Our untypical 3 Week Peru Guide
Our untypical 3 Week Peru Guide
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This incredible country owns all landscapes you can imagine – in only 3 weeks you can actually see them all! We did a crazy 3-week trip through Peru and saw deserts, snowy mountain peaks, jungle, high cliffs in front of the ocean and the Amazon! In both Lima and Cusco we rented a car and explored the area independently. In the Amazon we stayed on a floating wooden pavilion and in Ausangate we hiked several 5.000 meter passes on a multi day hike. Are you already convinced to travel to Peru? We want to help you with our guide to plan your itinerary! Since Peru is pretty big and there are endless hikes, you can easily get confused by all the options.
You can also take the standard tourist route using the Hop On – Hop Off Peru Hop bus. This one starts in Lima and stops in Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca, Arequipa, Puno and Cusco. From there you have to take a flight back. However we decided to skip the touristic Puno and Arequipa in the South and instead developed an untypical independent route including the area around Cusco, Huaraz, Huacachina, Paracas and the Amazon.
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Fly from Lima to Cusco ✓
Get your rental car in Cusco ✓
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Cusco and surrounding area, Day 1-8
For us, Cusco is the most beautiful city in Peru, we highly recommend to spend there several days. It’s also the perfect place to adapt to the altitude, before visiting the higher Rainbow Mountains or Humantay Lake, since Cusco is located already at 3.400 meters. Cusco played a big role as the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th to the mid 16th century. Cusco is very popular amongst backpackers since it’s a trendy vibrant city and the perfect base to explore the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountains and Humantay Lake with a tour. Walk through beautiful historic alleys with colonial architecture, get some delicious coffee at a café with the best view and go poncho shopping.
↠ Read more: “Cusco and the surrounding area”
1. Exploring Cusco City
There is a lot to explore in Cusco City, the historic centre where you find the museums, cathedrals and markets, as well as the San Blas District with all the galleries, cafés and bars. In the evening you will hear live music everywhere, it’s pretty common that restaurants and cafés hire a live band here, especially at the weekend.
What to do?
–explore the viewpoints
– Plaza de Armas & Cusco Cathedral
– San Blast District
– San Pedro Market
– Qorichancha Temple
– Sacsayhuman
Where to eat:
– L’Atelier in San Blas
– Cappuccino Café at Plaza de Armas
– Green Point Restaurant
– Morena (Peruvian kitchen)
– Qura Bowl Bar
– Avocado, toast & more
– Rucula
Where to stay?
– Selina Plaza de Armas
↠ Read more: “Cusco and the surrounding area”
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Drive 1 hour from Cusco City to Sacred Valley ✓
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2. Explore the Sacred Valley
The closest day tour from Cusco is to the nearby Sacred Valley. Stretching from Pisac to Ollantaytambo, this fertile valley is irrigated by the Urubamba River. Between these two cities you will find beautiful mountains, Incan ruins and growing regions. This protected valley provides the perfect conditions for agriculture. The ancient terraces were planted with flowers, a variety of cereals, vegetables and a huge variety of potatoes. They planted more than 4000 species of potatoes.
What to do?
– Salineras de Maras
– Moray agricultural circles
– Pisac Ruins
– Salineras de Maras
– Ollantaytambo ruins
↠ Read more: “Cusco and the surrounding area”
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Get the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (or Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes) ✓
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3. Visit Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu, the mysterious ancient Incan citadel, speaking of huge agricultural terraces, thoughtful stone constructions and epic hilltop views, is one of the new seven wonders of the world. Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century by Peru’s Inca civilization and only rediscovered in July 1911, covered by the forest.
↠ Read more: “How to visit Machu Picchu”
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Get the PeruRail train from Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo ✓
Drive 3.5 hours from Ollantaytambo to Humantay Lake ✓
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4. Hike to Humantay Lake
We drove around 3 hours from Cusco first on bigger roads, followed by curved gravel roads until we reached the parking lot at the food of the mountain. We slept in the car and started our hike early the next morning. Therefore we could start really early before the other tourists arrived. However, you can also book a normal one day trip with a tour agency from Cusco, for example with Exploor! You can also stay in a hotel nearby.
