Please help with Peru itinerary
 

We are planning a 10-day trip to Peru around mid-December (say from 16th-26th or thereabouts). I know this is not the best time to visit Peru, but we do not have other options in timing. There will be us (couple in late 50's) with our son (30 yr old). Will have to fly in and out of Lima. Ten-day trip in Peru means ten days IN Peru (not counting the travel days to reach there and fly back).

The focus of our trip is of course Machu Pichu. We are not interested in the Nazca Lines, nor do we have the stamina for walking the Inca Trail or doing other adventure sports.We like nature, architecture, and exploring quaint towns and ruins, but are not much the museum or church aficionados. Would like to avoid changing too many hotels, and don't mind pricey hotels or using a private car/taxi to get around.

We are considering limiting ourselves to Lima (maybe a day each while flying in and flying out), Cuzco, and maybe Arequipa. Would like to spend more time in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley (I suppose we could stay in Cuzco and day trip to all the spots in the Sacred Valley ?). Would love to catch the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Pichu from Cuzco, and perhaps stay a night at the Machu Pichu Sanctuary Lodge. At Arequipa, would like a Canyon tour (is it possible as a daytrip ?).

Need help in deciding how to allocate our time at each destination. At the moment, nothing is booked or cast in stone. We are completely flexible, and would welcome suggestions on how to go about this trip. Please help us plan this trip with your suggestions.

Just a quick comment right now. I personally would not try to base in Cuzco for the duration. Since you want to concentrate on Machu Pichu/Sacred Valley I'd consider maybe 2 nights in Lima (3 nights if your flight arrives in the evening), then fly to Cuzco, and immediately head down to the Sacred Valley and stay 4 or 5 nights (LOTS of good options depending on your budget - since you mention Sanctuary Lodge it seems your budget is pretty generous). If you can swing a night or 2 at the Sanctuary - great, reducing your time in the Sacred Valley to 3 or 4 nights. Then return to Cuzco for a couple of nights and fly back to Lima/fly home.

Thanks janisj. We have interacted before on this forum, maybe when I was exploring Greece many years ago.

We are open to splitting our time between the Sacred Valley and Cuzco. Where in the Sacred Valley would you suggest as a base ?

Do you recommend we leave out Arequipa ?

There is such an amazing amount to see in the Cusco, Sacred Valley that it would be entirely possible to spend all your time there, with maybe a couple of days in Lima before your homebound flight (flight delays from Cusco are not unheard of).

Given your interests, I would spend a minimum of 4 days in Cusco. Allocate one to visit Pisac with a stop off at some of the inca sites on the way back. Tambo Machay, Q'enko, Sacsayhuaman etc. The restaurant of the time could easily be lost visiting the sights in the city.

There are lots of superb hotels in the Cusco region so I wouldn't focus too much on the Sanctuary Lodge, one night, if that, would be fine in the context of your total time. Take a look at Casa Andina and Inkaterra hotels on booking.com.

If you like "quaint towns" then Ollantaytambo is the very definition of quaint ( a traditional inca village) and is on the train route to MP. In fact, I would suggest getting the train from there to MP. More departures and the best part of the scenery is from there to MP.

It is very easy to hire a car and driver to take you from Cusco to Ollantaytambo stopping at all the places of interest along the way - Moray, Maras, Chinchero - allow four hours. Any hotel can arrange this ( at a price!) but I would check out www.taxidatum.com .

It is feasible to include Arequipa, just! Allow at least a full day for the city and maybe a half day for Monasterio de Santa Catalina ( don't miss!) . Colca Canyon can be done as a day trip - with a 5 am start but is much, much better with an overnight. Killawasi Lodge is good.

Finally, don't forget the altitude. At over 3300m, Cusco can take its toll. The best way to avoid problems is to increase altitude gradually. This means going straight to somewhere like Ollantaytambo or Urumbamba ( c 2700m) from Cusco airport, then to MP and then to Cusco.

There are some photos and more detail of our time there in recent years on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/peru/

Hope this helps a little. Happy planning!

Thanks a lot crellston. You have been very helpful Based on your suggestions, how does this sound for a starter :

Day 1 : Arrive at Lima in morning ; spend night in Lima
Day 2 : Morning flight to Cuzco, and taxi straight to Ollantaytambo
Day 3 : Sacred Valley; overnight at Ollantaytambo
Day 4 : Sacred Valley; take evening train to Aguas Calientes; overnight at Aguas Calientes
Day 5 : At Machu Pichu; overnight at Aguas Cal. or Sanctuary Lodge
Day 6 : Take evening train to Cuzco; overnight at Cuzco
Day 7 & 8 : Cuzco
Day 9 : Fly to Arequipa
Day 10 : Arequipa - Colca Canyon tour
Day 11 : Fly to Lima and take flight home.

