RoutesSouth America
Four Weeks in Peru and Bolivia
Inca valleys, Lake Titicaca and the Uyuni salt flats on one high-altitude line.
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Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Lima PeruWalk the Miraflores clifftops and Barranco, and eat at the cevicherias and markets.3 nights
$300 mid
Photo: Alec Gamoff · CC BY 2.0The gastronomic capital of the Americas on a desert cliff above the Pacific.
Lima is the city travellers used to skip on the way to Cusco and now plan trips around: a food scene that has put Peruvian cooking on the world's map, from ceviche counters to the restaurants on every global list, a cliff-top district (Miraflores and Barranco) above the surf, pre-Inca pyramids inside the city, a…
- Daily budget
- $38–$212 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $300 3 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Miraflores malecon The cliff-top parks, paragliders and the Pacific at sunset.
- Barranco The Bridge of Sighs, street art, bars and the Museo Pedro de Osma.
- Huaca Pucllana A pre-Inca adobe pyramid in the middle of Miraflores.
- Centro Historico Plaza de Armas, the San Francisco catacombs, the Casa de Aliaga.
Peru: practical facts
- Currency
- Peruvian sol (PEN) · 3.45 PEN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Quechua and Aymara in the Andes; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 105 police, 116 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
flight to Arequipa · about 4.0 hours
2Arequipa PeruExplore the Santa Catalina Monastery and take a two-day tour to the Colca Canyon.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Arequipa yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cusco (about 320 km).
Peru: practical facts
- Currency
- Peruvian sol (PEN) · 3.45 PEN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Quechua and Aymara in the Andes; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 105 police, 116 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
overnight bus to Cusco, then shared minivan to the Sacred Valley · about 12.0 hours
3Ollantaytambo PeruAcclimatise in the Sacred Valley with the Pisac terraces, Moray and the Ollantaytambo fortress.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Ollantaytambo yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cusco (about 40 km).
Peru: practical facts
- Currency
- Peruvian sol (PEN) · 3.45 PEN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Quechua and Aymara in the Andes; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 105 police, 116 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
train to Aguas Calientes · about 2.0 hours
4Aguas Calientes PeruTake the bus up for a timed entry to Machu Picchu.1 night
We do not hold a full destination profile for Aguas Calientes yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cusco (about 70 km).
Peru: practical facts
- Currency
- Peruvian sol (PEN) · 3.45 PEN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Quechua and Aymara in the Andes; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 105 police, 116 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
train and minivan to Cusco · about 4.5 hours
5Cusco PeruSee the old city, Qorikancha and Sacsayhuaman, with an optional day hike nearby.4 nights
$368 mid
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0The Inca capital at 3,400 metres, and the only sensible place to wait for your lungs before Machu Picchu.
Cusco was the centre of the Inca world and the Spanish built their churches on its temples' foundations, which is why the streets of the old town are lined with perfect Inca masonry under colonial balconies. It is the base for Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, the Salkantay and Ausangate treks and Rainbow Mountain, and…
- Daily budget
- $38–$211 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $368 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
- Internet
- 40 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Machu Picchu Book entry (and the Huayna Picchu or Montana add-ons) weeks to months ahead; the circuits are timed.
- Sacred Valley Pisac market and ruins, Ollantaytambo's fortress, Moray and the Maras salt pans.
- Sacsayhuaman The zigzag walls above the city; walk up through San Blas.
- Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) A 5,000 m day trip; acclimatise first.
Peru: practical facts
- Currency
- Peruvian sol (PEN) · 3.45 PEN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Quechua and Aymara in the Andes; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 105 police, 116 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
day bus to Puno · about 7.0 hours
6Puno PeruTake a boat to the Uros floating islands and Taquile.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Puno yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cusco (about 330 km).
Peru: practical facts
- Currency
- Peruvian sol (PEN) · 3.45 PEN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Quechua and Aymara in the Andes; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 105 police, 116 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
bus over the border to Copacabana · about 3.5 hours
7Copacabana BOTake a boat to Isla del Sol for its Inca ruins and walking trails.1 night
We do not hold a full destination profile for Copacabana or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Cusco (about 430 km).
bus and short lake ferry to La Paz · about 4.0 hours
8La Paz BORide the Mi Teleferico cable cars, visit the Valle de la Luna and the markets.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for La Paz or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Cusco (about 530 km).
overnight bus or short flight to Uyuni · about 10.0 hours
9Uyuni BOJoin a three-day jeep tour of the Salar de Uyuni and the southern lagoons.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Uyuni or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves.
Coast and white city
Lima opens the route with its clifftop Miraflores and Barranco districts and a food scene that draws travellers in its own right. A short flight leads to Arequipa, a colonial city built from pale volcanic stone beneath El Misti, which also serves as the base for a two-day tour to the Colca Canyon, where Andean condors ride the thermals at the Cruz del Condor viewpoint.
The Inca heartland
An overnight bus reaches Cusco, and a shared minivan continues straight down to the Sacred Valley, which sits several hundred metres lower and is a gentler place to acclimatise. Pisac's terraces and market and the fortress town of Ollantaytambo fill a few days before the train runs down the Urubamba gorge to Aguas Calientes. Machu Picchu entry is by timed ticket with a limited daily quota, so tickets and trains are normally booked well ahead. Back in Cusco, the days go to the old city, Sacsayhuaman and, for some, the Rainbow Mountain or Salkantay trails.
Titicaca, La Paz and the salt flats
A day bus crosses the altiplano to Puno on Lake Titicaca, where boats visit the reed islands of the Uros and the island of Taquile. The road continues over the Bolivian border to Copacabana, with boats to Isla del Sol, then on to La Paz, a city poured into a canyon and linked by a cable car network. The finale is an overnight bus or short flight to Uyuni and a three-day jeep tour of the Salar de Uyuni and the coloured lagoons of the southern altiplano.
Practical notes
Visas: Most Western passports enter Peru visa-free; some nationalities need a Bolivian visa or e-visa arranged in advance, so check the official source for both countries. Transport: One flight (Lima to Arequipa), overnight buses on the long legs, PeruRail or Inca Rail to Aguas Calientes, and a jeep tour in the Uyuni region. Weather: May to October is the dry season with cold nights at altitude; the Inca Trail closes each February. Budget: The mid figure assumes private rooms in guesthouses, the Colca and Uyuni tours, a Machu Picchu ticket with train and bus, and the domestic flight. Safety: Altitude sickness is the main health issue above 3,400 m; road blockades and protests occasionally disrupt travel in both countries, so local news and official advisories are worth checking.