10 Days in Peru: Itinerary with Lima, Ica, Cusco and Machu Picchu
Ten days in Peru is enough for Lima, the desert coast of Paracas and Huacachina, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, with two high Andean hikes and one free day to breathe. The route that works best is 2 days in Lima, 1 day on the coast, 6 days around Cusco and 1 day to fly home, always sleeping in Cusco before any big hike. It is our Peru 9 days package plus one free day, from US$1,286 per person. If you would rather see Lake Titicaca than the desert, swap Ica for the Route of the Sun to Puno and a day on the lake, as we do in the Peru half of our Peru and Bolivia tour.
10 days in Peru at a glance
- Best for: a first trip to Peru that covers the coast and the Andes without rushing.
- Route: Lima, Paracas and Ica, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. Or Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Puno and Lake Titicaca.
- Domestic flights: two. Lima to Cusco, and Cusco (or Juliaca, for Puno) back to Lima.
- Altitude: Lima is at sea level, Cusco at 3,400 m (11,150 ft), Machu Picchu lower at 2,430 m (7,970 ft), Humantay Lake at 4,200 m (13,780 ft) and Rainbow Mountain at about 5,200 m (17,060 ft). Puno and Lake Titicaca sit at about 3,800 m.
- Hardest days: Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain. Both are optional, and we explain below what to do instead.
- Best season: May to September is dry in the Andes; the coast is sunny from December to April. Peru works all year with the right expectations.
The classic 10-day Peru itinerary, day by day
| Day | Where | What you do | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lima | Arrival, airport pickup, free afternoon in Miraflores | Lima |
| 2 | Lima | City tour: Huaca Pucllana, Historic Centre, San Francisco catacombs, Miraflores | Lima |
| 3 | Paracas and Ica | Boat to the Ballestas Islands, pisco winery, Huacachina oasis | Lima |
| 4 | Cusco | Flight to Cusco, rest and acclimatise | Cusco |
| 5 | Humantay Lake | Full-day hike to the turquoise glacier lake | Cusco |
| 6 | Sacred Valley | Chinchero, Moray, Maras, Ollantaytambo, train to Aguas Calientes | Aguas Calientes |
| 7 | Machu Picchu | Guided tour of the citadel, train and transfer back to Cusco | Cusco |
| 8 | Rainbow Mountain | Full-day hike to Vinicunca | Cusco |
| 9 | Cusco | Free day: San Blas, San Pedro market, museums, shopping | Cusco |
| 10 | Departure | Transfer to the airport and flight to Lima | - |
Why 10 days is the right length for Peru
With a week you can do Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu well, and our 7 days in Peru itinerary shows exactly how. What a week does not give you is margin. One delayed flight, one bad night at altitude or one day of heavy rain, and the plan starts to wobble.
Ten days fixes that. You get one more region (the desert coast or Lake Titicaca), one more day at altitude before the hardest hike, and one free day that works as a buffer. If everything goes to plan, the free day is for Cusco itself, a city most visitors leave having seen only from a bus window.
The key is the order. Lima goes first because it is at sea level and your body needs to recover from the long-haul flight. The coast fits next to Lima, as a day trip. Then you fly up to Cusco and rest the first day. The hikes come only after a night or two at altitude, and the highest one comes last.
Days 1 and 2: Lima
Most international flights land in Lima at night, so Day 1 is simply arrival, pickup at the airport and bed. If you arrive early, walk the clifftop boardwalk in Miraflores and have your first ceviche.
Day 2 is the Lima city tour: a look at the Huaca Pucllana adobe pyramid, the colonial Historic Centre with the Main Square and San Martín Square, the San Francisco Monastery and its catacombs, and a drive back through modern Lima to the Park of Love in Miraflores. The Historic Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We do not repeat the whole plan here: our guide to Lima in 1 or 2 days covers neighbourhoods, food and timings.
Day 3: Paracas, the Ballestas Islands and Huacachina
Day 3 is a long but easy day on the desert coast south of Lima. The drive to Paracas takes about four hours. From the El Chaco pier a speedboat takes you to the Ballestas Islands, with sea lions, seabirds and the Candelabra, a giant figure drawn on the hillside of the Paracas peninsula.
Inland, in Ica, you visit a pisco winery and a shop that makes chocotejas, the local chocolate sweets. The day ends at the Huacachina oasis, a small lagoon with palm trees surrounded by huge dunes. In the 9-day package you return to Lima to sleep, ready for the flight the next morning.
Want buggies and sandboarding, or to know what to wear on the boat? See our full guide to Paracas, the Ballestas Islands and Huacachina.
Days 4 and 5: Cusco and Humantay Lake
On Day 4 you fly from Lima to Cusco. Cusco sits at 3,400 m (11,150 ft), so this is a rest day: walk slowly around the Main Square, drink plenty of water, eat light and go to bed early. Headaches and short breath are normal on the first day. Our guide to altitude sickness in Cusco explains what to expect and when to worry.
