Taking your time
A month in Peru: two thirty-day trips
A month does not let you see everything, but it lets you choose and stay. Two complete trips, day by day: the first through the southern Andes, the rainforest and the coast; the second through the north, the northern Andes and the foothill forest. Each keeps days with no programme, and treats each long journey as a stage.
- Length
- 30 days, 29 nights
- In the country
- 30 days, 29 nights, including 4 transfer days
- Pace
- Slow: several nights per base, four transfer days, four free days
- Regions
- 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
Who is it for? Those who have a month and prefer to go deeper rather than cross everything.
The trip in five parts
- Days 1 to 4
Lima and around
Lima
- Days 5 to 12
Arequipa and the far south
Arequipa · Colca · Puno
- Days 13 to 21
Cusco and the Sacred Valley
Cusco · Pisac · Urubamba · Ollantaytambo · Machu Picchu
- Days 22 to 25
Southern Amazon
Puerto Maldonado · Tambopata
- Days 27 to 29
South coast
Paracas
Day 26: back to Lima; Day 30: back to Lima. Each day is detailed below.
A route to adapt to your dates, excluding international flights. Keep a day in hand before your flight home.
Day by day
ArrivalSightseeingFree dayTransferMixed dayBuffer
-
Day 1
-
Day 2
Lima, historic centre Sightseeing
Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, San Francisco, Barrio Chino
Night: Lima
-
Day 3
-
Day 4
Lima Free day
A free day: a market, the sea, or Pachacámac
Night: Lima
-
Day 5
Arequipa Transfer
Flight to Arequipa (about 1 hr 30 min), a calm afternoon
Night: Arequipa (about 2,335 m)
-
Day 6
Arequipa, Santa Catalina Sightseeing
The Santa Catalina monastery, a picantería at midday
Night: Arequipa
-
Day 7
Arequipa, Yanahuara Sightseeing
The Santuarios Andinos museum, San Lázaro, the Yanahuara viewpoint
Night: Arequipa
-
Day 8
Colca, Chivay Mixed day
Road via the Patapampa Pass (about 3 hr to 3 hr 30 min for some 160 km), villages and hot springs
Night: Chivay (about 3,600 m)
-
Day 9
Cruz del Cóndor, then Puno Mixed day
The condors in the morning, a tourist bus to Puno (about 6 hr with stops, leaving at around 13:00 and arriving at around 19:15 to 19:45; about 5 hr on a direct service)
Night: Puno (about 3,830 m)
-
Day 10
-
Day 11
-
Day 12
-
Day 13
Cusco Transfer
Daytime bus from Puno to Cusco (usually 7 to 8 hr, from 5 hr 15 min to over 11 hr depending on the service) via the La Raya Pass
Night: Cusco (about 3,400 m)
-
Day 14
-
Day 15
Cusco Free day
A free day; Sacsayhuamán if you feel like it
Night: Cusco
-
Day 16
Pisac, then Urubamba Mixed day
Road to the Sacred Valley, the site and market of Pisac
Night: Urubamba (about 2,870 m)
-
Day 17
Chinchero, Moray, Maras Sightseeing
The plateau: weaving, circular terraces, salt pans
Night: Urubamba
-
Day 18
Sacred Valley Free day
A free day in the valley
Night: Urubamba
-
Day 19
Ollantaytambo, then Machu Picchu Pueblo Mixed day
The Ollantaytambo site, train in the afternoon (about 1 hr 30 min)
Night: Machu Picchu Pueblo (about 2,040 m)
-
Day 20
Machu Picchu, then Cusco Mixed day
Morning entry according to the ticket, train and road to Cusco
Night: Cusco
-
Day 21
Cusco Free day
A free day before the forest
Night: Cusco
-
Day 22
Puerto Maldonado, then the lodge Transfer
Flight to Puerto Maldonado, boat to the lodge
Night: Lodge on the Tambopata
-
Day 23
Forest: a lake Sightseeing
A lake by boat at dawn, the dry-land forest
Night: Lodge on the Tambopata
-
Day 24
-
Day 25
Forest: canopy and river Sightseeing
