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Flagship itinerary

The southern classic in 21 days

Machu Picchu seen from above, terraces and ruins below Huayna Picchu, clouds clinging to the mountains
Illustration: Machu Picchu in the mist

Three weeks to link the great contrasts of the south: Lima, the desert of Paracas and Nazca, Arequipa at the foot of the volcanoes, the Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco and Machu Picchu. The route climbs in stages, with three nights in Arequipa before going above 3,000 metres. In two weeks, choose a first trip to Peru in 15 days instead.

Length
21 days, 20 nights
In the country
21 days, 20 nights, including 3 transfer days
Pace
Brisk: twelve changes of accommodation, three transfer days and two long days on the road
Regions
Lima and around · South coast · Arequipa and the far south · Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Who is it for? Those who want to link the great contrasts of the south in a single trip, accept changing accommodation often and go up to altitude with no known health problem.

Text revised on 7 October 2026

The trip in four parts

  1. Green cliffs above the Costa Verde, parks and buildings along the top, a coastal road and beaches below
    Days 1 to 3

    Lima and around

    Lima

  2. The Huacachina lagoon lined with palm trees and houses, between tall dunes, at sunset
    Days 4 to 8

    South coast

    Paracas · Ica · Huacachina · Palpa · Nazca

  3. The white church of Yanque and its square, in front of the terraces and mountains of the Colca valley
    Days 9 to 14

    Arequipa and the far south

    Arequipa · Colca · Puno

  4. The Maras salt ponds in white and ochre terraces, clinging to the side of the valley below the mountains
    Days 15 to 19

    Cusco and the Sacred Valley

    Cusco · Pisac · Urubamba · Ollantaytambo · Machu Picchu

Days 20 and 21: 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

ArrivalSightseeingMixed dayTransferBuffer

  1. Day 1

    Lima Arrival

    International arrival, journey to Miraflores or Barranco, a simple evening

    Night: Lima

  2. Day 2

    Lima, historic centre Sightseeing

    Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, San Francisco monastery, Barrio Chino

    Night: Lima

  3. Day 3

    Lima, Pueblo Libre and Barranco Sightseeing

    The Museo Larco to place the cultures of the trip, then Barranco facing the Pacific

    Night: Lima

  4. Day 4

    Paracas Mixed day

    Morning bus (3 hr 15 min to 4 hr 10 min), Paracas National Reserve in the afternoon

    Night: Paracas

  5. Day 5

    Ballestas Islands, Tambo Colorado Sightseeing

    The boat trip in the morning, the Inca site of Tambo Colorado in the afternoon

    Night: Paracas

  6. Day 6

    Ica and Huacachina Mixed day

    A spare morning for the sea, road to Ica (1 hr to 1 hr 30 min), a bodega, the dunes at sunset

    Night: Huacachina or Ica

  7. Day 7

    Ica, Palpa, Nazca Mixed day

    The Ica regional museum, then Palpa and the lines viewing tower on the way to Nazca

    Night: Nazca

  8. Day 8

    Nazca, then Lima Mixed day

    Overflight or ground programme in the morning, then a daytime bus to Lima (7 hr to 8 hr 30 min for most services)

    Night: Lima

  9. Day 9

    Arequipa Transfer

    Lima–Arequipa flight (about 1 hr 30 min), a quiet afternoon on the Plaza de Armas

    Night: Arequipa (about 2,335 m)

  10. Day 10

    Arequipa, Santa Catalina Sightseeing

    The Santa Catalina monastery, the sillar-stone centre, lunch at a picantería

    Night: Arequipa

  11. Day 11

    Arequipa, museums and Yanahuara Sightseeing

    The Santuarios Andinos museum, San Lázaro, the Yanahuara viewpoint facing El Misti

    Night: Arequipa

  12. Day 12

    Colca, Chivay Mixed day

    Road via the Patapampa Pass (about 3 hr to 3 hr 30 min for some 160 km), terraces and villages of the valley

