Backpacking Peru: A Two Week Itinerary!

Getting there!

We had an early morning flight out of Boston and didn’t land in Lima until 7:30 PM. Our hostel was in Miraflores, which is the touristy and nicest part of Lima. Miraflores is also a 45 minute ride from the airport, and that’s without the inner city traffic. We opted to use Airport Express Lima since tickets were only $8 and they were recommended by Peru Hop. We had just missed the 8:00 PM bus, so we had to wait an hour for the next one to arrive. While the bus is cheap and convenient, the timing can be difficult and we wish we spent the extra money to take a taxi. But, if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind waiting, then the Airport Express is a really good option! By the time we got to our hostel (which took over an hour), we were exhausted, so we went straight to bed so that we were at full energy for the next day when the fun began.

Day 1: Lima

After a good night’s sleep we were ready to explore! We were so excited for the 75 degree weather - wearing our shorts, tank tops, and sandals - we laughed at ourselves while all of the locals were walking around in winter coats. There was one thing that Emily wanted to do in Lima: surf. We walked about 20 minutes down to La Playa Makaha and were greeted by a bunch of different surf shops (pop up tents) eager for our business. We went with Pepe Surf School because it was cheaper than other schools we had seen online and the guy seemed friendly. Adam took some convincing, but the instructors basically put a wetsuit on him before he had a chance to protest. After practicing paddling on a bench we were ready to go! We each had our own instructors which really helped. We had such a fun time and wished we were in Lima another day to do it again! After, we walked along the Miraflores Boardwalk. We visited the beautiful Park of Love, and La Marina Lighthouse. We grabbed lunch at an overpriced sandwich place and we were confused because it was really the only food place around (we later learned that all of the cheap delicious places were a street over). After lunch we walked along the shore some more and then headed up to the Miraflores Indian Market. This place was massive and by far the best place in Lima for souvenirs. Emily bought pants that she wore for the rest of the trip and Adam bought a beautiful Machu Picchu painting. The art here was way better than any of the art we saw in Cusco so we were happy. After a delicious seafood dinner we strolled around a lively Parque Kennedy and we were ready for bed. 

HOSTEL: We stayed at Red Llama during our time in Lima. This was the most expensive hostel we stayed in during the whole trip and our least favorite. Our room was a tiny box with no windows and the breakfast was just bread. However, Miraflores is a very expensive area and we were only a 20 minute walk from the beach, so we do recommend this place as an affordable yet convenient option.

Day 2: Paracus

At promptly 5:30 AM we were picked up from our hostel and began the 4 hour bus ride to Paracus. This was our first ride with Peru Hop so we were pleased by their punctuality and the history they gave us as we got closer. After a 4 hour ride we arrived in the seaside town of Paracus. Town is an overstatement considering Paracus is mainly made up of one road. We were able to check into our hostel, Kokopelli, which had oceanfront access. We grabbed some beach chairs and lounged around for a while and soaked in the sun. The water looked murky, but luckily Kokopelli has a pool that we were able to cool down in. The ocean front strip of Paracus has expensive restaurants, but the side street near our hostel had about 10 restaurants all offering delicious lunch combos. We picked one at random and ate delicious seafood. The rest of our evening consisted of exploring the few gift shops, playing in the pool, and watching a beautiful sunset. Our main sightseeing in Paracus would be tomorrow!

TRAVEL TIP: One of the most beautiful places to visit in Paracus is La Mina Beach. We did not realize that this was a half hour, $100 taxi ride away. We recommend finding some friends to split this with so you don’t have to miss out like we did! For $100 the driver will take you there, hang out while you soak up the sun, and then bring you back.

HOSTEL: We stayed at Kokopelli for our one night in Paracus and absolutely loved it! This hostel had waterfront access along with paddle boards and kayaks for rent. There is also a pool that is great to cool down in. Additionally, they have a large outdoor seating area complete with a ping pong table, a pool table, a bar and restaurant. Many of the restaurants in Paracus close after lunchtime so we were happy to eat dinner here. We also stayed at Kokopelli in Cusco so we got a discount- be sure to ask for this if you stay in multiple locations!

