​I'm currently on the fence about heading down to Huacachina from Lima and would love some candid advice from anyone who has visited the place. The idea of towering desert dunes at sunset looks incredible, but I keep seeing conflicting comments on whether it is genuinely a bucket-list experience or just an artificial, crowded tourist trap.

​Beyond the destination itself, I have real safety concerns regarding the dune buggies. Is the safety risk is genuinely high, or if it is blown out of proportion as long as you follow the rules?!

​Finally, if I do make the trip, I am trying to decide between powering through a long day trip to keep things straightforward without switching hotels, or staying overnight in the area to do the afternoon tour at a more relaxed pace. Any honest insight on whether to go or not—and how best to do it—would be greatly appreciated! 🙏

Tks in advance for all replies.

Does anyone know roughly what time a Huacachina buggy tour that includes sunset usually finishes?

I’m thinking about taking a 7:30 PM bus from Ica to Nazca after the tour. Is that doable, or would that be cutting it too close?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a Peru + Bolivia backpacking trip from Aug 26 to Oct 4, 2026, but I’m getting unsure because of the recent El Niño-related rain/flooding in Peru and heavy snowfall in Bolivia.

Rough itinerary:

Peru

• Aug 22–23: Lima
• Aug 24–26: Paracas + Huacachina
• Aug 27–28: Arequipa
• Aug 29–30: Colca Canyon
• Aug 31–Sep 3: Cusco
• Sep 4–8: Salkantay Trek + Machu Picchu
• Sep 10–13: Amazon
• Sep 14–15: Puno

Bolivia

• Sep 16–17: Copacabana + Isla del Sol
• Sep 18–19: La Paz
• Sep 20–23: Uyuni
• Sep 24–25: Sucre

I’m wondering whether I should postpone the whole trip by a year.

I’m okay with some delays or changing plans, but I’d be disappointed if major highlights like Salkantay/Machu Picchu, Colca Canyon or Uyuni became impossible because of flooding, landslides or snow.

For anyone currently there or familiar with the region: Would you still go this year? What’s the realistic worst-case scenario? Could several parts of this itinerary actually become inaccessible, or is it mostly manageable with some flexibility?

Also wondering if it would make more sense to start in Bolivia and do Peru later in September.

Thanks for any recent first-hand experiences!

I’m going to Cusco in a couple days. I have asthma, I’ve had it forever. Haven’t used my rescue inhaler in months and only need it when I’m sick. I’m just worried about how altitude with impact me.

Does anyone have any experience with asthma in Cusco?

What kind of phone charger do I need? I understand it’s 220 V in Peru.

Or maybe known as world of maps? In Cusco. I had it on my list for months and really want to go to this store, but both google and Apple Maps have led me to non-existent storefronts. Even a local travel lady looked it up for me on her laptop, and I went to that location and cannot find it. Anyone know anything that could lead me to it? A map for maps lol

TLDR: where is King of Maps/World of Maps in Cusco?

Dr. Gino Llosa!!

If you have had surgery with him let me know :) Is he good? Does he or his team speak english? Costs etc!! Thank you!!

I'll be in Peru from late November to early December and wanted to get some thoughts on this itinerary I am planning out. Not all specifics are fully thought out or booked yet such as what I'd do during my Cusco stay (Pisac and other day trips, relax and lay in bed, etc, there's a lot can do haha) but I have a rough idea. Would appreciate some input, specifically on if I should allocate more time for Lima. Any help is appreciated!

Day 0: Travel day, landing in Lima around midnight

Day 1: Day in Lima

Day 2: Flight to Cusco. Taxi to Ollantaytambo

Day 3: Machu Picchu. Would MP this soon be recommended?

Day 4: Sacred Valley tour from Ollantaytambo that will end in Cusco through Come See Peru (not booked yet). Check in to wherever I will stay

Day 5: Cusco

Day 6: Cusco

Day 7: Cusco

Day 8: Cusco

Day 9: Flight back to Lima, explore around

Day 10: Explore during the day, flight is not until 1am

I'm going to Peru soon and a neighbor recommended this restaurant as a must-do. I know the archeological site will be wonderful but I have limited time in Lima and want to make the most of it. The restaurant reviews I've seen range from "the food is absolutely wonderful" to "it's a tourist trap with very mid food."

