Peru in 20 Days: The Complete Route 🇵🇪

Day 1: Touchdown & Dune Adrenaline

🚀 Arrival Strategy: Skipping Lima (For Now)

The moment you land at Jorge Chávez Airport, the best move is to skip Lima: the capital's traffic is legendary, so it's best to flee straight south and leave Lima sightseeing for the very end of the trip, when you'll want to be close to the airport anyway.

From the airport, an Uber to the Cruz del Sur station (Av. Javier Prado) and a sleeper bus to Ica (about 4 hours, perfect for sleeping off the jet lag).

🏎️ Pisco, History & Buggies

In Ica, a 2-Day Ica & Paracas Tour includes the Plaza de Armas and Cathedral, the Regional Museum (mummies and elongated skulls of the Paracas and Nazca cultures), and a Pisco tasting at a traditional winery.

🏜️ Huacachina: The Sand Rollercoaster

The Ica desert stretches 100km to the sea, and in the middle appears the Huacachina lagoon. Here you'll board the famous dune buggies: drivers launch down vertical dunes as if it were a rollercoaster. At the top, sandboarding standing up (if you know how to snowboard) or lying down (penguin style).

Day 2: Marine Wildlife & The Red Desert

🐧 Ballestas Islands: The 'Poor Man's Galapagos'

Speedboat from the Paracas pier. On the way, the enigmatic Candelabra, a 180-meter geoglyph etched into the sand. At the Ballestas Islands: thousands of sea lions, guano birds, and, with luck, Humboldt penguins.

🏜️ National Reserve & Seafood Feast

Land tour of the Paracas National Reserve: the red desert crashes against the blue sea at Playa Roja and Yumaque. For lunch, fresh ceviche and fish chicharrón near Lagunillas.

Day 3: The Nazca Lines From the Air

✈️ The Flyover: Ancient Geoglyphs

The Nazca Lines are hundreds of geoglyphs etched into the desert by the Nazca culture between 500 BC and 500 AD: figures of animals (the hummingbird, the monkey, the spider, the condor), plants, and geometric shapes up to several hundred meters across, only recognizable from the air. The small plane flyover (30-40 min) is the only real way to see them.

If you have time before moving on, the small Antonini Museum or the Panamericana viewing tower (a budget-friendly observation tower with no need for a plane, though it only shows 2 of the figures) are complementary alternatives.

Day 4: Arequipa, The White City

Arrival in Arequipa after the overnight bus. First mission: free your back and rest a while before heading out to explore.

⛪ Sillar, Mummies & Colors

A Free Tour through the San Lázaro District, the Plaza de Armas, and Mundo Alpaca.

Then, the Santa Catalina Monastery: a citadel within the city with streets painted in intense indigo blue and rust red.

For lunch, try the Cuy Chactado at a traditional picantería. In the afternoon, the San Camilo Market and the Yanahuara viewpoint, with the Misti Volcano (5,822m) dominating the skyline.

Day 5: Road to the Colca Canyon

This kicks off the 2-day excursion to the Colca Canyon. Very early pickup (03:00-04:00 AM): See the 2-day Colca excursion ending in Puno.

🦙 Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve

The route crosses this reserve at over 4,000m, home to free-roaming herds of vicuñas, with the Chachani, Misti, and Ampato volcanoes always on the horizon.

🗻 Patapampa Pass

The highest point of the day: 4,910m. Here you'll see the traditional apachetas, piles of stones stacked as an offering to the Pachamama.

♨️ Chivay & the La Calera Hot Springs

Descent to the town of Chivay. In the afternoon, relax at the La Calera Hot Springs, open-air thermal pools with valley views.

Day 6: The Flight of the Condor & Route Across the Altiplano to Puno

🦅 The Cruz del Cóndor

Early start (05:00-05:30 AM) to reach the Cruz del Cóndor before 08:00-09:00 AM, when thermal currents push condors up from the bottom of the canyon.

Heading back towards Chivay, a stop in traditional villages like Maca and Yanque, with colonial churches and pre-Columbian terraces still under cultivation.

🚌 Crossing the Altiplano to Puno

Instead of going back down to Arequipa, the bus crosses the altiplano straight to Puno (6-7 hours). High plains, alpaca herds, and Aymara villages until arriving at sunset.