Day 3: Paracus & huacachina

This day was one of our busiest and most memorable days of the trip! We headed down to the docks at 8AM for our Islas Ballestas tour, also known as the Poor Man’s Galapagos Islands. It gets its name because on a two hour boat tour you can see penguins, sea lions, and other wildlife, but you cannot actually walk on the islands or go snorkeling like you can in the Galapagos. (If that sounds fun check out our experience in the Galapagos Islands here!) Since these islands only take about 30 minutes to get to by boat, instead of the two hour plane ride for the Galapagos Islands, the Ballestas Islands are much more affordable and accessible. Our guide did a great job teaching us the history and pulling up nice and close to the islands so we could see wildlife. Afterwards, we met back up with Peru Hop for a tour of the Paracus National Reserve. This reserve is exceptional because this dry dessert is right off the coast, making for a beautiful contrast.

Afterwards we took the two hour bus ride to the desert oasis of Huacachina. This small village in the Ica region is popular for its laguna and palm trees that are nestled within towering sand dunes. We arrived around 2pm and at 4pm we were ready for a big adventure- sand boarding. We hiked up to an open area where hundreds of dune buggies are kept. We were loaded into one with 6 other people and our driver began to drive like a maniac. We sped up and over sand dunes, slamming into steep drops, and screaming our heads off like we were on a roller coaster. At the first board stop, we were instructed to lay down, spread our legs and dig our feet into the sand, and our driver gave us a push (you are only supposed to actually stand if you have experience, laying down is much safer). After being scared for the first hill, we were instantly addicted! We would do three hills at each stop which would require us to do some hiking up which was exhausting. The last hill we went down was at least 100 feet high but the rush was amazing! At the end we watched a beautiful sunset from the dunes before returning back to Huacachina. We ate dinner at our hostel which has some of the most delicious pizza we have ever had, we highly recommend.

TRAVEL TIP: Locals will be walking around selling sunglasses and face buffs for about $1. We highly recommend buying these if you are going sandboarding! We instantly regretting it after eating mounds of sand on the way down.

HOSTEL: We stayed at Wild Olive for our night in Huacachina. This was a nice quiet hostel, what stood out to us was how beautiful and clean the bathrooms were! Also, they have a restaurant as well that has some of the best pizza we have ever had, we highly recommend! They also had the best hostel breakfast ever- massive delicious omelettes! The only downside is that this hostel does not have a pool, while others do, and Huacachina can get very hot!

Day 4: huacachina

The next morning we woke up early to get a bird’s eye view of Huacachina. We wanted to hike up the dunes that overlook the village, and we wanted to do so before the sun heated up the sand. It took us about 45 minutes to hike up and the views were absolutely incredible. It felt like we were in another world. Looking one way we would see Huacacina, looking the other way we could see small shacks that made up the majority of Ica, and looking another way there was just endless sand. After enjoying the views for a while, we headed back to our hostel for breakfast.

Around noontime we boarded the bus that we would be on until the next morning when we arrived in Arequipa. Luckily, several stops broke up the drive. The first one was at Tacama Vineyard where we got to learn how the local drink, Pisco is made (it is basically fermented wine). And we also got to sample many different wines and piscos. Needlessly to say, after all of the samplings we were ready for a nap. Our next stop was the Nazca Lines. We had heard a lot about these ancient drawings, but we have to admit that we were not too impressed. We climbed onto a 4-story platform to see the lines from above. It is possible to pay to ride in a plane to get a better view of the lines, but in our opinion we do not think it would be worth it. After a dinner stop, we settled in for a sleepless night as the bus turned and swerved its way through the mountains to Arequipa.  

