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Peru · 7–10 days

Peru: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, at the right altitude

An honest guide to the classic Peru loop — the old Inca capital, the green valley below it, and the journey up to Machu Picchu — including the four ways to reach the citadel, what to book months ahead, and how to sequence the altitude so it works for you rather than against you.

Peru's headline trip is one of the great ones: acclimatise in the cobbled streets of Cusco, wander the terraced ruins and markets of the Sacred Valley, then make the journey — on foot via the Inca Trail, or by the beautiful train — to Machu Picchu.

The mistake most people make is rushing straight up to altitude and trying to see the citadel jet-lagged on day two. Cusco is at 3,400m — higher than most European ski resorts — and the standard flight from Lima puts you there in an hour from sea level. Get the altitude sequencing right and Peru is one of the smoothest big trips there is. Get it wrong and you spend the best days of the holiday with a headache in a hotel room.

When to go

The dry season, May to September, is the sweet spot — sunny days, cold clear nights, big views of the peaks and the prime window for the Inca Trail:

• May and September — the best of it. Dry, green from the recent rains, and either side of the crush. If you can choose any month, choose one of these two.
• June to August — peak. The most reliable weather, the busiest trails and the highest prices; Inca Trail permits for these months go first. Nights in Cusco drop close to freezing, which surprises people who packed for "South America".
• April and October — quiet shoulder. Some rain, noticeably fewer people, hills at their greenest and prices lower. A good trade if you're flexible and don't mind a wet afternoon.
• November to March — wet season. The train route works fine and Machu Picchu is open all year, but trails are muddy, views come and go, and landslides occasionally interrupt the railway. The Inca Trail closes for the whole of February for maintenance.

Note also Inti Raymi, the Inca sun festival, on 24 June — spectacular, and it fills Cusco completely.

How long, and where to base yourself

Give it seven to ten nights, built around the altitude rather than the sights:

• Cusco (2 nights) — land here and do almost nothing. The old Inca capital is gorgeous, but the first job is simply to let your body catch up.
• The Sacred Valley (2–3 nights) — and this is the part people underuse. At 2,800m it is 600m lower than Cusco, which makes a real difference to how you sleep, and it's warmer, greener and calmer. Base near Urubamba or Ollantaytambo for Pisac, Moray and the Maras salt pans.
• Machu Picchu (1 night below, or 4 days walking) — either the classic four-day Inca Trail, ending at the Sun Gate at dawn, or the scenic train to Aguas Calientes with a night at the foot of the citadel so you can be on the first bus up.
• A last night in Cusco to see the city properly now that the altitude is behind you — and with longer, add Lake Titicaca, the Amazon at Puerto Maldonado, or the Colca Canyon and Arequipa.

The counter-intuitive bit: don't sleep your first two nights in Cusco if you can avoid it. Landing at Cusco, transferring straight down to the Sacred Valley, and coming back up to Cusco at the end of the trip is the shape experienced operators use, and it produces markedly fewer sick days.

Getting to Machu Picchu: the four options

This is the decision that shapes the whole trip, and there are more choices than most people realise:

• The classic Inca Trail (4 days, 3 nights). The famous one, and the only route that arrives through the Sun Gate on foot. Camping, porters, and a hard second day over the 4,215m Dead Woman's Pass. Permits are capped at 500 people a day including porters and guides — realistically about 200 trekkers — and sell out five to eight months ahead for the dry season. You cannot walk it independently; a licensed operator is mandatory.
• The short Inca Trail (2 days). The last stretch of the same route, with a hotel night in Aguas Calientes instead of camping. Far easier to get a permit, still ends at the Sun Gate, and a genuinely good compromise for mixed-fitness groups.
• The Salkantay trek (4–5 days). Higher, wilder, more dramatic scenery, and no permit lottery — you book it weeks rather than months ahead. Harder than the Inca Trail in places and it doesn't finish through the Sun Gate. The best option if you want to walk and left it late.
• The train. Not a consolation prize: the ride down the Urubamba gorge from Ollantaytambo is one of the world's beautiful rail journeys, takes about ninety minutes, and leaves you fresh for the site itself. Take it, sleep in Aguas Calientes, and be on the first bus at dawn.

Whichever you pick, Machu Picchu now runs on timed entry with fixed circuits — you choose a route and an entry hour when you book, you follow it one way, and you can't wander back. Book the ticket, the train and the bus together and in advance; and if you want Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, those are separate limited add-ons that sell out first.

What's genuinely worth your time

• Machu Picchu at first light — through the Sun Gate if you've walked, or on the first bus up if you've taken the train. Quieter, cooler, and often with cloud still moving through the ruins.
• The Sacred Valley — Pisac's hillside terraces and its market, the living Inca town of Ollantaytambo (where people still use the original streets and water channels), the surreal concentric terraces of Moray, and the thousands of salt pans at Maras.
• Cusco itself — the Qorikancha, where a colonial church sits on flawless Inca masonry; the San Pedro market; the twelve-angled stone; and dinner in San Blas.
• The food. Peru is one of the world's great food countries and Cusco punches above its weight — ceviche, causa, anticuchos, and at least one proper novoandino tasting menu. Lima, if you transit through it, is worth a night on its own for this reason alone.
• Rainbow Mountain, if you're properly acclimatised — it's a 5,000m day and the sole reason to be cautious about it. Go with a small operator and leave it for late in the trip, never early.

