Peru Itinerary Help
 

Hi! My boyfriend and I (late 20's) are traveling to Peru end of April and we are finalizing our itinerary and have a quick question-

I've done a fair amount of research and this is what we have so far:

Day 1: Lima (our flight arrives late)
Day 2: Fly to Arequipa in the morning
Day 3: Arequipa
Day 4: Fly to Cusco in the morning
Day 5: Cusco
Day 6-8: Hike Inca Trail
Day 9: Arrive at MP in the morning, explore, take the train back to Cusco that night
Day 10: Fly back to Lima in the afternoon
Day 11: Explore Lima and fly back to US on late evening flight

My question is when we start the trip in Arequipa if we should spend 2 nights there and just explore the city the whole time? Or if we should try to catch a bus to the Colca Canyon and spend the night there on day 2 & return to Arequipa via bus on Day 3? Based on what I've been reading, the Colca Canyon is not to be missed when visiting Arequipa- but I'm also worried since we don't have much time that we might be cramming too much in and not really getting a chance to explore either place properly. Thoughts? 1st trip to Peru (& South America) so trying to see as much as we can...but also trying to keep a balanced & feasible trip. We are set on hiking the Inca Trail so that takes up the bulk of our trip. Thanks for the help!

Arequipa is interesting if you like cities,architecture markets and museums. Going to Colca Canyon just for a day I probably wouldn't do, especially since so many people get altitude sickness on the way.

In fact I wonder if you should just go straight to Cusco and see more of that area including the towns like Ollantaytambo and Pisac instead.

Or have you already booked flights?

Much as I love Arequipa, I agree with mlgb, you are spreading your time to thinly. I would be inclined to use that time exploring the sacred valley and all it has to offer.

We haven't booked any flights yet- just booked an AirBnB in Arequipa- so we're not locked in. We liked the idea of seeing 2 different regions though, so we'll have to stew on the idea of skipping that area completely a bit. Either way though I think we'll rule out Colca Canyon...thanks for the input!

Concur with the above. Skip Arequipa and Colca and spend more time around Cusco and maybe another day in Lima.

On arrival in Cusco, I would take a cab from the Cusco airport to Ollantaytambo and stay there the first nite--Ollantaytambo and MP are both quite a bit lower than Cusco so you will have an easier time with altitude. Then take the train back to Cusco from Aquas Calientes/MP. Also, Ollantaytambo is on the way to MP from Cusco so you will save some time in arriving at the beginning of the trail.

I liked Arequipa and made the mistake of taking a two day tour to Colca. But Arequipa is not nearly as wonderful as the things to do around Cusco.

They are hiking the Inca Trail so they really should spend more nights sleeping in Cusco ahead of time to help acclimate. Maybe 1 night first in Pisac or Ollantaytambo, then 3 in Cusco before the IT.

And yes to at least two full days in Lima. Stay in Barranco..3B is my favorite if you think the price is good.

www.3bhostal.com/