Peru Trekking Adventure

Day 1 – Hello Lima!

As soon as you land in Lima, your driver, ready with your name on a sign, will zip you straight to your hotel. But don’t get too comfy – you’re hitting the ground running this afternoon with a four-hour street food extravaganza that’ll have you feeling like a local in no time.

Starting at the legendary Hotel Boliviar, you’ll bond with your new Camino crew and your Lima guide over pile-ups of tangy  causa, heaps of juicy anticuchos, and plates full of tequeño with ají de gallina – all daring you to dive in mouth-first. Expect chaos, expect flavour and don’t expect to use a fork. Welcome to Peru! 

Accommodation: Tierra Viva Centro Hotel (or similar)
Included: Street Food Tour Tastings

Day 2 – Ollantaytambo

It’s your first morning, and you’re already jetting off to Cusco! Right off the plane, you’ll meet your Inca specialty-guide and together you’ll hop into a van for a wow-worthy drive through the Sacred Valley. Brace yourself, the altitude’s a kicker up here, but we’re easing you into it – no hikes today. First, you’ll make a pit stop at two important (and photogenic!) Incan sites: Maras, famous for its sprawling salt ponds, and then Moray and its unusual circular terraces used for Incan crop growing.

Finally, you’ll arrive in Ollantaytambo, where you can breathe a sigh of relief. Literally! The altitude is lower here, so breathing is a whole lot easier. Drop your stuff at Apu Lodge, right in the car-free centre, and then, it’s exploring time. The village’s lesser-known ruins offer killer views that are well worth the uphill slog, and then, as the sun dips, it’s dinner time with your Camino crew to toast to a first full day, well spent. Hooray!

Accommodation: Apu Lodge (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 – Walking the Inca Road to Huchuy Qosqo

It’s already day three, so it’s about time you lace up and hit the trails! Today’s hike will kick off with a vigorous climb that shoots straight up to the best views in the Sacred Valley (and that’s saying something)! 

In this part of Peru, sharp mountain peaks play hide and seek with the clouds as your path winds past creeks and ancient agricultural terraces. Just when you think the views can’t get any cooler, you’ll stumble upon the “Red Village” of Pukamarca. We’ll let you guess what it looks like…

After a long hiking, the day’s prize is reaching Huchuy Qosqo, also known as “Little Cusco”. Hovering high above the Sacred Valley, you’ll get the scoop on this site’s past as a military and religious hub before exploring it from top to bottom. First hike of the trip? Nailed it!

Accommodation: Apu Lodge (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch Box

Day 4 – Huacayupana

Prepare your bag with just the essentials for the next few days – the rest of your luggage will stay behind in Ollantaytambo. Now, the fun begins! A 75-minute hike up to witness where all the magic happens – the birth of the beverage enjoyed by a billion of us around the world. Yep. You’ll end up at the home of Alejandro, a coffee farmer who knows his beans and is also your host for tonight.

Strolling into Alejandro’s, you’ll feel your stomach rumble as delicious smells dance in the air. It’s all thanks to Alejandro, who is an absolute ninja in the kitchen, and his hearty lunch is ready to have you asking for seconds in no time. Lunch devoured, roll up your sleeves and dive into the art of Peruvian coffee. Naturally, you’ll cap it all off with a cup of Alejandro’s finest. Yum!

Accommodation: Homestay at Alejandro’s House (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 – Lucmabamba

Set off from Alejandro’s with a morning trek under the shade of towering Andean peaks for four thrilling hours. The finish line? Santa Teresa! Just as you’re nearing town, there’s a treat waiting: the thermal baths of Cocalmayo. This is the perfect antidote for those trail-tired muscles, so submerge yourself in the steamy waters and let them melt away the miles. You’ve earned it.

Once you’re all warmed up and wound down, you’ll hop on local transport to Lucmabamba and find yourself on the doorstep of your next host, Enrique. Spend your afternoon either getting your hands dirty in Enrique’s coffee fields or hunting for orchids and hummingbirds in the colour-splashed surroundings – tough call, right?

