Peru Travel Itinerary: 9 days exploring Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, and more
Peru Travel Itinerary: 9 days exploring Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, and more
Marcos Thatcher
My most recent itinerary from my trip to Peru! I mostly visited your typical tourist highlights but have also included the names and locations of restaurants that I visited and the places I chose to stay!
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Before You Go
This is my biggest recommendation to anyone that is interested in traveling more! Thanks to Going, I was sent a RT flight deal out of Atlanta, GA to Lima, Peru for only $291, which is an absolutely ridiculous price! After dreaming of visiting Machu Picchu for the past few years, I knew this deal was too good to pass up on so I booked it immediately and started planning! If you are looking to visit Peru, it is essential to give yourself enough time in the Cusco area to acclimatize to the altitude before attempting to do any strenuous activity! It is typically recommended to spend at least two nights in Cusco if you are considering doing hikes like Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, or Lake Humantay!
Entry to Peru requires a passport with at least six months validity from the last day of your trip. Unfortunately, I was given incorrect information when I booked my ticket, and did not find this out until about 3 weeks before my trip! Because of this, I was forced to schedule an appointment for an expedited passport. This process can only begin if you book the appointment within 14 days of your departure and drive to the nearest passport office to receive your passport in person. For me, this meant driving to Atlanta two days prior to my departure and spending an entire day there waiting to receive my passport, but I was not going to let anything get in the way of going on this trip! Unfortunately, the country of Peru does not stamp passports upon entry or departure from their country so my new passport is still blank :(.
When booking your ticket with PeruRail, it is important that you verify your ticket before attempting to use it. There are multiple locations throughout the country that you can visit for this, including both the Lima and Cusco airports. I chose to get my tickets verified while waiting to depart from Lima to Cusco and it didn't take any more than 15 minutes!
As of 2024, there is a strict procedure to visiting Machu Picchu. To avoid overtourism, the Peruvian government has limited the number of tickets that are available each day and visitors must book their tickets on one of three specific routes. Each of the routes follows a specific path through the site, so we chose to book our tickets on circuit 2 since I was told that it provided the best overall view. It is recommended to visit during the dry season (April-October) to guarantee that the site will be open for visitors. From Aguas Calientes, you can take an hour hike to Machu Picchu from the city or buy a bus ticket and take a short ride to the entrance.
Uber will be your best bet when it comes to traveling cheaply throughout cities in Peru. Taxis are also an option but are usually more expensive and not as available.
Itinerary
Day 1: Travel ✈️
Day 2: Lima 🌃
Day 3: Paracas & Huacachina Day Trip 🐧
Day 4: Lima/Cusco 🇵🇪
Day 5: Cusco 🌞
Day 6: Machu Picchu 🦙
Day 7: Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley ⛰️
Day 8: Humantay Lake 🥾
Day 9: Travel ✈️
August 10th: ATL
Flight Info: ATL Departure: 4:00 PM
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
@marcosthatcher
Thanks to another incredible deal from Going.com, I was able to purchase RT tickets out of Atlanta for less than $300! Watch for deals from Delta Airlines as the company's largest hub is located here!
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Jorge Chavez International Airport
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After a long travel day, I made it to the Lima airport around 2:30 AM. Unfortunately, my phone was dead upon arrival which meant I couldn't order an Uber and had to take an airport taxi to my Airbnb. What would've been about a $20 Uber ride ended up being a $60 taxi ride, but I guess that's what I get for being unprepared. Learn from my mistakes: charge your phone and get an Uber if you want to save some money!
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This Airbnb is in an incredible location directly between Barranco and Miraflores! This area is very safe and walkable, including in the evenings! There is security in the building at all times, and guests are only allowed in the building after checking in with the receptionist.
August 11th: Lima
Lima Arrival: 1:00 AM
Lima
@marcosthatcher
To start my trip, I chose to spend a few days in Peru's largest city and capital: Lima. In August, the weather in Lima is very mild, so beaches were not an option. However, I did enjoy getting the chance to explore the neighborhoods of Miraflores and Barranco.
