South AmericaPeruPeru
Peru is three countries side by side: a rainless desert coast, the high Andes with Cusco and Machu Picchu in them, and the Amazon behind. Most stops get two nights, the dry season runs May to September, and the Inca Trail and the citadel are booked months out.
PeruPeru in a nutshell
Where to go in Peru
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Our travel routes through Peru
Peru is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
5 nights5 days, Lima and the south coast
Lima · Paracas · Huacachina
Paracas, Huacachina, and Nazca thrive year-round; Lima's best weather occurs May–September and March–April.
6 nights6 days, Iquitos and the northern Amazon
Lima · Iquitos · Lima
Amazon wildlife viewing peaks in drier months; river levels and boat access optimal mid-dry season.
7 nights1 week: Sacred Valley deep dive, Machu Picchu as the finale
Cusco · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu
Optimal weather for hiking and exploring Sacred Valley ruins and Machu Picchu; May and September offer fewer tourists.
7 nights7 days, the minimum viable Machu Picchu trip
Lima · Cusco · Sacred Valley
Dry Andean weather for Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu trekking; fewer crowds than June–August.
9 nights10 days, built backwards from an Inca Trail permit
Cusco · Machu Picchu · Cusco
Inca Trail requires dry season; May and September are ideal to avoid peak crowds and prices of June–August.
9 nights10 days: the classic first-timer, with the Amazon on the end
Lima · Cusco · Sacred Valley
Clear skies over Cusco and Machu Picchu, with Amazon humidity and wildlife activity peaking mid-dry season.
10 nights10 days, Cordillera Blanca from Lima
Lima · Huaraz · Lima
Alpine trekking around Huaraz demands stable weather; May–September brings clear skies and passable high-altitude trails.
14 nights2 weeks, the southern circuit as a graded ascent
Lima · Paracas · Huacachina
Coastal sun in Paracas and Huacachina, dry trails through Colca Canyon, and clear Andean weather around Puno and Cusco.
17 nights3 weeks, the northern circuit
Lima · Huaraz · Trujillo
Dry season ensures clear views of Huaraz peaks, stable conditions for Cajamarca and Chachapoyas ruins, and accessible mountain roads.
20 nights3 weeks: coast, Andes and Amazon
Lima · Paracas · Huacachina
Combines best conditions across three regions: sunny coast, dry Andes from Arequipa through Cusco and Sacred Valley, active Amazon.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editorsWe looked at how travellers actually plan Peru on Stippl, across 98,000+ planned stops in Peru.
Peru is planned as a triangle with extras bolted on, and most stops get 2 nights. Lima takes 20.9% of every Peruvian stop planned on Stippl, with Cusco, Arequipa, Huacachina, Puno and Paracas behind it, the southern circuit in order, and the named things are Machu Picchu on a timed circuit, the Inca Trail over Dead Woman's Pass, the condors at Colca, the Nazca overflight, the Uros islands on Titicaca and a river lodge out of Iquitos. Only 21.9% of Peru trips on Stippl stay inside the country.
Peru is a long-haul, long-lead country, and a wet or dry one depending on which half you stand in. Most travellers plan Peru about 110 days ahead on Stippl, with 32.1% of plans made half a year out, and 37.0% of stops are a single night, the coast being driven through on the way south. September is the month most people plan for, and January is the second, which is the wettest month in Cusco and the best on the coast.
So climb slowly, via Arequipa or a slow first day in Cusco, book Machu Picchu and any Inca Trail permit before the flights, and decide whether Bolivia is on the trip before the Peruvian leg is fixed, since nearly half of Peru trips on Stippl carry it. Skip the Andes in January and February, when the Inca Trail is closed and Machu Picchu sits in cloud, and skip the car, because the distances are for buses and planes.
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Download the appWho Peru is for
First-timers in South America
The Lima to Cusco to Machu Picchu spine is well trodden and well served, with hostels, English-speaking operators and transport the whole way.
Hikers and trekkers
The Inca Trail, Salkantay and Lares out of Cusco, the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash out of Huaraz, Colca's canyon descents and the volcano summits above Arequipa.
History travellers
Not only Inca: Moche, Chavín, Chachapoya, Nazca and Wari sites are all reachable, and several of them are nearly empty.
