Peru - mountains, magic and miles

Time spent: 2 weeks (2017) (2026 booked)

Population: 34.2 million

Currency: Peruvian Sol (SOL)

Itinerary: Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Aguas Calientes, Cusco (then on to Bolivia and Chile)

If you like bewildering mountains, endless deserts and enchanting historical landmarks then get yourself to Peru!

The Peruvian itinerary was one leg of a 4-week journey to Peru, Bolivia and Chile (links to those pages below) but could be done in reverse order which is what we’ll be doing in 2026 with some additions! There are airport hubs with regional flights to help you get around the area so look out for travel options from Lima and Cusco (Peru), La Paz (Bolivia) and Calama and Santiago (Chile).

Flying into Lima after a transfer in Texas (USA), we spent a night in a youth hostel in the city. The first thing to note about Peruvian roads is there are no rules so keep your wits about you, even if you’re in a taxi! A note from the diary I kept during that trip: “Lima traffic is terrifying. I’ve never seen car driving like it. There are no lanes and no rules Horrendous”. We didn’t spend any time here so we got a bus from the main central station in Lima to Paracas, a small coastal 260km and 5-6 hour drive (£15) south where we stayed for the night. My first ever view of the Pacific ocean was met with a beautiful sunset and coupled with some ceviche (raw fish cured with lime) followed by a £6 per night hostel. The next morning, we made the best of the beach and went for an early morning dip in the Pacific, followed by the hiring of bikes (£5) and a 22km ride to the nearby Reserva Nacional de Paracas (£2 entry fee), a nature reserve full of sand dunes and ocean bays which was very pretty. We didn’t have long here as we’d booked a bus to our next destination (the desert oasis Huacachina) at 11am (1.5 hours, £8).

Huacachina has a desert oasis in the middle of a bunch of sand dunes, and it is very pretty but overrun with tourists. You can sandboard and dune buggy here (£15) which looked fun but given it had been at least 15 years since I’d been on a skateboard, I passed the opportunity. Instead, we climbed the highest dune we could find to overlook the desert and oasis which was spectacular and spent some time sunbathing. We then hopped on a 10-minute local bus back to Ica (which is a small city that only seems to exist for easy access to Huacachina) before booking a mammoth 17-hour long bus journey (£22 each) to Cusco (which actually turned into a 23-hour long bus journey complete with 2 flat tyres and no stops for food, water or toilets). You could break this journey up by stopping to see the Líneas de Nazca (Nazca lines) but you’d still be 15 hours away, so we did it in one go. Take lots of food, water and entertainment. 

Once in Cusco, we used this as a base for various trips. Our first was to the incredible Machu Picchu temple. Getting there is a little tricky though, so you’ll need to do the following. First, get a train from Estacion Wanchaq in the centre of Cusco to Station Ollantaytambo (2.5 hours, every 30 minutes, £30-80 price varies) on Peru Rail where you’ll possibly need to change trains. Then on to Station Machu Picchu in the village of Aguas Calientes. Booking for the train should be done in advance here but also sort accommodation before arrival as well. Speaking of which, to get into Machu Picchu, you’ll first need to book a ticket in advance as well (see below). You’ll need to select an arrival time as there’s a limit of visitors per day so make sure you check all the availability well in advance. After our long trip and Machu Picchu booked in for tomorrow, we decided to go to the Baños Termales (a hot spring) a short 15-minute walk from the train station where we relaxed in thermal baths and sipped beer for a few hours. 

Machu Picchu is the first (and so far, only) wonder of the world I’ve seen (twice now), and it is well worth the time, effort and expense to get to. Maybe the time of day we arrived (11am) or the stunning weather we had added to the emotion but it really felt magical in a way I can’t really describe. You can walk the distance from Aguas Calientes (9km) in about 2-hours starting here but it is pretty challenging. To guarantee entry, you must book in advance and to guarantee authenticity on tickets; book through the official Peruvian Ministry of Culture website. Now, if you are planning this trip from the UK in advance this can be really tricky as I learned the second time I visited Peru. Booking tickets is difficult as the website is clunky and here are some issues you might face and some tips on troubleshooting: 

1: Use the official website set to Spanish rather than English. This helps to get items in the basket for some reason.

2: Once you get to the checkout, you will most likely get timed out. You're given 3 hours to complete your booking but because Peru is 6 hours behind us, it thinks your 3 hours have already passed. To get around this, try using a VPN set to Peru time to help you purchase tickets. This worked for us but only after days of research did I find this out.

3: Avoid second-hand tickets and third-party sellers as sometimes these tickets are not official and people have been rejected at the gates. 

4: Consider which route to select as there is a one-way system designed to show you around but once you complete it; you can't turn back. The 2-A classic circuit seems to be the most popular one but check the map to see which one you prefer. 

5: When booking your train ticket to Aguas Calientes, check times and prices as there are a few companies which offer tickets (Peru Rail for example) but make sure they include the bus ride to the start point. The company we booked with didn't tell us where we needed to be, we just happened to stumble across it so make sure you know where to be!

6: On the day of travel, you'll need to access your tickets on the TuBoleto website which you'll need a log in for. Again, we were not told this until we arrived at the pick up location for our bus to Ollantaytambo

7: When you arrive at Aguas Calientes, there will be guides who will offer to walk you round for 2 hours. I highly recommend you get one who will explain the site to you as there are no information boards or maps to read. This will cost anywhere between $20 and $50 per person so haggle and set a price in advance. 

Speaking of the most beautiful places on the planet; Vinicunca: Rainbow Mountain.  We got the train and bus back to Cusco and spent a day roaming the streets of this high-altitude town (3,399m). It is advisable to spend a few days here to help acclimatise to altitude sickness before attempting the hike to Vinicunca. With that in mind, we visited Saqsaywaman (£27 entry fee), an incredible Inca settlement on the outskirts of the town but if you wanted to save money and see similar stone work then the centre of the old town has craftsmanship like on Machu Picchu at the 12 angled stone. It is nice (and worthwhile) to walk around the city to get used to the altitude and the Plaza de Armas centre is pretty at night. We also happened to be in Cusco during the Peruvian Independence Day which meant there were parties-in-the-street-a-plenty. There are lots of companies to book the Rainbow Mountain tour with so shop around or ask your accommodation to help sort it out. Prices will range but you’re looking at about £60 per person.