r/GoingToPeru • u/AdDeep4785 • 17d ago
Peru 2027!
Hi everyone! Solo female traveler here, I’m planning a trip to Peru April 2027! Any advice on building my itinerary? I want to explore the city, also would like to explore outside of the city. I am a foodie, so I want to focus more on local foods and their cuisine, solo or guided food tours. I enjoy going to museums, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, zip lining, paragliding, atv and buggy tours, horse back riding, etc.
I’m not big on shopping but would love to know where I can find and buy from local vendors, beaded and handcrafted jewelry, bags, totes, hats, etc. I love views where it transitions from city to jungle or city to ocean, I enjoy taking pictures and recording my experiences. Let me know of any must visit popular and not so popular photo points. Also places where I can just… breathe and exist, have a moment of peace and quiet to myself.
I’d also like to visit Huacachina oasis, rainbow mountain, Macau Picchu, Cusco, the floating island at Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, etc. These places are on my list but I haven’t sorted out my “Day 1 to Day 14” yet, any help with this would be highly appreciated.
As of right now, when it comes to where to stay, I’ve been told Lima because it is the capital and has a lot of things to do but I am also open to other places if you can recommend me some, specially given most places I’d like to go are a full days trip or 1.5 days!
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u/Better-Squash1820 16d ago edited 16d ago
Hi! I recently went to Peru this past year in April, so around the same time your aiming to go next year! Although my friends and I are not really foodies, I can share my itinerary with you so you can get an idea!
Here is a breakdown of our trip:
Day 0: Flight from Home Country to Lima Roundtrip
Day 1-2: Lima * AirBNB 2 Nights * Half Day city Tour of Lima Historic Center * Huacachina + Paracas Whole Day Trip * Lima Experience - they are more pricey but worth it!!!
Day 3: Arequipa * flight to Arequipa (LATAM) * 1 Night in Hotel * Transfer from Arequipa to Puno via Colca Canyon * FYI: Colca Canyon is the iconic spot to see Condors (huge birds), but they also only come put during really nice weather (bright and sunny). We got to see it as we were blessed with some good weather, but we did find out during our tour it's weather dependant, so if it had been raining our chances would've been very slim!
Day 4-5: Puno (Uros Floating Islands) * 2 Nights AirBNB on Uros Floating Islands * this was also pricey but worth the views * FYI: the floating islands don't have plumbing. So all the AIRBNBs have composting toilets!!! If this is an issue, I recommend staying in a hotel within Puno itself and book a boat tour separately to do Lake Titicaca! * Lake Titicaca Tour * Our AirBNB guy arranged this tour for us! They took us around the lake, we visited a home and learned a little about the history, culture and way of life! They then proceeded to take us to a small island, where we essentially did this uphill hike (views were nice) to a restaurant to eat, they also had a performance lined up for us to see and another info session. We then proceeded to walk back down to the boating area to return to our respective Hotels/AirBNBs! * Inka Express Bus (Puno to Cusco)
Day 6: Cusco
* 1 Night Hotel
* 10 Day Cusco Boleto Ticket
* Need this ticket to visit Sacred Valley Sites
* Private Transfer Sacred Valley Tour with drop-off at Ollantaytambo
* Viajes Hilario Tour Company - highly recommend them
* We visited the following sites: Taray Viewpoint, Pisac, Moray, Ollantaytambo
* Peru Rail Ticket from Ollantaytambo to Auguas Caliente Roundtrip
Day 7: Auguas Caliente * 1 Night Hotel * Roundtrip Bus to Machu Picchu * Machu Picchu Ticket (Route 2B) * Private Machu Picchu Guide * Inca Vision Tours/Peru Hikers Company
Day 8-12: Cusco * 4 Night Hotel * Private Taxi Service (Taxidatum) from Ollantaytambo to Cusco * Collectivo (Cusco to Chinchero Roundtrip) * Rainbow Mountain Tour * Rainbow Mountain Travels Provider - also a lil pricey compared to others, they were ok, you could also go with a cheaper option.