TRAVEL TIP: We booked a couple overnight buses on this trip so we would not waste time travelling during the day. However, our lack of sleep on the uncomfortable buses made us so exhausted the next day, that this wasn’t super helpful. We recommend to do whatever makes most sense for you timewise, but if you have the time, your body will thank you for travelling during the day and having a comfortable place to sleep at night.

Day 5: Arequipa

We arrived in Arequipa at 6am and very groggy. With no comfortable place to sleep, we decided to stroll around the city a bit. Unfortunately, we were unable to track down any breakfast food at this hour but we enjoyed taking in some of the sights that we would see later on our walking tour. *insert walking tour details* after the walking tour we headed up to Mundo de Alpaca, also known as Alpaca World. This is where very expensive Michell Group alpaca clothing is sold, but in the back they have different breeds of alpaca that you can feed and pet. We had a blast trying to get each one’s attention with our long grass feed. Some seemed to be hungrier than others! Next we made our way over to Yanahuara which has beautiful views of the city and Misti Mountain. This was about a half an hour walk, but the majority of it was through a lovely grassy park with of course, more Alpacas. At the top we soaked in the views against the beautiful white architecture. We headed down and were exhausted from our day of walking with very little sleep. We stopped at a small place for dinner where we each got Lomo Saltado for 6 soles each. (a couple days later we got sick and think this may have been the cause) We settled into bed because we had to be up at 3am for our next adventure! 

TRAVEL TIP: There are many different free walking tours of downtown. Your hostel should have information on a few, check them out and see which one works for you!

HOSTEL: We stayed at Flying Dog hostel for a few nights in Arequipa. We had a huge private room right near the historic center. We even got a delicious free dinner one night!

Day 6: Colca canyon

We met in the lobby of our hostel at 3am to be picked up for our trip to Colca Canyon. It is about a three hour drive, so luckily we were tired enough to fall asleep for a while on the way. When we were woken up, we were at the highest altitude we had been at so far – 16,000 feet – at Mirador de los Andes. From this point we had beautiful views of Ampato, Sabancaya and Hualca Hualca volcanoes at sunrise but we were absolutely freezing. We overpaid for a sweater and a hat, but we totally needed it. After a breakfast buffet in Chivay we traveled to Condor’s Cross for our views of Colca Canyon and hopefully some peaks of Andean Condors. Most of the tour buses pulled up to Condor’s Cross, but our guide had us dropped off about a half mile away and we enjoyed a gorgeous cliff-side hike. This way we were able to beat all of the crowds and take in the views. We were able to see about 10 condors soaring through the sky – apparently we were very lucky because sometimes there aren’t any. We spent a couple hours in this area and then began the ride home.

On the way back, we made many stops as we soaked up scenic views and our guide explained the history of the area. One of the stops was in the village of Maca where locals lined the streets dressed in traditional clothing and offered up pictures with their alpacas for tips. They were so soft and cuddly that we didn’t mind paying to hold them all! Another stop was back in Chivay for lunch and the opportunity to bath in hot springs. Unfortunately, we were the only ones in our group who wanted to do so, so we did not stop. The drive to and from Colca Canyon takes you through the Salinas National Reserve. On the way home, we were amazed by how many wild alpacas, called vincunas, we were able to see. Once we returned back to our hostel we enjoyed a free dinner and fell asleep very early.

We read many reviews that said the 1-day tour of Colca Canyon is not worth the driving but we completely disagree. It was a beautiful experience and our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. If you are able to sleep on the drive in, and have a tour guide that likes to make a lot of stops, it is very manageable. There are options for a 2-day or 3-day tour where you actually hike down into the canyon and camp overnight. We would have loved to do this if we had time!

Day 7: Puno

It was time for another long bus ride. We left Arequipa around 5:45 AM and arrived in Puno around 1PM. Upon arrival, we were both feeling exhausted so we found a lunch place (2 soles each!) and then returned to our hostel. We thought about going to do some sightseeing, especially checking out the Condor Hill viewpoint, but we were so exhausted from the lack of sleep that we just hung out in our hostel.