After a 1.5 hour exhausting hike we arrived at 4.200 meters above sea level at this incredible blue lagoon surrounded by snowy mountain peaks. You can climb up the hill on the left side of the lake for a better view of the lagoon. Definitely get used to the altitude in Cusco for 1-2 days before this hike. This hike is the perfect first test how your body reacts to this altitude, before you climb 5.000m passes like Rainbow Mountains.
↠ Read more: “Cusco and the surrounding area”
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Drive 3.5 hours back to Cusco ✓
Drive 3 hours from Cusco to Tinki (Start Ausangate Trek) – or get a day tour from Cusco ✓
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5. Ausangate Trek (alternatively Rainbow Mountain day tour from Cusco)
For us the Ausangate Trek in the Peruvian mountains near Cusco is the most beautiful hike you can do in Peru. The total round trip of Ausangate Trek is 70km long, the standard route doesn’t include the Rainbow Mountains. But you can also choose a shorter version of the Ausangate Trek of 3 days, passing the most beautiful parts of this trek: the iconic Pucacocha Lakes and Rainbow Mountains in the end of this trip. The whole trek you will circle around the snowy 6.384 m high Nevado Ausangate Mountain of the Cordillera Vilcanota. The start of the trek is in the small village Tinki.
↠ Read more: “We did the Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountains!”
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Drive 3 hours from Tinki back to Cusco (or do a Rainbow Mountain day tour from Cusco) ✓
Take a flight back to Lima ✓
Get your rental car at the airport in Lima (Do not drive in the city!) ✓
Drive 7 hours from Lima to Huaraz (Pan American Highway + scenic mountain roads) ✓
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Huaraz and the incredible mountains, Day 8-13
If you love outdoors, speaking of big snowy mountains and intense blue lagoons, you have to visit this place! The Huascarán National Park contains the Cordillera Blanca mountain range and the less famous Cordillera Negra mountains. You’ve propably already seen pictures of Laguna 69 and Paron Lake in the famous Cordillera Blanca. Snowy peaks and pale blue water makes these two places really special. There are a lot of smaller one day hikes with different level of difficulty, but also several multi day hikes. Huaraz is the perfect place to stay and relax after some long exhausting but fascinating hiking days. Most guided tours start here. Huaraz, the capital of the Ancash region, offering bustling streets full of young people, restaurants, super markets, however it didn’t feel that touristic, it was still authentic!
We didn’t stay long in Huaraz since we had a rental car and most times slept directly at the campgrounds near the lagunas. But if you stay in this area for longer or if you plan to book a tour, you will most likely end up in Huaraz. Although it’s not as beautiful as Cusco, we really liked the city. The bustling streets where full of young people, it felt very save, there even was an organic bio market with all the vegan stuff. There are big supermarkets and restaurants, even cross fit studios. Our favorite café was the California Café. We met lots of other travelers there!
What to do?
– Paron Lake Hike
– Laguna 69 Hike
– Wilcacocha Trail
– Pastoruri Glacier Hike
– Laguna Churup Hike
– Laguna Llanganuco Hike
– Laguna Rajucolta Hike
– Llaca Lake Hike
– Santa Cruz Trek
Where to eat:
– Tullpa Rumy near Laguna 69
↠ Read more: “Explore Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca”
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Drive 3 hours from Huaraz to Laguna 69 ✓
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1. Hike to Laguna 69
Laguna 69 is probably the most famous place in this area. Everyone told us, it’s a hard 5 hour hike, but we were still surprised by how exhausting it was…mostly mental, due to the several hiking sections. Several times you think, oh okay but now this has to be the laguna, after this mountain it really must be there..but no, it’s another long climb up the hill. In total it’s a 7km hike with beautiful views all the time, while you circle further up and up the mountain towards the snow. Don’t do this hike before acclimate a few days before, otherwise you might face altitude sickness, meaning headaches, sickness, dizziness, exhaustion and loss of appetite. This hike is so much worth it, the view is incredible up there!!
↠ Read more: “Explore Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca”
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Drive 3 hours from Laguna 69 to Paron Lake ✓
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2. Paron Lake
Oh, this place is so photogenic! Imagine a long light blue lake, surrounded by beautiful over 5000m and 6000m snowy mountain peaks and a white perfectly shaped pyramid mountain in the background…Is this even real? Paron lake is the largest lake in Cordillera Blanca and sits at 4.155 meters, which can be quite uncomfortable if you didn’t acclimatise before. It’s not recomended to fly from Lima to Huaraz and start a hike at Paron Lake at your first day. Give your body some time to adjust to the thin air! You can do some smaller first hiking trails like Wilcacocha Hike. Or you come here after you visit the higher located places around Cusco like Rainbow Mountains or Humantay Lake.