Food travellers
Lima's tasting menus, ceviche on the coast, pisco in Ica, Arequipa's picanterías and cooking classes in three cities.
Budget backpackers
Among the cheapest countries in South America, with a workable day in the north around €15 to €19 and a market lunch for under €3.
Families
Paracas wildlife, Colca condors, Amazon canopy walks and Machu Picchu all work with children, with the same altitude caution as for adults.
South America route builders
Only 21.9% of Peru trips on Stippl stay inside the country, and Bolivia sits on nearly half of them, so Peru is usually a leg.
Maybe not for you: anyone unwilling to build in acclimatisation days, since Cusco sits at 3,400 metres; anyone who wants to be spontaneous about Machu Picchu or the Inca Trail, which need months rather than days; and self-drivers, because the distances are made for buses and flights.
The best time to visit Peru
Andean dry season
May to September
Sun, cold nights, open trails and the whole trekking calendar, with April and October as the edges; also the crowd season, and June to August is the peak at Machu Picchu.
Andean wet season
November to March
Heavy afternoon storms, muddy or closed trails and Machu Picchu frequently fogged, at its worst in January and February when the Inca Trail closes; cheaper and much quieter.
Coastal summer
December to April
Warm, sunny Lima and a coast that is swimmable for the brave, the inverse of the Andean calendar, and the reason a January trip goes to the beaches rather than the mountains.
The garúa
May to September
The coast's persistent grey fog and drizzle: it is fog rather than rain, the coast gets almost no real rain in any month, but the sun can stay hidden over Lima for weeks.
Amazon high and low water
December to March and May to September
High water means better boat access into flooded forest, low water means trails and riverbank wildlife, and it rains in every month either way.
- September is the month most travellers plan Peru for on Stippl, and January comes second. The first is the dry season's last clear month, the second is the coast's summer and the Andes' worst, so the two crowds go to different halves of the country.
- Most travellers plan Peru about 110 days ahead on Stippl, and only 10.1% inside a fortnight. The Inca Trail permits go about six months out and Machu Picchu two to three, so the lead time is the country's.
- The trade-off between the coast and the Andes is unavoidable. The best Lima months are the worst Cusco months, and a June to August trip buys perfect mountain weather and a grey capital.
- The Inca Trail closes for the whole of February every year. The Ministry of Culture shuts the road network for maintenance and reopens it on the first of March, while Machu Picchu itself stays open.
- Machu Picchu runs a higher daily cap on its peak dates. Capacity rises to 5,600 a day from June to early November and on the New Year and Easter dates, and sits lower outside them, so the shoulder months sell out faster than the peak.
- Sunday is market day in the Sacred Valley. Pisac and Chinchero fill with Quechua villagers in traditional dress on Sundays, and Chivay's market in Colca does the same, so the route bends to land there on the right day.
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Festivals, and when to avoid them
Inca Trail closure
The Ministry of Culture closes the Inca road network for maintenance every February and reopens it on the first of March; Machu Picchu stays open, and Salkantay and Lares keep running. Plan the trek for another month.
Virgen de la Candelaria
Puno's two-week festival of dance and brass bands, one of the largest in South America, with the town's rooms booked out and the Titicaca boats full. Come for it with a booking, or see the lake in March.
Semana Santa
Holy Week processions fill Cusco and Ayacucho, and accommodation tightens across the Andes for the whole week at the year's highest rates. Book months ahead, or see the highlands the fortnight before.
Corpus Christi in Cusco
Fifteen saints and virgins are carried into the cathedral square and the city eats chiriuchu in the streets; the centre closes to traffic and every schedule moves. Worth building a Cusco stay around.
Inti Raymi
The Inca festival of the sun, re-enacted at Qorikancha, the Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán with tickets for the fortress stands; Cusco's rooms go weeks ahead at double the rate. Come for it or avoid the week.
Fiestas Patrias
Independence days, when Peruvians travel at once: buses, flights and the Machu Picchu slots fill with domestic demand, and Cusco and the coast both peak. Book ahead, or take the week either side.
Machu Picchu peak dates
The days when the citadel's cap rises to 5,600 visitors, which is the busy season rather than the quiet one; the shoulder dates have fewer tickets and sell out sooner.