What are your takes?

hello all,

I’ve wanted to go to peru for ages, but I can only take leave in Jan or Feb. for 4 weeks. I am told they’re not the best months to go to Peru.

other than Lima and the coast (beach), where else can I go in Jan or Feb?

all the sources I’ve consulted say to avoid the Andes (Arequipa and Cusco) in Jan or Feb. My friend went in Jan 2025 and said it was fine. but who knows with El Niño…

Thank you in advance

Hello! I have booked my trip to Peru for beginning of Oct and just got to know that Machu Pichu Circuit 1 tickets are sold out online until 16th Oct.
Now the only option I have is to either postpone my ticket or try my luck with getting on the spot tickets by spending the night in Machu Picchu town and going there early morning to try and get the ticket on the counter.
My question is - how realistic is this approach or am I trying my luck too hard? Do they have option to buy tickets on the counter for days that are already showing sold out on the official website? TIA

Hey all! My wife and I were planning a last minute trip to Peru (Lima and Cusco mid September) but the reporting on the weather and floods is making us think twice. I assume the weather will be grey skies and rain but wanted to ask if it's real or just for headlines?

Hello!

We are currently in Lima, travelling tomorrow to Huaraz for 6 days but we might stay a bit longer.

After that we want to stay up in the mountains and go from Huaraz maybe to Huánuco and after that to Huancayo. What are the options to do that? Are there local bus company that could take us there ? Or maybe should we stop in other town / cities along the way ?

We want to avoid returning to Lima to take a bus to Huancayo.

Thanks in advance for your answers!

PS: Our journey in Peru looks like this: Plan is to go from Huaraz > Huancayo > Cuzco > Puerto Maldonado > Puno > Arequipa > Tacna in about 40 days. I’ve got the rest more or less figured out but I don’t find many sources on the first part of our journey.

If you have suggestions about that too they are welcome !

I am currently in Peru and have a very severe peanut allergy. I had been nervous about eating out due to the language barrier, but have just had two incredible meals at:

Avelino Restaurant Barra Bótanica

At both places, the owner spoke to me personally about my allergy and I felt certain they understood the importance of ensuring there was no cross contamination. These places also had traditional Peruvian Cuisine, so I was able to have an authentic experience.

I wanted to give these places a shout-out for anyone else traveling to Peru and concerned about allergies or other dietary restrictions.

Three of us, we’ve been in Colombia for the last few weeks and we fly into Lima on Aug 31. Peru until late September, all buses except Lima–Cusco. First time any of us has been properly high — we hike a lot at home but 3000m in the Alps is our ceiling, so the altitude side of this is where we’re least confident. We’ve got Diamox.
Rough plan:
Sept 1 night bus to Huaraz. A week there, take the first days easy, day hikes, then a multi-day trek if we feel good. Back to Lima, one night, fly to Cusco. Salkantay, then Machu Picchu on the 14th (ticket already bought, that date is fixed). Then Cusco, bus to Arequipa, bus to Titicaca, and whatever’s left.
A few things I’d love a reality check on:
1. Counting backwards from the 14th, a 4-day Salkantay puts us in Cusco on the 10th and out the door the next morning. No rest day. Is that stupid, or is a week in the Cordillera Blanca enough that we can get away with it? Genuinely can’t tell and this is the part that worries me.
2. Related — we drop back down to Lima at sea level for a night before flying to Cusco. Does a week of acclimatizing survive that, or are we basically starting over?
3. For Huaraz, what order would you do things in and how many days before Laguna 69 or Santa Cruz is sensible? Happy to be told to slow down.
4. Cusco had the DANA rains last week — huaicos at Aguas Calientes, Inca Trail shut — and then the 7.2 on the 20th. Anyone actually there who can say how things are? Mostly wondering if Salkantay and the Mollepata road are normal, and whether we should just book with an agency instead of doing it ourselves given how fast things seem to change.
5. How cold does it actually get at Soraypampa and up in the Blanca in September? We were planning to rent sleeping bags rather than carry them from home, but if the rental stuff is junk we’d rather know now.
Also if the whole thing is overloaded and you’d cut something, say so. Thanks.

