Kiribu

Famous for the fabulous Inca ruins, notably those at Machu Picchu, Peru is a traveller’s paradise. Here I’ve described how you could fit some of the best Peru has to offer, including the Machu Picchu trek and a flight over the Nazca lines, in to a 3 week holiday.

I always like to start my visit to any country in the capital, I don’t know why, I just do! Having said that, starting your trip to Peru in Lima makes good sense. Spend a couple of days checking out the historic center of Lima and some of the fantastic museums, including Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera, the national museum and the Convento y Museo de San Francisco. A visit to the pyramids at Pachacamac is also worth a morning or afternoon trip.

From Lima, travel to Nazca, which is about 7 hours by bus. Nazca is, of course, famous for those bizarre lines in the desert which you can only really see from the sky. Take one of the many available flights in a little 4-6 seater plane and hold on tight as it’s a roller coaster ride! A flight lasts around an hour. If you need more adventure, try sand boarding down Cerro Blanco which, at 2080m, is the highest sand dune in the world!

After Nazca, Arequipa beckons, about 9 hours by bus and at 2400m will help the acclimatization process for your trek to Machu Picchu. Spend a few days to check out the beautiful city itself before exploring one or more of the many excursions in the nearby surroundings, including deep canyons, salt lakes, dinosaur footprints and snow-capped volcanoes!

A 10 hour bus journey will bring you to the Cusco, the capital of the Inca empire. Head to the iperú tourist office (Plaza de Armas de Cusco, Av. Sol 103) first for a Boleto Turistico to get access to all the sites. You’ll need a day to wander round town to check out all there is to see. Next, spend a day to visit the Inca sites of Tambomachay, Puka Pukara, Qenko and Sacsayhuamán (Sexy woman…). This is a fun day, and a good warm up for the Inca trek. Take the local bus to Tambomachay (The tourist office will have  the latest timetables and a map) and walk back to Cusco via the other 3 sites; about 8km.

The trek to Machu Picchu starts from near Ollantaytambo as does the train. Ollantaytambo is another Inca archaeological site, with spectacular agricultural terraces. Pisac is also a very picturesque site en-route to Ollantaytambo. You can easily visit both in a day.

The Inca trail hike will start the next morning. There are a few variations starting from different points, but the most popular is the 4 day trail. The highest point on the trail is at 4200m, but if you have spent a few days in Cusco you should be fine. Entering Machu Picchu via Intipunku (Gateway of the sun) to see sun rise over the Lost City of the Incas is spectacular. Climbing Wayna Picchu is well worth it, with great views over the site.

You will most likely head back to Cusco by train in the evening. A 7 hour bus journey the next morning will take you to Puna to visit the reed islands (Uros islands) on Lake Titicaca.

From here you can continue to Bolivia, or head home from Inca Manco Cápac International Airport in Juliaca, a short ride from Puna.

While I have given times for bus journeys, most of those can easily be replaced by flights. However Peruvian buses, like Cruz del Sur, are of a very high standard and a bus journey can make the transition to altitude smoother than a flight.