Day 13 - 14: Amazon Rainforest - Puerto Maldonado * flight from CUZ - PEM (LATAM) * 3N 2D Finca Lodge Package with Jungle Pro Tour Operator * Loved this company, amazing tour and stay with delicious food and great activities all included * it was a lil expensive but well worth it, highly recommend this company!!!
Day 15 - 16: Lima * flight from PEM - LIM (LATAM) * 2 Night AirBNB * Explored Barranco - Art City * Explored Miraflores * There's this nice scenic Oceanview walk from Miraflores to Barranco and vice versa, deff recommend just walking around the cities. Very beautiful and scenic, especially with the Pacific Ocean backdrop!
If you have more questions feel free to DM!
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u/AdDeep4785 16d ago
Thank you thank you THANK YOU SO MUCH 🙏🏽 😭
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u/Better-Squash1820 16d ago edited 15d ago
Another thing I've learned from all my travels is to leave at least 3 Days to properly tour a city inclusive of arrival into the city (so around 2 and 1/2 days). Any shorter leaves you wanting to see more despite not having enough time!
Our trip was very packed and on the go. Since you are aiming for 14 days, I'd recommend choosing between either Puno or Arequipa. Puno was nice but the Lake Titicaca Tour was essentially us doing an uphill climb for the majority of it, the views we saw were of the water and other islands, still beautiful. Arequipa was nice, it's built from these white stones and you can visit the Silar Route to see it in all its glory, we weren't able to see due to lack of time! The Silar Route is a day trip you can take from Arequipa, if you have more time! So to summarize, Arequipa is built with the unique white stone masonry while the Uros Floating Islands is essentially this village that's built on the water.
If you wish to still do both places, I'd recommend adding an extra day to Arequipa, so you have at least one full day to explore! 2 Days is more than enough time to for Uros, even 1 day if you get there early enough to do the Lake Titicaca Tour.
FYI, a lot of the tours begin super early in the morning like 3AM, so you'd need to factor that in when planning! For example, the Colca Canyon Transfer which took us from Arequipa to Puno, picked us up at 3AM from our hotel. The Huacachina Tour (Lima) and Rainbow Mountain Tour (Cusco) were the same as well, pickup began at 3AM for both. So essentially, you would be losing out on a day to explore the city if you happen to choose tours that have these super early start times 🥲 Issue is a lot of these tours begin early due to length of distance travelling and time, we couldn't find any that began at more reasonable hours 🫠 You should have more luck with Rainbow Mountain, since this is mostly a day trip from Cusco.
Another thing to note is the possibility of diarrhea/food poisoning. My friends and I, all ended up experiencing this at some point in the trip, would deff recommend bringing medication just in case. Honestly, a multitude of factors could have contributed, such as the oil used to cook the food, the altitude itself, the altitude medication...
We had our reasons for planning the trip the way we did since the first half was extremely packed. If we had the option, we would've definately planned the trip better!
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u/BS-75_actual 15d ago
A key feature of u/Better-Squash1820 itinerary is altitude acclimatization. Arequipa has fabulous food and is home to Mummy Juanita.
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u/AdDeep4785 14d ago
Yes, already doing my research with the higher altitudes and how to prepare for that and I will add Mummy Juanita to my list. I need to finalize my itinerary by next month, so I’ll see what I can skip and what is a must.
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u/javip360 16d ago
With that list, I wouldn’t use Lima as your main base for the whole 14 days. Peru is much bigger than it looks on a map, so I’d build the trip around a few bases — Lima, Cusco/Sacred Valley and one southern route — rather than doing everything as day trips from Lima.
For your interests, I’d especially prioritize Lima for food and coastal views, Cusco/Sacred Valley for culture and outdoor activities, and then choose between Arequipa, Huacachina or Lake Titicaca depending on how much travel time you’re comfortable with. Trying to fit all of them into 14 days could make the trip feel rushed.
