jenny909123

I was wondering if my itinerary seems too rushed. We are just short on time

Day 1. Land in lima 1N
Day 2. Fly to cusco and drive to the sacred valley to avoid elevation sickness. 1N
Day 3 drive to Cusco 3N
DAY 3 cusco
Day 4 Cusco
Day 5 train to pachu pichu 2N
Day 6 Machu Picchu
Day 7 train back to Cusco 1N
Day 8 flight from cusco to Lima 1N
Day 9 Lima to flight home

crellston

Hi Jenny, sorry this virus screwed up you plans. The good news is that Peru is an amazing country and I am sure you will have an amazing time!

Your itinerary seem basically ok but I would suggest a few tweaks to make the most of your time

Day 1. Lima 1N (if your flight arrives in the afternoon or evening then do spend a night there. If arriving in the morning I would just get a flight straight out to Cusco)
Day 2. Arrive Cusco and take a taxi Ollantaytambo. Noto only will this help with acclimatisation, it is also where the trains leave from for Aguas Calientes for MP. Use this first day to get over your flight and explore the village and the ruins - IMHO the best in the Sacred Valley
Day 3 Train to Aguas Calientes (can easily be done as a day trip if not hiking one of the mountains. Early train up late train back, but some prefer to stay overnight. AC is not an especially interesting town and exists only to service visitors to MP)
DAY 4 Aguas Calientes - MP extra day
DAY 5 Cusco - leave after breakfast from Ollantaytmbo and take a taxi tour to Cusco stopping at Moray, Maras and Chichero ( Taxidatum .com are good and cost around 200 soles , alternatively arrange with your hotel) takes 5-6 hours.
Day 6 Cusco - explore city and markets
Day 7 Cusco - side trip to Pisac. On the way back visit Tambo Machay, Q’enka Puk Pukkara and Sacsayhuaman. Either take a taxi tour or go by bus. You can hike between Tambo Machay and Sacsayhuaman in about three hours. Stunning views and all down hill
Day 6 morning flight to Lima ( stay in Barranco or Miraflores - I prefer barranco)
Day 7 Lima - loads to see in the city. Allow a full day for the centro histórico.
Day 8 Lima
Day 9 Lima to flight home

Some details of our travels in Peru on our blog which you may find useful @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/peru/

Given the time at the beginning in the SV , you should cope fine with the altitude in Cusco.
Personally, I think a day trip to MP from Ollantaytmbo is preferable to a night or two in AC.
taking just the day trip to MP would provide an extra day to play with. Cut a day from Lima and you could squeeze in a couple of nights in Arequipa, either on the way from Lima or on the way back.

hope this helps.

mlgb

To reiterate what crellston wrote, there is no reason to backtrack to Cusco to take the train, nor is it advisable since there are many more trains from Ollantaytambo. You can use either Peru Rail or the lesser-known Inca Rail.

I've only done MP as a day trip but that was when all tickets were for 24 hours, so I can understand wanting to overnight in AC now.

I would add that I like the Sunday market in Pisac, if only to observe the local villagers in town. Have spent a Saturday night in Pisac. You can do Pisac as a day trip from Cusco or on the way back from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

Depending on your interestes, you could sub in a day in for Pisac, Moray and Salineras vs a day in Lima.

For lodgings in Lima, try our favorite 3B in Barranco. If booked direct they should offer the same or slightly less than the booking sites. Great service. You can use taxidatum for prearranged transfers in both Lima and Cusco. Especially as it's you're first time, nice to have a person with your name on a sign.

kja

What crellston and mlgb said!

There's a LOT to see and enjoy in Lima, so I'd urge you to think through your priorities in advance.

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
Praise for Peru – A report of my solo month in this amazing country

jenny909123

Thank you so much! I'm a little confused one thing though. Are you suggesting 2nights in Cusco on the wat back or 3N Right now I have re mapped it as:


Day 1 land in lima PM flight (Lima 1N)
Day 2 early Flight to cusco then drive to urubamba (urubamba 1D 1N)
Day 3 Train to AC ( AC 1D 2N)
Day 4 AC Machu pichu
Day 5. Transfer back to Cusco 5-6 ride (cusco 2D 3N)
Day 6. Cusco
Day 7. Cusco
Day 8. Early flight to lima (Lima 1D 2N)
Day 9. Lima then early morning flight back to LAX

kja

IMO, it depends on what you want to see and experience!
BTW, I do hope you aren't planning to drive, but rather to use taxidatum or some other reliable car & driver.

mlgb

Why Urubamba? Do you plan on taking the train from there instead of Ollantaytambo?

