Best of Peru, 10 Days
Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, Titicaca and Colca
- 10 days
- 5,200 m max
- Moderate
- Lima to Arequipa
The whole of southern Peru in ten days — Lima, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, and the condors at Colca Canyon. One booking, nine hotel nights and somebody meeting you at every stage.
Most people who come to Peru see Cusco and Machu Picchu and go home. This is the itinerary for the ones who came a long way and want the rest of it.
Ten days, north to south. Lima and the coast, then up to Cusco and the Sacred Valley, the citadel, and Rainbow Mountain once the altitude has stopped being a problem. Then the long road across the altiplano to Lake Titicaca and the reed islands of the Uros, and finally Colca Canyon and the condors before the trip ends in Arequipa.
It is the most ground covered by anything on this site, and the trade is obvious — a day in each place rather than a week. Two of the days are spent driving. What you get for that is a Peru that reaches well beyond the Inca.
What you'll see
Six regions, one itinerary
The capital, the Inca heartland, the citadel, the painted mountains, the highest navigable lake in the world and one of the deepest canyons on earth. Nothing else on this site covers as much ground.
Lake Titicaca and the Uros
A full day on the lake at 3,810 m — the reed islands of the Uros, still built and rebuilt by hand, and then Taquile, where the men knit and the women weave.
Colca Canyon and the condors
The Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint on the final morning, where Andean condors ride the thermals out of a canyon twice the depth of the Grand Canyon.
Rainbow Mountain on day six
Vinicunca and the Red Valley, placed after five nights at altitude rather than at the start, which is the difference between enjoying it and enduring it.
Machu Picchu properly
A night in Machu Picchu Pueblo, a guided visit, lunch beside the citadel and the panoramic train back to Cusco.
Hot springs at Chivay
On the way to the canyon, at the end of a long drive across the altiplano. Everybody is glad of them.
Best of Peru, 10 Days: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Arrive in Lima
Met at the airport and taken to a hotel in Miraflores, forty-five minutes away. The afternoon is free for the Malecón above the Pacific, the Magic Water circuit or dinner in a city that takes its food seriously.
- Meals
- None included
- Night
- Hotel in Miraflores, Lima
Day 2
Lima, then the flight to Cusco
A morning tour of the colonial centre — the Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace. In the afternoon, the flight up to Cusco and an evening taking the altitude gently.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Cusco
Day 3
Cusco, all day
San Pedro market, the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral, the twelve-angled stone and Loreto street, then Qoricancha. In the afternoon, Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Cristo Blanco above the city.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Cusco
Day 4
The Sacred Valley, then the train
Out at 07:00 for an alpaca farm, the Taray viewpoint, the Pisac ruins and market, lunch in Urubamba, then Moray, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo, and the train down to Machu Picchu Pueblo.
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch
- Night
- Hotel in Machu Picchu Pueblo
Day 5
Machu Picchu, then back to Cusco
The bus up and a guided visit of the citadel, lunch at the hotel beside it, and the panoramic train back through the Sacred Valley to Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch
- Night
- Hotel in Cusco
Day 6
Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley
An early start for Vinicunca, the steady climb to the striped ridge at around 5,200 m, and the Red Valley beyond it before the drive back to Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Cusco
Day 7
Across the altiplano to Puno
The long road south from Cusco to Puno, with stops along the way including Raqchi and its great Inca temple wall. You finish on the shore of Lake Titicaca.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Puno
Day 8
A day on Lake Titicaca
By boat to the Uros floating islands, built from totora reed and rebuilt constantly, then on to Taquile, where the textile tradition is on UNESCO's list and the island runs on its own rules.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Puno
Day 9
Puno to Chivay, and the hot springs
The drive across the high plateau towards the Colca valley, with the altiplano at its emptiest, ending at Chivay and its natural hot springs.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Hotel in Chivay
Day 10
Colca Canyon, and onward
The Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint in the morning for the condors, a walk along the canyon rim, then the road to Arequipa where the trip ends. Some people fly on to Lima the same evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — the trip ends in Arequipa
What the price covers
Transfers and hotels
- Airport pickup on arrival and a transfer at the end
- Nine nights in selected hotels across Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu Pueblo, Puno and Chivay
- Collection from your hotel for every tour
- All ground transport from beginning to end
Guiding and entries
- Professional English-speaking guides throughout
- A second guide for groups of eight or more
- Every entrance fee for the places visited
Machu Picchu
- Expedition train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo
- Panoramic train back to Cusco on the return leg
- Return bus between the town and the citadel
- Guided visit of Machu Picchu
Not included
- International flights
- Domestic flights, including the Lima to Cusco flight the itinerary needs on day two
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Meals not named in the itinerary
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
Best of Peru, 10 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back on day five. Book well ahead.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back, on a broader path.
What to bring
Papers and money
- Your original passport — checked at the citadel gate and on the train
- Cash in soles for markets, the boat and tips
- Your medication and any personal first aid
For the high days
- Walking boots or trail shoes with grip for Rainbow Mountain and the canyon rim
- A warm hat, gloves and a windproof layer — Vinicunca is below freezing at dawn
- A refillable water bottle and snacks
- Sun cream, because the UV at 5,000 m is extreme
For everywhere else
- Comfortable walking shoes, already worn in
- Clothes you can layer — Lima is mild, Puno is cold and Machu Picchu is humid
- A fleece and a waterproof jacket
- A swimming costume for the hot springs at Chivay
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream and lip balm
- Sunglasses with UV protection and a sun hat
- Insect repellent for Machu Picchu Pueblo
Questions we get asked
Which flights do I need to book myself?
All of them, and one in particular. Your international flights are obviously yours, but so is the Lima to Cusco flight on day two, which the itinerary depends on. We tell you exactly which timings work so that the transfers meet you at both ends. The trip finishes in Arequipa, so you also need a way home from there, usually a flight to Lima.
Is ten days enough for all six places?
It is enough to see them properly rather than thoroughly, which is a real distinction. Two days in the Cusco region, a day at Machu Picchu, a day at Rainbow Mountain, a day on Titicaca and a morning at Colca. Nothing is skipped and nothing is lingered over. If you want depth in one region instead, our Cusco packages are the better use of the same money.
How high does this go?
Rainbow Mountain at around 5,200 m on day six is the highest. Puno sits at about 3,810 m and Chivay at around 3,600 m, so days seven to nine are all spent high. By then you have had five nights at altitude, which is exactly why those days come late.
How hard is it physically?
Graded moderate, and almost all of that is Rainbow Mountain. The rest is city tours, boats, drives and archaeological sites, with a walk along the canyon rim on the last day. If you can manage a long uphill walk at altitude, you can manage this trip.
Are there long drives?
Two. Cusco to Puno on day seven and Puno to Chivay on day nine are each the best part of a day on the road across the altiplano. They are broken with stops and the landscape is extraordinary, but they are driving days and it is fair to know that before booking.
What is Taquile?
An island on Lake Titicaca run largely by its own community, where the men knit and the women weave, and where the textile tradition is recognised by UNESCO. It is a genuinely different place from the Uros islands you visit the same day.
Which meals are included?
Hotel breakfasts from day two onwards, lunch in the Sacred Valley on day four and lunch beside the citadel on day five. Dinners are left to you throughout, which in Lima, Cusco and Arequipa is the right decision.
When should I book?
Three to four months ahead for May to September. The binding constraint is the Machu Picchu ticket; the hotels and the internal flights are easier.
Ask us about Best of Peru, 10 Days
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.