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Things to do in Peru
Photo by Ed Wingate via Unsplash
Photo by Martín Espinoza via UnsplashMachu Picchu
The fifteenth-century citadel the Spanish never found, entered by timed slot on one of three one-way circuits with a hard daily cap; it is the reason most people come and the thing most trips are built around.
The Inca Trail
Four days and three nights over Dead Woman's Pass at about 4,200 metres, arriving through the Sun Gate on the fourth morning, permit-capped and licensed-operator-only, and the one thing in Peru you cannot decide on late.
Salkantay or Lares
The permit-free alternatives: Salkantay is 74 kilometres over five days across a 4,600-metre pass and is harder than the Inca Trail rather than easier, Lares is 34 kilometres over four days through Quechua villages.
Condors at Cruz del Cóndor
Andean condors ride the morning thermals above the Colca canyon, typically between eight and ten, with wingspans around three metres; the viewpoint sits outside Cabanaconde and pairs with a canyon trek.
Rainbow Mountain, or Palccoyo
Vinicunca draws up to 4,000 people a day and tops out around 5,000 metres; Palccoyo is lower, shorter and near-empty, and either is only worth attempting after several days at altitude.
The Nazca overflight
Thirty to sixty minutes in a small plane over geoglyphs that are legible only from the air, and the roadside viewing tower on the Panamericana is the free version for anyone who would rather not fly.
What to eat in Peru
raw white fish cured in lime with red onion, chilli, corn and sweet potato, the national dish
beef stir-fried with onion, tomato and chips, the Chinese-Peruvian staple
shredded chicken in a creamy yellow-chilli sauce
grilled beef-heart skewers, charcoal street food
hot peppers stuffed with meat and baked with cheese
guinea pig, roasted whole or flattened and fried; lean and gamey
meat and roots cooked underground on hot stones
mashed potato stuffed with meat or egg, deep-fried
pumpkin-and-sweet-potato doughnuts in syrup
grape brandy with lime, syrup and egg white, the national cocktail
sweet non-alcoholic purple-corn drink
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Peruvian customs and what not to do
Quechua is a living language
Spoken in Cusco's markets, the Sacred Valley, Taquile and the northern highlands, and children in some Colca villages learn it before Spanish; a greeting in it lands warmer than any Spanish.
The conquest built on top
Cusco's cathedral and Santo Domingo sit directly on Inca foundations, exposed again by twentieth-century earthquakes, and the seam between the two empires is the city's texture.
Coca is a leaf, not a souvenir
Offered as tea on arrival at Cusco hotels, chewed on treks and sold openly, it is not a substitute for acclimatising, and taking leaves or tea out of Peru is illegal.
Textiles carry real labour
Chinchero and Taquile cooperatives weave on pre-Inca backstrap looms with natural dyes, and buying direct supports the weaver rather than a middleman.
Photographs are a transaction
Photographing someone in traditional dress is paid for, a sol or two is the norm, and it is agreed before the photo rather than argued about after.
Not generic Latin America
The food, the festivals and the history are their own thing, and treating them as Mexican-adjacent reads badly; a little Spanish transforms travel outside the tourist corridor.
Do
- Learn Allillanchu? before Cusco; the everyday Quechua greeting gets a warmer response than Spanish in the highlands
- Agree taxi fares and tour prices before committing; bargaining is expected in artisan markets and agencies alike
- Buy textiles at the cooperative rather than the roadside stall if the weavers' income is the point
- Check mass times before visiting working churches; several of the main sights hold regular services
- Carry ID at all times; the police can ask for it and can take you to a station without it
Don't
- Buy souvenirs made from wild animal parts: condor feathers, turtle shell and preserved insects are sold in Cusco and Iquitos markets and illegal to export
- Attach yourself quietly to a paid guide's group at Machu Picchu; it is noticed and resented
- Ride the horses or donkeys at Humantay Lake; the welfare concerns are real
- Take part in any political demonstration; it is illegal for foreigners and carries detention or deportation
- Try to take coca leaves or coca tea home
What a Peru trip costs
Budget
€17–30
A dorm bed, the market almuerzo, colectivos and public buses, one paid activity every few days; the north sits at the bottom of the band.