A tower above the canopy, the river; or the spare day if rain cancelled an outing
Night: Lodge on the Tambopata
-
Day 26
Lima Transfer
Morning boat, flight to Lima
Night: Lima
-
Day 27
Paracas Mixed day
Bus to Paracas (3 hr 15 min to 4 hr 10 min), the reserve in the afternoon
Night: Paracas
-
Day 28
-
Day 29
Paracas, then Lima Mixed day
A spare morning if the sea was closed the day before, a bus to Lima in the afternoon
Night: Lima
-
Day 30
Lima Buffer
A buffer before the international flight
The first schedule: the southern Andes, the rainforest, the coast
| Section | Days | Nights | Base and sleeping altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | 1 to 4 | 4 | Sea level |
| Arequipa and the Colca | 5 to 8 | 4 | Arequipa (about 2,335 m), then Chivay (about 3,600 m) |
| Titicaca | 9 to 12 | 4 | Puno (about 3,830 m), one night on Amantaní |
| Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu | 13 to 21 | 9 | Cusco, Urubamba, Machu Picchu Pueblo |
| The Tambopata rainforest | 22 to 25 | 4 | Lodge, low altitude |
| Lima and Paracas | 26 to 29 | 4 | Sea level |
Total: twenty-nine nights, with departure on day 30. The schedule distinguishes four transfer days (the flights on days 5, 22 and 26, the Puno–Cusco road on day 13), four free days (4, 15, 18 and 21), two days that serve as back-ups if rain or the sea cancelled an outing (25 and 29), and sightseeing days.
Altitude. The trip climbs in stages: three nights in Arequipa before Chivay, then Puno, the highest night, then Cusco, lower, and the Sacred Valley, lower still. The move from Arequipa to Chivay is still a gain of about 1,300 metres of sleeping altitude in one day, which the nights in Arequipa do not make up for: a calm evening, a margin, and going back down if symptoms appear. This progression guarantees nothing: see altitude and when the altitude means turning back.
The forest after the Andes. You come back down almost to sea level for four nights in a lodge; the flight to Puerto Maldonado leaves from Cusco: direct flights from Lima (LATAM) and from Cusco (LATAM and Sky). The CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for Madre de Dios.
The coast to finish. Paracas ends the trip with no altitude and no long flight, with a spare morning for the sea. The night of day 29 in Lima protects the international flight.
Each section is detailed in the shorter itineraries: the southern classic for the southern Andes, Cusco and the southern Amazon for the forest, the south coast for Paracas.
Budget: the items to add up
| Item | Basis of calculation | Known amount |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic flights | 3 flights per person | Your quote |
| Buses | Chivay–Puno, Puno–Cusco, Lima–Paracas and back | Variable depending on the company |
| Accommodation | 25 nights in towns, per room | Your quote |
| Lodge | 4 nights, generally all-inclusive | Your quote |
| Entry fees | Santa Catalina (S/ 50), Colca (S/ 70), Boleto Turístico del Cusco (S/ 130 for 16 sites, valid for 10 days), Machu Picchu (S/ 152 + S/ 11), Paracas (S/ 11), Ballestas (S/ 11) | Per foreign adult |
| Meals, local transport, margin | Per person and per day | Your choice |
Enter these items in the budget calculator.
Variant: the north, the northern Andes and Tarapoto, in thirty days
The second trip goes through neither Cusco nor Titicaca. It enters the north through Trujillo, climbs into the northern Andes via Cajamarca, crosses the cloud forests of Chachapoyas, and comes down to the foothill forest of Tarapoto.
