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Who says journey to wonderful locations, akin to Peru, is just for the individuals which might be keen to give up their jobs simply to get the time?
Opposite to what you would possibly assume, you don’t must give up your 9 to five to see Peru, and it’s potential to see the highlights in simply 10 days.
We perceive the problem of solely having a couple of trip days in a yr, and we’re right here that can assist you discover a approach to make it work.
On this information, we’ve got shared the final word 10 day Peru itinerary for many who solely have a brief trip time and wish to get essentially the most out of their journey.
At A Look: Our Peru Itinerary For 10 Days
For individuals who are brief on time, here’s a tough overview of our 10-day Peru itinerary. This could offer you an thought of what to see and anticipate.
- Day 1 – Arrive in Lima. This present day shall be about recovering from the flight and stress-free.
- Day 2 – Discover Lima, together with open high bus tour of town sights.
- Day 3 – Catch an early flight to Puerto Maldonado. That is the primary day of a 4 day journey with Wasai. Spend the night strolling the streets and stress-free by the Madre de Dios River.
- Day 4 – Get up at 4am to see a Parrot clay lick, then late morning take a 4 hour boat journey to the Wasai Tambopata Eco lodge the place you’ll journey deep within the Amazon Rainforest.
- Day 5 – Spend within the Amazon. See the Macaw clay lick, mountain climbing and kayaking.
- Day 6 – Spend within the Amazon. Go zip lining, tree climbing and mountain climbing.
- Day 7 – Catch an early boat journey again to Puerto Maldonado and catch a day flight to Cusco. Spent the remainder of the day exploring Cusco and adjusting to the altitude.
- Day 8 – Tour of the Sacred Valley together with the Pisaq Market, mountain climbing the Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo. Catch a late afternoon prepare journey from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.
- Day 9 – Go to Machu Picchu! Late night, return to Cusco.
- Day 10 – Catch a morning flight to Lima, spent the day at one of many parks, and depart residence within the night.
10 Day Peru Itinerary
Now let’s dive into the 10-day itinerary in full element.
Day 1 & 2: Lima
When looking for flights to Peru, you’ll possible fly into the capital metropolis of Lima arriving late at night time.
This metropolis is a vibrant, busy and crowded capital and I wouldn’t plan on too many days right here.
In the event you plan your very first day in Lima, you should have loads of time to compensate for some sleep out of your late arrival the night time earlier than and hit the highlights of town.
From Lima, you’ll be able to attain the Nazca Traces, Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Sand Dunes by bus.
- Nazca Traces: These are intriguing historic geoglyphs etched into the desert flooring of southern Peru, depicting varied animals, vegetation, and geometric shapes, believed to have been created between 500 BCE and 500 CE.
- Ballestas Islands: Also referred to as the “Poor Man’s Galapagos,” these islands off the coast of Peru are a haven for numerous marine wildlife, together with sea lions, penguins, and quite a few fowl species, providing improbable alternatives for wildlife remark and images.
- Huacachina Sand Dunes: A shocking desert oasis close to town of Ica in Peru, surrounded by towering sand dunes that appeal to thrill-seekers for adrenaline-pumping actions akin to dune buggying and sandboarding.
To go to these areas that you must plan a minimal of two days with an in a single day, which might imply skipping Lima off your itinerary, but it surely actually depends upon what you favor to do.
A day journey to the Nazca traces could be performed if you’re actually brief on time and might’t reside with out them. Will probably be an extended day.
It isn’t possible to mix Ballestas Islands and Huacachina with the Nazca Traces on a day journey, so you will want to decide on which of those day journeys sound extra attractive to you.
Day 3: Puerto Maldonado
After your time in Lima, you’ll wish to head to the subsequent vacation spot. For us, it was Puerto Maldonado to spend 4 days within the Amazon Rainforest.
The flight time from Lima to Puerto Maldonado is just one hour and 40 minutes, so in the event you catch an early flight you will have loads of time to discover Puerto Maldonado within the afternoon.
We wished to go to the Amazon Rainforest for 4 days, however you’ll be able to go for three days and two night time choices, which offer you an additional day in your itinerary.
In the event you resolve to spend much less time within the Amazon, you can head to both Lake Titicaca, one of many largest lakes in South America and the best navigable physique of water, or Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon on this planet identified for its trekking.
It actually depends upon what you wish to see and do.
Day 4-6: Amazon Rainforest
We selected to take a transformative four-day Amazon journey with the Wasai Tambopata Lodge in Peru, which takes you into the center of the world’s largest rainforest, The Amazon.
This immersive expertise presents a harmonious mix of eco-tourism, wildlife remark, and cultural exploration.