Giving ourselves two days at MP, because weather in December could be iffy, and do not want to miss out on MP on a clear day.

Please make suggestions to above.

They have changed the entrance to MP so you will have to book tickets that you might not use, if you are hoping for a clear day.

We only spent a late afternoon in Lima doing a 3 1/2hour walking tour and thought that was sufficient (we too are more into quaint villages, nature, and culture).

I think I would go straight to Cusco and the SV and plan on an afternoon in Lima on the return.

You are missing some of the highlights of not returning to Cusco via a taxi that allows for you to stop at some pretty incredible sights (Moray, Maras, Chincheros).

Day 1: Lima-Cusco with taxi to Ollantaytambo
2-Ollantaytambo
3-Ollantaytambo
4-train to Aguas Calientes (MP afternoon entry)
5-MP (morning/pm entry) evening train Ollantaytambo
6-taxi to Cusco via the above sites
7-Cusco
8-Cusco
9-Arequipa
10-Arequipa
11-Lima flight Am, tour Lima, evening flight home (they generally leave very late at night)

You are very welcome indiancouple.

Your plan sounds reasonable, though I pretty much agree with the comments made by odie1 above re putting Lima at the end. There is little point in doing an overnight on arrival in Lima. The traffic from the airport to Miralflores or Barranco is usually pretty awful. On a good day it can take 45 mins on a bad one, 90mins each way. Better to fly straight to Cusco on a through ticket (if possible)

Save Lima for the end. Many people choose to stay in Miralflores but I prefer Barranco which has more of an arty, bohemian feel and some great restaurants. 3B Barranco is a great mid scale place to stay with really helpful staff. Alternatively, for something more upscale, http://www.hotelb.pe would be a great choice. Second Home Peru is another.

Two nights in MP/AC is too much imo. One night would be better, with a but you need to book your MP tickets and trains asap. One night would also provide you with more time for other stuff. Such as Colca

Do not miss Moray, Maras and Chinchero! They can be done either on the way to or from Ollantaytambo. I would suggest after as Chinchero is quite high and there are few steps up to the Plaza that would get most people who are not acclimatised.

If you get to Ollantaytambo, say by midday, you would have the afternoon to explore and possibly next morning, before going to AC. Perhaps something like this.

Day 1 - Arrive a.m. in Lima, fly direct to Cusco. Taxi from airport to Ollantaytambo. Arrive around midday. Relax after a very long trip! Maybe explore the village streets.
2- Visit the ruins early before the tour buses from Cusco arrive. Train to AC, PM visit to MP
3- AM visit to MP . Afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo overnight
4- alternative time to visit the ruins. Get a taxi to Cusco stopping off at Moray, Maras, Chinchero. Should take around 5 hours.
5- Cusco
6- Cusco - taxi trip to Pisac, Tambo Machay, q'enka, sacsayhuaman etc.
7- Cusco
8- Arequipa - early morning flight - Santa Catalina & city
9 - Colca Canyon overnight at Killawasi- they will pick you up and probably drop you directly back at the airport .
10- flight to Lima
11. Lima - it is very easy to see Lima by yourself but in view of your time constraints, get a tour.

A morning and afternoon visit to MP would provide the best chance of decent weather. Two night there and you will basically just be spending more time in a hotel.

couldn't agree more with crellston more on not needing two nights in AC but I am not about to talk someone out of that if they feel they want to in order to double their chances of seeing MP...

The rest looks good...

Hi indiancouple,

I think you might like Arequipa given your interest in architecture, and I was surprised to see that LATAM has a daily nonstop flight (in the morning). Whether you really have time to go to Colca Canyon is questionable.

What time does your flight into Lima arrive? If it is afternoon or later, I would spend the night at the airport hotel and continue on the next morning. If morning, you could try to get to the Sacred Valley that day, but likely you will lose much of the day recuperating from flight and altitude, so I don't think it is necessary.