| Day | Programme | Type | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival in Lima | Arrival | Lima |
| 2 | Historic centre | Sightseeing | Lima |
| 3 | Museo Larco, Barranco | Sightseeing | Lima |
| 4 | Flight to Trujillo, Huanchaco | Transfer | Huanchaco |
| 5 | Huacas del Sol y de la Luna | Sightseeing | Huanchaco |
| 6 | Chan Chan, Huanchaco | Sightseeing | Huanchaco |
| 7 | El Brujo and the Cao museum | Sightseeing | Huanchaco |
| 8 | Bus to Chiclayo (4 to 5 hr, with departures from 6:20 to 19:30) | Transfer | Chiclayo |
| 9 | Tumbas Reales, Brüning | Sightseeing | Chiclayo |
| 10 | Túcume, Sicán museum | Sightseeing | Chiclayo |
| 11 | Huaca Rajada, a free afternoon | Sightseeing | Chiclayo |
| 12 | Mountain road to Cajamarca (254 km) | Transfer | Cajamarca |
| 13 | The town, the Ransom Room, the Inca Baths | Sightseeing | Cajamarca |
| 14 | Cumbemayo and the Otuzco ventanillas | Sightseeing | Cajamarca |
| 15 | Road via Celendín to Leimebamba, very winding | Transfer | Leimebamba |
| 16 | The Leymebamba museum, then Chachapoyas (93 km) | Mixed | Chachapoyas |
| 17 | Kuélap, by the Nuevo Tingo cable car | Sightseeing | Chachapoyas |
| 18 | The Gocta waterfall | Sightseeing | Chachapoyas |
| 19 | The Karajía sarcophagi | Sightseeing | Chachapoyas |
| 20 | A free day | Free | Chachapoyas |
| 21 | Road to Tarapoto (363 km) | Transfer | Tarapoto |
| 22 | Lamas and the Wayku | Sightseeing | Tarapoto |
| 23 | Ahuashiyacu, a cacao farm | Sightseeing | Tarapoto |
| 24 | Sauce and the Laguna Azul | Sightseeing | Tarapoto |
| 25 | A free day | Free | Tarapoto |
| 26 | Flight to Lima | Transfer | Lima |
| 27 | Pachacámac | Sightseeing | Lima |
| 28 | A free day | Free | Lima |
| 29 | Callao and La Punta | Sightseeing | Lima |
| 30 | Buffer and departure | Buffer |
This schedule also has twenty-nine nights, but six transfer days, three of them long mountain roads: Chiclayo–Cajamarca, Cajamarca–Leimebamba via Celendín and Chachapoyas–Tarapoto. Each takes a whole day. We do not suggest the direct Chiclayo–Chachapoyas bus, which only runs overnight (departures around 19:30 to 20:40, a journey of ten to eleven hours according to CheckMyBus), since the FDFA advises avoiding intercity journeys at night.
The nights are spent at lower altitudes than in the south: Cajamarca about 2,750 m; Ayacucho about 2,760 m; Tarma about 3,050 m; Huancayo about 3,260 m; Huancavelica about 3,680 m; Chachapoyas, about 2,300 to 2,500 m. Kuélap: capacity of 864 visitors a day; visits of up to three hours, including Pueblo Alto and Pueblo Bajo; southern wall reopened in June 2026 after the collapse of April 2022. Leymebamba museum: every day from 10:00 to 16:30; S/ 15 for an adult. See Chachapoyas, the northern Andes, the north coast and Tarapoto.
What to arrange in advance
- Fixed, to book early: the Machu Picchu ticket (day 20), the trains on days 19 and 20, the nights in Urubamba and Machu Picchu Pueblo; the Lima–Arequipa (day 5), Cusco–Puerto Maldonado (day 22) and Puerto Maldonado–Lima (day 26) flights; the lodge.
- To book a few days beforehand: the Chivay–Puno bus (day 9), the night on Amantaní (day 11), the Ballestas trip (day 28).
- Changeable, to keep flexible: the free days (4, 15, 18, 21) and the nights around them; they absorb a delay, tiredness or the wish to stay longer.
What this route leaves out
- Nazca, Huaraz, the north and the northern Amazon: see the second schedule, or another trip.
- The big treks (Inca Trail, Salkantay), which mean replacing a week of the programme.
- Santa Teresa and the Cocalmayo hot springs, beyond the Abra Málaga pass: at least two more days, see Santa Teresa and Cocalmayo.
Variations
-
The north, the northern Andes and Tarapoto
Thirty days via Trujillo, Chiclayo, Cajamarca, Chachapoyas and Tarapoto. Full schedule below.
-
Depending on the season
From December to March, rain in the Andes and the Inca Trail closed in February: lengthen the forest and the coast, shorten the Andes.
-
Depending on your budget
The two heaviest items are domestic flights and the lodge: replace a flight with a daytime bus where one exists, and the lodge with three nights at Lake Sandoval.
Sources and dates
5 sources
Prices, opening hours and rules change: every piece of information cited links to its source, with the date it was consulted.
Figures and rules cited
- about 1 hr 30 min: Length of a direct Lima–Arequipa flight (Jorge Chávez (Lima) and Rodríguez Ballón (Arequipa) airports) . Direct flights operated by LATAM, Sky and JetSMART among others.
