An 11-Day Peru Itinerary
Here's how I spent my Thanksgiving Holiday in Peru
| Day | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Fly into Cusco | I had a roundtrip into Lima, from where I took a one-way to Cusco. Half-day free in Cusco to explore the city |
| Day 2 | Free day in Cusco | Visit the ruins just outside the city. You can hike up to the ruins (Sacsayhuaman, Coricancha, Q’enko) then flag a local bus to take you back into the city. Ignore the taxi drivers, the bus is perfectly functional |
| Day 3 - 5 | Days 1-3 trekking on the Inca Trail | |
| Day 6 | Last day on the Inca Trail and into Machu Picchu | Visit Machu Picchu, climb Huayna Picchu, take train back to Cusco in the evening |
| Day 7 | Free day in Cusco | Go on a half day tour to the Sacred Valley (honestly I don’t recommend - it wasn’t that interesting after the trail unless you want to buy pottery or wool), explore old town in Cusco |
| Day 8 | Rainbow Mountain Hike | It’s a 4 hour bus ride from Cusco (one-way), making this a very long day and dependent on the weather gods |
| Day 9 | Free day in Lima | Explore Lima - Miraflores, Barranco districts |
| Day 10 | Day tour to Ballestas and Huacachina | Ballestas is an island off the coast of Peru known as “Poor Man’s Galapagos”. Having been to Galapagos, this was very disappointing. Huacachina is an oasis in the Atacama Desert to experience sand dunes - this I recommend. Cheapest bus tour link is below |
| Day 11 | Fly home |
Tips
- There's many Inca Trail trek operators - a decent one will cost you between $650 to $1k. You must book in advance because there are daily limits for how many people can be on the trail. Also the trail is closed in February. I went with SAS travel and I would recommend them - Link
- Hiking Huayna Picchu (inside Machu Picchu) is worth doing to see a Machu Picchu from a different angle. If you start the hike between 10am-12pm, you'll be able to catch the train back into Cusco
- If you have time, spend an extra day in Aguas Calientes, the cute mountain town by Machu Picchu, rather than going straight back to Cusco,
- I didn't have time to go, but Manu National Park (part of the Amazon) is worth going. It will take at least 2-3 days
- Hiking to the Inca ruins in Cusco - Link
- Sand Dunes day tour from Lima - This one goes to the Ballestas islands and the sand dunes. The islands were disappointing, but the sand dunes were worth it - Link
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