In the middle of the night, Adam got very sick. Puno has an altitude of 12,500 feet, so this could have contributed or it could have been something he ate. It was a sleepless night, but luckily the on-call doctor was able to come by and give him some medicine.

TRAVEL TIP: Most hostels in Puno and Cusco have a doctor on call 24/7 because people get altitude sickness.

HOSTEL: We stayed at Pacha Suite in Puno and they were incredible hosts! When Adam got sick they were very quick to call a doctor and to help me call the tour agency we had booked for the next day to try to cancel. They gladly made us tea and gave us a discounted rate when we wanted to book a room just for the day since we had a night time bus.

Day 8: Puno

Originally we were planning on doing a full-day tour of Lake Titicaca, but since Adam was sick we changed this to just a 3 hour tour, which was more than enough! Lake Titicaca is famous for being the highest navigable lake in the world. But the really cool thing to see are the man made floating islands. Our tour took us to one of the Uros Islands where the locals taught us about their lives and took us into their homes. We took a beautiful ride in a handmade Reed Boat where we got to ride by many of the other islands. Despite being sick, we enjoyed this experience. It did seem a bit touristy, (they were trying hard to sell us everything) but it is fascinating to see how they live. Afterwards, we headed back to our hostel and paid to stay in a room until our overnight bus at 11PM.

Day 9: cusco

When we arrived early in the morning in Cusco we were both feeling really sick. Emily began to catch whatever illness Adam had so we were both out for the count. We took a rest day to adjust to the altitude, get some medicine and catch up on some sleep. Our original plan was to go white water rafting or on a tour of the Sacred Valley - there are so many fun things to do in Cusco!

TRAVEL TIP: When travelling to a country like Peru your doctor can prescribe you medicine to treat food poisoning before you leave the US. We tried a few different medicines in Peru that worked temporarily but we didn’t fully feel better until we got some US medicine at home.

HOSTEL: We stayed at Kokopelli during our time in Cusco. We loved this place because we were able to stay in a Queen pod, and there was a restaurant in the hostel which was great when we were feeling sick. We also got a 20% discount because we stayed at Kokopelli in Paracus. The only downside was the the bar in the hostel can get pretty rowdy and we had a few early wakeups. If you plan on having early wakeups, try to request a bed towards the back of the hostel.

Day 10: cusco

After a day of resting, we were still feeling a little under the weather, but well enough to explore a bit of Cusco. We headed over to San Pedro Market which had absolutely everything. This place was massive and filled with small restaurant stands, fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, clothing, and the reason we were there- souvenirs! They had amazing prices and hundreds of different vendors. Adam had fallen in love with an awesome snow globe in Lima and bought the same one for half the price! Afterwards we went on a free walking tour of Cusco. There are many walking tours that start in the Plaza de Armas so look for the people with the red shirts. The tour was about 2 hours and we saw the Sun Temple, the famous Incan Walls, impressive architecture, and we ended our tour with a great view from San Blas and a pisco sour tasting! Afterwards we tried to get an early night sleep because we were waking up at 3 AM again for our next adventure!

day 11: Rainbow Mountain

We were so excited to hike Rainbow Mountain! We booked this trip through Rainbow Mountain Travels. They are the best in our opinion because they arrive the earliest at the site to beat crowds. We were picked up from our hostel at 3 AM and began the 3 hour drive. We stopped for a big breakfast before the rest of the drive took us on a windy road with steep cliffs. When we arrived, we were one of the first vans there. Our guide told us to go at our own pace. Objectively, the hike up to Rainbow Mountain is easy. It is only 5 miles roundtrip and minimal elevation gain, but the fact that this hike is over 15,000 feet really takes a toll on the body. Horses are available to rent that will take you up the mountain- which many people chose to do. We just took it nice and slow and practically crawled up. We were glad we took it slow, because at the top we were feeling fine and had no symptoms of altitude sickness. We spent some time admiring the views, taking pictures and even posing with some MORE alpacas! We had seen many photos of Rainbow Mountain that were extremely edited. Below, these pictures are completely unedited so you can see the true colors. If you are lucky and get a nice clear day like we did, the colors are amplified, but not as much as they are in some travel guides and advertisements. After a while some headaches began to set in so we slowly made our way back down. When we returned back to Cusco we attended an information session for our Salkantay Trek that was to start the following day.