Press or reseller: KAYAK, Lima–Arequipa flights (average length of direct flights) (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 2,335 m: Altitude of Arequipa (centre) (Arequipa)
Press or reseller: Wikidata, Arequipa (Q159273), altitude (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 3 hr to 3 hr 30 min for some 160 km: Length of the road journey from Arequipa to Chivay (Colca valley) (Arequipa–Chivay road via the Patapampa pass)
Press or reseller: Rome2rio, Arequipa–Chivay (bus and car) (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 3,600 m: Altitude of Chivay (the main town of the Colca valley) (Chivay)
Press or reseller: Wikipedia (English), Chivay (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 6 hr with stops, leaving at around 13:00 and arriving at around 19:15 to 19:45; about 5 hr on a direct service: Chivay–Puno tourist bus (Chivay (Colca)–Puno) . The road goes back over the Patapampa pass and runs alongside the Lagunillas lakes.
Site management: 4M Express, Chivay–Puno (timetable, stops) (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - about 3,830 m: Altitude of Puno (town, on the shore of Titicaca) (Puno)
Press or reseller: Wikidata, Puno (Q232842), altitude (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - usually 7 to 8 hr, from 5 hr 15 min to over 11 hr depending on the service: Length of the bus journey from Puno to Cusco (Puno–Cusco) . Departures from 5 in the morning; most buses run in the evening and at night. Daytime tourist buses stop at sites on the way.
Press or reseller: CheckMyBus, Puno–Cusco (timetable aggregator) (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - about 3,400 m: Altitude of Cusco (centre) (Cusco) . Wikidata gives 3,399 m, the CDC about 3,350 m: the city spreads over several tens of metres of height.
Press or reseller: Wikidata, Cuzco (Q5582862), altitude (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 2,870 m: Altitude of Urubamba (town) (Urubamba, Sacred Valley)
Press or reseller: Wikidata, Urubamba (Q2304483), altitude (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 1 hr 30 min: Length of the train journey from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Ollantaytambo station)
Site management: PeruRail, frequently asked questions (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 2,040 m: Altitude of Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes), at the bottom of the valley (Machu Picchu Pueblo)
Old source: Wikipedia, Aguas Calientes (Peru) (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - 3 hr 15 min to 4 hr 10 min: Length of the bus journey from Lima to Paracas according to the companies’ timetables (Lima terminals (Javier Prado, Plaza Norte, Atocongo…) to Paracas) . Timetable duration, excluding getting to the terminal and the traffic leaving Lima.
Press or reseller: CheckMyBus, Lima–Paracas (timetable aggregator) (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - direct flights from Lima (LATAM) and from Cusco (LATAM and Sky): Scheduled flights to Puerto Maldonado (Padre Aldamiz airport) (Puerto Maldonado) . Flight days change with the seasons: fix the flight date before booking the lodge.
Press or reseller: Wikipedia (English), Padre Aldamiz International Airport (airlines and destinations) (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - S/ 50: Entry to the Santa Catalina monastery, adult (Santa Catalina monastery, Arequipa) (Adult, foreign or Peruvian (S/ 30 for a foreign child aged 7 to 18; free under 7)) . Reduced rate of S/ 20 on the 10th of each month and on the last Sunday of the month. A visit takes about 1 hr with a guide, 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr on your own.
Site management: Santa Catalina monastery, opening hours and prices (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - S/ 70: Colca boleto turístico (AUTOCOLCA), foreign adult (Colca valley (Chivay checkpoint or Arequipa ticket office, Portal de la Municipalidad 112)) (Foreign adult) . On sale at the Arequipa ticket office, at the Chivay checkpoint and online (AUTOCOLCA). The amount may change.
Old source: Arequipa.com, Colca Canyon Travel Guide 2026 (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - S/ 130 for 16 sites, valid for 10 days: Full Boleto Turístico del Cusco, foreign adult visitor (Cusco and the Sacred Valley) (Foreign adult (S/ 70 for a foreign student))
Site management: COSITUC, Boleto Turístico del Cusco (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - S/ 152: Basic entry ticket, foreign adult (circuits without a mountain) (Llaqta de Machu Picchu) (Foreign adult, from outside the Andean Community ; excludes: SERNANP entry fee for the Historic Sanctuary, Bus and train) . The price varies with the circuit; routes that include climbing a mountain cost more. The official ticket office (tuboleto.cultura.pe) shows the exact amount at the time of purchase.
