Yes, Peru is one of the easiest countries in South America to backpack on your own, thanks to a well-worn southern circuit, frequent buses and hostels in every town travelers visit.
Dorm beds in
Cusco,
Arequipa and
Lima run about S/35 to 60 (US$9 to 16), and a budget of S/110 to 165 (US$30 to 45) a day covers most backpackers. Bus companies sell tickets online, Lima to Arequipa takes 15 to 17 hours and Cusco to Puno 6 to 7 hours. Basic Spanish makes markets and colectivos far easier. The one thing to arrange early is your
Machu Picchu ticket, which sells out weeks ahead in June to August.
Two weeks is the right amount of time for a first trip to Peru, enough for the southern loop from Lima to Cusco without rushing.
With 7 days, stay around
Cusco, the
Sacred Valley and
Machu Picchu. With 14 days, add
Paracas,
Arequipa, the
Colca Canyon and
Lake Titicaca, linked by buses of 5 to 13 hours. Three weeks lets you add the north:
Huaraz (8 to 9 hours from Lima),
Trujillo and
Chachapoyas, or a jungle lodge near
Puerto Maldonado. Plan 2 to 3 days of slow acclimatization once you reach 3,000 meters or more, and leave a buffer day for strikes or landslides in the rainy season.
You can travel all of Peru without a car, since long-distance buses, colectivos, trains and cheap domestic flights reach every major sight.
Comfortable overnight buses with reclining seats link the main cities:
Lima to
Arequipa in 15 to 17 hours for about S/80 to 180,
Arequipa to
Puno in 5 to 6 hours,
Puno to
Cusco in 6 to 7 hours. Shared colectivos cover shorter hops such as Cusco to Ollantaytambo for around S/15 to 20. The train is the only motorized way into
Aguas Calientes, at US$60 to 90 each way. Flights from Lima to Cusco or Iquitos often cost US$50 to 150 and save a full day.
Machu Picchu and Cusco are Peru’s unmissable pair, and most travelers add Arequipa, Lake Titicaca and the Cordillera Blanca around them.
Give
Cusco and the
Sacred Valley 4 to 5 days including
Machu Picchu, where entry costs roughly S/150 to 200 depending on the circuit.
Arequipa and the
Colca Canyon need 3 to 4 days,
Lake Titicaca from Puno 1 to 2. For mountains,
Huaraz and
Laguna 69 at 4,600 meters are worth 3 to 4 days. History lovers should not miss
Chan Chan near Trujillo or
Kuelap above Chachapoyas, and
Lima deserves at least 2 days for its food.
If you are short on time in Peru, skip the Nazca Lines flight, the long trip to Iquitos and extra nights in Huacachina.
Nazca overflights cost about US$80 to 150 in small, bumpy planes, and the roadside
Nazca Lines Viewing Towers and Mirador shows only two or three figures, so drive past unless the lines are your dream.
Huacachina is one sunset of dune buggies and sandboarding, one night at most. For the Amazon,
Puerto Maldonado is a 1-hour flight from Cusco, a far shorter detour than
Iquitos. On
Lake Titicaca, a half day on the
Uros reed islands is plenty, and
Tacna only makes sense when crossing into Chile.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Peru in seconds. Try it out!
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