From Lima to Machu Picchu: 9 days made to measure
The city the clouds kept hidden
The idea
This is how we picture it
The Sacred Valley, Cusco and the train to Machu Picchu, at your own pace.
This is a trip idea, not a fixed package: every version is designed around the person living it.
Days 1-2
Lima: the table and the sea
A calm arrival: the Barranco district, a first dinner that explains why Lima is a gastronomic capital, and the Pacific in the background.
Lima is organised around its food: ceviche at midday and a bar in Barranco at night. The city looks out over the Pacific from a cliff, and that view comes free with any walk.
Lima, Peru
Days 3-5
The Sacred Valley
Pisac, Ollantaytambo and the altitude taken calmly, sleeping in the valley.
The valley sits lower than Cusco, which is why you sleep here first: altitude is easier when you climb little by little. Pisac and Ollantaytambo are still villages, not just ruins.
Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley
You climb slowly, because what is up there deserves you arriving whole.
The train to Machu Picchu, PeruDays 6-9
Machu Picchu
The train to Aguas Calientes and the citadel at dawn, before the day arrives.
The train enters the canyon following the river and the landscape closes in over the tracks. You reach the citadel early, with the mist still drifting between the terraces, which is when you understand why they built it there.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Practical details
How many days do you need?
We suggest 9 days and 8 nights: two in Lima, three in the Sacred Valley and four between Cusco and Machu Picchu. With fewer than 7 days the altitude gives you no break. The valley sits at about 2,800 m, Cusco at 3,400 m and the citadel at 2,430 m, and it is best to go up little by little.
When is the best time to go?
The dry season runs from May to October and has the clearest skies. From December to March it rains almost every afternoon. June, July and August are high season, with Inti Raymi on 24 June. April, May, September and October bring good weather with fewer people.
How do you get there from Tegucigalpa?
There is no direct flight from Palmerola to Lima. You fly with one stop, in Panama, San Salvador or Bogotá. From Lima to Cusco is just over an hour by plane, and you reach Machu Picchu by train from Ollantaytambo. We plan the connections with you.
Do I need a visa?
For tourism, a Honduran passport enters Peru without a visa. The passport must be valid for at least six months.
Does anything need booking early?
Yes. Machu Picchu tickets have a daily cap and sell out months ahead in high season, and so do the train seats. That is why it pays to start designing the trip three or four months ahead.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the hotels, the season and the pace you choose, which is why we do not publish a catalogue price. With your answers, a Travel Designer sends you the proposal with its price the same business day.
More ideas in the Americas
Contact us to build your trip
No catalogue prices and no fixed packages: tell us what you want to feel and we will design it with you.
