The Pink Gin Passport’s ultimate guide to spectacular Peru. From the top of the Andes to the pacific coast this beautiful country should be the first place you visit in South America. With a well trodden backpacking trail (part of South America’s gringo trail) you can experience adventure and mind-blowing experiences with a good standard of accommodation and transport. As well as wonders of the world like Machu Picchu and increasing popular Rainbow Mountain there’s so much more to explore in this country such as the Colca Canyon and Islas Ballestas (Poor Man’s Galapagos).
Where to visit in Peru?
You can tailor your itinerary depending on your interests and also time available. Ideally, if you have 3 weeks you can see the best Peru has to offer.
Lima
The capital city is where you are most likely to be flying into and so you can spend a night or two on your arrival or before you leave. Lima is one of the gastronomical capitals of the world. Peru’s cuisine influence from Asia really comes alive here with amazing sushi, ceviche and Latin American classics from churros and Pisco sours. Also a great spot for surfing and day trip to Palomino where you can swim with sea lions.
Cusco
This city is the gateway to Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain with traditional architecture and culture for you to admire.
Arequipa
Stunning gem of a city. Well worth doing a free city tour. Much lower altitude to Cusco and no hills! Gateway to the Colca Canyon.
Huacachina
This dessert oasis is well worth a visit. One of the best sunsets I saw on my trip.
Paracas
Seaside town is a little run down following a tsunami a few years ago but well worth a visit.
What to do in Peru
Machu Picchu
There are a variety of different ways to experience Machu Picchu. Although you can get a train to Aguas Calientes and get a ticket for the next day to truly experience this wonder of the world you should book in advance and do one of the treks. The Salkantay 5 day trek is increasingly popular but I wanted to experience the original Inca Trail. The Inca trail is a lot more expensive so I chose the 2 day trek rather than 4 days. This involved a full day of hiking the Inca trail and arriving at the sun gate on day 1, a night in a hotel then exploring the lost city in the second day. I booked through Viator for Tierras Vivas. I’d advise to do plenty of research and choose the option best for you.
Rainbow Mountain
You can do this hike as a day trip from Cusco. Do this after Machu Picchu as it’s very physical demanding and could cause altitude sickness as the summit is 5000m above sea level. You’ll have needs to be in Cusco at least 3 days to have acclimatised to a good level of altitude. As I personally don’t like hiking at altitude (I didn’t get sick just felt out of breath very easily) I booked an ATV tour which I highly recommend. Rather than walk behind hundreds of tourists a small group of you have a different path and can enjoy views of Rainbow Mountain and Ausengate (on a clear day) as you drive an ATV up a mountain (which is a cool and fun activity in itself). I booked this tour through Get Your Guide.
Humantay Lake
If you’re doing the Salkantay Trek you’ll visit Humantay on your first day. Otherwise you can do a day trip from Cusco. Like with Rainbow Mountain you’ll want to have acclimatised in Cusco for 3 days beforehand.
Colca Canyon
Originally I was going to skip this and I’m so glad I didn’t as the day trip to Colca Canyon from Arequipa (booked through Selina hostel) was one of my favourite days. 2 days of hiking, Condor spotting, cactus cocktail drinking and relaxing in thermal pools was my kind of day!
Nazca Lines
If you’re travelling on the Peru Hop bus from Arequipa to Huacachina this 15 minute stop to see the Nazca lines is very cool. You could also spend a night and fly over the lines but the viewing platform was cool enough for me. So many questions- how did these lines get there? Were they put there by aliens?
Sand boarding in Huacahchina
I recommend booking through Peru Hop so you get to enjoy dune B=buggy as well as sand boarding in this desert oasis. So much fun and the perfect level of adrenaline.
Islas Ballestas
Also known as Poor Man’s Galapagos this 2 hour boat tour from Paracas was one of my favourite days. We saw sea lions and penguins in abundance!
Where to stay in Peru
As always I book my hostels with Booking.com in case I have any nearer the time itinerary changes as most offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
My favourite hostel was Wild Rover in Cusco and Huacachina. These hostels are cheap, insanely social as well as clean with good bar and restaurant. The daily activities make it so easy to make friends, free shots and cocktail classes and the restaurant means you can get a decent meal after a long day of hiking.
In Arequipa the Selina Hostel was lovely- great communal facilities and relaxing atmosphere after a heavy week of drinking in Cusco.
Viajero Kokopelli is the hostel you want to stay in Paracas- a great pool to sunbathe round (as the beach isn’t the nicest) and again daily activities with good bar and restaurant.
How to get around Peru
You’ll need to use regional airlines to go to Cusco from Lima or vice versa at the end of your trip to make your international flight. I used both Sky Airline and Avianca and had good experiences with both.
But for the bulk of your itinerary it’ll be best by bus. Although cheaper to book your own, local buses have very hit and miss reviews (mainly miss) so I would recommend using Peru Hop. This company was set up by two Irish guys and has been designed with backpackers in mind. You have a guide as well as a driver on board with information delivered in English. You get picked up and dropped off to your hotel/hostel and really takes the stress out of travel. They also offer free excursions with their bus passes including Pisco tasting and Nazca Lines viewing tower.
Example itinerary
Lima- 2 nights
Paracas- 1 night
Huacachina- 2 nights
Arequipa- 2 nights
Cusco- 1 week
I myself did this itinerary in reverse and went to Bolivia to visit the salt flats after Cusco which you can also do with the Peru Hop bus pass (it uses its sister company Bolivia Hop).
Final tip- avoiding altitude sickness
Cusco is 3,500m above sea level and some of the hikes you’ll go on will reach 4-5000 metres. You’re more likely to get sick if you’re sleeping at altitude. Speak to your GP to discuss taking altitude sickness tablets which work better as prevention. Personally, I took them a few days before and first few days but actually felt better after stop taking them so I am more inclined to believe they can cause more harm than good. Getting sick has nothing to do with your personal fitness it’s sheer dumb luck. Going gradually higher (so maybe going Arequipa before Cusco) can help you acclimatise. In Cusco all the hostels and hotels offer free cocoa tea which personally helped me remove any headaches. I also bought cocoa sweets to suck on during my hikes. But remember not to bring any of this out of Peru as it is illegal in many countries (as it contains a small amount of cocaine).