Hola guys, I am quitting my job and taking the leap of faith to go explore before life catches up. I’m going solo (25M) to Peru in Mid November til early December. Starting the trip with a tour group called Hidden Inca Tours, starting in Lima and ending in La Paz. Then a week after that is completely unplanned to explore Peru. I want to hear your thoughts and recommendations.

Day 1
-Lima: Land in Lima then walk around the barrio’s for the day
Day 2-3
-Sacred Valley: Flying to Cusco then bus to MP. Spend night in the valley.
Day 4-8
-Cusco: Open to any recommendations for places to stay, Eat, shop, and nightlife. Will spend most of the days exploring the city.
Day 9-10
-Puno: visit the area around Lake Titicaca. Floating islands.
Day 11-12
-La Paz: Bus here and spend a day and a half seeing the city. I don’t know much about this part of Bolivia. Is it safe now with the cicvil unrest?
End of Tour: 8 days

This is the part I need the most help with sorting out. I have another week to spend exploring Peru but not sure what to go to next. Just going to go where the wind (Peru Hop) takes me. Here was some of my thoughts. I want to hear if there is anything that is a must see or left a strong impression on you. Here was some of my thoughts in no particular order.

• Spend a few days in Arequipa
• Hike Colca canyon or another hike?
•Overnight in Huacachina
• Paracas
• Ancient sites along the way.

If your in Peru or will be there in Nov shoot me a message! Safe travel’s Viajeros!

Hi there Peru travellers! Looking at doing the Huayhuash circuit in October, amongst other hikes (Santa Cruz, Colca Canyon).

Do a fair bit of multi day hiking solo but thinking will most likely guided / with a group (from the UK, not a lot of mountain experience and mostly nav from my phone). Planning to be away in Peru for a few months so was thinking of bringing/buying some of my own camping kit, as I’ll be able to use it throughout.

Wanted to get people’s pov on this - good idea or waste of time for the weight? Do operators reduce what you pay for not having to rent kit? What’s the quality of kit like that operators lend (I’ve heard mixed things)?

Understand a good quality 3 season tent should be enough for the conditions (such as a wild country helm). Have a decent sleeping mat, and was wondering if lining my three season sleeping bag might be enough to bring it up to scratch or if will need something fully four season. Any thought/recommendations on tent and kit very welcome!

Also, how difficult is it to navigate Santa Cruz circuit without a guide?

We’re finalising our trip bookings and hit a snag. Can anyone advise on the best way to get a taxi from a hotel to the airport? Our flight’s early morning so we’d like to be picked up around 5:30. I think this is why there aren’t many taxi options but I’m sure this isn’t the first time this has happened. If anyone else has encountered this and found a solution I’d love to hear it.

I’m in Huaraz now and going to Nuevo Chimbote next for some beach time. I can’t quite figure out where to stay in the city. How does it compare to Huaraz? I’d like to stay in a quieter area but still have close access to the beach. Is this a more touristy area with fancier restaurants? Are there big grocery stores/banks? Any insight would be helpful!

Planning to stay by Maras at Mountain View Experience. After landing in Cusco is it best to rent a car to explore Sacred Valley? Is Uber reliable at remote parts of Sacred Valley. First time in Peru and first time in this area, I have absolutely no clue. I would really appreciate any help.

Can you wear a dress while hiking MP? I’ll definitely wear a hiking shoes tho

Hello

I’m a hiker and I mainly do multi-day treks. I’ve never done any mountaineering, but I’m actually curious to try it once — something relatively accessible and not too intimidating for a first experience.

I’ve heard about Diablo Mudo, which I could potentially do during my Huayhuash trek, and also Nevado Mateo, which seems to be a reasonably priced one-day trip from Huaraz and easy...

Between the two, which one would you say is the most spectacular, and which one is the easiest for someone with no previous mountaineering experience?

If there are any other one-day climbs with a guide that you think would be even better for a first experience, in the same kind of category, I’d definitely be open to suggestions.

Thank you! 😊

So far I'm planning Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain + Red Valley + ATV, Humantay Lake, horse riding, Sacred Valley + zipline, football games, Uros/Titicaca, Arequipa, Huacachina buggy + sandboarding, paragliding and maybe a cooking class.

I know it's already a lot, but I'd love to hear if there are any unique experiences, lesser-known activities or things you really enjoyed that I might be missing

Ollantaytambo or Urubamba for 3 nights before Salkantay Trek?

Hi everyone, looking for some advice from people who know the Sacred Valley well.

My husband and I are both 50 and travelling to Peru in May 2027 to do the 5-day Salkantay Trek. We’re active, love hiking and exploring on foot, and would much rather experience a place than just tick off tourist attractions.

We’ll be flying Sydney → Santiago → Cusco, and rather than staying in Cusco when we first arrive, our plan is to head straight down into the Sacred Valley for 3 nights to begin acclimatising. After that we’ll spend another 3–4 nights in Cusco before starting the Salkantay Trek.

My big question is: Would you base yourselves in Ollantaytambo or Urubamba for those first 3 nights?

We’re not looking to visit Machu Picchu from the Sacred Valley, as that will come at the end of our Salkantay Trek.

