How many days should I spend in Peru and can I combine it with another Country in South America?

Most of us when planning a trip begin with wondering how many day will the destination need, especially when traveling to a country as far as Peru. Many also try to make one long trip to South America and cover “everything!”

Well it’s a continent! So while it may be possible to cover highlights of a few countries in one single trip it is impossible to cover “everything!” 

When planning a trip to Peru it is very important to keep in mind that the country literally offers everything! Beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, dreamy deserts, colorful history and culture, vibrant cities and so many adventure escapades!

Usual places to cover in Peru are as follows. Most itineraries cover these fabulous places that give you a decent overview of the county. 

Lima

‍This colorful capital city is where most travelers access Peru from. Besides being the main travel hub, Lima is also the best place to enjoy Peru’s fantastic cuisine. In Lima chaos rules supreme, it is upto you to find your rhythm and enjoy the music. Explore the historic old town, enjoy a culinary tour, explore the trendy and upscale district of Miraflores with its beaches, promenade and its archeological treasure of Huaca Pucllana. Most just spend a night in Lima eager to hop off to other parts of Peru but a minimum of two nights is what we recommend if not more!

Cusco & Sacred Valley

‍Cusco often also called Cuzco, was the capital city of the Incas and today probably of tourism in Peru. Every Peruvian Travel itinerary routes one through Cusco. Most people hop off to Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, rainbow mountains and small Peruvian villages from Cusco on enthralling daytrips. 

It is also the adventure capital offering everything from zipline and via ferrata to hikes, mountain biking, raiver rafting etc. One thing to keep in mind when traveling to Cusco and Sacred Valley is the high altitude. Physical activities require double the strength and endurance with the thin air due to the altitude. 

We offer many exciting activities in this region like sleeping the night in a glass pod attached to the face of a cliff offering amazing views of the valley by day and the stars by night or glamping under the stars by ethereal lakes and starlit skies. Authentic village stays, multiday hikes, one day or multiday rafting and kayaking tours and so much more. 

A minimum of 3 nights and more depending on the number of activities and places you wish to visin on overnight or daytrips. 

Nazca

‍Most travelers visit Nazca as a daytrip from Lima to the puzzling lines in the desert from the window of a small airplane. No one knows how these lines have come to be and its one of the great mysteries of the world. If you travel to Peru do make the time to see these mystical drawings, however keep in mind that these flights are not for those who suffer from claustrophobia or acute motion sickness. 

Make it a daytrip from Lima add a night or two to see some offbeat places like Ica and Islas Balesta

Puno and Lake Titicaca

‍More towards the Bolivian Border, Puno and Lake Titicaca are another place of high altitude. It’s easy to get here from Cusco by bus, train of flight and many often just visit for a daytrip en-route to Bolivia. Besides being the highest navigable lake in the world, Titicaca is famous for Uros floating islands and Incan Ruins. 

The floating islands of Uros are manmade, built by the Uru people from weeds. They were built like this so they could be moved if attacked by hostile tribes. Even today one can see these fascinating man-made floating wonders from Puno.  If visiting the lake then the island of the Sun is where you will end up and it houses more than 180 Incan ruins. 

This is generally where most Peruvian itineraries end and most travelers enter into Bolivia or make their way back to home or their next destination. To get a complete picture also read our list of ‘Offbeat places in Peru to add to your itinerary’ and then plan your trip. 

We do recommend adding Bolivia to your Peru travel. You can read about why Peru and Bolivia make for a good combo here 

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