A sensible 9-night shape

• Night 1 · Lima. Land, sleep, eat something extraordinary in Miraflores or Barranco. It breaks the journey and it's the best meal of the trip.
• Nights 2–4 · The Sacred Valley. Morning flight to Cusco, then transfer straight down to Urubamba without stopping. Take day two very gently. Pisac and the market on day three; Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo on day four.
• Night 5 · Aguas Calientes. Afternoon train down the gorge. Early night. (Or start the four-day Inca Trail here instead and add three nights.)
• Day 6 · Machu Picchu. First bus up, your booked circuit, then back down for a late lunch and the train to Cusco.
• Nights 6–8 · Cusco. Now properly acclimatised: the Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán above the city, San Blas, the market, and one long dinner. Rainbow Mountain on day eight if you want it.
• Night 9 · Lima or home. Fly out via Lima with enough of a connection buffer that a delayed Cusco flight can't cost you the international leg.

Good to know

• Altitude is the thing to respect, and it isn't about fitness. Ascend slowly, drink far more water than usual, go easy on alcohol for the first two days, eat lightly, and sleep low in the Sacred Valley before any trek. Coca tea is genuinely helpful and entirely normal. Many travellers also ask their doctor about acetazolamide before they fly.
• Book the Inca Trail five to eight months ahead through a licensed operator for the dry season, and remember February is closed. If permits are gone, take the Salkantay or the short trail rather than downgrading the trip.
• Reserve Machu Picchu timed-entry tickets, the train and the bus together — the circuits and entry hours are capped and the popular slots go weeks in advance in high season.
• Carry your passport everywhere near the trail and the citadel; it's checked at entry, and there's a novelty stamp at the gate.
• Bring cash in soles in small notes for markets, taxis, tips and rural toilets, and tip your trekking porters and guide — it's expected and it matters.
• Pack for four seasons in one day. Strong sun and 20°C at midday, close to freezing after dark in Cusco, and rain possible in any month. Layers, a warm hat, high-factor sun cream and broken-in boots.
• Leave a buffer before your international flight. Cusco's airport is weather-affected and morning fog delays are common — never plan to fly Cusco → Lima → home on the same day.
• There is a strict luggage limit on the trains to Aguas Calientes (roughly one small bag per person). Leave the main case at your Cusco or valley hotel — every hotel does this and expects to.

Common questions

When is the best time to visit Peru and hike to Machu Picchu?

The dry season, May to September, is the best time — sunny days, clear mountain views and the prime window for the Inca Trail. May and September are the pick of it: dry, green from the recent rains and either side of the crush. June to August is the busiest and priciest, and it is when Inca Trail permits go first; nights in Cusco drop close to freezing then, which surprises people. April and October are quieter shoulder months with greener hills and lower prices, at the cost of some rain. The wet season runs November to March — the train route still works and Machu Picchu is open year-round, but trails are muddy and the Inca Trail closes for the whole of February for maintenance.

How many days do you need for Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley?

Plan seven to ten nights. The shape that works is: a night in Lima, two or three in the Sacred Valley to acclimatise at 2,800m, a night in Aguas Calientes below the citadel, Machu Picchu itself, then two or three nights back up in Cusco once altitude is no longer an issue, plus a buffer before flying home. Add three nights if you are walking the classic four-day Inca Trail. Under six nights is possible but means either skipping the valley or seeing Machu Picchu on a rushed day trip from Cusco, which is the version people regret.

Do you have to hike the Inca Trail to reach Machu Picchu?

No, and there are four realistic routes. The classic four-day Inca Trail is the famous one and the only way to arrive through the Sun Gate on foot, but permits are capped at 500 people a day including porters and sell out five to eight months ahead, and you must go with a licensed operator. The two-day short Inca Trail covers the final stretch with a hotel night instead of camping and is far easier to book. The four-to-five-day Salkantay trek is wilder, needs no permit lottery and can be booked weeks ahead. And the train down the Urubamba gorge from Ollantaytambo is not a consolation prize — it is one of the world's beautiful rail journeys and leaves you fresh for the site itself.

How do you cope with the altitude in Cusco?

Cusco sits at about 3,400m and the flight from Lima takes you there from sea level in an hour, so the sequencing matters more than your fitness. The single most effective thing you can do is not sleep in Cusco on arrival: transfer straight down to the Sacred Valley at 2,800m, spend two or three nights there, and come back up to Cusco at the end of the trip once you are adjusted. Beyond that, take the first day very gently, drink far more water than usual, go easy on alcohol for the first two days, eat lightly, and accept coca tea — it is normal and it helps. Many travellers also ask their doctor about altitude medication before flying.

What do you have to book in advance for Machu Picchu?

Machu Picchu runs on timed entry with fixed one-way circuits: you choose a route and an entry hour when you book, and you cannot double back once inside. Book the entry ticket, the Ollantaytambo train and the shuttle bus together and well ahead — popular slots go weeks in advance in the dry season. The Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain climbs are separate, strictly limited add-ons and sell out first. If you want the classic Inca Trail, that permit is the earliest booking of the whole trip at five to eight months out. Note also the strict luggage limit on the trains — leave your main case at your Cusco or valley hotel, which every hotel expects.

Is Peru good for a group trip or a milestone birthday?

Yes, with one caveat: altitude affects people unpredictably and independently of fitness, so a group of ten will usually include one or two who feel rough for a day. Build that in rather than hoping. The version that works for mixed groups is to base in the Sacred Valley, take the two-day short Inca Trail or the train rather than committing everyone to four days of camping, and keep one genuinely empty day in the schedule. Peru also rewards a group in ways it does not reward a couple — private guides, drivers and whole trekking teams cost little per head, and the food scene in Cusco and Lima is built for long tables.

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