Peru tours and packages

The trips are grouped into eight types below. If you already know you want Machu Picchu with hotels and trains handled, go straight to the Machu Picchu tours. If you have never been to Peru and have 7 to 10 days, start with the Peru vacation packages, which begin in Lima and put the altitude in the right order. The rest of this page helps you choose between the types, and tells you what every trip includes and what changes the price.

How to choose a Peru tour

By the days you have

With 1 to 2 days in Cusco, book a Machu Picchu day trip or the 2-day train tour, then fill the rest with a day trip. With 3 to 6 days, take a Machu Picchu package with Cusco and the Sacred Valley built in, which is what most of our US travelers book. With 7 to 10 days, the Peru itineraries add Lima, the Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca. With 10 to 15 days, cross the lake into Bolivia and finish at Uyuni. Treks need 4 to 5 days on their own, plus two nights in Cusco first for the altitude.

By effort and altitude

Cusco sits at 3,400 m (11,150 ft) and that number decides more than your fitness does. The CDC puts the risk of altitude illness at sleeping elevations of 2,450 m (8,000 ft) and above, and advises against going from sea level to a sleeping altitude above 2,750 m (9,000 ft) in one day. We build every multi-day itinerary around that rule: a light first afternoon, Machu Picchu (lower, at 2,430 m or 7,970 ft) on day two or three, and the high hikes like Rainbow Mountain or Humantay only from day three. Treks are graded demanding. Day trips and packages are easy to moderate, with the walking time stated on each page.

By budget

Day trips from Cusco run US$27 to US$177 and need no hotel. Machu Picchu packages start at US$317 for the day trip and US$597 for 2 days with a 3-star hotel. The multi-day Peru and Bolivia routes are the most expensive at US$1,647 to US$5,870, because they cover 10 to 15 nights, two countries and several long transfers. On packages with hotel tiers, the itinerary, guides and trains are identical. The tier only changes the hotel category, from 2-star to 5-star.

The eight trip types

The comparison table below lists each type with the number of packages, the length, the maximum altitude you will reach and the lowest price in the group. One line per type, so you can see at a glance where your trip fits.

Machu Picchu tours. Nine packages, 1 to 6 days, from US$317. Ticket, train, bus and guide are always included. The 4-day version with Cusco and the Sacred Valley is the one we recommend for a first visit.

Treks from Cusco. Seven multi-day walks, 1 to 5 days, from US$137. The Classic Inca Trail needs a permit sold months ahead. Salkantay, Lares, the Inca Jungle and Choquequirao do not.

Day trips from Cusco. Fifteen day tours, from US$27. Rainbow Mountain, Humantay Lake, the Sacred Valley, Maras and Moray by ATV, the city tour and the quieter hikes to Pallay Punchu, Ausangate and Waqrapukara.

Peru vacation packages. Six itineraries, 6 to 15 days, from US$880. They start in Lima and include the domestic transfers, the hotels and every ticket, with Lake Titicaca from 9 days up.

Lake Titicaca tours. The lake gives this agency its name. Day routes along the Aymara shore from Puno, and the multi-day trips that sleep on the lake, from US$127.

Peru and Bolivia tours. Eight packages that cross the border at Lake Titicaca and continue to La Paz and Uyuni, 10 to 15 days from US$1,647, plus two day routes from Puno at US$127.

Day trips from Lima. Five tours on the coast, from US$97: the city center, Pachacamac, Paracas with the Ballestas Islands, the Huacachina oasis and the Nazca Lines flight in 2 days.

Andean ceremonies. Four trips of 5 to 12 days that add an Aymara offering ceremony on the lake, led by a community elder, from US$917.

What every tour includes, and what changes the price

Every package includes the entrance tickets named in its itinerary, a licensed guide who speaks English, and the ground transport and transfers listed day by day. Machu Picchu packages add the round-trip train and the Consettur bus up to the gate. Multi-day packages include hotels with breakfast. Treks include the cook, the camp, the mules or porters and the meals on the trail.

Three things change the price. The hotel tier is the first: on tiered packages, Essential means 3-star, Comfort 4-star, Comfort Plus 4-star premium and Signature 5-star, and the day-by-day does not change. The second is the number of travelers, since prices are per person in a double room and solo travelers get a separate quote. The third is the season, because Machu Picchu tickets and Inca Trail permits sell out from June to August and must be bought the moment you confirm.

What is never included: international flights, the flight between Lima and Cusco, travel insurance, tips, and the optional Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets. We tell you which Lima to Cusco flight to buy and plan the pickups around it.

Booking from the United States

You pick a package and a date, we confirm availability in writing, and you pay a 30 percent deposit by card through a payment link. The balance is paid on arrival, by card or in cash. There is no online checkout, because the Machu Picchu ticket and the train seat are bought under your passport name only after we have checked the date together. For June to August send your passport details 30 to 45 days ahead. The rest of the year, two to three weeks is usually enough, except for the Inca Trail, which can sell out five months early.

Our office in Cusco is open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Peru time (GMT-5, no daylight saving), which lines up with US Central time for most of the year. For a longer first trip read our sample Peru itineraries before you choose, and for the altitude read how Cusco altitude works.