The trip
Most Peru trips fly you into Cusco at 11,000 feet, put you in a hotel and hope for the best. Then half the group spends the first day with a headache, lying in bed. We do it differently. When we land in Cusco, we drive straight down into the Sacred Valley, which is a couple thousand feet lower, and spend a few days there before coming back up. Your body adjusts more gently, and you get to enjoy the whole trip.
Late May is the start of the dry season in the Andes. The days are sunny and clear, the hills are still green from the rains, and the nights are cold enough that you'll want a fleece.
Machu Picchu is as good as everyone says. It's also run on a tightly managed ticketing system, with set entry times and set routes. We book months ahead and handle all of it, so you just show up and look.
Highlights
- A guided morning at Machu Picchu with an early entry time
- The Maras salt pans and the circular terraces at Moray
- The train along the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes
- Cusco's Qorikancha, where a Spanish church sits on Inca walls
- Lunch in Lima at a cevichería (ceviche here is a lunchtime thing)
Day by day
Texas to Lima
Direct or one-stop flights to Lima, landing late. Hotel in Miraflores, near the ocean cliffs.
Lima
A slow morning, then a proper ceviche lunch. In the afternoon, the Larco Museum (with its famous gallery of very frank ancient pottery) and an evening walk in bohemian Barranco.
Fly to Cusco, down to the valley
An early flight up to Cusco, then right away we drive down into the Sacred Valley. We stop at the Pisac ruins and market and check into a valley lodge for three nights. Take it easy today, drink coca tea, and go to bed early.
Maras, Moray & Chinchero
The terraced salt pans of Maras, harvested by hand since before the Inca. Moray, a set of circular terraces that may have been an agricultural laboratory. A weaving co-op in Chinchero, where women show you how they dye alpaca wool with plants and bugs.
Ollantaytambo & the train
Climb the fortress at Ollantaytambo, a town still laid out on its Inca street grid. In the afternoon, the train down the river gorge to Aguas Calientes.
Machu Picchu
An early bus up the switchbacks, a guided visit along your assigned circuit, and plenty of time to sit and stare. Afterward, the train back and a transfer up to Cusco.
Cusco
Qorikancha, the cathedral, and the San Pedro market for fresh juice. Afternoon at Sacsayhuamán, where the stones fit together so tightly you can't slide a sheet of paper between them.
Cusco, your choice
Choose your own day. Option one is Rainbow Mountain: a very early start and a hike to over 16,000 feet. It's tough, and only for people who are feeling great. Option two is a cooking class and a slow day in the city.
South Valley
Tipón, an Inca site with water channels that still run, and the ruins of Pikillacta. Lunch in a village famous for cuy (roast guinea pig), for the curious. There are other options for everyone else. Farewell dinner.
Leave Cusco
Fly to Lima and connect to an overnight flight home.
Home
Land in Texas in the morning.
What's included
✅ Included
- Round-trip international economy airfare, plus Lima–Cusco flights
- 9 nights in boutique hotels and valley lodges, double occupancy
- Breakfast daily, 5 lunches and 4 dinners
- Machu Picchu entry ticket with timed entry, bus up and down, and the round-trip train
- A licensed Peruvian guide throughout, plus all transfers and listed entries
➖ Not included
- Huayna Picchu permits (limited; ask early if you want one)
- The optional Rainbow Mountain excursion (about $90)
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Single supplement (from $720) and travel insurance
Good to know
Talk to your doctor about altitude before the trip, especially if you have a heart or lung condition. Some travelers get a prescription to prevent altitude sickness. Drink lots of water, go easy on alcohol for the first couple of days, and walk slowly.
The train has strict luggage limits to Machu Picchu, usually around 5 kg. Your main bag waits for you at the hotel and you take an overnight bag.