↠ Read more: “Explore Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca”
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Drive 9.5 hours back to Lima (do not drive in the city of Lima!) ✓
Drive 4.5 hours from Lima to Huacachina ✓
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Visit the desert in Huacachina, Day 14-16
From Lima it is a 4.5 hour car or bus ride south along the Pan-American Highway, until you find yourself surrounded by the highest sand dunes of South America. In the middle of these high sand dunes, you will find an Oasis with a lake and palm trees, surrounded by a nice promenade and a lot of hotels. Only if you climb up the high sand dunes, you can really perceive the whole oasis and the absolutely incredible endless desert around this little “movie set up”. Crazy place right? We were blown away, how big this desert is. We first thought there are some dunes enclosing the oasis, but no. For miles you can see beautifully shaped desert dunes until they meet the coastline.
What to do?
– hike the dunes in the day
– hike to the viewpoint for sunset
– early mornings in the dunes
– go sandboarding
– go buggy driving
Where to eat?
– Harvest Coffeehouse in Ica
↠ Read more: “Where Desert meets the Ocean – Huacachina & Paracas”
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Drive 1.5 hours from Huacachina to Paracas ✓
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Walk along the cliffs in Paracas, Day 16-17
Only 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Huacachina, you will find a small fishing village and a beautiful National Reserve with high cliffs along the coast. You can drive the small streets for miles. Either you have your own rental car or you rent a dune buggy or a scooter to get around. There is a lot of wildlife in the National Reserve, best viewable on a boat trip to the Isla Ballestas. When we’ve been there it was really windy but also sunny. The ocean was rough and birds were circling above our heads.
The landscape is incredible in Peru. Big mountains in the center of the country merge into deserts with big dunes, which slowly alleviates to sandy high cliffs along the coast. The sea meets the desert in Paracas. Explore the endless roads in the protected Paracas National Reserve with a car, buggy, scooter or a guided tour.
What to do?
– drive along the cliffs in the Paracas National Reserve
– Playa Roja and the most beautiful sea bay
– boat trip to Isla Ballestas
– drive along with a buggie
– see the flamingos
– go kiting
↠ Read more: “Where Desert meets the Ocean – Huacachina & Paracas”
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Drive 4 hours from Paracas back to Lima Airport ✓
Give off your rental car at Lima Airport ✓
Get a flight to Iquitos ✓
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Take a flight to Iquitos in the Amazon, Day 17-19
A childhood dream came true for me, when I stepped out of the airplane and got to made my first impressions of the Amazon. There are several places to visit the Amazon, Iquitos in Peru and Manaus in Brazil are the most common places to start your Amazon experience. Both cities are not reachable by car, only by airplane and by boat. Have you ever searched for the Amazon Rainforest on a map? The Amazon River Basin covers 40 percent of the South American continent and includes parts of eight South American countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Let’s explore the Amazon together.
What to do?
– canoeing in the sunset light
– Amazon Forest Hike
– visit the tribes
– Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm & the Amazon Animal Orphanage
– boat trip along the river
Where to eat:
– at your lodge
Where to stay?
– Amazon Oasis Floating Lodge
↠ Read more: “Visit the Amazon in Iquitos, Peru!”
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Get a flight back to Lima ✓
Get a Green Taxi to the city of Lima ✓
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Explore Lima, Day 19-20
If you plan to visit Peru, include 1 to 2 days to explore at least these 3 nice districts of Lima! Although Lima is mostly cloudy from April until October, these months are the driest in the Cusco area, Lima has some really nice things to offer: Cute cafés, huge wall paintings and houses in different colors. Lima is the 5th biggest city of South America and the only capital facing the ocean! Keep in mind, that some districts in Lima aren’t save for tourists to walk around! We recommend to book a hotel or hostel in the beautiful and save Miraflores district. From there, you can easily explore the cafés in Miraflores, as well as two other nice and save districts Barranco and Surquillo. Below we listed all the different things to do in these 3 districts.
