I’d been wanting to visit Peru for YEARS, so I was a bit too excited. My original plan was to visit Peru for a month, spend a couple weeks in Cusco, then push down to Huarez and over to the coast then down to Lima and south towards Nazca before flying home. I sorely underestimated how much time this would all take and overestimated how much time I could reasonable take off work, so I had to narrow it down. For our three-week itinerary Cusco would have to be enough.
Fortunately, we found out we could trek past glaciers and megalithic ruins as well as take a boat six days into the Amazon, all from Cusco, Peru. Below, you’ll find my entire three-week itinerary as well as tips for how to plan your own Peruvian adventure.
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Why Cusco?
My top priority in Peru was the Salkantay Trek (five days) and Luke’s priority was the Amazon (six days), both departing from Cusco. Factoring in travel days, a few days of acclimatization in Ollantaytambo before trekking over 15,000 feet, a few rest days in between, and a couple days in Lima before flying out, we ended up with a three week (21 day) itinerary centered around Cusco, Peru.
Scroll down to How I Planned a 3-Week Cusco Itinerary for more in-depth planning tips.
Week #1 Itinerary: Cusco + Ollantaytambo Acclimatization
Day #1: Overnight Flight to Lima
The first day of our Peruvian itinerary (October 27th, 2025) was spent navigating LAX and an overnight flight to Lima. Luckily, nothing incredibly interesting happened.
Day #2: Lima to Ollantaytambo
The second day of our Cusco itinerary was spent getting to Cusco and then leaving it again to acclimatize a few thousand feet lower in Ollantaytambo for a few days.
How to Get from Lima to Cusco
The only reasonable way to get from Lima to Cusco is to fly. One way, the flight is less than $100USD and only takes about 90 minutes.
How to Get from Cusco to Ollantaytambo
The easiest way I found to get to Ollantaytambo Peru from Cusco was via taxi. We used a reliable website called Taxidatum to get from Cusco Airport to Ollantaytambo.
We submitted our flight number and time via Taxidatum so they’d know if the flight was delayed. The driver communicated well and contacted me via WhatsApp when and where he was waiting for us. The fare was only $35 for a private taxi (2025) and took just under two hours with a bit of traffic leaving Cusco.
I couldn’t think of an easier service to use, and it bypasses the overwhelming number of taxi drivers at the airport. If you’re not coming from the airport, there are plenty of shuttle buses and taxis around, and the train runs straight through the town if coming from Aguas Calientes.
Day #3: Ollantaytambo Archeological Site
We FINALLY settled in and began exploring Ollantaytambo, which is a SUPER interesting town with a lot of cultural history. We hired a guide (**highly recommend) to tell us about the Archeological Site, then hiked up to Inka Watana when the guided portion concluded which led us to a stunning overlook after a steep 15 minute hike.
For dinner, we ate some really good pizza at Inti Grill as we watched the sun set over the ruins!
Day #4: HUGE Day of Sacred Valley Exploration
Today we just kept adding more and more to our itinerary until it was packed full. First, we woke up early in Ollantaytambo and went on a quick hike up to the Pinkuylluna Archeological Site then quickly met up with KB Tours in the town square and went on a mid-morning white water rafting adventure on the Urubamba River.
Without time for lunch, we then took a taxi back to Cusco via three Sacred Valley Sites: Moray, Maras, and Chinchero. Once back in Cusco, we checked into our San Blas accommodation and ran down to the square to pay our deposits for both our upcoming Salkantay Trek and Manu National Park (Amazon) tour before trying alpaca kebabs at our favorite restaurant of the entire trip (we were now starving), then hiking back up the endless stairs of San Blas so we could finally sleep.
If this all seems chaotic, I’ll break it down.
Pinkuylluna Archeological Site
Pinkuylluna, a major archeological site in Ollantaytambo, was open from 7:30AM to 4:30PM sharp, and was free to enter. The inconspicuous trailhead was only a five minute walk from the main square, and the entire hike took about an hour. The hike was steep and rocky and led past a few different ruins to a beautiful view.
White Water Rafting the Urubamba River
After a quick morning hike, we met up with our guide at KB Tours in the main square of Ollantaytambo where we spent a couple hours white water rafting on the Urubamba River just up the road from town (SUPER fun!).
