Hi,
I wish to travel to Peru next year. I would be intending to spend 1 month there.
My main reason is hiking, i would like to walk to Machhu Picchu via Salkantay trek, spending some days in Cusco before to acclimitise.
I would be coming from UK, probably arriving in Lima first.
I would also plan on visiting Iquitos and Lake Titicaca.
My initial queries are,
What month would be best to suit these places? Will probably avoid the busy months of June, July and August.Was thinking May or September/October, but i believe Iquitos would be very hot in October.
Also, what is best reavel method between these places as they are quite far apart?
I dont think its possible to fly directly between Cusco and Iquitos, seem to have to change at Lima.
Thanks

Hi Bella,
A month is a great amount of time for a visit to to Peru but it is a huge and very varied country, so you will still need to be pretty focused on where you want to go. I have visited many times, sometimes for months and still haven’t seen it all.

A far as weather is concerned , the best time is from May to October in the cool dry season when you will get teh clear blue skies in the Andes that you see in all the photos. You are spot on in that June to August is the high season when places like MP are more crowded and hotel rates are higher , though personally, I would not let that put me off. The cusp of the season in May and October MAY mean a bit of rain and overcast skies one of the time, but again would be fine.

The Saltankay trek is less crowded than the standard Inca Trail and is teh one I would go for. As you are into hiking there are many other lesser known trails in teh Sacred Valley that don’t end in MP. The first one we did was from Lares to Ollantaytambo which was amazing ( and no other hikers) . Choose your trekking company wisely and do your research , not all are great. Alpaca expeditions are one that seems highly rated on the TripAdvisor forums . Book way in advance as they will need to secure entrance tickets.

It is going to be hot and humid in the Amazon whenever you go! Puerto Maldonado is an alternative to Iquitos and is easier to get to with direct flights from Cusco and Lima which may make the logistics easier. Iquitos is in the north and the only direct flights are from Lima , though Latam may have some decent connections.

Getting around in Peru is easier than most other South American countries as it has a well developed tourism infrastructure. I have always tended to use the overnight buses for longer journeys. The main bus companies like Cruz de Sur are very efficient and reliable and if you travel first class ( which I highly recommend) are very comfortable with lie flat beds etc. There is any added advantage that trading overnight, you save on a night accommodation. The only flight I think I would consider would be Lima -Iquitos and Lima - Cusco. I once did Lima to Cusco by bus and after 25 hours, I realise what i huge mistake I had made!

Other place you may want to consider are;
Arequipa which works well with Titicaca ( and the altitude acclimatisation process) ,
Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca - arguably even better , more dramatic hiking and scenery than around Cusco,
Chachapoyas for ancient civilisations other than the Inca which combines nicely with the coastal sites like Trujillo and Chiclayo

We posted about our travels in many of these places in our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/peru/ which may provide an idea of what to expect.

Do read up on acclimatisation issues @ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/altitude-sickness/ and plan accordingly. Try to go low to high and ascend slowly. It will put you in good stead for the rigours of hiking at 4000 m .
There are no direct flights from the UK to Peru , I usually fly via Madrid . Indeed I am in Mexico at present and flew LHR- MAD-MEX with Iberia and can’t say enough good things about the experience.

Have fun planning. If you have any other questions, feel free..

crellston Thank you very much for the informative response and great suggestions.
Yes, i was also considering to fly to Peru via Madrid. Seems the most sensible option.
Since my initial post, i've also been looking at the Colca Canyon trek and would probably do that also.
I would be intending to do self guided treks without using any companies as such if possible. Think this is possible on Salkantay and Colca Canyon at least where there seems to be accommodation options. I wouldn't do solo camping hikes though, but maybe with a company though.
Still cant decide on May or October though.
Thanks again, will defo have a look at your travel blog.

'Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca - arguably even better, more dramatic hiking and scenery than around Cusco.'
Agree 100% with Crellston.
I am done. the mapi

You are welcome Bella. I am pretty sure that self guided treks are possible on Saltankay and Colca. Also possible on the Lares to Ollantaytambo trek ( there are several) . The one we did was with a guide and we camped just outside villages along the way but no accommodation. I would definitely advise against solo trekking in the Cordillera Blanca as it is just not safe to do so. it really is wonderful up there and the Santa Cruz Trek is one of the classics, just not alone.

Comments:

I met a fit Dutch woman who did the Salkantay trek with her daughter and the tour guide barked at them for “not going fast enough.” I am hearing that it’s a crowded trek now.

In mid-September we were the only guests at our Amazon lodge and 2 of 4 guests at our Colca lodge. So avoiding July/August can be less crowded. But I think Machu Picchu sells the same number of tickets per hour every day of the year so crowding is constant. Visibility can be crappy at MP any time of year, so temper expectations.

The top/back of Pisac Ruin hike down to the village of Pisac was our most memorable and beautiful hike. Much better weather/visibility probability than MP for similar ruins size and importance. Most of the hike we were completely alone. We arranged a driver from Taxidatum to pick us up in Cusco and wait for us at the bottom in Pisac town, I thought 220 soles well spent, about a 3-1/4 hour hike. All the water we could carry was consumed in that 3-1/4 hours. Note there’s a tunnel half way that an overweight+ person could not pass through.

Personal observation: some of these hikes aren’t really so pretty, the Andes (at least between Ollantaytambo all the way past Titicaca to Colca Canyon) are barren and not “pretty” in a Rockies or Alps fashion, which have trees and snow and lakes. Frankly I can think of much better hiking around the world in prettier mountains at lower altitude, unsolicited opinion​​​​. And it’s super dry air on the sinus and lungs, driest place I’ve ever experienced (including Arizona, Australia, and the Sahara). It’s got to be related the the altitude somehow. Just glad I kept hikes to 4 hours or less.

I’d pick May since it’s greener and not so oppressively barren like September is and likely October. We had 95°F/35 C (“feels like 105°F”) in Iquitos, no power overnight in Amazon so no fan.