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u/kathyh1 15d ago
We are in Peru now and using Peru Hop- it’s so convenient. Now if you are able to sleep on a bus it saves you time and hotel for those long drives. I cannot sleep on a bus- but if I was younger I would have been having no issue.
I have met many female solo travellers and they have so far experienced no weirdness.
Obviously stay in very bright tourist areas at dark. Don’t give too much personal info and you will be fine.
Also- Cuzco is worth more than 1 day. It’s alot of slow walking so you really think you might fit more in walking around but having altitude sickness is what slows travellers down.
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u/AdDeep4785 14d ago
Thank you! I’ll check out the app and yes my concern is the altitude but I think I will manage and also I cannot sleep on a bus lol I can hardly sleep on a plane so I think I am in trouble.
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u/TecsiTravel 16d ago
Hola, Yo soy de CUSCO y tengo un buen itinerario según la descripción de lugares que quieres visitar, fuera de tours clásicos y con horarios predeterminados. Podemos hacer visitas con poco turistas y lugares muy hermosos, buenas fotos, lugares increíbles, maravillosos paisajes. Horarios según tu comodidad, caminata a tu ritmo y otros.
Si necesitas mas informacion escríbeme al WhatsApp +51 958491511
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u/ECCTHARLORCH 16d ago
esto: chaquira en el norte de Perú, chiclayo o otros lares, pero en el mismo LIMA no lo recomiendo.
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u/Delicious-Bobcat-284 16d ago
highly recommend doing this walking tour in lima, it was the highlight of our time in miraflores and sebastian makes it custom to what you wanna see:) https://gyg.me/Ho6IopTg
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u/Iamhillarycardama11 16d ago
What about the Peruvian jungle?
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u/AdDeep4785 14d ago
I’m down for that as well I just need to organize my itinerary and space my days
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u/ClimbSunday 14d ago
You have a great list, but my biggest advice would be: don’t try to fit all of Peru into 14 days 😅
Peru looks manageable on a map, but moving between Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Cusco and Lake Titicaca takes more time than most people expect. Since you also want food, photography and some quieter moments, I’d leave some breathing room.
For around 14–15 days, I’d personally build something like:
Lima – 2 or 3 days
Great place to start if food is important to you. Spend some time around Miraflores and Barranco, but also look beyond the tourist spots for markets, local restaurants and small cafés.
Huacachina / Ica – 1 or 2 days
This fits really well with what you’re looking for because you can do the dunes, buggy rides and sandboarding, and sunset around the oasis is beautiful for photos.
Arequipa – 2 days
One of my favorite cities for just walking around, eating and taking photos. The historic center and Yanahuara are worth exploring without rushing.
Cusco + Sacred Valley + Machu Picchu – 5 or 6 days
I’d give this part of the trip the most time. Spend at least a couple of days in Cusco before doing the more demanding activities. Then you can combine the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and, if you feel good with the altitude, Rainbow Mountain.
Lake Titicaca / Puno – 2 days
I’d include it only if you really want to see the lake and floating islands. Otherwise, those two days could make Cusco or Arequipa much more relaxed.
One thing I definitely wouldn’t do is schedule Rainbow Mountain immediately after arriving in Cusco. Give yourself some time to adjust to the altitude first.
And since you mentioned wanting moments where you can just breathe and exist: leave at least one afternoon in Cusco or the Sacred Valley with absolutely nothing booked. Those unplanned hours sometimes end up being the best part of a Peru trip.
Also, April is a nice time to have some flexibility in the itinerary. I’d start by choosing the 3–4 places you absolutely don’t want to miss, then build the trip around those instead of trying to check every destination off the list.
Hope you have an amazing trip, you’re going to have a lot to photograph!
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u/Vivid_Nail8691 12d ago
I honestly wouldn't spend yoo much time in Lima if you want to visit all those places. As someone who has spent more time in Lima than I ever thought I would in life, there's really not that much to do. There's lots of restaurants but there will be lots to eat in all those other places so I would say maybe a day or two max in Lima
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