The only way to book the tour from Ollantaytambo (that I know of) is to literally walk in to the storefront. Although Ollantaytambo is the city of departure on this itinerary Cusco has Urubamba River white water rafting options too that you can actually book online.
Maras
After we dried off, we left for Cusco, but asked our taxi driver to go the scenic route and stop at a few Sacred Valley Sites on the way. The first was Maras— an ancient salt production facility impressively carved into the steep hillside.
Moray
Moray was the next stop. From what I gather, Moray was a site for agricultural experimentation which allowed the Incas to selectively grow corn and potatoes to withstand varying climates at both very high and very low elevations through the creation of microclimate pits.
Our FAVORITE Restaurant of the Trip: Sumaqcha
Despite a packed itinerary Cusco still had one more surprise to offer: AMAZING FOOD at Sumaqcha. We were the only ones when we walked in, but we SO impressed by both the hospitality and quality of food (alpaca kebabs, creole fettuccini, and really good complimentary salsa). I HIGHLY recommend checking this place out!
Day #5: Introduction to Cusco
We woke up and decided to walk around Cusco to explore. Since we were staying in San Blas neighborhood (halfway up the hill), we started up the never-ending flights of stairs until we topped out. We had the intention of walking to some of the ruins up there, but it was kind of weird walking along a major bus-way with no sidewalks, so we continued past Christo Blanco into Sacsayhuaman.
Sacsayhuaman Attempt #1
Sacsayhuaman is an essential part of every Cusco itinerary.
However, as we approached the pay booth, the lady in the booth communicated to us that the cheapest option was 70 soles each for the tourist boleto for Circuit 1 and they were only accepting cash. That was fine, but she then told us they required exact change. We only had 200 sol bills because that’s all the ATMs wanted to spit out, but no one wanted to take them.
At this point, she was getting frustrated with us, our confusion, and our inability to speak Spanish (understandably), so we just left and walked back down the thousand or so steps back into town and figured we’d try again another day (Day #12).
Inka Museum
We still wanted to add something to our itinerary. Cusco is a really unique city with lots of history and we wanted to learn more about it, so we settled on visiting the Inka Museum.
The Inka Museum ended up being really interesting. Fortunately, the displays were in both English and Spanish, so it was a great compliment to what we had already learned from our two guides thus far in Ollantaytambo.
Eventually, we had to make our way back to our accommodation for our Salkantay orientation. Since we’d chosen a private tour, our newest guide Dario met us at our place and made sure we were ready to go for our 4am departure the following morning.
Week #2 Itinerary: Cusco + Salkantay Trek
We left from Cusco and spent the next five days on our toughest adventure yet: the Salkantay Trek. We trekked 44+ miles from the alpine at 15,000′ down to the tropical jungle then back up to our destination: Machu Picchu. For a more detailed trip report, subscribe below to be the first to hear about the release of my article specifically covering our Salkantay Trek.
Back in June, we chose to book a private guide for the Salkantay Trek (for November) with none other than Salkantay Trekking who provided the guide, transportation to and from Cusco, a private cook who made SUCH GOOD food, and all the tickets required for the adventure. Although we really enjoyed having a private experience, it’s definitely cheaper to book a group tour with Salkantay Trekking.
Day #6 (Salkantay): Sky Camp + Humantay Lake
We had an early start but relatively short day (roughly 6 miles) trekking to Sky Camp then day hiking to Humantay Lake at 14,000′.
Day #7 (Salkantay): Salkantay Pass + Mountain Domes
Day seven was a crazy trek over Salkantay Pass (15,000+’) then a 6,000′ descent through the jungle to our Mountain Sky Dome accommodation. Over the 14 miles we trekked, the change in climate and foliage was really striking!
Day #8 (Salkantay): Jungle Domes + FRESH Coffee + Hot Springs
Day eight was shorter than expected due to a landslide which washed out the second half of the trail. We trekked about six miles through the jungle then crossed a river and caught a ride to a coffee farm where we roasted our own beans and Luke made some of the most flavorful coffee of his life.
We then set up ‘camp’ in what felt like a luxury resort before taking off to soak in some nearby hot springs that evening.
Day #9 (Salkantay): The longest day of my life.
Day nine was incredibly hard for many reasons. Personally, I thought it was even harder than Salkantay Pass which most say is toughest.