Accommodation: Homestay at Enrique’s House (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 – Aguas Calientes

At the crack of dawn, get your pack on, share some fond farewells with Enrique and his coffee, and lace up: you’re hitting the ancient Inca Road hard today! This leg of the journey is part of the famous Salkantay Trek, and, no exaggeration, today is one of the best hiking days of the trip. It’s a steep climb up for 2 to 3 hours, but who’s counting when every breath you huff pulls in more stunning views of Machu Picchu? 

Yup, that’s our big reveal – today, you’ll get to soak up views of the Lost City for almost the entire walk! 

Pulling up to the finishing line of Hidroelectrica, walk along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. Hmm… An early night is best tonight, because you’ve got a date with Machu Picchu at 6am tomorrow. And yes, we promise it’s worth the early alarm.

Accommodation: Hatun Inti (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7 – Machu Picchu

Today’s the big one! Lace up and catch the first bus out of Aguas Calientes – it’s time to climb the mountain to Machu Picchu. It’s a tough two-hour hike up, but the payoff is panoramas of the Lost City, the cloud-shrouded Huayna Picchu, and the winding Urubamba River below. Who could argue with that?

With all that climbing under your belt, you deserve a treat. How does a two-hour guided exploration of Machu Picchu itself sound? Standing at 2,430 metres, surrounded by the sacred Apus, looking around you at Machu Picchu, you’re not just at a high altitude, you’re on a ‘real’ high!

Post-exploration, it’s all aboard for a train ride back to the Sacred Valley, then a private ride to Cusco. Get ready to crash hard tonight in your Cusco digs after all that hiking – we bet you’ll fall asleep before your head hits the pillow. Zzzz…

Accommodation: Niños Hotel (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 – Cusco Walking Tour

Can you resist falling head over heels for Cusco? We don’t think so! First up: Qenqo, an eye-popping Incan shrine with winding subterranean chambers and carved rock altars. Then, you’ll head to Sacsayhuamán, an impressive fortress with massive stone blocks fitted so precisely that you can’t fit a piece of paper between them! Oh, and the views of Cusco from here certainly don’t hurt, either.

The afternoon is yours to spend however you please. Maybe you fancy a spot of souvenir shopping at the nearby markets? After all, those rainbow-coloured textiles and got-to-have-them alpaca throws aren’t going to buy themselves. Or, perhaps you fancy a chilled one, finding a sunny spot for a pisco sour and watching the world whirl by? Both sound like great options!

Accommodation: Niños Hotel (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9 – Huaraz

Wave goodbye to Cusco and your first favourite guide and gear up for Huaraz. Today’s a travel day, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be boring. First, you’ll catch a quick flight back to Lima, where our representative will be waiting for you, then hop on a Movil bus. Kitted out with plush first-class seats that recline up to 140 degrees, this is a far cry from the buses you’re used to back home. Believe it or not, the 8-hour bus ride to Huaraz is a showstopper. So much so, that you’ll likely find yourself glued to the window for the entire journey! Starting with a four-hour cruise through stark, sprawling deserts, you’ll then snake into an emerald-green valley that dries into rugged grasslands the higher you climb. 

Pulling into Huaraz, make a beeline for your hotel’s rooftop to watch the sun dip behind the mountains. Rest up tonight, because tomorrow you’ll hit the trails with the furriest, most adorable hiking sidekicks you’ve ever seen. You’ve been warned!

Accommodation: Albergue Churup (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch Box, Dinner

Day 10 – Llama Trek to Tsacracancha

Up and at ’em! Start with a hearty breakfast hosted by a local family in the village before heading off to meet your trek squad for the next three days: fluffy, fuzzy llamas! Does it get any cuter than this?

The tundra you’re tackling today is a no-frills kind of place – just you, the llamas, the occasional hawk overhead and the crunch, crunch, crunch of your footsteps crossing the tundra ground. The air up here is so fresh it practically sparkles, and it’s all too easy to get distracted by the snow-capped mountains jutting out into the sky all around you.

