Itineraries

Peru itineraries: from 3 days to a month

Illustration: farming terraces above an Andean valley

Routes designed as suggestions to adapt, each with its day-by-day schedule, its nights, its transfer days, what it leaves out and what to book first. Filter by length, region or interest, then compare them in the table.

Featured itinerary · 21 days, 20 nights
The southern classic in 21 days

Three weeks from Lima to Machu Picchu via Paracas, Nazca, Arequipa, the Colca and Titicaca: twenty nights, climbing gradually in altitude.

Brisk: twelve changes of accommodation, three transfer days and two long days on the road
Lima and around · South coast · Arequipa and the far south · Cusco and the Sacred Valley
15 days, 14 nights
A first trip to Peru: a 15-day itinerary

A fifteen-day first trip: Lima, Paracas and Huacachina, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, with the nights, the journeys and two variants.

Moderate: seven changes of accommodation, short sightseeing days on arrival at altitude
Lima and around · South coast · Cusco and the Sacred Valley
5 days, 4 nights
The south coast in five days: Paracas, Ica, Huacachina, Palpa, Nazca

Five days from Lima: Paracas and the Ballestas Islands, Ica and Huacachina, Palpa and Nazca, then back to Lima or on to Arequipa.

Steady: three bases, journeys of one to four hours, a long day on the bus to finish
South coast
10 days, 9 nights
Peru in 10 days: Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco

Ten days in Peru without rushing: two days in Lima, three nights in the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, two days in Cusco and a spare day before the return flight.

Moderate: four changes of accommodation, two transfer days, short days on arrival at altitude
Lima and around · Cusco and the Sacred Valley
3 days, 3 nights (variants in 1, 2 and 5 days)
Lima in one, two, three or five days

Your stay in Lima day by day: arrival, the historic centre, Barranco or Pueblo Libre, with one-day, two-day and five-day versions.

Relaxed: one area per day, no crossing the city at rush hour
Lima and around
14 days, 13 nights (variants in 12 and 15 days)
Northern Peru: culture and beaches

Fourteen days in the north: the Moche and Chimú around Trujillo, the tombs of Sipán in Lambayeque, then the beach on the coast of Piura.

Unhurried: three bases, three transfer days, visits in the morning and free afternoons
North coast
9 days, 8 nights (variants of 7 to 9 days)
Surfing in the north: fewer bases, more sessions

Nine days of surfing from Huanchaco to Chicama, with a beginner version and a version for a mixed group, and when to change base.

Slow: two bases, one transfer day, days decided each morning according to the sea
North coast
7 days, 6 nights
Tarapoto and San Martín: a week of discovery

A week without changing accommodation: Ahuashiyacu, Lamas and its Quechua quarter, cacao, the Laguna Azul, then the lake or Moyobamba.

Moderate: a single base, one outing a day, two free days
Northern Amazon
7 days, 6 nights
Iquitos and the rainforest in seven days

Seven days: Iquitos and Belén market, three nights in a lodge on the Amazon with a typical day, a buffer night and a Pacaya Samiria variant.

Unhurried: two changes of accommodation, no full transfer day, time in the forest at the centre
Northern Amazon
14 days, 13 nights
Cusco and the southern Amazon in fourteen days

Fourteen days: the Sacred Valley, Cusco and Machu Picchu, then four nights in a lodge on the Tambopata, with the nights, the journeys and two variants.

Moderate: five changes of accommodation, three transfer days, short days on arrival at altitude
Cusco and the Sacred Valley · Southern Amazon
8 days, 7 nights
Huaraz and the mountains in eight days

Eight days from Lima: higher and higher outings, from Wilcahuaín to Laguna 69, a day at Chavín and a spare day.

Gradual: a single base, two transfer days, a spare day
Northern and central Andes
30 days, 29 nights
A month in Peru: two thirty-day trips

Two one-month trips: the southern Andes, the Tambopata rainforest and the coast, or the north, Cajamarca, Chachapoyas and Tarapoto, with free days.

Slow: several nights per base, four transfer days, four free days
Lima and around · Arequipa and the far south · Cusco and the Sacred Valley · Southern Amazon · South coast · North coast · Northern and central Andes · Northern Amazon
14 days, 13 nights (variants in 7 and 21 days)
Peru for food lovers: let meals shape the trip

Fourteen days to discover Peru through its food: Lima, the picanterías of Arequipa, the Andean produce of Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

Unhurried: four bases, three transfer days, one main meal a day
Lima and around · Arequipa and the far south · Cusco and the Sacred Valley
5 days
Chachapoyas in five days

Kuélap, Gocta, Karajía, Leymebamba and Revash without rushing between the sites: a suggested five-day pace, presented in the Chachapoyas guide.