First, it rained for the first few hours as we climbed thousands of feet up the muddy jungle trail before dropping over the other side, checking out some ruins, and descending another couple thousand feet. Here we had the option to take a $40 train the last six miles into Aguas Calientes.
We made the stupid decision to walk and complete the final six miles of the trek on foot because every other group was walking and we didn’t want to wimp out, but even though it was flat, it was the LONGEST most PAINFUL trudge of my LIFE! Afterwards, my body was so wrecked that the few hundred steps at Machu Picchu the next day felt rough.
Day #10 (Salkantay): Machu Picchu + Ollantaytambo + Cusco
We finally made it to Machu Picchu and the weather was perfect! It was very busy, even in November (as can be expected), and very impressive. The ruins were cool and quite expansive, but their mountaintop location surrounded by the incredible Andean backdrop was what set them apart.
That afternoon, we boarded a very scenic train back to Ollantaytambo where we met our driver and returned to Cusco just in time for dinner.
Day #11: Recovery in Cusco
Day eleven was a complete recovery day. We literally only left our place to grab brunch at a nearby cafe and do some laundry after five days of sweat and rain. During this itinerary Cusco was the perfect place to rest and recover since there were lots of nearby restaurants and laundromats. I highly recommend working in a recovery day.
Day #12: Sacsayhuaman + Packing for the Amazon
Our Cusco itinerary on day twelve was a bit more active. We finally made it to Sacsayhuaman before the thunder and hailstorms rolled in, saw some of the most massive megalithic stones of the trip, and dropped off excess baggage at the Amazon Wildlife Peru office for them to store for us for the next week.
We had been dressing for a cool, dry, alpine climate and had to completely repack to mosquito-proof clothes for a very wet tropical climate below 1,000 feet
Week #3 Itinerary: The Amazon + Lima
As we continued on with our itinerary Cusco was left behind yet again. We spent the next week searching for wildlife from a van, then from a boat, then on foot as we explored Manu National Park with the most bubbly and sharp-eyed guide I’ve ever met. I don’t need glasses, but I felt blind and supremely unobservant in comparison to our guide Alex.
We booked a 6 day 5 night Manu National Park Reserve Zone tour through Amazon Wildlife Peru. In order to get past the cultural zone into the reserve zone, 6 days was the minimum length trip. For a more detailed article specifically detailing our Amazon tour (coming soon), subscribe below!
Our most notable memories included seeing eight species of monkeys, two capybaras, and a jaguar, wading through a river at 3:30am, braving an intense overnight thunderstorm in a small jungle hut, and searching for huge Amazonian bugs with eight new friends.
Day #13 (Amazon): Cusco to Manu National Park by Van
After yet another 4am wakeup call in Cusco, day 13 in Peru had begun and we were officially on our way to the Amazon! We met the rest of the team and proceeded to wind through the skinny switchbacks that masquerade as roads through the Andes. When our progress was halted by roadwork (landslides are commonplace), we walked in search of rare animals until our driver could catch up.
By the time we rolled into our Rainforest Lodge, we had seen so many animals including the elusive woolly monkeys! That night, our little bamboo hut withstood one of the gnarliest thunderstorms I’d ever experienced. Multiple times we were jolted awake by thunder crashing right above our heads. It was AWESOME!
Day #14 (Amazon): Going through the Car Wash
After a couple more hours and a couple more stops by van, we arrived in Atalaya and boarded the boat that would take us another six hours upstream. No sooner had we donned our ponchos than it started to downpour. My face felt like a windshield in a carwash as we beat into the wind down the river.
After what felt like hours, I’d lost all concept of time. Luckily, the rain had swollen the river which made the trip over an hour quicker than anticipated. We even made a pit stop at a river-side hot spring before arriving at our lodge for the night.
However, we wouldn’t get to sleep in a real bed. We immediately hiked an hour into the jungle to a raised platform (wildlife blind) where we’d each take shifts looking for nighttime wildlife at a Tapir clay lick.
A night at the tapir clay lick
Because of the rain, the hike to the tapir blind was actually quite eventful and involved taking off our pants to wade across a thigh-deep stream. Knowing caimans frequent these areas, I felt very exposed, though the mosquitos were the true enemy. It was even more exciting repeating the endeavor at 3:30AM on the way back. Alex must not need sleep.