The peak of the trek is a Pachamama ritual, when you join in an ancient tradition, tossing coca leaves as an offering to Mother Earth and wishing for safe travels. Once you’ve paid your respects, it’s on to Tsacracancha camp, where you’ll unwind with heaping plates of local grub under the stars.

Accommodation: Camping
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 – Yanashallash Pass

Today’s trek  is part history lesson and part hike as you follow Pre-Incan ancient stone trails laid down by the Chavín culture in 1200 BC! The morning’s climb to Yanashallash Pass is a lung-buster, peaking at 4,681 metres, but some things are worth struggling for, and this is one of them. As you summit, you might even notice snow falling around you – natural confetti to celebrate your kick-ass achievement!

At the top, join the llama herders to make a traditional offering and then it’s all downhill to Shongopampa, where you’ll camp for the night. After almost 13 kilometres of climbing, kicking back at camp with your Camino sisters  and snoozing under the stars sounds like pure bliss.

Accommodation: Camping
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 – Chavín de Huántar

Say adios to the High Andes – it’s time to start your trek back to civilisation. Along the way, you’ll pass through the village of Chichucancha, where the local lifestyle feels like a throwback to the 15th century. Here, living in Incan-style houses and wearing traditional clothing isn’t for show – it’s just another day!

Back on the trail, you’ll weave through the Hacheksa Gorge, setting the stage for the day’s highlight: Chavin de Huantar. At this ancient temple complex, 3,000 years flash before your eyes like a time-lapse, and you’re in for a crash course in Andean cosmology, complete with an imaginary sacrifice. Remember – imaginary. No llamas were harmed in the making of this tour!

After soaking up Chavin de Huantar, it’s all downhill – seriously. You’ll swap boots for wheels to drive down to Huaraz, so there’s only one thing for it: relax, and let the mountains roll by.

Accommodation: The Lazy Dog Inn (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 – Free Day!

Kick back or keep moving – it’s your call on this well-earned free day at the Lazy Dog Inn. 

If you’ve been dreaming about sinking into a sofa with a good book, the common room’s cosy fire and plush seats are ready and waiting. But if the great outdoors keeps calling your name, why not answer? Saddling up on a Peruvian Caballo de Paso for some horse riding is bound to be good fun, or, if you’re in the mood for a challenge, you could grab a mountain bike and conquer the trails. 

If it’s more hiking you’re after (you go-getter!), there are plenty of hikes nearby, and your local hosts Diana and Wayne know just where to point you.

Accommodation: The Lazy Dog Inn (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 14 – Huaraz

Today, you’ll swap the crisp Andean air for the hustle and bustle of Huarez, so take one big, final gulp of it before you board the bus. You’ll miss it! Pulling up in Huarez, your guide will take you to one of their favourite local restaurants for a belly-filling celebration of your hiking achievements and your new-found friendships. You’re masters of the mountains now!

Once you’ve eaten your fill, it’s time to say goodbye to your Andes guide. Hug them hard – you’ve shared so much together! Then you’re off to the night bus  – don’t sweat it – the night buses in Peru are a surprisingly relaxing experience. In fact, we bet your 180 degrees-reclining seat is more comfortable than some real beds you’ve slept in, so get comfy and let the rhythm of the road lull you to sleep. Next stop: Lima!

Accommodation: Night Bus
Included: Breakfast

Day 15 – Lima

This morning, at the crack of dawn, you’ll arrive back in Lima. We’ve arranged a super-early check-in for you at the hotel so you can freshen up, and then, you’re down to your last day of the trip, so use them wisely! One more plate of ceviche to say goodbye properly? Don’t mind if we do! 

Sleep, eat, shop – do whatever takes your fancy!

Accommodation: Tierra Viva Centro (or similar)
Included: Breakfast

Day 16 – Farewell Friends!

That’s a wrap, folks! Whether you’re jetting off this morning or couldn’t resist another day in Lima, don’t forget to swap contacts with your new trek mates and share a round of hugs before departure. Your airport transfer is included.

Included: Breakfast