the climb. Emily is scared of heights and it was certainly a heart pounding last few minutes to get to the top – but the views are amazing!
Machu Picchu city itself is outstanding. We had a clear day with a little bit of fog and it was nothing less than spectacular sitting in the warm sun on the grassy terraces and looking over the valley. It was so peaceful. We could’ve stayed there all day listening to how the Incans lived.
PM After a magical morning at Machu Picchu we headed back to Aguas Calientes for a quick lunch and then caught the train back to Ollantaytambo and then a bus to Cusco. We arrived at our hotel around 6:30PM. We were all exhausted from a day of exploring and hiking, but made a trip out to check out the Plaza de Armas and ate at La Bodega 138. We put our name on the list and had to wait a bit, but really enjoyed the Italian comfort food and good wine.
Day 4: Cusco & Transfer to Iquitos
AM Our first stop in Cusco was Qorikancha, which was one of the most important Incan temples before it was destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors and replaced with a Convent. You can still find well-preserved Incan masonry, consisting of large stones perfectly shaped to fit together without any mortar to hold them together.
From here we ventured onwards to the San Pedro Market, a vibrant local market located ~10 minutes from the Plaza de Armas that has a wide selection of local fruit & crafts. Before leaving the market we made sure to stop by one of the many fresh juice stalls – from orange to passion fruit to mango – it can’t get any fresher! All the vendors are selling the same juice at the same prices, and so they are competing on who can grab the attention of the shoppers!
PM After the market we stopped for lunch at Fuego, a burger restaurant right on the central square. Here we got to try delicious Alpaca burgers with a view over the Plaza de Armas. If it’s a nice day find a spot in the park to eat your lunch and people watch.
Across the street is the Cusco Cathedral, which features an interesting painting of Jesus eating guinea pig for the Last Supper. Unfortunately there is a hefty entrance fee and no photos allowed. If you are a fan of religious art and architecture, this is worth a stop. Alternatively, Sasqsaywaman is a large Inca site a short distance away with massive Incan masonry.
You will be looking to transfer this afternoon on a connecting flight from Cusco -> Lima -> Iquitos so your time exploring the city will be limited by what flight times are available. If you are not as pressed for time, this would be a good time to extend your trip and fly out the following day to give yourself more time to explore in Cusco.
In Iquitos, we stayed at the Hilton Doubletree which is the nicest option in the city but still affordable. There isn’t much to do in Iquitos, so we recommended getting an evening flight in and just staying in the city to sleep before heading up the Amazon river early the next morning.
- EZ TIP Gourd Carvings: Gourd carving has been practiced in Peru for more than 4,000 years. Most famous for this art is the city of Huancayo, a 350,000 person city in the Quechua region of Peru. The gourds are carved with local folklore, imagery, and stories. These are all hand-carved and priced based on the complexity and time put into their creation. You can find lots of simple gourd carvings in stalls throughout Cusco, but we recommend finding Cristian Alfaro Nunez in the San Pedro market (when we visited his stall was located outside, near C. Sta. Clara). Cristian is an award-winning gourd carver who is happy to customize his gourds with the date of your trip and to string them as Christmas ornaments. You can find more about their products and their contact details here.
Day 6: Amazon Rainforest – La Isla De Los Monos & Nightime Jungle Adventures
AM This was Day 1 of a fabulous 3 day, 2 night itinerary with Heliconia Lodge. We were greeted by our driver ~8:30AM and transferred to the port of Iquitos. There was lots of activity (local ferries, commercial vessels, military) and we boarded our boat transfer to make the 80KM journey up the Amazon River to Heliconia Lodge. Onboard we met our guide, Vladimir, who stayed with us for the full trip and was outstanding. We had a mixed group of English and Spanish speakers and he was able to quickly transition between languages for the entirety of the trip.
Our first stop, 30KM up river was The Monkey Island (La Isla De Los Monos), a 450 hectare sanctuary for rehabilitation of monkeys that have been victims of the illegal animal trade. Here we got to see many monkeys freely roaming – Tamarins, Howler monkeys, Wooly monkeys, Saki monkeys, Spider monkeys, and more. The monkeys were very friendly and playful. If you are comfortable, you can let them climb up your arms onto your shoulders. One took a particular interest in Zach’s camera. It was a highlight experience.
PM After arriving at the lodge, lunch was served and we had some free time to settle in and hang out at the pool. In the afternoon, we departed on our second excursion to see Pink Dolphins and go Piranha fishing. We got to see both regular Grey Dolphins and the Amazonian Pink Dolphin, but they didn’t get too close to our boat. We then piloted to the edge of the riverbank and found an ideal spot to tie off and try our hand at Piranha fishing. We did catch a few fish – including a catfish – but it was so small I don’t think it could even feed one!
That night, we had one final excursion planned – a nighttime jungle walk. This was an incredibly unique experience to explore the rainforest at dark. So many creatures come out at night that you don’t see in the day…(some of which you are happy you never see). We wore rubber boots to protect against potential snake bites and Vladimir was clear that we shouldn’t touch anything.
As we walked through the forest we saw tarantulas (quite a common site!), an anaconda, an owl, and plenty of insects. But the highlight of the hike had to be when our guide had everyone be completely silent and turn off all flashlights. In the pitch black we took a moment of silence to listen to the sounds. It was surreal to be fully immersed in the jungle.
Day 7: Amazon Rainforest – Bird Watching & Daytime Jungle Adventures
AM We got up early to go out on the Amazon river for some early bird watching. Zach has recently become obsessed with bird watching and he was in his element the whole morning. We got to see some spectacular bird species (Oriole Blackbird, Blue-gray Tanagers, Orange-bellied Euphonias, Amazon Kingfishers, and more!). Some of these birds were quite far away in trees, so we would highly recommend bringing binoculars and a telephoto zoom lens if you are looking to capture the wildlife.
We boated down the coastline to find the birds, before disembarking to visit a local community known for the Victoria Regia Water Lilies, a large pond with giant Amazonian lily pads. This was a pretty spectacular photo location with lots of bird activity in the area. We even saw a few crocodiles (the community pet we were told).
PM In the afternoon we did a 2 hour jungle walk, following a similar trail that we did during our night walk. It was really cool to see the day/night contrast. During our walk we saw a mind-blowing amount of diverse fauna (there are over 40,000 species of plants in the Amazon) and some incredible wildlife, including sloths, butterflies, and numerous frogs . A key objective of our hike was to find a red-backed poison frog (Ranitomeya Reticulata), a tiny but powerful poisonous frog. This frog is roughly the size of a quarter and are used by the indigenous tribes for their hunting darts. In the afternoon, we went to a local distillery. After dinner, we went back out on the Amazon for a sunset cruise.
Day 8: Amazon Rainforest & Return To Lima
AM After packing up, we headed out to visit a local indigenous community, the Yaguas. They showed us their traditional way of hunting with the blow gun, their traditional clothing and crafts. The Yagua people are spread out in communities between Peru and Colombia.
PM Transfer back to Lima & plan for your onward travel.
The Final Word
Peru has it all – mountains, ancient ruins, big cities, and jungle adventures. This 8-day itinerary is a great introduction to the different regions of the country and a jumping off point for more adventures in the region.
