We absolutely LOVED Peru. If South America is a continent of adventure, Peru is the capital. If you are tossing up countries to visit and you’re interested in hiking and the outdoors, this should be at the top of the list.

ITINERARY

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we would like to take this opportunity to again reiterate HOW BIG South America is, and HOW FAR things are. This is particularly relevant to Peru, one of the larger countries. Again – did we follow our own advice? Absolutely not. This was a country filled with 18-hour overnight bus rides, and we loved every minute of it. We’re about to take you through our itinerary, suggestions, highlights (Salkantay trek), and lowlights (see below pooping episode). But we must first draw your attention to a particularly important piece of advice:

DON’T BE A DICK AND THINK YOU’RE ABOVE FOOD AND WATER SAFETY

If you are anything like us, you can sometimes get a little complacent. Maybe, just maybe, you’ve been pretty lax on the water and food safety thus far in your South American travels. For us, we’d been through Argentina, Chile and Ecuador before hitting Peru, and had been absolutely, perfectly, stomach-trouble free.

We were perhaps, a little arrogant crossing the border into Peru, and our consequent illness was instant. We didn’t recognise the difference in cleanliness, and both ate ceviche (raw fish) without thought.

One of us (Nicole) may also have bought some fruit juice off of the street, and lapped it up in the heat. One of us (Nicole) was much sicker than the other.

Moral of the story, the countries in South America vary significantly in food and water safety and hygiene. Typically, the water in Argentina and Chile is safe to drink. The same is not the case for Peru and Bolivia.

Small (but important) detour. Back to the itinerary.

MANCORA (2-3 days)

Mancora was our first stop in Peru. It’s a very small, cool-vibe beach town, with a great party scene. Note that I use the word town, but the tourist area is more like a two-way street on the other side of the beach. This street is lined with tuk-tuks running tourists around for a ridiculously low cost.

What to do:

• Stay at The Point Hostel for beach volleyball, a pool, great beach access, hammocks, group dinners and a good (but not overwhelming) party scene. We much preferred this to the alternative party hostel, Loki.
• Don’t be surprised by the size or run-down feeling, you’ll feel great after an hour
• Waves are not great, despite the famous surf
• Try ceviche at a researched restaurant
• Going out at night, use the tuk-tuks and don’t walk along the beach

HUARAZ (length depends on hikes)

Sadly, we were both unwell in Huaraz and didn’t get to realise our hiking dreams. However, if you are a hiker, this is the spot for you. It’s an excellent place to use as a base for hikes, as most backpackers do.

In an unfair turn of events, Anna the less eager hiker was able to do Laguna 69, while Nicole was stuck in bed. The hike was beautiful, tiring but very approachable. Note that it does get to a relatively high altitude of 4500m (14,764 ft).  

What to do:

• Laguna 69 (1 day)
• Santa Cruz (3-4 days), but check the weather first (we heard horror stories from February hikers)
• California Cafe has a lovely atmosphere, with a free book exchange and good tunes. Most importantly, there are JIGSAW PUZZLES, and phenomenal carrot cake and falafel wraps. Yum.
• The Central Markets have guinea pig to try (eating, that is) and are cool to check out

• 

LIMA (1-2 days)

Lima is a pretty big hub for travel, and if you’re backpacking around Peru chances are you’ll have to pass through at one point. Emphasis on pass through – we wouldn’t spend any more time here than you have to. Lima is huge, which makes it difficult to walk around. It’s also very city-based, and didn’t feel (to us) like it had the same charm as the rest of Peru.

What to do:

• The Pan De Chola bakery – home-made breads, delectable toasted vegetable sandwiches, good coffee and lip-smacking baked goodies.
• The Healing Dog Hostel – perfect place to stay, free breakfast including HOUSE-MADE PEANUT BUTTER, plus the vibe is relaxed and the travellers are friendly.

Huacachina (2 days max)

Huacachina is a tiny oasis in the Peruvian desert, and a serious slice of heaven. We had SO much fun here, and recommend it whole heartedly. If you don’t have a lot of time that’s perfectly okay, once you’ve gone dune buggying and walked around the teeny oasis – you’ve pretty much soaked it all up!

What to do

• Dune buggy – try going on the latest possible ride to avoid the heat
• Stay at Banana’s Adventure hostel, it was sadly booked out for when we were there, but we had a great time hanging out by the pool during the day!

CUSCO (2-3 days either side of Machu Picchu trek)

Ah Cusco, the place of our dreams. To this day, this little town of hubbub remains one of our favourite places. Lots of the cities and towns across South America have a familiar character and culture. But, there is something particularly special about Cusco. Chances are every backpacker there is either about to depart for a trek to Machu Picchu , or they’ve just come from one. We think this is what makes the place have such a gorgeous feeling of bubbling excitement, making it markedly different from anywhere else.

Machu Picchu

You may be tossing up how you’d like to see Machu Picchu. We always knew we were going to do a trek there, so can’t give you specific recommendations about day trips. What we can say is whatever you are booking, aside from the Inca Trek, can (and should) be booked in Cusco. Booking companies line the cobbled streets, begging you to take their business. We got our best prices by going into a few different agencies and price-matching.

This is not the case for the Inca Trail, which does book up and needs advance booking due to limits on the trek.

We had decided to do the Salkantay Trek, a much cheaper option. If you’re tossing up the two, the Inca Trek is focused on the history of the Incas, whereas the Salkantay Trek is more largely focused on the landscape of the hike. The destination is the same: Machu Picchu. The added bonus of the Inca Trek is you arrive at the Sun Gates for sunset. For the Salkantay Trek, your arrival is to a small town (Aguas Calientes) which requires an overnight sleep, before reaching Machu Picchu at sunrise.

This hike remains one of the best things either of us have ever done. We cannot recommend the Salkantay Trek highly enough.

What to do:

• Stay at Wild Rover Hostel – comfortable dorms, good vibes and most importantly a LOT of fun
• Eat at Organika for a DELICIOUS healthy vegetarian meal either in preparation for your hike, or reward for once you’ve finished it
• Have ridiculously delicious brownies and empanadas at La Valeriana BakeShop on the main square
• Treat yourself to one of the massages being offered
• Explore the markets, some of our favourites in South America!
• If you’ve got the time (we didn’t) hike Rainbow mountain