The Perfect 14-Day Itinerary for Peru

Fourteen days are the most balanced duration to know essential Peru. The "classic trinomial" (Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu) fits with time to live it, plus two additional destinations: Arequipa with Colca Canyon and Puno with Lake Titicaca, connected by Belmond Andean Explorer in premium cabin. This is the itinerary we have refined over the past fifteen years for couples valuing quality over quantity.

Days 1-3 — Lima: the gastronomic entrance

Day 1: morning arrival at Jorge Chávez, private transfer to Hotel B in Barranco. Free afternoon to rest jet lag. Light dinner at hotel restaurant.

Day 2: half-day private gastronomic tour at Surquillo Market and Miraflores Market with chef. Lunch at Maido (reserve two months ahead) with a nikkei tasting menu. Free afternoon. Dinner at Hotel B.

Day 3: morning visit to Larco Museum with specialised guide. Lunch at La Mar (emblematic cebichería). Afternoon with guided visit to Barranco —bohemian neighbourhood, artists' studios, colonial alleys. Dinner at Central with its tasting menu (reserve three months ahead). Overnight.

Days 4-7 — Cusco and Sacred Valley: acclimatisation and culture

Day 4: morning Lima-Cusco flight (1h 15min). Direct private transfer to Sacred Valley (not Cusco; the altitude descent helps with acclimatisation). Hotel Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba or Belmond Río Sagrado. Free afternoon. Dinner at hotel.

Day 5: full day at Pisac market — it runs daily, with Sunday the traditional and liveliest day. Visit to certified master weaver in Patabamba with 3-hour textile experience. Lunch at hacienda with Andean cuisine. Visit to Ollantaytambo in afternoon. Dinner at hotel.

Day 6: Andean ceremony with an accredited master from the community of Patabamba —despacho to Pachamama, coca leaves reading, payment to the earth. Lunch at community. Free afternoon.

Day 7: visit to Moray archaeological site with specialised guide. Lunch at MIL Centro, a table set on an archaeological site, with a tasting menu. Free afternoon at hotel —spa, rest, reading.

Days 8-9 — Machu Picchu: the centre of the trip

Day 8: Belmond Hiram Bingham train to Aguas Calientes, with lunch aboard — boarding is at Poroy or at Ollantaytambo depending on the season; from the Sacred Valley the latter suits better. Arrival at midday. Bus up to Machu Picchu, half an hour. 3-hour guided visit with private guide specialised in archaeological sites. Overnight at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, the only house set against the entrance to the site.

Day 9: back to the site in the first time slot, at six, with a private guide. The ticket is issued in your name and assigns a circuit; the second day's takes another, which lets you see what the first left out, and Huayna Picchu is added on the circuit that serves it. Breakfast at the Sanctuary Lodge. Vistadome train back to Cusco at the end of the day. Overnight at the Inkaterra La Casona, on Plaza Nazarenas.

Days 10-12 — Arequipa and Colca Canyon

Day 10: Cusco-Arequipa flight (1h). Transfer to Cirqa hotel or Casa Andina Premium Arequipa. White-city tour with guide: Plaza de Armas, Santa Catalina Monastery (1.5 hours, 16th-century complex), Yanahuara viewpoint. Lunch at La Nueva Palomino (huarique of chupes and stuffed rocoto). Dinner at Chicha.

Day 11: early departure (5 AM) to Colca by road (4 hours with stops for vicuñas at Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve). Arrival at Colca Lodge or Las Casitas. Lunch. Free afternoon with lodge thermal baths. Dinner with Andean folklore at lodge.

Day 12: 5:30 AM departure to Cruz del Cóndor for condor flight between 7-9 AM (weather dependent). Visit to Yanque village and pre-Inca terraces of Coporaque. Lunch at Chivay restaurant. Return to Arequipa at sunset. Overnight at Cirqa.

Days 13-14 — Lake Titicaca with Belmond Andean Explorer

Day 13: transfer to the Arequipa station. Boarding the Belmond Andean Explorer, premium cabin, one night aboard, meals included. Gourmet lunch and dinner with curated South American wines. Overnight aboard. The train crosses Arequipa-Puno highland, with stops to descend at archaeological sites.

Day 14: morning arrival at Puno. Private boat visit to Uros floating islands and Taquile island (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage). Lunch with local family at Taquile. Afternoon return to Puno. Dinner at the Titilaka hotel, the house we recommend on the lake. Overnight.

Day 15 — return to Lima and international flight

Juliaca-Lima flight, around two hours. Transfer to Hotel B in Barranco for day-use (rest, shower) if international flight is night-time. Lunch at Astrid&Gastón. Transfer to Jorge Chávez airport for international flight.

What this trip costs

The budget depends on the houses chosen, the season and the number of travellers, and it is worked out trip by trip: write to us with your dates and we will send you the detailed proposal, line by line. This same itinerary exists in a higher version — suites, private Lima-Cusco flight, helicopter to the Sacred Valley — which we price the same way.

Fourteen days are sufficient to live essential Peru without feeling rushed. But the balance is not achieved alone: it requires each day to have "breathing room" —a free afternoon, an experience longer than planned, a table that ends in lingering. That is the difference between the memorable trip and the completed one.

Kada Travel

Itinerary variations

Three variants are reasonable by traveller preference:

Amazonian variant: replace Lake Titicaca (days 13-14) with Manú or Tambopata (3 nights). Changes trip balance toward deep nature.

Northern variant: replace Arequipa+Colca (days 10-12) with Trujillo+Chiclayo (3 nights). Changes the trip toward pre-Inca archaeology (Moche, Chimú).

Trekking variant: replace Sacred Valley (days 5-7) and Machu Picchu day 8 with a lodge-to-lodge trek on the Salkantay (5 days). Changes trip toward physical adventure.