Regardless, each of us had a role to play that night as we shined a light quickly out of the blind once every few minutes to check for glowing eyes in the pitch black. I don’t think I’ve ever seen true darkness like that.
Despite the stormy conditions, we lucked out! One tapir decided to pay us a visit.
Day #15 (Amazon): The Day of the Capybara
On day 15, after hiking back to the boat by 5AM, we spent nine hours on the water and made it to the reserve zone. Along the way, we saw lots of wildlife, our favorite of which were capybaras (of course)!
Day #16 (Amazon): Manu Reserve Zone
Day 16 was my favorite day. At 5AM we hiked to a macaw clay lick and saw some spider monkeys on the hike. After lunch, we floated down a lake in search of a giant river otter family. We found the river otters and enjoyed the nicest weather of the entire trip!
That evening, we went on a night walk where I was introduced to some MASSIVE (and apparently harmless) scorpion spiders, huge moths and crickets, and even a couple night monkeys.
Day #17 (Amazon): The Day of the Jaguar
As we made our way back to the cultural zone via boat, we spotted our only jaguar on a beach where we’d stopped to pee two days earlier. Once back at the lodge, we went on a night hike where we saw/heard ALL of the frogs. They were SO LOUD!
Day #18 (Amazon): Amazon to Alpine
Luckily, day 18 was much drier than day 13, so the four hour boat ride then eight hour van ride were rather uneventful minus seeing some flamingos on the river. We hadn’t woken up after 5AM for the past week of our Cusco itinerary, so I enjoyed catching up on some much-needed sleep in the van as we climbed from 1,000 back up to 11,000 feet in elevation.
Day #19: Cusco to Lima
We finally slept in, for what felt like the first time on our entire three-week itinerary. Cusco had been amazing for both exploring and recovering after long excursions, but it was time to begin the long trip home with a couple nights in Lima on the way.
The flight was quick and easy, and we arranged a taxi through Taxidatum again to meet us at Lima Airport and drive us the 40 minutes to our new place in Barranco. It only cost $22USD.
Day #20: Exploring Lima
We spent our only full day in Lima walking along the beach in Barranco, sampling coffee shops and restaurants along the way.
Lima is known as a food capital, and everything we tried was top tier! It was the perfect way to end three weeks in Peru.
Day #21: Traveling Home
Our last day passed as uneventfully as the very first as we made the eight hour flight back to Los Angeles.
What an adventure!
How I Planned a 3-Week Cusco Itinerary
Step 1: Research Phase
The first thing I did to begin creating an itinerary in Peru was do some research on:
- Excursions
- What time of year is best to visit
- Costs
How I Found Excursions in Peru
First, I searched Viator and Get Your Guide for the most popular areas to visit/things to do. I found some cool stuff in Huarez and Nazca, but our favorite options were Salkantay + Manu Reserve Zone. Both could leave from Cusco, so for this itinerary Cusco was top priority.
Best Month to Visit Cusco
Next, I researched the best month to visit Cusco. North American summer/South American winter seemed to be the best, but Luke and I couldn’t take off work for that long during our summer.
Our work schedules allowed for either November or February. We found that February is right in the middle of rainy season, and November is shoulder season, but might still be wet. However, it was the better of two options, so we went with November.
Although it was rainy off and on, we lucked out with weather overall. Since it was shoulder season, apparently the crowds were MUCH smaller too, according to the locals, so we had more flexibility with adding last-minute activities to our Cusco itinerary.
Costs: How much can I expect to pay to do this Cusco itinerary?
I wanted to get an idea of how expensive accommodation and food are and figure out our best method of transportation.
In our research, we found that the Peruvian sol is about 1/3 the value of the US dollar (in 2025), which translates to the cost of living overall. Small one bedroom rental homes and small boutique hotel rooms averaged roughly $50 per night in Cusco. Nice meals were roughly 40 soles/$12ish USD.
Originally, we planned to rent a car, but decided on taxis and airplanes. The winding roads of Peru aren’t conducive to driving, ESPECIALLY as foreigners. They are often dirt, washed out in multiple areas, and barely a lane wide in places. Plus, we found out locals drive very fast around blind corners.
We found a reliable taxi service called Taxidatum which took care of our large airport transfers and found that most of our excursions picked us up at our hotels in Cusco. Our two-hour private transfer from Cusco Aiport to Ollantaytambo was only $35USD, and Lima to Barranco was $22USD.