Day 5 is the first big Andean day: Humantay Lake, a turquoise lake at 4,200 m (13,780 ft) below a glacier. You leave Cusco very early, have breakfast in Mollepata and hike up from Soraypampa in about 1 hour 20 minutes. It is steep but short. Horses are available for part of the way, at an extra cost. You can also book it as a separate Humantay Lake day trip if you build your own route.
Why Humantay before Machu Picchu? Because it gives your body a real test at altitude while you still have days in hand, and because it prepares you for Rainbow Mountain later in the week.
Day 6: the Sacred Valley on the way to Machu Picchu
Day 6 crosses the Sacred Valley of the Incas without wasting a day on transport. The tour stops at Chinchero, with a weaving house and its colonial church on Inca walls, at Moray, the circular terraces the Incas used to grow crops, at the Maras Salt Mines, and, after a buffet lunch in Urubamba, at the fortress of Ollantaytambo.
From Ollantaytambo station you take the tourist train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu, and sleep there. That night below the mountain is what makes the next morning calm.
If you want to know every stop of the valley, read our Sacred Valley guide.
Day 7: Machu Picchu
After breakfast you take the bus up from Aguas Calientes at the time that matches your entrance ticket and visit the citadel, at 2,430 m (7,970 ft), with your guide for about two hours. Tickets are sold for a fixed time and circuit, so the order of the visit depends on the circuit you get. In the afternoon the train takes you back to Ollantaytambo and our transport drives you to Cusco.
Machu Picchu tickets are limited per day and the best slots go first, so book the whole trip early, especially for May to September. If you want to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, ask when you book: they need a separate ticket and are not included in the package.
For trains, buses and the different ways to reach the citadel, see how to get to Machu Picchu. For the weather month by month, see the best time to visit Machu Picchu.
Day 8: Rainbow Mountain, the highest day
Day 8 is the hardest day of the trip and it is placed there on purpose. By now you have slept several nights at altitude and you have already hiked to Humantay. You leave Cusco before dawn for Cusipata, have breakfast and hike for about an hour and a half to Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca, at about 5,200 m (17,060 ft).
Walk slowly, stop often and do not be shy about hiring a horse for part of the way. The reward is a ridge striped in red, yellow and green, with the snow peaks of the Andes behind.
Tips on weather, clothing and the short alternatives are in our Rainbow Mountain guide.
Days 9 and 10: a free day in Cusco and the flight home
This is the extra day that turns the 9-day package into 10 days. After two early starts in a row, sleep in. Then see Cusco properly: the Qorikancha, the Inca temple under a Dominican convent, the steep streets of San Blas with their workshops, the San Pedro market for fruit juices and lunch, and the Cathedral on the Main Square. If you still have energy, walk up to Sacsayhuamán in the afternoon.
Our list of things to do in Cusco helps you choose, and explains the Cusco Tourist Ticket, which covers many of the sites around the city. The historic city of Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a full day there is never wasted.
If the weather or a flight changed the plan earlier in the week, this free day is your buffer: we can move a tour into it. On Day 10 you transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima and your connection home. Leave a comfortable margin between the domestic flight and your international one.
Alternative: 10 days in Peru with Puno and Lake Titicaca
| Day | Where | What you do | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lima | Arrival and free afternoon | Lima |
| 2 | Lima | Lima city tour | Lima |
| 3 | Cusco | Flight to Cusco, rest and acclimatise | Cusco |
| 4 | Humantay Lake | Full-day hike to the glacier lake | Cusco |
| 5 | Sacred Valley | Chinchero, Moray, Maras, Ollantaytambo, train to Aguas Calientes | Aguas Calientes |
| 6 | Machu Picchu | Guided tour, train back and transfer to Cusco | Cusco |
| 7 | Rainbow Mountain | Full-day hike to Vinicunca | Cusco |
| 8 | Route of the Sun | Tourist bus to Puno via Andahuaylillas, Raqchi and Pukara | Puno |
| 9 | Lake Titicaca | Boat to the Uros floating islands and Taquile | Puno |
| 10 | Departure | Transfer to Juliaca airport and flight to Lima | - |
How the Lake Titicaca version works
This version drops the desert coast and ends the trip on Lake Titicaca. Days 1 to 9 follow the Peru part of our Peru and Bolivia tour: the same Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu days, then the road south.
On Day 8 the Route of the Sun tourist bus turns the long road from Cusco to Puno into a day of sightseeing, with the painted church of Andahuaylillas, the Inca temple of Raqchi and the Pukara museum. Our guide to the Route of the Sun from Cusco to Puno explains the stops and the alternatives.
Day 9 is on the lake: the Uros, islands built of totora reeds, and Taquile, known for its textiles. Read more in our guide to the Uros floating islands. On Day 10 you fly out from Juliaca, the airport that serves Puno. If you prefer to keep going into Bolivia, La Paz and the Uyuni Salt Flats, the full tour lasts 12 days; our Peru and Bolivia itinerary explains how to combine both countries.
