Odyssey itinerary for a once in a lifetime trip to see the best of Peru

Why Peru should be on your bucket list

Peru is synonymous with Machu Picchu, but the country has infinitely more to be awestruck by. From swimming with pink dolphins on the banks of the Amazon, hiking Rainbow Mountain, carefully walking on the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, to strolling the shores of the Pacific Ocean with the peaks of the Andes as your backdrop — Peru has so many unmatched experiences.

We spent just under three weeks seeing breathtaking sites, staying in some of the most unique and amazing places, and eating some of the best food in the world. All the while enjoying a culture of people who are kind, relaxed, and proud of their ancestry and country. We chose to go in July, during their winter, for ideal temperatures — and were rewarded with uncrowded sites and a country that felt entirely our own.

Our 19-day route at a glance

Days 1–3

Lima

The Malecón de Miraflores runs along the clifftops above the Pacific.

We arrived on a direct red-eye from LAX, landed with the entire day ahead of us, and went straight into exploring. We were staying in the historic centre, so we began wandering through the museums, government buildings, and the grand plazas — arriving right in the middle of a runoff election, with crowds of locals peacefully and passionately protesting for their favoured parties. Fascinating to witness from the outside.

Lima welcomed us with open arms, starting with a phenomenal lunch of ceviche and seafood rice with stunning city views at El Mirador de Chabuca. Wandering around the Plaza de Armas and the Catedral de Lima we stumbled into the Choco Museo and learned all about chocolate production in Peru — a perfect spontaneous detour.

The next day, rested, we walked around 10 miles: from the historic centre, through San Miguel, along the stunning Malecón de Miraflores coastal walk, all the way up to Miraflores. Stopped at local restaurants and shops along the way. We tried going to La Mar (already closed) and very happily happened upon Bao — a packed shotgun restaurant full of locals watching sport and eating bao in every variety imaginable. The perfect end to a day on foot.

Seafood rice and ceviche at El Mirador de Chabuca — our first meal in Lima.

Day three we slowed down: breakfast in bed with local fruits and juices, then more wandering before our evening flight north to the Amazon.

Days 4–6

Iquitos & the Amazon

We flew from Lima to Iquitos and grabbed lunch in the small town centre while we waited for the lodge's transport — a private van to a private boat through the Amazon River and its tributaries, arriving at the all-inclusive Treehouse Lodge. We stayed in the most amazing, unique treehouse: deep in the jungle, completely five-star.

A piranha from the Amazon — one of the tamer catches of the day.

The incredible staff took us for night hikes to see the local creepy crawlies, down the Amazon for sunrise and sunset jungle cruises, swimming with pink dolphins, and fishing for some of the scariest fish we've ever seen — vampire fish, piranhas, and barracudas. We explored local villages with 6-foot lily pads, spotted sloths in the trees, and built poison dart guns for our twin boys.

Our last night brought a massive thunderstorm with sideways rain, so we skipped the nighttime caiman spotting and instead spent the evening in the lodge with the entire staff, teaching them our favourite dice games — ship, captain, crew. Not only were the experiences here checking off bucket list items we didn't even know we had, but every meal was picture-worthy and made from fresh local ingredients. We didn't want to leave.

The canopy walkway at the Treehouse Lodge — deep in the Amazon jungle.

Begrudgingly, we boated and bussed back to Iquitos for a night in town and an incredible meal at Casa de Fiero, inside the Iron House designed by Gustave Eiffel, whose ironwork is scattered throughout Peru. Then it was time to trade humidity for altitude.

Days 7–8

Cusco

We flew from Iquitos to Cusco and immediately started sipping coca leaf tea — the best remedy for adjusting to 11,000+ ft of altitude. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, which overlooked the city from a hill above, with beautiful courtyards and an endless supply of coca tea.

Cusco is a stunning hilly town filled with beautifully made local crafts: soft alpaca wool clothes, watercolours of the surrounding landscapes, leather goods, the softest stuffed animals, musical instruments. We wandered everywhere — enjoying meals overlooking the Plaza de Armas, visiting the Cusco Cathedral, Arco de Santa Clara, Convento Santo Domingo, the shops of San Blas, and the jaw-dropping Sacsayhuamán stone walls.

(One tip: the night before our train to Machu Picchu we realised our time was wrong. Luckily we were right next to the booking office — they stayed open late to fix our tickets. Yet another example of the wonderful Peruvian people.)

Days 9–11

Machu Picchu

First light at Machu Picchu — arriving before anyone else on the mountain.

From Cusco we took the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu — even in masks and face shields the views made it impossible not to take hundreds of photos. You arrive at Aguas Calientes, then take a bus up the switchbacks to the site. We splurged and stayed at The Sanctuary Lodge right by the entrance — and at check-in they upgraded us to a room with a direct view of Machu Picchu.

We booked a private tour that first evening. Besides us there were maybe five other people on the mountain. The llama below is a perfect representation of how we felt walking around this place. One thing we hadn't realised: when you enter you must pick a path and cannot go back — a great way to spread out tourists but it means you only see certain sections. So the next morning we arrived at first light to catch the sun shining down across the ruins, and chose a different path to see the parts we'd missed. No hikes to the surrounding peaks (closed at the time), but no crowds either — impossible to beat.

We caught the afternoon train back to Cusco, watched all the sites slide past once more, then spent an extra day wandering the streets, eating, shopping for local crafts, and digging into the rich history of the region.