Press or reseller: Infobae, “Suben tarifas de ingreso a Machu Picchu” (9 February 2026) (new tab) , published on 9 February 2026 · consulted on 1 October 2026 - S/ 11: Entry fee for the Historic Sanctuary (SERNANP), on top of the ticket, foreign visitor, since 1 May 2026 (Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu) (Foreign visitor (S/ 5 for a Peruvian visitor)) . The amount and how to pay it are shown when you buy the ticket.
Press or reseller: Infobae, SERNANP entry fee (5 February 2026), Resolución Directoral N° 000006-2026-SERNANP/DUSRN (new tab) , published on 5 February 2026 · consulted on 1 October 2026 - S/ 11: Entry to the Paracas National Reserve, one day (Paracas National Reserve, Santo Domingo checkpoint) (General rate, adult) . Open every day from 9:00 to 16:00 according to SERNANP. A combined reserve + Ballestas Islands ticket is offered at S/ 17.
Site management: SERNANP, Reserva Nacional de Paracas (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - S/ 11: Entry fee for the Ballestas Islands (SIIPG National Reserve), on top of the boat trip (Ballestas Islands, off Paracas) (Adult (published national rate; the general rate is not detailed on the page)) . Visits only with an operator authorised by SERNANP, from 6:00 to 13:00; life jacket compulsory.
Site management: SERNANP, Reserva Nacional SIIPG, islas Ballestas (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - 4 to 5 hr, with departures from 6:20 to 19:30: Length of the bus journey from Trujillo to Chiclayo (Trujillo–Chiclayo) . A 198 km road (OpenStreetMap calculation).
Press or reseller: CheckMyBus, Trujillo–Chiclayo (timetable aggregator) (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - Cajamarca about 2,750 m; Ayacucho about 2,760 m; Tarma about 3,050 m; Huancayo about 3,260 m; Huancavelica about 3,680 m: Altitude of the towns of the northern and central Andes (town centre) (Cajamarca, Ayacucho, Junín, Huancavelica) . Huancayo: 3,256 m according to one source, 3,271 m according to another.
Press or reseller: Wikidata, altitudes (P2044) of the towns, query of 1 October 2026 (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026 - about 2,300 to 2,500 m: Altitude of Chachapoyas (town) (Chachapoyas) . The town and its surroundings spread over several tens of metres of height.
Press or reseller: Wikidata, Chachapoyas (Q757133), altitude (2,483 m) (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - capacity of 864 visitors a day; visits of up to three hours, including Pueblo Alto and Pueblo Bajo; southern wall reopened in June 2026 after the collapse of April 2022: Kuélap: visiting conditions in 2026 (Kuélap monumental archaeological complex) . Three visiting circuits since May 2026, according to the Ministry of Culture. Prices and opening hours of the site and the cable car: to be seen on the spot or with your accommodation in Chachapoyas.
Old source: Infobae, reopening of Kuélap’s southern wall (11 June 2026) (new tab) , published on 11 June 2026 · consulted on 2 October 2026 - every day from 10:00 to 16:30; S/ 15 for an adult: Leymebamba museum: opening hours and entry (Avenida Austria, San Miguel, Leimebamba) . Museum run by the Centro Mallqui, opened in June 2000. Students and seniors S/ 8, children S/ 3.
Official source: Ministry of Culture, register of museums: Museo Leymebamba (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026
Sources consulted
- CDC Yellow Book, high-altitude travel; Peru (yellow fever, malaria) (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- SERNANP, Reserva Nacional Tambopata; Reserva Nacional de Paracas (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- 4M Express (Chivay–Puno), CheckMyBus (Puno–Cusco, Lima–Paracas, Chiclayo–Chachapoyas) (new tab) (consulted on 3 October 2026)
- Wikipedia (English), Puerto Maldonado, Cajamarca and Chachapoyas airports (air links) (new tab) (consulted on 3 October 2026)
- FDFA, Conseils pour les voyages – Pérou (travel advice, in French: night journeys) (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
How we choose and date our information: our method. Has something changed? Let us know.