Day 7: Puno & Lake Titicaca

🌾 The Floating Islands of Uros

Tour of Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. The Uros Islands are artificial islands made of layers of Totora on floating root blocks, renewed every 15 days.

🧶 Taquile Island

1h 20min more of sailing to Taquile, with Aymara culture. Lunch facing the lake with Andean trout. ⚠️ 530 steps down when returning to the boat.

Back in Puno, climb up to the Condor Viewpoint for views of the city and the lake.

Day 8: Cusco, The Navel of the World

After the night on the bus, book your accommodation from the night before so you can drop your bags and rest for a few hours right after arriving.

🚶‍♂️ Free Tour: Incas & Colonialism

A Free Tour through the Historic Center: the Plaza de Armas, San Blas, and the 12-Angled Stone.

In the afternoon, the Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun), and at sunset, the San Cristóbal Viewpoint.

Day 9: Rainbow Mountain & The Secret of the Red Valley

If you choose Vinicunca: from Cusipata, a 3km hike with a demanding incline. Upon arrival, the mineral layers paint the mountain in surreal colors.

🔴 Plan B: The Red Valley

If you go to Vinicunca, ask the guide about the Red Valley: 30-40 extra minutes, but it's usually the best part of the day, almost always in solitude.

Day 10: Salkantay Trek - Humantay Lake (4,200m)

The legendary Salkantay Trek kicks off, named by National Geographic as one of the 25 best treks in the world. Early departure from Cusco towards Mollepata and, from there, to Soraypampa (3,900m), base camp for day one.

🥾 The Turquoise Lake

In the afternoon, the first 'warm-up' hike: the climb to Humantay Lake, between 1.5 and 2 hours with a steep incline and thin air. Under the snow-capped Salkantay (6,230m), the turquoise color of the water makes up for any effort.

Day 11: Salkantay Trek - The Salkantay Pass (4,630m)

The physically toughest day of the whole trek: crossing the Salkantay Pass, at 4,630 meters, right beside the glacier. Very early departure to reach the pass before clouds cover the peak.

❄️ Touching the Sky

The hike to the pass is long (several hours of steady climbing), but the views of the Salkantay glacier on one side and the valley below make every step worth it. It's common to leave a small offering of stones (apacheta) at the top, as the locals do, asking for a safe rest of the journey.

After the pass, the descent is dramatic: in just a few hours you go from the frozen puna to the first trees of the cloud forest, with the vegetation and temperature changing noticeably with every kilometer.

Day 12: Salkantay Trek - Jungle, Coffee Plantations & Hot Springs

After the previous day's effort, the route relaxes. Today's hike passes among waterfalls, coffee plantations, and fruit trees, with the high jungle increasingly present in the landscape.

☕ The Coffee Heart of Cusco

This area (Santa Teresa) is one of the region's main producers of organic coffee. Some operators include a stop at a local farm to see the traditional roasting process.

♨️ Cocalmayo Hot Springs

The day's reward arrives at the end: the Cocalmayo Hot Springs, natural thermal pools by the river, perfect for resting your legs after two demanding days of trekking. Many consider this the best moment of the entire Salkantay.

Day 13: Salkantay Trek - Llactapata, the Secret Machu Picchu Viewpoint

Second-to-last day of trekking, with one of the most special rewards of the whole route: the climb to the ruins of Llactapata, a much lesser-known Inca settlement from where, on clear days, you can see Machu Picchu in the distance, on the opposite slope of the valley.

After the climb, the route descends towards Hidroeléctrica, where you pick up a stretch of train tracks that leads on foot to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), surrounded by dense vegetation with the sound of the Urubamba River in the background the whole way.

Day 14: Salkantay Trek - Machu Picchu, The Grand Finale

The day that crowns 5 days of trekking. Early ascent by bus (or on foot, if your legs have anything left) from Aguas Calientes to the entrance of the citadel.

🎫 Tickets

The entrance to Machu Picchu must be booked months in advance on the Official Website or via Tu Boleto Cultura, usually included in the trekking package.

With a guide included in the tour, tour the citadel: the Temple of the Sun, the Sacred Rock, and the agricultural terraces. After 5 days seeing Salkantay from afar and Llactapata from across the valley, finally walking into the citadel has a special meaning.

