Plan for altitude first
Cusco is at about 3,400 metres and Lake Titicaca above 3,800, while the Sacred Valley is lower. Many itineraries sleep in the Sacred Valley first, then Cusco, and keep the first day light.
Destination
Peru
Inca citadels and Andean valleys, the former Inca capital of Cusco, Lake Titicaca and coastal Lima, in a country best planned around altitude, trains and a few key flights.
Machu PicchuInca citadel
CuscoInca capital
Sacred ValleyInca valley
LimaCoastal capital
Lake TiticacaHighland lake
Arequipa & ColcaWhite-stone city
Top destinations in Peru
Handpicked places that create different chapters of the same country.
Machu Picchu
CuscoA 15th-century Inca citadel at about 2,430 metres on a ridge above the Urubamba valley, UNESCO-listed in 1983, with daily visitor limits.
Inca · CitadelCusco
CuscoThe Inca capital until the Spanish conquest, at about 3,400 metres, with Inca walls at Qorikancha and Sacsayhuamán beside colonial churches.
Inca · AltitudeSacred Valley
CuscoA lower valley of Inca terraces, markets and villages between Pisac and Ollantaytambo, a gentler first stop for adjusting to altitude.
Terraces · VillagesLima
LimaA Pacific capital with a UNESCO-listed historic centre, clifftop Miraflores and Barranco, and a well-known food scene.
City · FoodLake Titicaca
PunoA lake at 3,812 metres shared with Bolivia, often called the highest navigable lake, with Uros reed islands and Taquile near Puno.
Lake · IslandsArequipa & Colca
ArequipaA city of white volcanic sillar stone beneath Misti volcano, UNESCO-listed in 2000, and the usual base for the Colca Canyon.
Colonial · Canyon
Explore Peru by experience
Use travel style to decide what deserves more time.
Hotels and flights
Start your Peru trip here
Hotels in Cusco and flights into Lima at live prices for your dates, booked and paid in one step. The rest of the route we plan with you.
Peru travel guide
Practical thinking for a better-paced first plan.
Book Machu Picchu first
Daily visitor numbers are limited and the site uses timed entry, so book the visit before fixing the rest of the route. Trains run to Aguas Calientes, the town below the ruins.
Highland and coast seasons
In the highlands the driest months are roughly May to August and the wettest December to March. Lima is sunny from about December to April and grey and damp from June to October.
Entry rules and connections
Entry rules depend on your passport and can change, so check them with official sources before booking. Lake Titicaca is a long day by road or train from Cusco, and Arequipa is usually reached by flight.
Plan your Peru journey with AI
Start with your dates, pace, interests or budget, and get a route drafted from what we sell, with its prices, before you book anything.