Peru's Andean Highlights - 11 days

Arrive in Arequipa and meet your driver at the airport for a private transfer to your accommodation. This is a straightforward arrival day, with no planned meals or sightseeing included.

Use the rest of the day to settle in after the journey and prepare for the next day's exploration of Arequipa's colonial center. Keep plans light, as the itinerary begins in earnest the following day.

Overnight: Standard Hotel, Arequipa

Explore Arequipa's colonial core, beginning in San Lázaro and continuing to Main Square and Municipal Palace. Visit the Cathedral, Church of the Society of Jesus, and Church of San Francisco to see the city's religious and architectural heritage.

Continue to Yanahuara for its churches and viewpoint, then pass through Carmen Alto and Selva Alegre, where agricultural terraces shape the landscape. Finish at Monastery of Santa Catalina, one of Arequipa's key historic religious sites. It is a full introduction to the White City, without needing to decipher the plan yourself.

Overnight: Standard Hotel, Arequipa

Leave Arequipa early for Colca Valley, traveling through Yura, Pampa de Arrieros, and Pampa Cañahuas in Aguada Blanca Vicuña National Reserve. The route continues through Chuccura and Patapampa, with a stop at Volcanoes Viewpoint for mountain scenery.

Arrive in Chivay for lunch at a local restaurant and time to pause after the drive. Later, visit Chivay and its market before continuing to your overnight stay in the valley. This is primarily a road day, but the high-altitude landscapes are the point, not just filler between stops.

Overnight: Eco Lodge, Chivay

Set out early for Cruz del Cóndor, a viewpoint over Colca Canyon where you may see Andean condors using the morning thermals. Continue through the valley to Maca and Yanque, stopping at their colonial-era churches and Antahuilque viewpoint.

Return to Chivay before traveling onward to Puno in the afternoon. The day combines a focused canyon visit with a long overland connection, so expect the transfer to take up much of the latter half. Lunch is included before the journey continues toward Lake Titicaca.

Overnight: Premium Hotel, Puno

Take a boat across Lake Titicaca to Uros Floating Islands, where residents explain how they build homes and boats from totora reeds. The visit focuses on the community's traditional way of life on the lake.

Continue to Taquile Island, the lake's largest island, for a hike to panoramic viewpoints. Meet islanders in traditional dress and learn about local customs and community traditions before having a homemade lunch prepared by local families. Return by boat to Puno after a full day on the water.

Overnight: Premium Hotel, Puno

Transfer to Juliaca airport for the onward flight to Cusco, then continue by driver to your accommodation. The day also includes a half-day introduction to Cusco's major historic and archaeological landmarks.

Start at the Cathedral in Main Square, then visit Qoricancha, the Temple of the Sun and a former spiritual center of the Inca Empire. Continue to Sacsayhuamán, known for its massive stonework and views across Cusco. It is a busy day after a flight, but the sightseeing gives you a useful first read of the city.

Overnight: Standard Hotel, Cusco

Leave Cusco by private transfer for the Sacred Valley. Begin at Pisaq Market, where local crafts and produce provide a practical introduction to the valley's trading traditions.

Continue to Ollantaytambo fortress, an Inca site with broad views over the surrounding valley. Lunch is included along the route before you settle into the Sacred Valley for the night. The day works well as a transition from Cusco toward Machu Picchu, while still giving you proper time at 2 of the valley's best-known stops.

Overnight: Standard Hotel

Visit Chinchero, where a local textile workshop demonstrates weaving with alpaca wool and natural dyes. Explore the colonial church, built over an Inca palace, before continuing through the Sacred Valley.

Walk around Moray's circular terraces, which the Incas used to test crop microclimates. Have an Andean lunch at a countryside restaurant, then visit Maras salt flats, where local families harvest mineral salt from cascading pools. It is a packed route of contrasting sites: textiles, agricultural engineering, lunch, and salt pans - no mysterious blank space in the schedule.

Overnight: Standard Hotel, Cusco

Travel from Cusco via Ollantaytambo by train to Kilometer 104, the trailhead for the 2-day Inca Trail hike. Follow the paved Inca path to Wiñay Wayna, stopping for a picnic with mountain views.

Continue through cloud forest, looking out for plants, flowers, orchids, and birds. Reach Sun Gate for your first view of Machu Picchu, then follow Circuit 1 across the upper terraces for the classic overview. Take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, where you have free time after check-in and dinner.

Overnight: Standard Hotel, Aguas Calientes

Take the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and enter the citadel with your guide. Begin with a viewpoint for photographs, then follow Circuit 3B, the Designed Royal Route, through the site.

See key areas including Temple of the Sun, Inca Houses, water fountains, agricultural terraces, Sacred Rock, Temple of the Condor, and the storehouse. Return to Aguas Calientes for lunch, then take the train to Ollantaytambo and continue by road to Cusco. It is a long return, but you cover the essential citadel route before leaving.

Overnight: Standard Hotel, Cusco

Your Peru itinerary ends with a scheduled transfer from your Cusco accommodation to the airport. No activities or meals are planned for this final day.

Leave enough time to complete your departure arrangements and make the transfer without rushing. The itinerary includes transportation to the airport, so the final logistics are handled rather than left to a last-minute taxi hunt.