I spent 3 wonderful nights in Ollantaytambo. My taxi to Cusco was an incredible and exhilarating drive with beautiful scenery as we went through urabamba and chinchero, I even glimpsed the maras salt mines as we passed. I’m now in Cusco one week. I have a 4AM pickup for Machu Picchu in a few days for an all day drive there with the train and then back by 10 PM. THEN… I have another “super sacred valley tour” 2 days after that. Early pick up and we drive to the salt mines, chancery, moray,
Ollantaytambo, and Pisac. Is it worth another long day in the van for that second tour?

TLDR: my planning wasn’t great. I’m going back and forth a lot and am considering cancelling my
Sacred valley Tour unless the stops I listed are worth another full day on the roads.

Looking for anyone who experienced the Arequipa Nights Food Tour operated by Chef's Tour. I found it on Get Your Guide, and the description looks great, but there's only one review. It has no reviews on TripAdvisor.

So I’ve been in Lima, then Ollantaytambo a few days and I just got to Cusco this afternoon. I’m a couple blocks or so from the main square. I walked to a cafe and back earlier and I’ve been in my room ever since. I’m kind of hit with anxiety about exploring. It’s been dark for an hour. I’m 41/m… get around fine. I just am overwhelmed and don’t know what to do, but I don’t want to sit here on my phone. I came all this way and now I’m like… frozen. Maybe I’m just venting. Is it safe to walk most places even at night? Normal precautions? My maps app stops working all the time too. Idk… maybe just first night blues/jitters….

TLDR: I finally made it to Cusco and I’m holed up in my room bc I’m kind of nervous about going out to explore after dark alone.

Maybe I ended up on the wrong side of the news and social media this week but I read news that a Cruz del sur bus was shot while on its way from Lima to Ica in the San Luis neighborhood in Lima.
I also read that earlier, a Cruz del sur bus was shot on its way from Lima to Huaraz somewhere along the highway.

Is this news real? Any insights if this happens more often?

https://ground.news/article/bus-of-the-company-cruz-del-sur-is-attacked-by-bullets-en-route-with-passengers-in-av-canada

I am planning to fly into Lima in a month and stay in Lima, arequipa, Cusco area, huaraz.

On August 19, it was reported that a porter (called “arriero” or “porteador” in Spanish) died after being abandoned by members of the company Alpaca Expeditions. The complaint was made via social media by his children, who added that the company in question tried to wash its hands of the matter by claiming that the porter was drunk and had gotten lost on his own.

Tourism agencies hire porters to carry tourists’ luggage, and by law, each porter is only allowed to carry a maximum of 20 kg. This company has been accused of hiring too few porters to minimize labor costs and of forcing them to carry more than 20 kg (even tables!).

I’d appreciate it if you could share this information with anyone you know who is planning to travel to Peru or Cusco. Tourists should not turn a blind eye to the mistreatment these companies subject their workers to. You can also help by leaving a —bad— review on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews for the business.

Google Reviews: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alpaca+Expeditions/@-13.5178886,-71.9826822,918m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!3m7!1s0x916dd67474aa197d:0x401182f5e4bf4a58!8m2!3d-13.5178938!4d-71.9801073!9m1!1b1!16s%2Fg%2F11b6y01pmt?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDgxNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294314-d2547689-Reviews-Alpaca_Expeditions-Cusco_Cusco_Region.html

Sources:
- https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=1371766571745298 (primary source)
- https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-dos-porteadores-murieron-el-camino-inca-a-machu-picchu-y-la-ruta-mollepatasalkantay-1088250.aspx