The itinerary included trekking by way of the plush jungle trails, visiting the biggest Macaw’s clay lick, tenting within the Bahuaja Sonene Nationwide Park, and embarking on a motorboat journey up the Tambopata River, in addition to sitting round Lake Sandoval.
All through the expertise we had been surrounded by the varied natural world of the Amazon whereas additionally having fun with the consolation and hospitality of the gorgeous Wasai Amazon Lodges, which had been little eco-friendly treehouses.
After all, there are various Amazon excursions from Puerto Maldonado, however we suggest you ebook one upfront to keep away from disappointment as they’re fairly standard.
Day 7: Puerto Maldonado to Cusco
After spending time within the Amazon, head again to Puerto Maldonado and catch a flight to Cusco. The flight time is lower than one hour, however do attempt to catch an early flight so you’ll be able to spend time stress-free in Cusco and adjusting to the altitude.
In the event you usually reside at sea degree, you’re going to wish to take it simple. Cusco sits at 3,399 meters above sea degree, and altitude illness is just not unusual right here.
Day 8: Sacred Valley, Pisac, and Ollantaytambo
Spend the day exploring Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas, the place historic historical past and exquisite landscapes converge. The journey out to the Sacred Valley is roughly round 1.5 hours from Cusco, so you’ll be able to simply match all these sights into at some point.
We began our day by exploring the Pisaq Market, a bustling hub of native crafts, textiles, and produce, the place we picked up some souvenirs and realized in regards to the traditions of the Andean individuals.
Whereas in Pisac, wander by way of the intricate Pisaq ruins, an archeological website that when belonged to the Inca neighborhood and was in-built 1440. The Inca ruins are accessible by a steep hike from city, but it surely solely takes round 90 minutes.
Afterwards, head to the awe-inspiring Ollantaytambo, one other historic village within the Sacred Valley, the place imposing terraces and stone constructions stand as a testomony to the ingenuity of Incan engineering.
In spite of everything that exploring, take a while to soak within the breathtaking vistas of the Sacred Valley, the place emerald fields and jagged peaks create a stupendous backdrop.
Day 9: Machu Picchu
Maybe a very powerful website to see on any journey to Peru is Machu Picchu, one of many Seven Wonders of the World.
Most individuals choose to go to Machu Picchu by one of many treks, most famously the Inca Path or the Salkantay Path. Each of those treks take between 5 and 10 days, so that you don’t have time to do these well-known treks, however you’ll be able to go for a 2 day, 1 night time hike in the event you’re timing permits.
Alternatively, take a full-day tour from Cusco. You was solely in a position to go to with a information, however they modified the regulation and you’ll go with no information and simply purchase the doorway ticket.
Nevertheless, we extremely suggest you get a information so you will have somebody there to let you know what you’re taking a look at.
Day 10: Lima and Dwelling
On the ultimate day, fly again to Lima earlier than catching your flight residence. If in case you have time between flights, you’ll be able to depart your baggage at a locker on the airport and discover extra of Lima earlier than you allow.
Or you can merely sit in a bar on the airport and luxuriate in some final Pisco Sours earlier than your lengthy journey residence.
Suggestions for Planning A Peru 10 Day Itinerary
The easiest way to plan Peru journey is to create an inventory of sights, or bucket checklist gadgets, that you simply wish to see, and plan outwards from there.
Your gadgets symbolize the issues you’re not keen to overlook on throughout your Peru journey. It’s not potential to see all the pieces in 10 days in Peru, so figuring out your Peru must-sees is essential within the planning course of.
Some sights that individuals usually placed on their bucket checklist are:
- Lima
- Nazca Traces
- Lake Titicaca and the Floating Islands
- Machu Picchu
- Sacred Valley
- Cusco
- Amazon Rainforest
- Colca Canyon
- Ballestas Islands
- Rainbow Mountains
- Arequipa
- Chinchero, Moray, and Maras Salt Mines
- Uros Islands
- Urubamba River
- and Huacachina Sand Dunes.
My largest piece of recommendation is to just accept that you would be able to’t see all of it and attempting to WILL result in a rushed, disagreeable journey to Peru.
Another issues to remember whereas planning:
- What time of yr are you going? Do not forget that Peru is the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the best time to go to is in the course of the winter (Might – September) which is the dry season in Peru.
- What is going to the climate be like? The wet season in Peru is December till March, and when it rains, it rains.
- Must you plan for altitude adjustment? In the event you haven’t been over 2,500 meters earlier than, put together for altitude illness and convey applicable meds, simply in case.
Getting Round Peru
Resulting from your restricted variety of days, flying turns into your most reasonable possibility. The one exception is taking the bus to go to to the Nazca traces, Ballestas Islands and Huacachina Sand Dunes.