    Night: Chivay (about 3,600 m)

  13. Day 13

    Cruz del Cóndor, then Puno Mixed day

    The condors at the viewpoint in the morning, then 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)

  14. Day 14

    Lake Titicaca Sightseeing

    The floating islands of the Uros, then Taquile and its textile art

    Night: Puno

  15. Day 15

    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, or train

    Night: Cusco (about 3,400 m)

  16. Day 16

    Cusco Sightseeing

    The Inca city beneath the colonial city: Qorikancha, Hatun Rumiyuq, San Blas, San Pedro market

    Night: Cusco

  17. Day 17

    Pisac, then Urubamba Mixed day

    Road to the Sacred Valley, the site and village of Pisac

    Night: Urubamba (about 2,870 m)

  18. Day 18

    Ollantaytambo, then Machu Picchu Pueblo Mixed day

    The site and village of Ollantaytambo in the morning, train in the afternoon (about 1 hr 30 min)

    Night: Machu Picchu Pueblo (about 2,040 m)

  19. Day 19

    Machu Picchu, then Cusco Mixed day

    Morning entry according to your ticket, afternoon train, road to Cusco

    Night: Cusco

  20. Day 20

    Lima Transfer

    Cusco–Lima flight in the morning (about 1 hr 25 min), a free afternoon by the sea

    Night: Lima

  21. Day 21

    Lima Buffer

    A buffer before the international flight: nothing essential is planned

Why this order

The trip begins at sea level, in Lima and then on the south coast, giving you time to recover from jet lag. It then climbs in stages: three nights in Arequipa, at about 2,335 m, before the first night above 3,000 metres, in Chivay (about 3,600 m). Puno (about 3,830 m) is the highest night; Cusco (about 3,400 m) comes afterwards, lower, then the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, lower still.

This progression does not guarantee acclimatisation. Above 3,000 metres, the CDC recommends not increasing your sleeping altitude by more than 500 metres per night: the move from Arequipa to Chivay, the biggest climb of the trip, adds about 1,300 metres of sleeping altitude in a single day. The three nights in Arequipa mean you start lower; they do not make up for this jump: an effortless evening in Chivay, a spare morning, and going back down if symptoms set in. If symptoms appear, the page when the altitude means turning back offers solutions.

Where you sleep, and what you cross

Nights Base Sleeping altitude Highest point of the journey
1 to 3 Lima sea level
4 and 5 Paracas sea level
6 Huacachina or Ica about 400 m
7 Nazca low altitude
8 Lima sea level
9 to 11 Arequipa about 2,335 m
12 Chivay about 3,600 m Patapampa Pass, about 4,900 m, on day 12
13 and 14 Puno about 3,830 m Patapampa again, then Lagunillas (about 4,200 m), on day 13
15 and 16 Cusco about 3,400 m La Raya Pass, about 4,320 to 4,340 m, on day 15
17 Urubamba about 2,870 m
18 Machu Picchu Pueblo about 2,040 m
19 Cusco about 3,400 m
20 Lima sea level

Total: twenty nights. A pass is crossed in a few minutes; it is the sleeping altitude that matters most for acclimatisation.

Three transfer days, two long days on the road

The schedule includes three transfer days: the Lima–Arequipa flight (day 9), the Puno–Cusco road (day 15) and the Cusco–Lima flight (day 20). No major visit is added to them.

Two other days combine a visit and a long journey: day 8 (Nazca in the morning, then 7 hr to 8 hr 30 min for most services by bus to Lima) and day 13 (the condors at dawn, then 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). They are long; these are the two days when you have to accept spending the afternoon on a coach.

Why go back through Lima after Nazca? The direct Nazca–Arequipa bus travels overnight (9 to 12 hr, with departures between 15:15 and 23:50: a journey made at night), and the FDFA advises avoiding intercity journeys at night. Going via Lima and flying gets you to Arequipa on the same day, day 9, with no night journey, at the cost of a night in Lima and a flight.

