Peru is one of the most magical countries of South-America, dubbed ‘the land of the Incas’, and has so many things to see, from the glorious Machu Picchu – the jewel in the crown of the Inca empire – to the mystical Colca Canyon, the rich history and art of Arequipa and the endless Rio Amazonas.
Peru in two weeks
- 1 night Lima
- 2 nights Copacabana
- 1 night Isla del Sol
- 1 night Arequipa
- 1 night Colca Canyon
- 2 nights Cuzco
- 3 nights Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- 1 night Iquitos
- 1 night Amazon jungle
- 1 night Iquitos
If you have limited time and plan to visit Peru on its own this itinerary allows you to visit all the essentials but will also give you a flavor of the Amazon jungle, which is an absolutely incredible experience. Most international flights will land in Lima, which is very well connected with the rest of the country with internal flights. We suggest not spending more than a day in Lima as there is not much to do except for great culinary experiences.
You have direct flights from Lima to Iquitos, Arequipa, Juliaca (1 hour from Puno and the Titicaca lake), Cuzco (from where you visit the Machu Picchu) and many more. We would suggest starting with the Titicaca lake for a couple of days of dolce far niente and adjusting to the jetlag. There are direct flights from Lima to Puno, from where it’s only a short bus ride to the lake. We would recommend crossing over to Bolivia for a couple of days to stay in Copacabana and Isla del Sol. The bus from Puno to Copacabana takes around 3 hours and the border crossing is very smooth.
From Copacabana you can take a bus to the historic town of Arequipa (by passing through Puno), which is the perfect set-out to visit the Colca Canyon. From Arequipa you can then fly to Cuzco, which is a great scenic experience because the landing strip is between the mountains – very impressive upon arrival. Alternatively you can take an overnight bus (12 hours) but then you will miss out on the spectacular landing. Stay a couple of nights in Cuzco before starting with the Inca trail to the Machu Picchu to adjust to the altitude.
Finally, a very interesting additional stop is Iquitos from where you can explore the Amazon, the only option is flying as this town is not accessible by road. From Iquitos you can catch a boat to go deeper into the Amazon and explore the very remote villages like Buenos Aires Peru!
Peru in two weeks in between Boliva and Brazil / Colombia
- 2 nights Copacabana
- 1 night Isla del Sol
- 1 night Arequipa
- 1 night Colca Canyon
- 1 night Arequipa
- 2 nights Cuzco
- 3 nights Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- 1 night Iquitos
- 2 nights Amazon jungle
The itinerary below is a great way to see Peru as part of a larger trip, when you are coming from Bolivia and/or want to continue with Brazil or Colombia. There are direct buses from La Paz in Bolivia to Copacabana at the Titicaca lake (around 4 hours). This is a great experience as the bus travels on a “raft” over the water when arriving at the Titicaca lake, VERY cool experience 🙂
If you want to combine Peru with Colombia or Brazil, a great way to do this is to travel to the intersection of the three countries by boat on the Rio Amazonas. You have a direct fast boat going from Iquitos to the town of Santa Rosa (operates only a couple of times a week), from where you can enter Colombia (town of Leticia) and Brazil (town of Tabitanga). There is a small airport in Tabitanga which is super useful if you want to continue to explore Brazil (direct flights to Manaus from where you can catch a flight to any place on the North Eastern coast of Brazil) – perfect if you want to finish your trip with some beach time! See our posts on Brazil for recommendations.