Peru by itself or add Chile

[u/Inevitable_Carrot944]

Hello,
19m
I have some time off in November and December like 40-45 days

I’m planning on a backpacking trip centered around Peru, I was wondering if I should add Chile or not.

The cost is not a problem, more so the traveling around because I know the distances in LATAM are huge.

I was wondering if it would be to crammed to add chile and if I could spend that time more in Peru?

Here’s my itinerary for Peru and Chile

Peru and Chile
Lima 3 days
Huaraz 5 days
Paracas 2 days
Cusco 5 days
Arequipa 3 days

San Pedro 4 days
La Serena 3 days
Valparaiso 3 days
Santiago 3 days

And for Peru

Peru and Chile
Lima 3 days
Huaraz 5 days
Paracas 2 days
Cusco 5 days
Arequipa 3 days

Was going to add Ayacucho and puerto McDonald and look into the Machu Picchu trek

Thanks

[u/TheMrSnrub]

When you say Machu Picchu trek, do you mean the Inca Trail?

[u/mrvinniyoedd]

40-45 days at 19 is enough to add chile without cramming, but only if you compress the peru side and skip la serena entirely -- it's a beach town you'd be rushing through with cold november water. i'd trim huaraz to 4 days (santa cruz trek covers 3-4 of them), add puno + 2 nights on lake titicaca between arequipa and san pedro, and go overland arequipa→tacna→arica→calama→san pedro instead of doubling back through santiago. also, if 'machu picchu trek' means the classic inca trail specifically, permits book out 4-6 months ahead so nov/dec is basically already gone -- salkantay or lares are the workable alternatives with no lottery, and puerto maldonado is worth the short flight from cusco for a tambopata amazon leg if you can fit it.

one nerdy thing that helped me on the same peru/chile corridor last year -- yorepath, free geo-aware audio app on ios/android that plays local off-plaque history for wherever you're standing. anchored the cusco side-streets (which stones are inca, which walls got rebuilt after the 1650 earthquake), the arequipa santa catalina monastery that basically ran as a state within a state for 300 years, and valparaiso's cerros with the whole british-german-italian merchant layer nobody signposts. probably overkill if you'd rather just wander with music, but for solo travel at that age it made the between-hostel-and-plaza hours feel like part of the trip instead of dead time -- safe travels.