Agree that you should head straight to Ollantaytambo from the airport. Also agree that I probably wouldn't spend two nights in Aguas Calientes. You could book one afternoon (traveling from Ollantaytambo), spend that night at the Sanctuary, and then book the following morning at MP. Then return to Ollantaytambo and take the taxi transfer with stops in Moray and Salineras. You'll need to look at arrival times of the available trains and decide if you want to spend a night and see those things in the am, the next morning.

For me I only really need 1.5 days in the city of Cusco. The other day would be visiting some of the outlying sights such as Pisac or Sacsayhuaman if you aren't "ruined out". I prefer Ollantaytambo ruins if you have the stamina to climb up to see the view over the town. Pisac is great if you can walk down into town but it doesn't sound as if you will be doing that.

So basically I agree almost entirely with crellston.

The other stop that I enjoyed is a place called Descanso Bar in Maras where a lady makes chicha, some tours on the way back to Cusco from Ollantaytambo can include that.

In Arequipa stay in the old town, not the suburbs. You will not want to see the Cathedral, but definitely the Monastery and possibly the painted chapel at La Compania. In Colca Canyon if not closed due to the quake last year, the old colonial churches are worth a quick look inside, not the usual. I also like Killawasi.

Lima is one of my favorite cities especially because of my relationship with 3B and Barranco, vs Miraflores where most tourists wind up staying. But in December it is nice to have A.C. I don't know if the very upscale Hotel B has it. A lot of people wind up tired from the balance of their trip and never see much of Lima other than the mall opposite the Marriott. I'd recommend walking around Barranco, looking at the murals and galleries, and if you feel energetic, take the Metropolitano downtown to have a look at the main plaza (the Metropolitano is faster than a taxi). Often there are some activities just prior to Christmas downtown that also make it worth a trip.

In December, I would also emphasize that you should start your trip with Machu Picchu as priority and not spend the days in Lima at the beginning, but at the end.

December is not as iffy as January or February, but it can definitely rain. Peru Rail allows you to change your trains with 24 hrs notice, on space available basis. When I went the first time in January, I did this to shift my visit one day later. It rained in the afternoon about 1 pm and I also was able to go back early. However you may not have this flexibility as I this was pre-100th anniversary of Hiram Bingham and the explosion of mass tourism in Peru (thank goodness).

Thanks for a ton of excellent advice everyone. Some comments to summarize the above, and also to put some points across :

1. We will be reaching Lima after flying for almost 30 hours from India, with two flight changes in between. I sincerely doubt if we will have the stamina on arrival to head straight for Cusco and on to Ollantaytambo. I think our flight gets in to Lima at 7 am in the morning. I will head straight to a hotel in Lima, take rest, and do whatever sightseeing my body will allow that day !

2. Overwhelming point above is not to spend two nights in Aguas Calientes, but catch a morning train from Ollantaytambo to MP, do PM viewing of MP, spend one night at Aguas calientes, followed by morning viewing of MP, and then train back to Ollantaytambo. Point well taken, and will modify plan accordingly.

3. Also overwhelming recommendation above seems to be NOT to take a train back to Cuzco, but to taxi it back from Ollantaytambo, stopping at various sights in between, such as Moray, Moras, Chincheros. Point accepted, and incorporated in modified plan.

4. Which parts of Sacred Valley can be covered as a day trip out of Ollantaytambo - depending upon that, we will have to decide on number of days to spend there, and number of days to be spent at Cuzco.

5. Do we really need to book our MP and train tickets now ? I thought that December was off season, and that we could hold off till much later ?

6. Is the Colca Canyon trip worth it, considering we will not be doing hiking ? Also, not sure if the condors excite us very much. Also, if we rule out the Colca Canyon, is a trip to Arequipa still worth it ? The town does sound very interesting, but I do not know if there is enough to do there.

I think we should be able to freeze our itinerary after we hear back from you people on the above. Thanks again.

1. Good point. Depending on you arrival time, maybe consider staying near the airport and getting and early flight out
4. Ollantaytambo is a highlight of the SV, don't cut short your actual time in the town there. Urumbamba is 20 mins away by bus, otherwise there are horse rides and various adventure activities available in Olly. I think mlgb knows of a weaving collective nearby which is worth a visit.
5. It is low season but I would still book as soon as you know your exact dates. If you want specific trains esp. Hiram Bingham.
6. We are avid hikers but didn't hike in Colca because the friends who joined us were not into hiking but we still really enjoyed our time there. Scenery is spectacular- see our blog linked earlier. Is Arequipa worth it without Colca. I would say definitely yes. We have been there three times now (mainly because earthquakes have prevented us from getting to the canyon. We managed it last year even though there was a serious earthquake a couple of days before we arrived. Arequipa is probably our favourite city in Peru. Great hotels, restaurants and a stunning plaza - every time we have been there has been a fiesta going on.