What to do?
– streets of Miraflores
– La Marina Lighthouse
– El Parque Del Amor
– Huaca Pucllana
– Go surfing!
– wall paintings and colorful houses in Barranco
– Puente de los Suspiros
– Mercado de Surquillo N°1
Where to eat:
– Raw Café Independencia
– El Pan de la Chola Dasso
– Neira Café Lab
– Colonia & Co
– La Bodega Verde
Where to stay?
– Selina Miraflores
– Belma Boutique Bed & Breakfast
↠ Read more: “Best things to do in Lima – 3 incredible districts”
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Get an Uber to Lima Airport and fly out ✓
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More time left in your itinerary?
Since Peru is such a big country you have to decide even in 3 weeks which parts you want to see and which parts you have to skip. If you have more time then 3 weeks or for example doesn’t want to visit Huaraz (like we did), these could be other options for you:
1. Nazca Lines – Arequipa – Colca Canyon – Puno at Titicaca Lake
These 3 places are part of the typical Hop on Hop Off touristic bus in Peru, starting in Lima and stopping at these places: Paracas – Huacachina – Nazca Lines – Arequipa – Puno – Cusco. From Cusco you have to take a flight back to Lima. The drive between Lima and Arequipa and Areqipa to Cusco is pretty long, it’s probably a lot more comfortabel in a day or night bus. However you can also drive these routes with a rental car.
We skipped Puno, because today the locals preper something like a traditional show for tourists, they actually don’t live there anymore. We found this kind of unauthentic and didn’t want to be part of it. Therefore the long ride South would have only been for the city Arequipa and Colca Canyon, which didn’t make that much sense in our opinion. We decided to concentrate on the Cusco area and the Lima, Huaraz, Huacachina area. Also we added the Amazon in the end.
2. Huayhuash Trek
If we come back to Peru we would probably do the remote 4-12 days Huayhuash Trek in the mountain range a little south of Huaraz. The trek has some really nice photography spots and beautiful lagoons!
3. Aguas Turquesas Ayacucho
Between Paracas and Cusco, around half way, there exist these incredible beautiful light blue water basins shaped in a cascade. There are not many people who drive from Paracas to Cusco, most people fly this intense long distance of 19 hours of small curved mountain roads. However, if you have a lot of time, these water basins are definitely an remote, untouristic and peaceful place to visit!
Best time to visit Peru?
The dry season, also the winter in Peru, runs from May to September. In these months you have a high chance of almost no rain fall. There is only a small risk that even in the dry season clouds could cover the view.
The wet season runs from October to April. There is a high risk of rainfall and it could be, that clouds cover the whole mountains of Machu Picchu for example while you are standing in the rain.
For the first tim ein Peru we would recommend the dry season, although there might be more tourists. It’s just so sad when you can’t Machu Picchu Mountain or if you want to go hiking and it’s raining every day. This can happen in the rainy season. If you want to visit only the coastline, consider to go there in the “rainy season” since there will be a lot mire sun then.
Altitude Sickness?
Throbbing headache, loss of appetite, nausea, lethargy, altered sleep patterns, shortness of breath, these are symptoms of altitude sickness. It can start at 2.500m, but for most people once passing beyond 3.000m.
With higher altitude, the air gets thinner, oxygen levels decrease and – for those not used to being at higher altitudes – your body is rebelling. Your physical condition doesn’t influence the chance of getting altitude sickness, however it definitely helps with the long climbs.
It’s necessary to plan enough days for acclimatization! Coming from Lima with near sea-level you really need to adjust and relax in Cusco sitting on 3.400m. Your body needs to get used to simply functioning on less oxygen. After one or two relaxing days in Cusco, you can slowly start with the hikes up to Humantay Lake, if that worked, climb Rainbow Mountains afterwards. Also it helps to really take it slow (don’t strain), take a lot of breaks, drink a lot of water, sleep a lot, don’t eat heavy and don’t drink coffee. The locals swear on coca tea, coca pills, coca sweets. We tried coca tea and coca sweets, it tasted okay, don’t know if it really helped ;).
Once you get really sick, you feel crappy for another few days, so don’t exaggerate.
Anzeige / ad: The hotels and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. Our recommendations are based on our own opinion.
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