Mid-range
€47–80
A private room or a good three-star double, sit-down restaurants, one domestic flight or premium overnight bus, a guided day trip.
High-end
€170+
Boutique or oxygen-enriched hotels, private transfers and drivers, scenic-class rail, the tasting menus in Lima.
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Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
Ninety days, no visa
UK, EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports enter visa-free for up to 90 days per entry, with a ceiling of 183 days in any year.
Money
Soles, and cash in the villages
Cards work in Lima, Cusco and Arequipa; markets, colectivos and small towns want soles, and the bank ATMs in the cities are the place to draw them.
Connectivity
An eSIM or a local SIM
Budget about €1 to €3 a day for a local SIM or an eSIM bought before landing; coverage is good in the cities and thin on the treks.
Getting around
Buses, flights and one train
Cruz del Sur and Oltursa on the long roads, domestic flights Lima to Cusco and Arequipa, and the rail line to Machu Picchu; skip the hire car.
Health
Yellow fever only for the Amazon
Nothing is required for Lima, Cusco, the Inca Trail or Machu Picchu; the Amazon wants the yellow fever jab, and the altitude is the real health risk.
Water
Bottled, filtered or boiled
Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere in Peru, and that extends to ice and to raw salads outside good restaurants; the hotels sell refills.
Tipping
Ten percent, once
Around 10% in restaurants where service is not already on the bill, and Lima's better rooms often add a servicio line, so check before tipping twice.
Power & plugs
Types A and C, 220 volts
Flat two-pin and round two-pin, with many hybrid sockets taking both; European and North American travellers each need one adapter for the other shape.
Language
Spanish, then Quechua
English works in Lima's Miraflores and on the Cusco trail and thins out fast beyond them; a few phrases of Spanish change every interaction.
Spanish and Quechua worth knowing
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
BWEH-nos DEE-as
Good morning · buenos días
por fa-VOR
Please · por favor
GRA-syas
Thank you, with the soft s of the Americas · gracias
KWAN-to KWES-ta
How much does it cost? · ¿cuánto cuesta?
la KWEN-ta por fa-VOR
The bill, please · la cuenta, por favor
no en-TYEN-do
I don't understand · no entiendo
eye-ee-YAN-choo
How are you?, the everyday Quechua greeting in the Andes · allillanchu?
eye-ee-YAN-mee
I'm fine, the reply · allillanmi
sool-PIE-kee
Thank you, in Quechua · sulpayki
too-pa-nan-CHEES-ka-ma
Until we meet again, in Quechua · tupananchiskama
Peru questions, answered
As the triangle with one extra: Lima, then Cusco and the Sacred Valley, then Machu Picchu, with the southern circuit or an Amazon lodge added if the days allow. Lay the stops out in Stippl with the buses and flights between them, then show the route to people who have been, in subreddits like r/travel or r/peru.
Two, with the coast quicker and Cusco slower: most stops get 2 nights on Stippl and 37.0% are a single night, which is Nazca, Paracas and Huacachina being passed through on the way south, while Cusco and Huaraz hold people longest of anywhere in the country.
Yes. Only 21.9% of Peru trips on Stippl stay inside the country, and Bolivia sits on nearly half of them, with Chile and Colombia next; the Titicaca crossing at Puno is where the two join. Decide the neighbours before fixing the Peruvian leg, because it changes which end you fly out of.
Months. Most travellers plan Peru about 110 days ahead on Stippl and 32.1% half a year out, because the Inca Trail permits go about six months ahead and Machu Picchu two to three, and the state portal is the only place the citadel tickets are sold at face value.
Real, common and usually mild: breathlessness on stairs, headache and poor sleep for a day or two in Cusco, manageable with slow first days, water, no alcohol and no ambitious hikes. The gentler route climbs via Arequipa, and anyone with a heart or lung condition talks to a doctor before flying to Cusco.
Yes with city sense. Petty theft is the everyday risk, fake taxis and motorbike phone-snatching are the named serious ones in Lima, and the answer is ride apps after dark, nothing visible on crowded buses and the bag on your lap; the tourist corridor from Lima to Cusco to Titicaca is well policed.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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