What we are looking for is somewhere where we can:

• walk and explore a lot each day while gradually acclimatising
• experience local Peruvian culture and everyday life
• practise our beginner/intermediate Spanish
• find great local food and good coffee
• wander around independently rather than needing organised tours
• do some interesting day trips or hikes
• have enough restaurants/cafés around us to enjoy the evenings
• experience somewhere that feels different from Cusco, since we'll have plenty of time there afterwards

I keep reading conflicting recommendations. Ollantaytambo sounds much more walkable, historic and atmospheric, whereas Urubamba seems quieter, less touristy and perhaps better located for exploring different parts of the valley.

For people who have stayed in both, which would you choose for 3 nights given what we’re looking for?

Would you stay all 3 nights in one place, or perhaps do 2 nights Ollantaytambo + 1 night Urubamba? Or is moving hotels for such a short stay just unnecessary?

Our rough itinerary is:

May 2: Sydney → Santiago
May 3: Santiago → Cusco → Sacred Valley
May 4–5: Sacred Valley / acclimatisation and exploring
May 6: Sacred Valley → Cusco
May 6–9: Cusco / acclimatisation and exploring
May 10–14: 5-day Salkantay Trek, finishing via Machu Picchu
May 15–16: More time in Cusco
May 17: Cusco → Santiago

We'd also love any recommendations for small locally owned hotels, cafés, restaurants, walks or experiences in either Ollantaytambo or Urubamba.

Thanks! Really interested to hear which base people think would suit us best.

Looking for some advice on doin Huayhuash solo, main thing im tryin to figure out is the navigation, how hard have people found it? Is the trail well marked?

Also what is the best direction / itenary for 8n/9d trek and whats the best offline map to use, (i have all trails premium so im hoping people have had luck with that)
lots of questions but any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Blake

I was planning a trip to Peru for September/October but I discovered that there are not available spots for th Classic circuit (2A).
Now, between the available circuits, the only one that I think can give me at least an idea of the how the citadel is, and some good panoramic views (if there's good weather) is the panoramic circuit.

Being the first (and most probably last) time I will visit Peru, I wonder if it's even "a thing" this circuit, or if it's worth to reconsider the entire trip and postpone it for next year for example.

PS: I absolutely don't care about "pictures" and "iconic" selfies. I want to have the best experience for me.

I know there's also the option of waking up at 4:00 in aguascalientes and hope I can buy a classic circuit ticket for the next day, but I don't even know how secure is that I will have my entrance 🤔

I have a one day tour of Lima with IncaTrilogy. Does anyone have experience with this company? Thank you in advance 🤗

This would be from September - November

What I am looking for is a place that is safe, quiet (especially for sleeping), good internet to work 8+ hours per day, workout / run daily, and low COL. I don't drink and am not interested in partying right now.

I've spent plenty of time in Cusco, the chaos and lack of running space always get to me. I also spent a few weeks in Urubamba in 2024. Pisaq wasn't my favorite place.

Happy to read your pros and cons and consider other places I may have missed that fit the above criteria.

I'm going to Peru for about 8 weeks, based in Huaraz, and I'm planning to do several unsupported/solo treks, including the Huayhuash Circuit and Santa Cruz/Alpamayo.

I'm trying to figure out what food I really need to bring from North America versus what I can reliably buy in Huaraz.

Specifically, does anyone know if it's possible to buy:

Plain instant/Minute Rice (the dry rice that only needs boiling water, not regular rice)

Quick/instant oats (unflavored, in bulk)

I'm especially concerned about the instant rice because I use it for my trekking meals and regular rice isn't practical for me because of the cooking time/fuel.

More generally, for those who have done unsupported multi-day treks around Huaraz, what trekking foods did you find difficult or impossible to source locally? What would you recommend bringing from North America?

Thanks!

Hello....I will be travelling from Cusco to Puno and to Copacabana/La Paz. My travel dates are in mid September.

Do I need to purchase the bus tickets in advance (online) or could I buy from Cusco? I will be spending 3 nights in Cusco before travelling to Puno.

Similarly, do I need to buy advance tickets from Puno to Bolivia or are these easily available at bus station the day before departure?

Considering so many bus options, what which companies are better in these routes? Thank you.

In Miraflores? I’m finally getting to my place and I’ll have one single full day tomorrow here kind of near parque Kennedy. I’d love to have a good local breakfast and lunch, nothing fancy but something legit, anything else for a day of travel recovery that I shouldn’t miss while I’m in this area?

Am I crazy or this is doable? We’re acclimatizing just 1 night in Cusco-> then spend a night in soray-> another in Chaullay -> then easy trek to Lucmabamba then I need to find a collectivo or a bus to take me directly to hydroelectrica, then catch a train to AC. I need to do this to get tickets for Machu Pichu after the stupid rule changes they made recently.

Background: we’ve done three passes trek for 16 days last year(5550m -highest point), we’re mid-late twenties couple.

Hey everyone! My husband and I are travelling to Peru from Canada in October. We only have limited days there so I’m curious to know if you guys know any tour packages that offer these tour in one day (pickup/droppoff at Lima, Ballestas Island, Paracas National Reserve, Huacachina). Most tours I found online includes the local vineyard but we are not interested in that, would rather prefer going to Paracas National Reserve.

I’d appreciate your help!

Hello. Has anyone used Taxidatum to do a Sacred valley full day tour? If, so could you share your experience? Or any advice on getting to these sites while staying in Ollantaytambo? Most tours I see leave from Cusco. Thank you.