Day 12

Rainbow Mountain — Vinicunca

We got Rainbow Mountain with one extra colour that day — white.

This is when the fun, crazy part of the adventure began. We rented a truck to drive from Cusco to Arequipa, with a stop at Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain) and Puno. Cusco's drivers are incredibly kind but very aggressive — we navigated roundabouts and one-way roads out of the city and onto the open road.

It was only 88 miles. We drive fast. We figured an hour and a half. We didn't account for the slow, winding last 25 miles up to the top, which took several hours. Along the way we picked up locals hitchhiking and dropped them off as we climbed. By the time we reached the parking lot at 16,522 feet, it was a full snowstorm.

We wanted to hike but with the extra drive time, worsening weather, and the altitude, we needed another way. Luckily two young guys with dirt bikes were in the parking lot — we put on every warm layer we had and jumped on the back of their bikes to the viewpoint. (Don't run when you get up here, no matter how excited you are. 16k feet is very high.) We didn't get the classic clear-day colours, but we got Rainbow Mountain with one extra colour — white. Bucket list, still checked.

Heading back down in the snow then rain, transporting more locals along the way. With 200+ miles still to drive and dusk approaching, we sped along. We arrived in Puno late, nothing was open, and we ate chips and protein bars for dinner. Lesson learned: stop along the way to eat. All in all, we drove over 300 miles that day and had an absolute blast.

Day 13

Lake Titicaca

The islanders of Isle Taquile — one of the most welcoming communities we've ever visited.

In Puno we had arranged a private boat tour of Lake Titicaca — including Isla Suchi Maya on the Uros Floating Islands and Isle Taquile. What a once-in-a-lifetime day.

The Uros Floating Islands are exactly what they sound like: man-made platforms of dried totora reeds, home to people who have lived this way for centuries. They were happy to show us their homes — smaller than most living rooms — their way of life, and their families.

Isle Taquile was the best example of a harmonious community we've ever seen. The islanders rotate jobs and roles every few months. When they're not working, they're knitting — always staying busy, always contributing equally. Beautiful to witness. And I had one of the best meals of the entire trip there: a divine chicken soup. They also put out tables of handmade goods to buy — bring cash if you visit.

The chicken soup at Isle Taquile. One of the best meals of the trip.

Days 14–15

Arequipa — The White City

Every morning started with a rooftop breakfast at Palla Boutique Hotel.

After a beautiful, recharging day on the lake we jumped back in the truck for the 180+ mile drive to Arequipa — a road that cuts through mountains and past lakes before opening up above the city. We arrived late at the Palla Boutique Hotel — one of our favourite boutique hotels in the world. We'd messaged ahead after our chip-and-protein-bar dinner, and they had soup and sandwiches waiting for us. That kind of hospitality you don't forget.

Arequipa is a magical city. After rooftop breakfasts each morning we spent our days wandering the cathedrals filled with beautiful art, organs, and rooftop bells; the lively plazas; the Juanita Mummy at the Museum of Andean Sanctuaries; and the stunningly vibrant Monasterio de Santa Catalina, with its walls of red and blue running through an entire walled neighbourhood.

The Monasterio de Santa Catalina — a walled city of red and blue corridors.

The food in Arequipa was sensational. Zig Zag had a huge variety of perfectly cooked local meats and a spiral cast-iron staircase designed by Eiffel. Boheme served delicious burgers and local beer. 13 Monjas had fantastic pizza. And we lucked into a live mariachi show with dancers at Plaza de Yanahuara — they played Jarabe Tapatío five times in a row, the whole plaza joined in, and it was one of the great spontaneous moments of the trip.

Days 16–19

Back to Lima — Miraflores & Barranco

We skipped the Nazca Lines — we just wanted a few days to relax and soak up the south of Lima. We stayed in the heart of Miraflores at the Hilton Lima Miraflores, where we could watch paragliders soaring along the coast from our hotel room window.

Huaca Pucllana — a 500 AD pyramid entirely surrounded by the modern city.

The area was full of great discoveries: the iconic Paddington Bear monument (Lima is where Michael Bond's bear originates), and Huaca Pucllana — an ancient pyramid built around 500 AD, now completely surrounded by the modern towers of the city. A surreal sight. Between sites we ate at Cala, right on the ocean, and shopped for local crafts in the streets of Barranco.

Lunch at Cala — right on the Pacific, the perfect farewell to Lima.

As you can see, we like to do all the things and travel at a fast pace. We also like to build in a day of relaxation every 4–6 days and some flexibility to adjust based on how we're feeling. When traveling to Peru, some things must be booked 6+ months in advance — the passes to Machu Picchu and the train to get there especially. Most museums and cathedrals can be planned day-of.

What we didn't have time for — and want to do when we go back

We only scratched the surface. A few things we missed that we'd love to go back for:

In Cusco: the Skylodge Adventure Suites (glass capsules hanging on the side of a mountain), the Inca Trail or Salkantay Trek into Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley towns we skipped — Moray, Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Urubamba, and the Salinas salt flats.

Near Arequipa: Cruz del Condor at Colca Canyon for the sensational views and Andean condors soaring on morning thermals, plus the Pillones Waterfalls and the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

And one day: the entire Pan-American Highway down the coast of Peru — 1,600 miles with the Pacific on one side and the Andes on the other, stopping through Chiclayo, Trujillo, Pisco, and the Nazca Lines.

What stands out the most, looking back, are the gorgeous sites, the beautiful culture, and the incredible food. Peru is the kind of place that makes you want to go back before you've even left.