Day by day

Days 1 to 3: Lima, to understand before you see

Arrival, then the historic centre (Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, San Francisco monastery, Barrio Chino) and, on day 3, the Museo Larco: its Paracas, Nasca, Moche and Inca collections give meaning to the whole trip. Details in Lima in one, three or five days.

Days 4 to 8: the desert coast

Paracas for two nights, to keep a second chance if the sea is closed for the Ballestas; Tambo Colorado, an Inca adobe site whose walls are still painted; Ica, its bodegas and its museum; Huacachina at sunset; Palpa and Nazca, its geoglyphs seen from a plane or from the ground. On day 8, back to Lima by daytime bus. Details in the south coast in five days.

Days 9 to 11: Arequipa, the white city

The plane arrives during the day; the rest of the day stays calm, on the Plaza de Armas and its arcades of sillar, the white volcanic stone. On day 10, the Santa Catalina monastery (S/ 50), a city within the city with colourful alleys, then lunch at a picantería, where each day has its own soup. On day 11, the Santuarios Andinos museum and Juanita, a child sacrificed by the Incas on the summit of Ampato (on display from May to December; from January to April, another mummy, “Sarita”, from the Sara Sara volcano, takes her place for conservation reasons), then San Lázaro, the first neighbourhood, and the Yanahuara viewpoint facing El Misti. See Arequipa.

Days 12 and 13: the Colca Canyon

The road climbs to the Patapampa Pass, at around about 4,900 m, before going back down to Chivay: the stop at the volcano viewpoint is short, because of the altitude. In the afternoon, the terraces and villages of the valley, and a bath in the hot springs. On day 13, departure before dawn for the Cruz del Cóndor, where the condors make the most of the warm morning air currents, with no guarantee of seeing them. The Colca ticket costs S/ 70 for a foreigner. Then the tourist bus to Puno, which goes back over Patapampa and passes the Lagunillas lakes. See the Colca.

Day 14: Lake Titicaca

A day on the lake, at about 3,810 m: the floating islands of the Uros, built from totora reeds, then Taquile, about 45 km away, whose textile art is inscribed by UNESCO; you walk up to the village (main village at around 3,950 m, highest point at around 4,050 m). See Puno and Lake Titicaca.

Day 15: from Puno to Cusco

The daytime bus crosses the altiplano and goes over the La Raya Pass (about 4,320 to 4,340 m). Some tourist buses stop at sites along the way; the train from Puno to Cusco takes about 10 hr 30 min and does not run every day. Arrival in Cusco at the end of the day.

Days 16 to 19: Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu

On day 16, Cusco: the Qorikancha beneath the Santo Domingo convent, the twelve-angled stone, San Blas, San Pedro market. On day 17, the road goes down to Pisac, its ridge-top site and its village, then Urubamba. On day 18, Ollantaytambo, a village with an Inca layout and a terraced site, then the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. On day 19, Machu Picchu at the time on your ticket, the afternoon train and the road to Cusco. See Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.

Days 20 and 21: return and buffer

The morning flight takes you back to Lima; day 21 serves as a buffer before the international flight.

The bookings that depend on one another

  1. The Machu Picchu ticket sets day 19; book it first.
  2. The trains on day 18 (outward) and day 19 (return) depend on it.
  3. The nights in Urubamba (day 17) and Machu Picchu Pueblo (day 18) depend in turn on those.
  4. The flights on day 9 and day 20 frame the trip: keep them changeable.
  5. The Chivay–Puno bus on day 13 and the Ballestas trip on day 5 are booked a few days beforehand.