Yes, save Cusco for after Machu PIcchu.

crellston

Sorry! I can see why you are confused - I have put in Day 6 twice!!


Anyway a shorter, corrected version:

Day 1 Lima O/N
Day 2 Ollantaytambo O/N (taxi from Cusco airport)
Day 3 Aguas Caliente O/N (explore Ollantaytmbo afternoon train to AC)
Day 4 Ollantaytambo O/N ( visit Machu Picchu and get late train back to Ollantaytambo )
Day 5.Cusco O/N (taxi tour on way back from Ollantaytambo)
Day 6. Cusco O/N (explore city)
Day 7. Cusco O/N (side trip Pisac etc.)
Day 8. LIMA O/N (brief exploration
Day 9. Early morning flight to LAX

i really wouldn’t spend two nights at AC. I would stay in Ollantaytambo rather than Urumbamba.

jenny909123

Thank you so much! You have Seriously been so much help.
Final itinerary

Day 1: lima 1N
day 2. Early flight to cusco then drive to Ollantaytmbo. 1N
Day 3. Train to AC (explore MP) 1N
Day 4. Taxi back to cusco exploreing along the way 3N
day 5 cucso
Day 6 cusco
Day 7 Flight To lima 2N
day 8 Lima
day 9 flight back to Lax

crellston

You are very welcome. Enjoy your trip and if you need any other suggestions on what to do, where to stay or eat etc. just ask.
Totally agree with mlgb suggestion of 3B Barranco. I stayed there at her suggestion a few years ago and no wouldn’t stay anywhere else.

mlgb

Looks like a better itinerary, enjoy your trip. There is a lot to see in Lima, see some of the past trip reports. If you are able to book 3B Barranco, the staff speaks English and is happy to give you tips and maps for sights and restaurants.
Direct link to their website https://www.3bhostal.com/

From 3B, I find the Balta Metropolitano station at the end of Centenario/ Pierola is an easy/fast way to get to the center. Can be crowded during commute times. Ask 3B if they've got a loaner tap card.

kja

I'm not sure what the current situation is, but when I was there -- 2018 -- there were restrictions on the amount of luggage one could take on the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, and the luggage office in Ollantaytambo had limited hours that were not fully aligned with the train schedule. Something to consider as you plan!

onthebow

Did you book your trip? Ours to Peru was just postponed. It would be our second trip so I know what we are missing out on!

jenny909123

We did book the trip. Why and when was yours postponpostponed to?

onthebow

I am so excited for you! A member of our group made the decision due to concerns about flying this week. I had to defer. I am hoping to rebook and go this summer. (Why I am on the travel forums hoping for a distraction!) Have a great trip.

jubar

On a trip in June that will be similar to this, but I am wondering how do folks handle drinking water these days? Seems like there is an interest in reducing the use of plastic bottled water. So I am wondering, what does one do to assure water for walking around on city or countryside tours? Thank you.

crellston

One should always reduce the use plastic as much as possible. Many accommodations have large water coolers and we tend to take our own bottle and fill up from those as and when rather than continually buy more bottles. When iin one place for more than a few days we will often buy large 5-10 litre containers and decent into our own bottles.

kja

I agree that it's good to reduce plastic, so kudos for asking a great question, jubar! Like crellston, I take my own bottle and refill it as possible. If I have to buy water, I check to see if there are any glass bottles first, and then turn to the largest plastic ones I can use -- all decanted into my own bottle.

jubar

Thank you both for the quick reply. Good advice!

onthebow

As stated above most places treat their water and you can refill the bottle you brought from home. You should use bottled water to even brush your teeth, so a Greyl water purifier bottle is great as you can fill it from any tap. Or simply fill your bottle before going to your room at night.
The cost for the Greyl bottle may seem high. But the antiparasitic tablet and lab work cost me more. You can use lifestraw or sawyer bottles which are cheaper and are filters, not purifiers. The Greyl I use for rural areas.