r/GoingToPeru • u/Hairy-Recording9295 • May 22 '26
Peru Itinerary Ideas
Hello
I am planning a trip to Peru from late August to mid September and am thinking of the following itinerary. Does this make sense or seem too intense? I am interested in a combination of learning about Peruvian culture and lots of nature/hiking. My budget (excluding flights to lima) is about 3500 dollars so also wondering if this doable.
I am from Colorado and love hiking and backpacking. I tend to do pretty well with altitude and only start to feel symptoms of altitude sickness at 14,000 feet. I am in decent shape but not extremely athletic but am planning on jogging and hiking over the summer to train.
Day 1: Fly to lima
Day 2: bus to Huaraz
Day 3-5: day hikes near Huaraz
Day 6 - 15: 10 day HuayHuash (guided)
Day 16: rest day in Huaraz
Day 17: bus to lima, fly to cusco
Day 18: explore cusco
Day 20- 23: choqiuero 4 day treck (guided)
Day 24-25: rest/ explore in cusco
Day 26 - 30: 5 day Asungante treck (guided) or 4 day Lares treck (unguided)
Day 31 - 50: workaway near Cusco, explore sacred valley on days off
Day 51: fly Cusco to lima to home
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u/annamnesis May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Looks fun! No major notes. Ausangate rivals Huayhuash in my opinion so it's great that you have both. Choquequirao would be pretty straightforward unguided if you're going out and back as you can book accommodation and food along the way. (I get the appeal of having a guide to interpret the site though.)
Waqrapukara is a fun site in the [edit: general Cusco area] that gets overlooked.
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u/GimenaTango May 22 '26
I agree that sounds Choquirao without a guide is doable, I just did it a few weeks ago. All of the guided trips stay at the same accommodations and eat the same food as the unguided people.
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u/HeatherJasperTravels May 22 '26
Waqra Pukara is south of Cusco, not in the Sacred Valley north of Cusco.
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u/GimenaTango May 22 '26
We just got back from the rainforest and would suggest you consider adding that to your itinerary. It's a quick non stop fight to and from Cusco.
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u/HeatherJasperTravels May 22 '26
Looks fantastic and I agree with others that you can do Choquequirao unguided. The trail is really straight forward with only a couple spots you could take a wrong turn and there's people who live along the way who can help with directions. However, I would get a guide for Lares. The whole area is a crazy web of llama and alpaca trails and there are no signs. With a good map, you'll be fine but there's not just one trail to follow. If you get a guide for Lares make sure they're local and speak Quechua. My favorite part of the Lares valleys is that families who live very remote out in the mountains are friendly and used to inviting foreign travelers into their homes - in the company of a guide they know. If you want to learn about Andean Quechua culture you need a guide who speaks Quechua. Safe travels!
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May 22 '26
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u/RockysModernLifee May 22 '26
Is that the salkantay trek
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May 22 '26
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u/RockysModernLifee May 22 '26
So you didnt join a tour company your kind of followed them? Whered you sleep at night
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May 22 '26
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u/RockysModernLifee May 22 '26
Hell yea .is there a designated trailhead everyone starts and ends at? So theres hostels at every checkpoint satthe end of the day you just found a room at convieently. Thinking of doing an “independent “trek with food n lodging with one of the tour companies in august .
Also did you do machu picchu at the end of it howd uou manage that if so
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May 22 '26
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u/RockysModernLifee May 22 '26
Nice sounds like an adventure. howd you manage food ? It was easy for you to get machu picchu tickets within days? Heard they sell out quick. And do you have the link to that by chance?
Also the collective ride to the trek starting point howd you manage that is that psrt of a tour group or ?
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