Peru itinerary: 2 weeks to Machu Picchu

Fly from Lima straight to Cusco and you go from sea level to about 3,400 m in a morning. That is the quickest way to Machu Picchu, and the one most likely to bring headaches and sleepless first nights. This route takes a detour on purpose. Via Arequipa and the Colca Valley you gain height in steps, so Cusco and Machu Picchu come at the end of the trip, once your body has caught up. Machu Picchu itself, at 2,430 m, is actually lower than Cusco.

The route at a glance

Road times: route calculation based on OpenStreetMap, without breaks. Highland roads take far longer, so add at least a third. Train times from PeruRail.

1. Lima
2. Arequipa
3. Chivay
4. Puno
5. Cusco
6. Ollantaytambo
7. Machu Picchu

Base map: Natural Earth

Safety and travel advice

The country as a whole is not under a warning. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to two areas, the VRAEM valley and the strip along the Colombian border, both far from this route. Germany's Foreign Office reports a state of emergency in metropolitan Lima and Callao and high crime, especially in the evening in the centre, Miraflores and Barranco, and the FCDO mentions armed robberies of British tourists in Miraflores and Barranco. So use only licensed or app-based taxis in Lima, above all from the airport, and keep your stay short.

The FCDO lists Puno among regions that have seen recent protests, and protests sometimes suspend trains to Machu Picchu. Germany's Foreign Office says never to try to pass a roadblock; wait or find another way. If the road between Puno and Cusco closes, Juliaca airport is about an hour from Puno.

The dunes around Ica and Huacachina are left out deliberately. The FCDO reports deaths in unregulated sand buggy rides there, and warns that El Niño may bring flooding and landslides from late 2026 to April 2027, especially on the northern and central coast.

Why this order

Altitude sickness can start at around 2,500 m, according to the German Foreign Office, often only after 24 hours: headaches, dizziness, poor sleep, breathlessness. If symptoms persist, go below 2,000 m. The FCDO names Cusco, Puno and the Colca Canyon as places where it is a serious risk. Talk to your doctor beforehand, especially if you have heart or lung problems.

So the trip begins in Arequipa, just below that threshold. Two nights there and two in the Colca Valley, and only then Puno, the highest place on the route. Doing it in reverse, from Cusco to Arequipa, would put you at 3,400 m on day two. This order also makes the end easier, because after Puno it is downhill.

Days 1–4: Lima and Arequipa

Treat Lima as a short stop for its food and a look at the coast. In the middle of the year it is grey and cool, about 19 °C by day in July. A pre-booked transfer from Lima airport^* is worthwhile, because fake taxi drivers operate there.

Arequipa is known as the White City for its pale volcanic stone, sillar. According to Peru's tourism board, the historic centre holds over 500 colonial mansions. Two days are enough. Germany's Foreign Office reports isolated night-time robberies of buses to and from Arequipa, another reason to travel only by day on this route.

Days 5–8: Colca Valley and Lake Titicaca

The Colca Canyon is up to 3,200 m deep, according to the tourism board, and is about three and a half hours from Arequipa by road. At the Cruz del Cóndor lookout you can watch Andean condors. Tours from Arequipa^* will take you there; since many return to Arequipa, ask specifically for one that continues to Puno. Otherwise a bus^* from Chivay is the alternative, with a large operator and in daylight.

Puno sits on Lake Titicaca, at about 3,810 m the world's highest navigable lake. Boats go to the floating reed islands of the Uros and to Taquile, known for its weavers. Expect around 14 °C by day and 3 °C at night, so warm clothes are essential.

Day 9: the Puno to Cusco leg

This is the hard part of the trip, and you have two sensible options:

• Train: the PeruRail Titicaca takes about 10.5 hours and crosses La Raya at 4,319 m. It doesn't run daily, so plan your days in Puno around the timetable.
• Bus: the 385 km is about 6:10 h of pure driving and in practice much longer. Take a daytime bus with a large operator, never a night bus: the FCDO specifically warns against overnight travel in mountainous areas.

If you need to save a day, fly from Juliaca. You lose the landscape that makes this leg worth doing, though.

Days 10–13: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

Cusco sits at about 3,400 m. After a week in the highlands you will notice far less than if you had come straight from Lima. Do keep your wits about you: the FCDO describes street crime as a significant problem. Use ATMs inside banks and avoid quiet areas at night. It also warns about unregulated ayahuasca and San Pedro ceremonies, after serious illness and deaths.

Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, at 2,792 m, is the best base, with its Inca terraces. The train from here takes about 1.5 hours to Aguas Calientes. The route via Santa Teresa and Hidroeléctrica looks cheaper, but Germany's Foreign Office warns of many accidents on those unpaved mountain roads, so take the train.

For Machu Picchu you need a ticket for a specific date, circuit and entry time, sold by the Ministry of Culture on tuboleto.cultura.pe. According to PeruRail, the daily limit is 5,600 visitors in high season and 4,500 otherwise. Choose your circuit before you buy, because they don't all cover the same parts of the site. Alternatively, a guided tour from Cusco^* takes the organising off your hands.

When this route works best

Machu Picchu and the highlands want the dry season. Our guide to the best time to visit Peru has the detail; here are the two places that decide this route:

Climate: monthly averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo), rounded. May and September are the best compromises, with little rain and nights not quite as cold as in July. In the rainy season, rockslides and mudslides can disrupt road and rail across the Cusco region.

Where to stay on this route

• Arequipa: in the historic centre near the Plaza de Armas.
• Puno: in the centre or by the lake; ask about heating in the rooms.
• Cusco: central, avoiding quiet back lanes if you plan to walk at night.

Good to know before you go

• Entry: check the current rules on gov.uk or with your own government.
• Short on time? Cut Lima and the Colca Valley, but not the slow ascent. For the long flights, see our guide on how to avoid jet lag.
• Cash: you need some soles for markets, boats and small restaurants.
• Mobile data: our eSIM comparison for Peru shows the plans. In the highlands, offline maps are still the safer choice.
• Other tropics: for rainforest and volcanoes rather than high plateaus, see our Costa Rica itinerary.

How YesTrip helps with this trip

Set up the trip with all its stops. The map shows the whole route, the AI builds day plans for Arequipa and Cusco, and the forecast for your travel days is especially useful at these altitudes. The packing list suggests clothing for cold nights and the plug adapter. The offline package stores the maps of your places, since you shouldn't rely on signal on the road to Puno or in the Colca Valley. You book tickets and trains with the provider; YesTrip itself books nothing.

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