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Miraflores
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The Miraflores district is an upscale shopping district south of downtown Lima that is the tourism center of the city. It is safe for tourists and offers many restaurants, stores, and hotels for tourists. I walked alone through many residential areas between my Airbnb and tourist destinations during both the day and night and had no safety issues!
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Barranco
@marcosthatcher
Barranco is another district within Lima that is popular with tourists. It is considered a safe and charming area, but it did not feel quite as upscale as Miraflores. Streets are filled with restaurants, artists, and murals, so definitely explore this area if you get the chance!
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Manolo
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Manolo is a popular restaurant among tourists and is very close to Parque Kennedy. I stopped for breakfast on my way to the park and had a ham and cheese omelet along with an order of their churros. The food was great, servings are large, and prices are affordable!
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Parque Kennedy
@marcosthatcher
Parque Kennedy is located in the center of the Miraflores district and is popular among tourists and stray cats! Restaurants and shopping opportunities are endless in this area! You will also find a number of creative sculptures and local merchants throughout the park
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Mercado 28 Miraflores
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Mercado 28 is a popular gastronomic market in Miraflores. There are 10+ international restaurants for tourists to choose from, but I chose to keep things simple and order a few tacos.
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August 12th: Day Trip to Paracas & Huacachina
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Paracas
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Paracas is a small coastal city located about 3.5 hours south of Lima. Upon arrival, we were given the freedom to choose our own breakfast options, but there are only a few streets to wander so options were limited. The tour itself was incredible, and we were able to see penguins and sea lions from the boat!
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Restaurant Juan Pablo en Paracas
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After getting a recommendation to try "lomo saltado" (similar to beef stir fry), I went down a line of restaurants and went into the first one that had the traditional Peruvian dish on the menu. The restaurant itself was somewhat unassuming, but the food was great!
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Huacachina
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Huacachina is a tiny desert oasis near Ica, Peru. Again, not a whole lot going on here other than a few tourist shops and restaurants that we were able to explore before starting our dune buggy tour and sandboarding. The tour itself was a blast but be prepared to be very sandy and potentially bruised by the time it is finished.
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August 13th: Lima/Cusco
mó.café Angamos
@marcosthatcher
This charming breakfast cafe in Miraflores was one of my favorite stops throughout the trip! Definitely make this stop a priority if you are looking for traditional breakfast items (waffles, eggs, coffee, etc.)
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Flight Info: Lima Departure: 3:50 PM, Cusco Arrival: 5:10 PM
Cusco
@marcosthatcher
Cusco is one of the most unique cities I've been to and the gateway to Peru's most famous tourist destinations. In order to see attractions like the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Rainbow Mountain, you will need to either fly over the Andes Mountains into Cusco or take a tourist bus around the mountains. Due to limited time, we chose to book a domestic flight from Lima with LATAM Airlines and had an overall positive experience flying with them! Prices typically float around the $120-$150 price range and the flight only took about 2.5 hours. The city itself reminded me of a much larger version of Antigua, Guatemala, and you will have no problem finding just about any type of restaurant you could think of.
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Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport
@marcosthatcher
Just another simple, South American airport. I'd plan on eating before arrival or after departure due to limited food availability - especially in the evenings. We were able to uber from the airport to the city center, so no need to take an overpriced taxi.
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Viajero Kokopelli Cusco Hostel
@marcosthatcher
While I typically prefer the privacy of an airbnb while traveling, our tours to Rainbow Mountain and Lake Humantay had scheduled pickups at 3:00 AM and provided a shortlist of pickup destinations in Cusco. If you choose to stay somewhere outside of this list, it is your responsibility to meet them at one of these locations which would probably result in waking up even earlier than needed. While hostels can be sometimes be a scary place, this one honestly met my expectations when it came to cleanliness and amenities. We booked a private room with an attached, private bathroom. The features within the room and bathroom were basic but functional and very comparable to other places I've stayed throughout Central America. This hostel boasts an attached restaurant and bar, a central location, and plenty of activities for visitors to partake in!
