I went to Peru in 2019 as part of my graduation trip from pharmacy school as my first trip down in South America and I can honestly say everything has got to go to Peru atleast once.
Days in Each City
- Lima: 3 days
- Huacachina: 2 days
- Cusco: 4 days
Our Peruvian Adventure
LIMA
Lima for 3 days: We flew to Lima and spent the first part of the trip here. It was June (winter) so it was very rainy and cloudy most of the time. This felt just like the right amount of time to explore the main parts of Lima.
What we did
- Day 1: Old Lima walking tour
- Day 2: Barranco walking tour + Went to Centrale (one of the top restaurants in the world)
- Day 3: Self guided tour at Larcomar and the coast, circuito magico at night
Where we stayed
Pariwana Hostel Lima in Miraflores: This is a party hostel and good to meet people in a safe area. My go-to Hostel booking website is Hostelworld.
HUACACHINA
Huacachina for 2 days: After Lima, we started our Bunny Hop bus tour to do the Gringo Trail (Lima -> Huacachina -> Arequipa -> Cusco). We decided to do Bunny Hop because it was an easy hop on hop off system and we read that it was pretty dangerous to drive (robberies) and us not knowing Spanish, it would be difficult to take normal buses. Huacachina for 2 days is definitely enough as there is not much to do in this magnificent desert town.
What we did
- Day 1: Ballestas island. Hike the sand dune for sunset and the view of Huacachina.
- Day 2: ATV + Sandboarding tour.
Where we stayed
Banana’s adventure hostel: Again another party hostel, great to meet people. Book on Hostelworld.
CUSCO
Cusco for 4 days: With limited time we had to skip Arequipa, but if you have time definitely go to Arequipa. It was part of our bus tour so we got breakfast there but would’ve loved to go explore the actual town. Cusco was actually my favourite city in Peru since there’s so much to do! 4 Days felt too short for Cusco and I would recommend atleast 5 if you want to see ALL the main things, but this is what I did:
What we did
- Day 1: Explore Cusco Town – Mercado Central de San Pedro, Limbus Resto Bar
- Day 2: Machu Pichu – We took the Hiram Bingham, but you can take any train
- Day 3: Rainbow Mountain hike
- Day 4: We spent another day exploring the town because we felt we didn’t get enough of it. We flew out from Cusco after this!
- Day 5: Go to the Maras Salt Pools if you have time, it looks crazy!
Where we stayed
Pariwana Hostel Cusco: We stayed here again because it’s lit. Book on Hostelworld.
If you only had a week for Peru: Skip Lima and just go to Huacachina and Cusco
VINTURE WITH ME 
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