Day 15: Complete Sacred Valley

With Machu Picchu already conquered and no train to catch this time, today is the full version of the Sacred Valley: Chinchero, Moray & the Maras Salt Mines, combined with a second, more relaxed visit to Pisac and Ollantaytambo than the express version.

🌽 Pisac

The Taray Viewpoint and the archaeological complex of Pisac, with its artisan market.

🧂 Moray & the Maras Salt Mines

Moray: concentric circular terraces the Incas used as an agricultural laboratory, taking advantage of the temperature difference between each level to experiment with crops from different ecological zones. Nearby, the Maras Salt Mines: over 3,000 salt pools on the mountainside, in use since pre-Inca times, fed by a natural saltwater spring.

⛪ Chinchero

The town of Chinchero, with its colonial church built over Inca foundations and its traditional textile workshops, where you can see the full process of dyeing and spinning alpaca wool using ancestral techniques.

⚔️ Ollantaytambo, at a Slower Pace

Last stop: Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town still inhabited exactly as it was designed. Its terraces were resistance terraces, not just agricultural ones, to hold back the Spanish invaders.

Day 16: Puerto Maldonado & The Tambopata Jungle

Flight Cusco-Puerto Maldonado (about 35 min). The contrast is brutal: in under an hour you go from Andean cold to Amazon humidity.

💡 If you're torn between Tambopata and Iquitos as your gateway to the Amazon, we compare both experiences in detail in our Tambopata vs Iquitos guide.

🛶 3 Days in the Amazon

For this adventure, the go-to option is Tambopata Jungle Tours (3-day/2-night, all-inclusive package) or this flexible alternative.

🌿 Walking Trees & The Jungle Mother

After sailing the Madre de Dios River, a botanical route to the lodge: the Pona (the 'walking tree', with stilt roots that move towards the light) and the Lupuna, a sacred giant with a bulging trunk, the 'Mother of the Jungle'.

🐒 Monkey Island & Night Safari

In the afternoon, Monkey Island, a sanctuary where several species coexist in freedom. At night, a caiman search by boat with powerful flashlights.

Day 17: Lake Sandoval Expedition & Night in the Jungle

🛶 Navigating Among Piranhas & Otters

Motorboat and a one-hour hike along wooden boardwalks to Lake Sandoval, an old river meander cut off from the main channel. Upon arrival, paddle canoes so as not to disturb the wildlife: yellow-spotted river turtles, Anhingas, and, with luck, Giant River Otters.

Traditional lunch: the Juane, a tamale of rice, hen, olives, and hard-boiled egg wrapped in a Bijao leaf.

🕷️ Tarantulas & Absolute Darkness

At night, a walk with flashlights: tarantulas coming out of their burrows and camouflaged stick insects. The peak moment is turning off the flashlights and standing in absolute darkness listening to the jungle.

Day 18: From Amazon Sunrise to Farewell to the Jungle

🦜 The Parrot Clay Lick

Alarm at 05:00 AM to sail while the sky turns from black to fiery orange. At the La Cachuela Clay Lick, hundreds of parrots and green parakeets crowding the clay walls to detoxify from the acids in the fruits they eat.

🧗‍♂️ Adrenaline: The Jungle from Above

Before leaving, the Canopy Walk: hanging bridges over 20 meters high, ending with a zipline through the trees.

Day 19: Arrival in Lima, Reunion With Civilization

The chaos of Lima greets you in the late afternoon-evening. It's recommended to stay in Miraflores, the safest and most touristy district.

For your first dinner back in civilization, a good ceviche is the best welcome. Punto Azul is an institution in the city.

Day 20: Historic Lima, Bohemia & Farewell

🏛️ The Historic Center: Kings & Balconies

A Free Tour of the Historic Center: the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the Government Palace, and the historic Bar Cordano.

💀 Must-See: The Catacombs of San Francisco

The San Francisco Convent Museum hides the old city cemetery: femurs and skulls forming geometric patterns in seismic-resistant pits.

🎨 Bohemian Afternoon in Barranco

In the afternoon, the bohemian soul of Barranco: the Bridge of Sighs, the Hermitage, and the Pacific lookouts.

20 days later, it's time to say goodbye to Peru: coast, desert, Nazca, Andes, the Salkantay Trek, and the Amazon jungle in a single trip. Safe flight home!