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Pizzeria Trattoria Casa Grande Cusco (La mejor Pizza Artesanal a Leña)
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After arriving in Cusco and taking a few hours to settle in, we decided to walk around the city and find dinner. We were looking for something that would be pretty quick and simple, so when we came across this pizzeria right around the corner from our hostel, we decided to give it a chance. The pizza is wood-fired and tasted great, and an older gentleman with a dog that was eating nearby made for some interesting conversation and entertainment.
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August 14th: Cusco
Plaza Mayor de Cusco
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This area is the heart of Cusco, and you will find tourist shops, travel agencies, and plenty of restaurant choices surrounding the park. This is also a part of the city that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
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Cusco Cathedral
@marcosthatcher
This is the main temple of Cusco and the city's most important religious monument. The site was once home to Kiswarkancha - a temple and palace of the ancient Inca empire - before being taken over by Spanish conquistadors and converted to a Catholic church.
Price is about $11 USD per adult for entry
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Plazoleta de San Blas
@marcosthatcher
The San Blas neighborhood is located within the Historic Center of Cusco and is known as a cultural and artistic district. It is only a short walk from the city center and there are plenty of shops, cafes, or services to check out along the way.
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Mirador desde el Cristo Blanco
@marcosthatcher
Cristo Blanco is one of the most famous monuments in Cusco and overlooks the entire city. The walk from downtown Cusco is fairly easy, but there are a lot of steps to climb on your way up! Unfortunately, there is a fence surrounding the monument that takes away from its aesthetic, but the view of the city makes the walk worth it! If you are visiting Sacsayhuaman, this is literally right next to it!
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Mercado Central
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This market was by far the most authentic-feeling activity we did during our trip! After seeing a Youtube video and learning that there was a number of local food options available at this market, we decided to check it out for lunch to give us a break from all the walking we had done earlier. Upon arrival, we were greeted with around 100 different local vendors selling anything from souvenirs to raw meat. Fortunately, we were able to find the food vendors in the back of the market and everything was about as authentic as it gets. We decided to play it safe and order the lomo saltado and milanesa. It was here that we were also offered muña tea: which is a natural cure for altitude sickness that is traditional to the area. The tea had a mint-like taste, but this was before I started to feel the effects of altitude sickness, so I cannot confidently say if it helped relieve any symptoms or not. The food itself didn't necessarily stand out, but the smoothie stand we stopped at on the way out was really good! We came here more for the experience, so we definitely were not disappointed with this stop!
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Fuego, Burgers and Barbecue Restaurant
@marcosthatcher
Although this is a popular burger restaurant, I was still craving something more authentic, so I chose to order the anticuchos. This Peruvian delicacy is actually just beef heart and was a little tender for my liking, but I was still glad I chose to try it! My friend that was with me had the alpaca burger and also liked his meal, so this would definitely be a safe choice for someone that was looking for food they may be familiar with.
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August 15th: Cusco/Machu Picchu
Train Departure: Poroy 7:35 AM
Estación Ferroviaria de Poroy
@marcosthatcher
Tickets must be picked up ahead of time at any designated station throughout the country. I chose to get my ticket verified at the airport in Lima before departing for Cusco, which required my passport and ticket information. The station itself was about a 20 minute uber ride from the center of Cusco, but there isn't much else around this area to do.
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Machu Picchu Arrival 10:52 AM
Machu Picchu station
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After an incredibly scenic train ride that took about 3 hours, we made it to Aguas Calientes, which is the closest town to Machu Picchu. The station is literally surrounded by souvenir shops, but there are signs leading visitors through the narrow openings between merchants. I did have a very helpful station employee that let me borrow her phone to call the company that I booked my Machu Picchu entry ticket with. Without her, I more than likely would not have been able to change my passport information on my ticket which would have resulted in me being unable to enter the site and my trip being ruined. She was literally my hero!