In terms of airfare, we started with the cheapest airfare options then added $200 to make the cost more realistic with baggage.
Step 2: Planning Phase (Budget + Timeline)
After doing some research, I set a realistic budget and timeline. How much time did I want to spend in each place to not feel rushed or bored? How many areas could I visit to stay within my budget?
My budget was $3,500 total for the trip. Subtracting $1,000 airfare, I ended up with $2,500. Factoring in the $1,000 5-Day Salkantay Trek and $1,000 6-Day Manu Reserve Zone Amazon trip, acclimatization in Ollantaytambo, a couple days in Lima before flying home, and essential rest days in between, I hadn’t the time nor budget to go anywhere else.
With 10 days of accommodation and food left to cover, cash tips for our guides + cooks, souvenirs, and spontaneous excursions (like white-water rafting), the total for this three-week Cusco itinerary ended up at $4,367.
Not a stranger to long trips, I knew it would end up quite a bit higher than the budget, so I lowballed the budget intentionally, and I highly recommend you do the same. Expect the budget to be the minimum you’ll pay.
Step 3: Logistics
After creating a budget, I made sure to look into the really important things like passport validity, travel insurance, travel vaccines, and an international driver’s license. Luckily, I ended up not needing the driver’s license, but I have gotten one in the past when visiting Greece and Italy, so it’s always on my radar.
Passport Renewal
Is your passport valid for at least six months from your date of return? If not, you’ll need to get it renewed ASAP. My friend forgot this on a prior trip and was denied entrance to Indonesia.
I was impatient and booked flights first because I was worried the flight prices would go up and excursions would sell out, but then I had to call all the excursions and airlines to change it after receiving it which was a huge hassle. Just do yourself a favor and renew the passport first.
Travel Insurance
Definitely research travel insurance in case you get sick or injured. Having it always gives me peace of mind.
I used Freely, which seemed straightforward and included what I was looking for. I already have a travel credit card, so I didn’t need cancellation insurance or anything, but wanted more medical coverage.
You’ll need to know the dates you’ll be gone before finalizing, so wait to book until you solidify the rest of your itinerary.
Travel Vaccines/Medications
Two months before leaving, we made appointments with the Full Service Travel Medicine Consultation Program, by SafeGard at Costco Pharmacy to get recommended medications for traveling to Peru. First, I filled out an online questionnaire, then a pharmacist gave me a call to review the recommendations so I could decide what I wanted, and then they sent my prescriptions over to Costco Pharmacy to fill.
I didn’t need any mandatory vaccines, but grabbed some emergency altitude meds, preventative malaria and typhoid pills, a yellow fever shot, and a couple other things just in case. I will say, I declined roughly half of the recommendations, so you should definitely do your research and decide what is best for you personally.
The whole process took a couple weeks for me and cost close to $600, so I’d recommend beginning a couple months in advance. Some vaccines require multiple visits and take a couple weeks to take effect. Luckily, I was up to date on those ones.
Step 4: Purchasing
I began purchasing things in this order:
- International flight to Peru + domestic flight to Cusco
- Multi-day excursions (Salkantay + Manu)
- Accommodation for the first two weeks
- Airport transfers with Taxidatum
- Everything else. (remainder of accommodation, travel insurance, etc.)
Step 5: Planned Spontaneity (Filler Activities)
After securing the major players in my Cusco itinerary, I compiled a list of recommendations from the internet or friends who have been there including restaurants, museums, small hikes, and things to do on days in between large excursions that didn’t really require prior booking but could be prioritized in the itinerary upon arrival.
Some of my examples:
- Hikes:
- Sacsayhuaman (Cusco)
- Pinkuylluna (Ollantaytambo)
- Places of interest:
- Moray
- Chinchero
- Rainbow Mountain
- Restaurant recommendations from friends:
- Sumaqcha + Chez Maggy (Cusco)
- Inti Pizza (Ollantaytambo)
- Reiwa Izakaya + Taqueno Lab + Shimao (Lima)
- Museums/others things to do in town:
- Inka Museum (Cusco)
Hopefully you’re well on your way to your own incredible Peruvian adventure. I know this is a lot of information to take in, but if you have any questions, feel free to contact me using the form on my contact page below. And if you end up in Peru next year, definitely let me know how it goes!
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