1. Arriving at 7am. I would assume about an hour to clear immigration. In heavy traffic, it will be another hour to get in to Lima. I would probably contact the Airport Wyndham about day rates. I have had luck with mid-level hotels letting me in fairly early or even on arrival if there is room available and I am not picky. Although hotels in Lima are often noisy, both from traffic and from internal noise. Chose carefully!

2. Agree with crellston, Ollantaytambo's a) old town and b) the ruins in town are a highlight. The weaving coop that I've visited was at a town called Patacancha with Awamaki..they don't go every day so you need to contact them ahead of time. And the town is VERY high in elevation..not a good thing to do on your second day. You can do a day trip to pick up Chinchero, Moray and the Salineras return from Ollantaytambo. Hower these are also high in altitudes so I'd rather have you do them AFTER Machu Picchu.

After mid December it starts to get busier...you can tell from the lack of availability for favored hotels and trains.

Yes, I agree that Arequipa is worthwhile without Colca. It has a spectacular setting and good food, plus the architecture. Colca Canyon has good scenery both on the way and along the canyon, and the cultural history is very interesting. You'll see the two different hats on the women, Collaguas and the Cabanas.

There is an upscale resort in the canyon at Yanque called Colca Lodge although it's interesting that Killawasi has better reviews on TA! Note that it can also rain in Colca Canyon. Even while it is technically austal summer it can be cold at night since the elevations are like Cusco.

I of course look forward to what I know will be an excellent trip report, comparable to the one you did for NZ! My two favorite countries..NZ and Peru.

I will have to have a look for your NZ trip report indiancouple - I am sitting in our motorhome in Glenorchy looking out over Lake Wakatipu as I type wondering where to head to next..

crellston, if you are at Glenorchy, don't go anywhere at all. Stay there for the next 80 years till you die ! There is no prettier place on Planet Earth than that.

Thanks everyone for the great advice. One last question - I have been reading on various sites about cancelled flights in Peru. I presume the risk applies to certain sectors. How safe would be Arequipa - Lima sector, with regard to cancellation possibilities, in December ? We have a 9 pm flight out of Lima on the last day to head home. Are we OK if we book ourselves on a morning flight from Arequipa to Lima, or should we get there the previous night ?

Based on all suggestions received, we are veering towards the following itinerary :

Day 1 : Arrive at Lima at 7 am; explore Lima; overnight at Lima
Day 2 : Morning flight to Cuzco, head straight to Ollantaytambo, reaching by lunch time. Explore town and ruins; night at Ollan
Day 3 : Morning train to MP; afternoon viewing of MP; night at AC
Day 4 : Morning viewing of MP; afternoon train back to Ollan; explore Ollan and spend night at Ollan
Day 5 : Taxi to Cuzco, stopping at Salinas, Moray, Maras and Chinchero. Explore Cuzco in evening; night at Cuzco
Day 6 : Explore Cuzco; night at Cuzco
Day 7 : Explore areas near Cuzco like Pisac, Sacsayhuaman etc. Night at Cuzco
Day 8 : Early morning flight to Arequipa; explore town; night at Arequipa
Day 9 : Explore sites near Arequipa (may decide on Colca Canyon, or may skip it); night at Arequipa
Day 10 : Morning flight To Lima; flight out at 9 pm to home.

Please suggest if I need to add/subtract a day from anywhere. Cannot increase the overall length of trip.

I am tempted indiancouple - we spent last night in Paradise! - just up the road from Glenorchy.

Your Itinerary looks pretty good to me. I wouldn't change a thing. The main problem with flights tends to be from Cusco to Lima, mainly because of the weather and the lack of some carriers ability to fly in poor weather. Latam are your best bet as they fly more modern craft than the competition and have more flights so if you miss one, they can put you on the next. With those timings there is very little risk, I would go with it

I am one of those better safe than sorry people. I do know that LATAM (LAN) is not immune. It would depend on how many flights per day they had on that route and the consequences of missing the international flight. Sometimes you lose a flight due to ripples from other cancellations in the system.

You need about 3 hours between the domestic and international flights, although 2 may be enough.