A heritage day, a nature day, time in town
Northern and central Andes

A separate briefing: a route through an area advised against

This briefing documents a route the FDFA advises against. It is not offered as an itinerary and does not appear in the filters above.

Briefing · area the FDFA advises against
From Iquitos to the tri-border area: a briefing, not an itinerary

The river journey from Iquitos to Santa Rosa, Leticia and Tabatinga crosses an area the FDFA advises against: geography, formalities and an alternative.

Compare the routes

Figures calculated from each page’s day-by-day plan. A “complete tour” starts on arrival and ends with a buffer day before the international flight; a “block” fits into a longer trip.

Route	Days	Nights	Transfer days	Changes of accommodation	Type	What it leaves out, first and foremost
The southern classic	21 days	20 nights	3 transfer days	12 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: Chinchero, Moray and the Maras salt pans
A first trip to Peru in 15 days	15 days	14 nights	3 transfer days	7 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: Arequipa, the Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca
The south coast in 5 days	5 days	4 nights	0 transfer days	2 changes of accommodation	Block	Leaves out: Chincha and El Carmen, centres of Afro-Peruvian culture
Peru in 10 days	10 days	9 nights	2 transfer days	4 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: The south coast (Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca)
Lima in 1, 2, 3 or 5 days	3 days	3 nights	0 transfer days	0 changes of accommodation	Block	Leaves out: Day trips out of the city (Pachacámac, Callao, Caral)
The north: culture and beaches	14 days	13 nights	3 transfer days	3 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: The northern Andes (Cajamarca, Chachapoyas), for a longer trip
Northern surf	9 days	8 nights	1 transfer day	2 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: Lobitos and Máncora, far to the north
Tarapoto and San Martín	7 days	6 nights	0 transfer days	0 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: Chachapoyas and Kuélap, several hours’ drive towards the Andes
Iquitos and the rainforest	7 days	6 nights	0 transfer days	2 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: The river journey to the tri-border area
Cusco and the southern Amazon	14 days	13 nights	3 transfer days	5 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: Arequipa, the Colca and Titicaca
Huaraz and the mountains	8 days	7 nights	2 transfer days	0 changes of accommodation	Block	Leaves out: Multi-day treks (Santa Cruz, Huayhuash)
A month in Peru	30 days	29 nights	4 transfer days	13 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: Nazca, Huaraz, the north and the northern Amazon
Peru for food lovers	14 days	13 nights	3 transfer days	4 changes of accommodation	Complete tour	Leaves out: Machu Picchu

South, north or rainforest: choosing by season and interest

Main interest	Best period	Routes
The southern Andes, Machu Picchu, Titicaca	May to September, dry season	A first trip to Peru in 15 days, the southern classic, a month
Mountains and walking	May to September	Huaraz and the mountains
Heritage and the sea, without altitude	All year round; warmer water in the north from December to May	The north: culture and beaches, the south coast
Surfing	April to October for the northern swell	Northern surf
The Amazon rainforest	All year round in the north; May to October in the south	Cusco and the southern Amazon, Iquitos, Tarapoto
Food	All year round	Peru for food lovers, Lima

From December to March, the rainy season makes the Andes less predictable and the Inca Trail closes in February: it is the right time for the north and the coast. See when to go.

How to read our itineraries

The days count the time on the ground, from arrival, excluding the international flight. A complete tour starts on the day of arrival in Lima or in the region, and ends with a buffer day before the international flight; a section, such as the south coast or Huaraz, fits into a longer trip.
Each day has a label: arrival, sightseeing, transfer, rest, free day, mixed day or buffer. A transfer day is devoted to travelling: no excursion is added to it. A mixed day combines a reasonable journey and a visit.
The nights and transfers shown at the top of each page and in the table are calculated from the schedule, not written by hand.
The sleeping altitude is given night by night on the Andean routes: it is what counts for acclimatisation, more than the passes crossed on the way. No schedule guarantees acclimatisation.
The maps are schematic: they link the stops in order, not the real line of the roads.

These lengths and paces are editorial choices, not bookable tours or packages for sale. If a place matters to you, replace a region rather than squeezing all the stops.

Before booking a route

Start with the stage that has quotas or time slots (Machu Picchu, for example), then fit the nights and transport that depend on it around it. Check the connections for your dates: a line on a map does not guarantee direct transport, and several buses only run overnight, which the FDFA advises avoiding. See what to book before you go and transport.