Bus rides can be found all through Peru that can get you to and from Cuzco, Lake Titicaca and Colca Canyon however they take many hours, assume 30+, because of the terrain. These stunning mountains you got here to see make cross nation journey tough and gradual.
With solely 10 days in Peru, that leaves flying as the best choice.
Fortunately, Peru operates a couple of totally different airways throughout the nation that you would be able to decide up for reasonable costs in the event you plan forward. The three airways to look are:
We used Star Peru for all of our inter-country flights which included: Lima-Puerto Maldonado, Puerto Maldonado-Cuzco and Cuzco-Lima.
Once we arrived in every new place we utilized the native transportation. Taxis in Lima and Cuzco, Tuk Tuk’s in Puerto Maldonado and put many miles on our ft.
Native costs are fairly cheap and simple to search out when you are out and about. If we wanted to get from a significant place just like the airport to town middle, we hailed a taxi but when we wished to see one other website close by, we walked.
HOT TIP: Don’t attempt to ebook tickets which might be designated for Peruvians solely – will probably be tempting as they’re considerably cheaper – however they won’t honor your ticket on the airport throughout examine in.
Guided Tour of Peru
In the event you don’t wish to journey Peru independently, there are group tour corporations that provide nice offers and itineraries on Peru escorted excursions.
See avalaible Peru excursions on Globus, and Cosmos and use our particular low cost beneath.
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The place to Keep in Peru
With solely 10 days in Peru, selecting your lodging’s location is basically vital.
You wish to be sure to are within the thick of issues and near the primary sights to maximise your days.
This alone will make it easier to to not really feel rushed and regardless of what chances are you’ll hear from individuals, it’s potential to search out fairly priced lodging in the primary areas of every metropolis in Peru.
Talking from our expertise, I’d suggest the next locations to remain in Peru (all non-public rooms with tub):
Lima: Miraflores is a clear space with many sights. You may get a room at a guesthouse or hostel for round $20 per night time.
Puerto Maldonado: We stayed at a property close to the Madre de Dios as a part of the journey bundle we booked for the Amazon. Nevertheless, we researched many impartial hostels that had been in good areas, close to the river for round $10-$25 per night time.
Cusco: We stayed on the Hostal Inti Wasi and the placement was wonderful. We had been proper subsequent to the Plaza de Armas. You can be within the coronary heart of Cusco in the event you keep right here, inside simple strolling distance to many outlets, meals and sights. In addition they saved our extra stuff after we went to Machu Picchu. Price was $35 per night time.
Aguas Calientes: This little city is loaded with locations to remain on any funds. You might be on the foot of Machu Picchu and that comes with a value. We ended up at a small lodge close to the prepare station for $50 per night time. Your different possibility is mountain climbing the Inca Path. You’ll have time to do the two day / 1 night time mountain climbing tour, which incorporates lodging once you ebook.
What Does it Price to Journey in Peru?
How a lot you spend in your 10-day journey to Peru will largely rely upon how a lot you’re keen to stint on luxuries. Everybody has totally different tastes, however it can save you drastically by foregoing good lodges and selecting a hostel mattress as an alternative.
Our funds was $4,000 USD whole for two individuals over 10 days. You possibly can simply do it in $1,000 USD per particular person, in the event you ebook cheaper lodging and select buses over flights – although you received’t have the ability to slot in as a lot into your itinerary this manner.
That will help you estimate your prices, we spent:
- $1,020 attending to Peru
- $700 on inter-country flights
- $115 on 4 nights of lodging
- $1,279 on excursions that included 4 nights of lodging
- We spent our final night time within the airport and when it was all mentioned and performed, we got here residence with $500
- Our whole spent was $3500, $1750 per particular person.
Closing Ideas
So there you will have it, that is how one can spend 10 days in Peru. As you’ll be able to see, you’ll be able to nonetheless tick off plenty of bucket checklist gadgets on this itinerary, even in the event you do must make some sacrifices.
After all, you’ll be able to change issues out to the way you see match. We love nature and wildlife, so we opted to spend extra time within the Amazon, however chances are you’ll resolve to spend much less time within the Amazon to go to extra locations.
We hope this information helped you propose your itinerary and gave you some inspiration for why you must go to Peru for 10 days.
Bio: Lina from Divergent Vacationers has been touring for 12+ years, solo and together with her associate David, whereas working full time. They’ve visited 31 nations and are hoping their tales is not going to solely encourage these of you which might be excited about the leap, but additionally turn out to be a spot you’ll be able to go to for assist and data in planning and realizing your desires! You’ll be able to comply with their adventures on their weblog and on social media with Fb and Twitter.
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