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Entry Ticket 2:00 PM Machu Picchu
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
@marcosthatcher
Due to time constraints, we chose to take the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, and the views along the way were absolutely incredible. This was my third wonder of the world that I have seen, and it honestly may be my favorite one! The routes make the areas feel not as crowded and seeing this historic monument in person was about as great as I expected it to be. Skies were clear and the weather was perfect for hiking! Due to our train leaving at 5, I was originally worried that we would be rushing to finish our tour, but 2.5 hours was more than enough to finish.
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Mesa 7 Restaurante
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After a long day at Machu Picchu, we stopped here for a quick meal before hopping back on the train and heading to Cusco. While the food and drinks were good, my empanada was the prime suspect of what could have gotten me sick, as it was less than 2 hours after eating that I started to feel very sick. I still have no idea what the exact cause of my sickness was, but my friend also ate here and never got sick so if you choose to eat here you may be safe!
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Train Departure: Machu Picchu 5:23 PM
Machu Picchu station
@marcosthatcher
After an incredibly scenic train ride that took about 3 hours, we made it to Aguas Calientes, which is the closest town to Machu Picchu. The station is literally surrounded by souvenir shops, but there are signs leading visitors through the narrow openings between merchants. I did have a very helpful station employee that let me borrow her phone to call the company that I booked my Machu Picchu entry ticket with. Without her, I more than likely would not have been able to change my passport information on my ticket which would have resulted in me being unable to enter the site and my trip being ruined. She was literally my hero!
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Poroy Arrival 8:52 PM
Estación Ferroviaria de Poroy
@marcosthatcher
Tickets must be picked up ahead of time at any designated station throughout the country. I chose to get my ticket verified at the airport in Lima before departing for Cusco, which required my passport and ticket information. The station itself was about a 20 minute uber ride from the center of Cusco, but there isn't much else around this area to do.
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August 16th: Cusco/Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley
Vinicunca
@marcosthatcher
Vinicunca or "Rainbow Mountain" as it is commonly called is one of the most amazing natural landscapes I have ever gotten the chance to see! The trail stands at a staggering 17,000 ft. (over 5,000 meters) which makes this trek very difficult and can lead to a pretty severe case of altitude sickness, so it is best to have plenty of fluids and rest frequently while hiking.
The departure time for our day trip was 3:00 AM, which means you've got a long day ahead of you! While I was able to wake up on time for the trip, I had spent the entire previous evening curled up in bed with flu-like symptoms that started while on the train back to Cusco from Machu Picchu. As a result of this, I had very little energy throughout the day, and I struggled the entire day.
The ride from Cusco to the base of Vinicunca is about 3 hours long, and there is a stop for breakfast along the way. However, I was not in a state to be eating anything, so I spent the breakfast period sipping on water. The hike itself is about 5 miles (8 km) and typically takes about 3-4 hours. Fortunately, there are multiple bathrooms along the path, but they do charge 2 soles per entry and like most bathrooms in Peru they were not the most sanitary and lacked toilet seats. About halfway up the trail, I started to rely heavily on constantly chewing coca leaves, and they definitely were the only reason I was able to make it to the top.
After taking a few pictures and admiring the views, I was feeling way too miserable to stay at the top, so I left my group and made the hike back to the base. Fortunately, the walk back was much easier and after arriving at the parking lot, I chose to lay on a nearby bench and fell asleep for about an hour before the rest of the group was finished.
The tour group stopped at the same restaurant after finishing the hike, but I still wasn't feeling well enough to eat, so I spent the afternoon lying outside in the sunlight. As you could imagine the rest of the ride home was pretty miserable as well, and by the time we made it back to our room, I was too exhausted to do anything else, so I was forced to spend another afternoon/evening in bed with no dinner.