Which 10-day route should you choose?
| Classic: Lima, Ica and Cusco | With Lake Titicaca | |
|---|---|---|
| Extra region | Desert coast: Ballestas Islands and Huacachina | Altiplano: Route of the Sun and Lake Titicaca |
| Wildlife | Sea lions and seabirds | Llamas, alpacas and lake birds |
| Culture | Lima, pisco, Inca sites | Lima, Inca sites, Uros and Taquile communities |
| Altitude | Ends in Cusco | Ends higher, in Puno, at about 3,800 m |
| Flight home | From Cusco | From Juliaca |
| Based on | Peru 9 days package plus a free day | The Peru days of the Peru and Bolivia tour |
How to adapt the 10 days to your trip
- Less hiking: skip Humantay or Rainbow Mountain and keep the day free in Cusco, or ask for an easier Sacred Valley day instead. Machu Picchu itself is a walk, not a trek.
- More time in Cusco: drop the coast day and add a second free day in Cusco. With fewer transfers the trip feels much calmer.
- Sleep on the lake: instead of the boat day to the Uros and Taquile, spend a night with a host family on the Uros Chimu floating islands. It takes two days, so you need one more day than the table above.
- Only 7 or 8 days: start from our Peru 7 days package, which keeps Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain.
- A mountain at Machu Picchu: Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain have their own limited tickets. Ask for them when you book, not when you arrive.
- Travelling in the rainy season: the trip works, but keep the free day in the middle of the week, after the hikes, so you can move a hike if the weather is bad.
What to book ahead for 10 days in Peru
- Machu Picchu entrance tickets: limited per day and sold for a fixed hour and circuit through the Ministry of Culture. This is what sets the dates of the whole trip.
- The train to Aguas Calientes: seats on the tourist trains sell out in high season.
- Domestic flights: Lima to Cusco, and Cusco or Juliaca back to Lima.
- Hotels in Aguas Calientes: the town is small, and you need a bed there the night before Machu Picchu.
- Travel insurance that covers high-altitude hiking.
- In our packages, the Machu Picchu ticket, the train, the domestic flights and the hotels are all booked by us. You only need your international flights and insurance.
What our packages include
The Peru 9 days package, from US$1,286 per person, includes airport transfers in Lima and Cusco, 8 nights in 3-star hotels in Lima, Cusco and Aguas Calientes, the Lima to Cusco and Cusco to Lima flights, the bus to Ica, the boat to the Ballestas Islands, the round-trip tourist train, the bus up and down to Machu Picchu, the Machu Picchu entrance ticket and the entrances to the sites in the itinerary, daily breakfast, the lunches listed in the programme and an English-speaking guide. Groups run from 2 to 16 travellers. To make it 10 days, plan one more night in Cusco for the free day, and tell us your dates when you book so we can fit the program around it.
The Peru and Bolivia tour, from US$1,650 per person, covers the Lake Titicaca version and continues to La Paz and the Uyuni Salt Flats. If you prefer to stop in Puno, write to us and we will tell you how we can adapt it.
Not included in either: international flights, travel insurance, meals and drinks not listed, tips and the horses at Humantay and Rainbow Mountain.
Frequently asked questions
Is 10 days enough for Peru?
Yes. Ten days is enough for Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, plus one more region: either the desert coast of Paracas and Huacachina or Puno and Lake Titicaca. You will not see the Amazon or the north of Peru on the same trip, and that is fine for a first visit.
What is the best 10-day Peru itinerary for first-timers?
Two days in Lima, one day on the coast at Paracas and Huacachina, then six days around Cusco: a rest day, Humantay Lake, the Sacred Valley with a night in Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and a free day in the city. Day 10 is the flight home.
Can I include Lake Titicaca in 10 days?
Yes, if you skip the desert coast. After the Cusco and Machu Picchu days, take the Route of the Sun tourist bus to Puno, spend a day on the lake visiting the Uros and Taquile islands, and fly home from Juliaca.
In what order should I visit Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu?
Lima first, at sea level, then fly to Cusco and rest the first day. Do the hikes after at least one night at altitude, cross the Sacred Valley on the way to Aguas Calientes and visit Machu Picchu the next morning. Leave the highest hike, Rainbow Mountain, for later in the trip.
Do I need to be fit for this itinerary?
Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley only need normal fitness. Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain are short but steep hikes at high altitude, so they are the demanding days. Horses are available for part of the way, and you can replace either hike with a free day.
When should I book a 10-day trip to Peru?
As early as you can, because Machu Picchu tickets and train seats are limited. For the dry season, from May to September, book several months ahead. Your dates in Machu Picchu decide the rest of the itinerary.
How much does a 10-day trip to Peru cost?
Our Peru 9 days package, the base of this 10-day plan, starts from US$1,286 per person, with domestic flights, train, hotels, entrance tickets and guide included. International flights and insurance are extra.
Official sources: Ministry of Culture of Peru: official Machu Picchu and Inca Trail tickets · Tu Boleto, the Ministry of Culture's official ticket platform for Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail · CDC Yellow Book: High Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness · UNESCO World Heritage: Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu · UNESCO World Heritage: City of Cuzco · UNESCO World Heritage: Historic Centre of Lima · SERNANP, Peru’s protected natural areas service · PeruRail: official train timetables between Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu
