How many days in Peru?
How many days in Peru do you need to have a worth while experience?
Let’s not beat around the bush, Peru has pretty much everything going for it. Everything from the electrifying sounds of the Amazon Jungle to hiking through the wild peaks of the Andes, even the most unimpressed of travelers will find it hard to be bored here!
But with all that in mind, where do we begin? One thing that can be difficult for first time travelers to fathom, is how many days to spend in Peru, or better yet, where they should go.
How Many Days in Peru?
In this guide, we’ll not only look at some of the reasons why you should visit Peru, but we’ll cover how many days are needed here as well as the best time to visit and much more.
Is Peru Worth Visiting?
First of all, let’s take a look at some of the best reasons why you should visit Peru.
- Incredible Variety of Landscapes – First we have the Coastal lands, which include everything from the tropical beaches of Piura down to Lima and the arid deserts of Ica and Nazca. There’s also some incredible mountain ranges to enjoy such as Huascarán National Park near Huaraz, as well as the Sacred Valley which is close to Cusco. The Amazon Jungle is another highlight, where you can head on this multi-day tour to see many rare and exotic animal species.
- Affordable Travel – Although Peru is a popular place to visit in South America for all types of travelers, you will still find that Peru is ridiculously cheap to travel to and get around in. You can easily live off a budget of $30 a day, and still enjoy yourself with many memorable things to see and do. Whilst bus travel remains the best way of getting around, you can also find domestic flights for as cheap as $30!
- Push Your Comfort Zone – Peru is full of memorable experiences, but the very best require you to go further than you usually would. For example, some of the very best hikes rise higher than 5000m in altitude, which can be chaos for your body if you’re unprepared. Then we have the magical world of Ayahuasca and the Shipibo communities of the jungle, something which I (George) have a soft spot for and will be sharing my experiences at some point on this blog.
How many Days to spend in Peru? Our recommendation
Quick Answer: We recommend spending a minimum of 18 days in Peru. Sure – you could fit the highlights within ten days, however you’ll be traveling non-stop without time to really enjoy what you’re seeing.
18 days is much better where you can visit a good 4 places with plenty of time.
You could break down 18 Days in the following way…
🏁 Our recommended itinerary:
- # 1: Lima (3 Days)
- # 2: Ica (1 Day)
- # 3: Arequipa (5 Days)
- # 4: Cusco (6 Days)
- # 5: Iquitos (3 Days)
If you’re not 100 percent sure on when to start, see our detailed guide on the best time to visit Peru for ideas on which time of year is best to visit specific regions of the country.
Is Peru cheap or expensive?
Out of all the countries in Latin America, Peru is one of the cheaper ones that you can visit.
Backpackers can easily get by on $20-25 a day, staying in hostels and mostly eating in local or chain restaurants.
Those who want a more luxurious experience (for example staying in private hotel rooms, eating in nice restaurants etc) will need to budget anywhere from $35-50+.
Got travel insurance for Peru?
Are 7 Days enough in Peru?
Many travelers only have a week when heading to Peru, either before catching a flight out or having to move onto another country afterwards.
Although it’s not enough to see all of the true highlights of Peru, you can definitely still see some really memorable gems.
Option A
One great option is to spend 3 days in Lima, where you can also head on a day trip to Huacachina to go Sandboarding. You can then head to Huaraz (on a 6 hour bus), where you can then enjoy some truly incredible mountain hikes and lagoon vistas.
Option B
Another option is to spend your 7 days in Cusco. Here you can see all of the best highlights, which includes hiking Machu Picchu, seeing many incredible mountains and mysterious ruins like those of Sacasayuhuaman and Moray. Cusco also has some awesome city highlights too, which you can see in our customized 7 Day Cusco Itinerary.
Is Peru Safe?
Most parts of Peru are safe for travelers to head around. This includes major destinations like Cusco, Arequipa and Máncora which solo travelers can visit on their own without issues.
When heading to Lima, be sure to stay around the areas of Miraflores and Barranco which are the safest. The border between Peru and Ecuador can be sketchy at night, so only cross during the day.
Here’s some of our top safety tips for Peru:
- Aim to stay near the main Plaza de Armas of each Peruvian destination (aside from Lima)
- Use apps like Uber and InDriver to get around big cities, or to and from the bus stations.
- Leave all valuables (passport, credit cards etc) in your accommodation when heading out to explore for the day. See our Peru packing list for more ideas.
Be sure to read our comprehensive guide on Safety in Peru for more information.
How to get from Bolivia to Peru?
Those looking to get to Peru from neighboring Bolivia in the south will first need to head to Copacabana (around a 4 hour bus from La Paz).
From here we can take a short taxi to the Kasani Border Crossing, and then a bus onto Puno, which sits on the Peruvian shores of Lake Titicaca. In total the whole journey shouldn’t take any more than 5/6 hours, and cost between $25-35.
Of course you can also fly from La Paz to Lima, which is better for those short on time. The flight takes roughly 2 hours, and costs between $150-200 (without baggage).
If you are visiting both Peru and Bolivia together, then be sure to read our combined itinerary for more travel destinations and ideas.
Best time to visit Peru?
Overall, the best time to visit Peru is between the months of September, October and November. These months still fall within the dry season, meaning rainfall will be scarce in most places.
This includes Lima and Arequipa (where it virtually never rains), as well as better conditions for hiking in the Peruvian Andes. The Amazon Jungle will be wet regardless, so make sure you’re well prepared with this reliable Poncho before heading in.
When it comes to temperatures, we’ll experience a wild range when traveling around Peru. These months in particular are the Spring shoulder months, so places like Cusco, Huaraz and Puno can still be quite cold (lows can reach around 34-43°F). Places like Máncora and Iquitos can get quite warm, whilst these months are the best for visiting Lima.
How many days in Peru? Final Words
And that’s all for our Peru travel itinerary and suggest time to spend here.
This diverse South American nation has tonnes going for it, where you can have many memorable adventures here. At a bare minimum you could see the major highlights in just 10 days, however it’s best to have at least 3 weeks when exploring Peru.
In this guide we’ve explored why you should visit Peru, our top safety tips, the best time to visit as well anything else you’ll need to know.
Be sure to read our Backpacking Peru Itinerary for more solid travel ideas and advice.
👉🏽 P.S. If you’ve found this guide helpful, buy us a coffee here to say thanks! Or, support us by downloading our South America Travel Bible to get our best content.
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