Budget: the items to add up

Item Basis of calculation Known amount
Domestic flights 2 flights per person Your quote
Coast buses, Nazca–Lima, Chivay–Puno, Puno–Cusco Per person Variable depending on the company
Accommodation 20 nights, per room Your quote
Paracas Reserve and Ballestas Islands Per adult, plus the boat S/ 11 and S/ 11
Santa Catalina monastery Per adult S/ 50
Colca ticket Per foreign adult S/ 70
Titicaca excursion Boat and island entry fees Your quote
Boleto Turístico del Cusco Full ticket, per adult S/ 130 for 16 sites, valid for 10 days
Machu Picchu Ticket and SERNANP fee, per foreign adult S/ 152 + S/ 11
Trains and shuttle bus Per person Variable depending on the time and class
Meals, local transport, margin Per person and per day Your choice

Enter these items in the budget calculator.

Slower variant, without the south coast

Rather than squeezing the schedule, remove a region. Without the south coast, the twenty-one days stay in the Andes, with more time at each stage.

Day Programme Night
1 to 3 Lima Lima
4 Lima–Arequipa flight Arequipa
5 and 6 Arequipa Arequipa
7 Road to the Colca Chivay
8 Cruz del Cóndor, villages, hot springs Chivay
9 Chivay–Puno tourist bus Puno
10 Uros and Taquile Puno
11 Amantaní, a night with a family Amantaní
12 Back to Puno, Sillustani Puno
13 Puno–Cusco Cusco
14 and 15 Cusco, Sacsayhuamán Cusco
16 Pisac Urubamba
17 Chinchero, Moray, Maras Urubamba
18 Ollantaytambo, train Machu Picchu Pueblo
19 Machu Picchu, return Cusco
20 Cusco–Lima flight Lima
21 Buffer

Variant with the Nazca–Arequipa night bus

The bus leaves Nazca in the evening and arrives in Arequipa in the early morning (9 to 12 hr, with departures between 15:15 and 23:50: a journey made at night). It avoids going back to Lima and the flight, but does not save a single day: you arrive on the morning of day 9, after a night without proper sleep. If you choose it, take a higher-category company, keep your valuables on you, and plan a quiet day on arrival. See everyday safety.

What to arrange in advance

  • Machu Picchu first: ticket, circuit and entry time for day 19; then the trains (outward on day 18 from Ollantaytambo, return on day 19), then the nights in Urubamba and Machu Picchu Pueblo.
  • The domestic flights Lima–Arequipa (day 9) and Cusco–Lima (day 20), with known change conditions.
  • The Chivay–Puno tourist bus (day 13): it leaves in the early afternoon, after the morning at the Cruz del Cóndor.
  • The trip to the Ballestas Islands (day 5), with an operator authorised by SERNANP and the option of postponing it to day 6.
  • The Boleto Turístico del Cusco and the Colca ticket are bought on site.

What this route leaves out

  • Chinchero, Moray and the Maras salt pans: add a day in the Sacred Valley, or follow the slower variant.
  • Santa Teresa and the Cocalmayo hot springs, beyond the Abra Málaga pass: at least two more days, see Santa Teresa and Cocalmayo.
  • The coloured mountains (Vinicunca, the Mountain of 7 Colours, and Palccoyo) and the big treks, which need several more days of acclimatisation.
  • The north (Trujillo, Chiclayo, the beaches), Huaraz and the Amazon: other trips.

Variations

  • Slower version, without the south coast

    Twenty-one days in the Andes: Arequipa, the Colca, Titicaca with a night on Amantaní, Cusco and the whole Sacred Valley, with a free day. Schedule below.

  • With the Nazca–Arequipa night bus

    Possible, but it does not save a single day compared with going via Lima, and the FDFA advises against night journeys.

  • Short version: the classic, selected

    Two weeks: Lima, the south coast and Cusco–Sacred Valley–Machu Picchu, without Arequipa or Titicaca.

A few prices along this route

Prices shown online are for guidance only. Our partners on the ground charge far less (Vinicunca: S/ 650 online, 70 soles per person with our partner, meals included): write to us before you book.

Dollars at the rate of 30 September 2026 (1 USD = 3.437 PEN). All prices in Peru.

For the full budget of your trip, add up your quotes in the budget calculator.

Sources and dates

10 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

Sources consulted

How we choose and date our information: our method. Has something changed? Let us know.

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