TRAVEL TIP: Just below the summit you can pay 1 sol to stamp your passport with a Rainbow Mountain stamp!

day 12: Salkantay Trek day 1

We booked our Salkantay trek through Machu Picchu Reservations and we highly recommend them! They provided sleeping bags, trekking poles, and a donkey would carry the majority of your things. Their office was only a few blocks from our hostel so we walked over at 5 am to begin our adventure. We drove for about 3 hours before we began our trek. Day one of the trek started with a 2 hour trek up to Humantay Lake. Just like Rainbow Mountain, objectively this wasn’t a difficult hike but the altitude forces you to take it slow and steady. We were rewarded with gorgeous views of the lake with Salkantay Mountain looming in the background. We were happy to have prepared for winter conditions because it was very cold at the top. Next we headed to our camp which were these cool mini eco-lodges. Make sure you bring extra warm clothing because it is very cold at that elevation and the hut isn’t very insulated. We were served an amazing buffet dinner and went to bed early to get ready for day 2!

TRAVEL TIP: When you do the Salkantay Trek with a guide they will provide all of your meals, but they will not provide you with drinking water for during the day. There are many places along the trail to buy water but it is very expensive. We saved a lot of money and stayed hydrated by bringing our water filter. There were plenty of places to fill up along the way if you bring a filter or tablets!

Day 13: salkantay trek day 2

The second day of the Salkantay trek was the hardest by far! We had a massive breakfast and then headed up to the Salkantay Pass – the highest point of the whole trip which is just over 15,000 feet. It was a long slow trudge dealing with the altitude, this forced a lot of people in a group to take horses up to the pass. From the pass we could see the snow-covered summit of Salkantay Mountain and it felt like we were in a completely different world than the climate we experienced earlier in the day! Our guide took us over to see Salkantay Lake, whose teal waters stick out among the surrounding gray rock. We were only able to see this lake from a far; we wanted to get up close but because of the rock slides it isn’t safe to venture down. Next, we started our long descent down to our camp for the night. Over the course of the day we dropped over 6,000 feet of elevation. By the end we had exited the cold, wintery weather and were in the jungle. Suddenly we were stripping off our layers and applying bug spray! Along the way we stopped for lunch and had dinner when we arrived at camp. We slept in tents that were covered with an extra layer of wood for protection.

day 14: salkantay trek day 3

On the third day we hiked through the jungle along the river for about 5 hours. We were able to see some beautiful waterfalls and enjoy a much less strenuous day since we were at lower elevation. We hiked through a lot of PUD (pointless up and down). The whole day we would hike up a big hill only to come all the way back down on the other side. We were able to stop in a few villages that had little snack shops set up. We bought our favorite fruit, granadilla. Once we had hiked for 5 hours, a van picked us up and drove us to where we would have lunch. Then, we road in the bus again to Hidrolectrica. From there, we walked 10 kilometers over 3 more hours along train tracks until we reached Aguas Calientes. This was a long grueling walk because it was so flat with really nothing exciting to look at. We powered through because the quicker we finished the quicker we were able to take a nice shower! That night we stayed in a hostel owned by Machu Picchu Reservations where we were able to take a nice hot shower and sleep in a very cozy bed!  

day 15: Machu Picchu

Getting there

This was the day we had been most looking forward to the whole entire trip- visiting Machu Picchu! Besides the people hiking the Inca Trail, we were given the earliest entry time of 6:00am. It is important to know that your entrance time is only good for one hour. So since our entrance time was 6:00am, we needed to be inside the gates by 7:00am or else we would not have been allowed entrance.