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August 17th: Humantay Lake
Humantay Lake
@marcosthatcher
After spending the previous day hiking Vinicunca and the previous two nights in a lot of pain, I had a choice to make: wake up at 4:00 AM and hike the Humantay Lake trail or sleep in and rest before flying home. Unfortunately, I chose the second option and have only regretted it since. However, I am also confident that I would have regretted going on the day trip while I was not feeling my best, so we decided to spend another day exploring Cusco! This did result in us losing our money that we paid to go on the day trip, but I felt it was worth it to not feel miserable all day.
While this lake is difficult to reach (rated hard on all trails/1,515 ft. in elevation gain), the views seem to be incredible and I can only hope that I will make it back to Peru one day to attempt the hike when I am feeling better!
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Van Gogh Cafe Cusco
@marcosthatcher
After barely eating any food for the past two days, I was finally starting to feel better, so we chose to check out this cafe. I ordered and ate about half of a small sandwich that was good, but their drinks were the real highlight. If you're looking for authentic Peruvian coffee or fresh juice, this is definitely somewhere that I would recommend.
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Limo
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During my second night of being sick, I decided that when I was able to eat again I would definitely be searching for ramen. Fortunately, there happens to be this japanese restaurant in the heart of Cusco, and the ramen there is incredible! I'm not sure if I was just really hungry or the food was that good, but this was my favorite restaurant that we stopped at while on our trip!
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Hot Ice
@marcosthatcher
Now that I am putting all of this into writing, I am realizing that we literally did nothing but eat during our last day in Cusco! This was a quick stop to grab some ice cream after a hot day, but they also had a few other small treats available for purchase!
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Pizza Mostra - Coffee & Pizza
@marcosthatcher
If I could go back and do a few things differently, stopping at this restaurant sooner would be one of my top choices! This stop was literally next door to our hotel and we only decided to go in and grab a fresh juice while we were waiting on our uber to pick us up and take us to the airport, but the pizza looked incredible and I wish we had chosen to actually have a meal here!
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Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport
@marcosthatcher
Just another simple, South American airport. I'd plan on eating before arrival or after departure due to limited food availability - especially in the evenings. We were able to uber from the airport to the city center, so no need to take an overpriced taxi.
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Flight Info: Cusco Departure: 10:15 PM, Lima Arrival: 11:45 PM
Jorge Chavez International Airport
@marcosthatcher
After a long travel day, I made it to the Lima airport around 2:30 AM. Unfortunately, my phone was dead upon arrival which meant I couldn't order an Uber and had to take an airport taxi to my Airbnb. What would've been about a $20 Uber ride ended up being a $60 taxi ride, but I guess that's what I get for being unprepared. Learn from my mistakes: charge your phone and get an Uber if you want to save some money!
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August 18th: ATL
Flight Info: LIM Departure: 2:50 AM, ATL Arrival: 2:50 PM
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
@marcosthatcher
Thanks to another incredible deal from Going.com, I was able to purchase RT tickets out of Atlanta for less than $300! Watch for deals from Delta Airlines as the company's largest hub is located here!
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Budget (for 2)
RT Flight from ATL-Lima: $291 each
Lima Airbnb: $106 each
Huacachina Day Tour: $89 each
RT Flight from Lima-Cusco + Checked Bag: $171 each
Cusco Hostel: $165 each
Machu Picchu Circuit 2 Entry + Bus Ticket: $96 each
Train Ticket from Cusco to Machu Picchu: $110 each
Rainbow Mountain Tour: $60 each
Humantay Lake Tour: $35 each
Food, Souvenirs, etc. : $535 total
Total: $1,125 total
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marcos Thatcher
US-based traveler with a desire to see the world.🫡
Very detailed planner with plenty of suggestions for trips that I have taken myself🗺️
More often than not, I find myself traveling on a budget. Which means you're in luck if you're looking to do the same!👀
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