There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientas. The traditional way is hiking up which is a steep, stair trail that takes about 2 hours from town, so plan accordingly.

The easier way is to take the bus from town. You must buy the bus ticket in person at Av. Hermanos Ayar S / N, before Puente Ruinas. If you ask anyone in town they will be able to point you in the correct direction. The ticket is $24 round trip and you must show your passport and your Machu Picchu entrance pass when you purchase your ticket. The bus takes about 20 minutes from town and the earliest bus is at 5:00am. Lines form quickly so it is important to arrive early. There will be signs signaling each Machu Picchu entrance time. Because of this, we were able to skip ahead of all the 7:00am entrance people to ensure that we made it in time.

Hiking in Machu Picchu

In addition to just exploring the wonder, you have the option to hike surrounding mountains to get a view of Machu Picchu from above. There are two hikes: Huayna Picchu and Montana Machu Picchu. There are a limited number of passes given out each day for these hikes so they must be booked months in advance. You are only permitted to hike one mountain per visit, and just like the general Machu Picchu entrance pass, you are only given a one hour time slot to begin your hike. Huayna Picchu is more popular because it is shorter, but it is a very narrow dangerous trail so very few passes are given out. Montana Machu Picchu, the one we chose to do, is a 2,000 foot climb and took us about an hour and a half to hike up. The trail is all stairs, but careful footing is still needed because it can be quite narrow. We were sweaty and exhausted, but it was amazing to see Machu Picchu from so far up! After we hiked down we were excited to explore the actual site!

Exploring Machu Picchu

Our biggest piece of advice is to make sure that you have a tour guide for the visit. There are many available at the entrance and they are relatively inexpensive. As we walked around we weren’t always sure what we were looking at, so we would eavesdrop on other groups passing by. Also, the whole site is one way so after you visit a portion of Machu Picchu, you cannot turn around and go back. Once you do the whole loop through, there is no re-entry. So definitely take your time and soak it all in. Additionally, be prepared for massive crowds. During the busy season, Machu Picchu hosts 7,000 visitors a day. When we first arrived at 6am it was relatively empty. But by the time we were done with our hike at 10am it was packed. We later learned that re-entry is only allowed if you are doing one of the hikes. So we would recommend exploring the site early in the morning while there are less people, doing the whole loop, and then going back in for your hike. Don’t forget to get your passport stamped on the way out! It’s a great souvenir! To take a bus back to Aguas Calientas, you just have to get in the line right outside the entrance. We thought the lined seemed really long, but it moves quickly, they have a very efficient system.

Leaving Machu Picchu

Once we were back in Aguas Calientes we had a few hours before our train ride. Rather than doing the walk from Aguas Calientes to Hidroelectrica (the last 10 kilometers of our Salkantay Trek) we were able to take a train. The train station is sort of hidden behind a massive souvenir market. It is a little tricky to find, but once you’re in the market there are signs pointing towards the station. The train ride takes about an hour. From there, we took a 2 hour shuttle that was set up through Machu Picchu reservations back to Cusco.

We spent the night at Kokopelli again and then took a flight the next morning back to Lima.

day 16: Lima

Our flight from Cusco dropped us back in Lima around noon. We were not staying in Miraflores like we did in the beginning of our trip. Miraflores is 45 minutes away from the airport, and we would only be there for the afternoon before our flight back to Boston, so we chose to stay in a hostel that was only 15 minutes away from the airport. Because of the convenience to the airport, so we were not in a very safe or touristy area. We mainly just hung out in our hostel and went out to dinner down the street. Out hostel was nice enough to arrange a car for us since our flight was the next morning at 4am. We were so sad to see our Peru trip come to an end!

HOSTEL: We stayed at Tupac hostel for one night at the end of our trip. This hostel was very close to the airport and we felt very safe. The owner arranged for a ride from and to the airport for less than $10. Even when we left at 4am, they prepared a small breakfast for us, so nice!

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