8 Days in Peru: Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu
MACHU PICCHU
Day 1: Departed Minneapolis to Lima with a layover in Houston on United Airlines, arriving at 11 pm. Took an Uber for $10 to our hotel in Miraflores.
Lima Hotel (2 nights): Radisson Red Miraflores $87/night includes full menu breakfast and a rooftop terrace
Day 2: We walked from the hotel to the museum of art, Justice Palace, Italian art museum, Plaza de Armas, presidential palace, and San Francisco church where we had a tour of the catacombs. We ate dinner at Panchito and walked home through parque Kennedy.
CUSCO
Day 3:Â We woke up early for our 6:50 am flight from Lima landing in Cusco at 8:15 am on Sky Airlines for $100 round trip per person. We hopped in a 20 minutes taxi for 25 soles ($7) upon arrival. After checking into our hotel, we hiked the hill to the large Jesus statue (maybe not the best idea when trying to acclimate to the elevation) and had lunch at the Limbus Resto Bar with a gorgeous view.
LIMBUS RESTO BAR
Cusco Hotel (2 nights): Casa San Blas Cusco Exquisite by Xima $68/night, an incredible value for this gorgeous property! The price includes a HUGE breakfast served to you on your patio with stunning views! I highly recommend this well-managed property in an excellent location.
Day 4: Cusco has an elevation of 11,152 and some people, like Toy, have trouble acclimating. We took it very easy and spent much of the day relaxing in our room and wandering the cobblestoned streets of our San Blas neighborhood.
Day 5: We took the Inca Rail to Machu Picchu at 8:30 am, arriving at 12:40 pm. The train offers incredible views. We switched trains in Ollantaytambo where Toy bought an alpaca sweater.
Aguas Calientes Hotel (1 night): Jaya Machupicchu Boutique Hotel $52/night and includes pickup from the train station. Our room was the Deluxe Studio Suite and the view was incredible! The windows opened, so you could hear the rushing river below and watch the action on the main road through town.
Day 6: We entered Machu Picchu around 6:30 am to watch the sunrise and it was beyond worth it! I purchased our tickets the previous day for 304 soles ($81), including the bus ride up the hill. After spending several hours taking pictures and enjoying the view, we headed back down to Aguas Calientes for lunch. We took the train back to Cusco at 4:12 pm, arriving in Cusco at 8:20 pm.
MACHU PICCHU
Cusco Hotel (2 nights): I had booked the Encantada Casa Boutique Spa because the reviews were very good and the pictures looked amazing. When we arrived, we found it dirty and a bit run down, so we cancelled the reservation and went back to the Casa San Blas Cusco Exquisite by Xima, thankful they had availability.
Day 7: We walked down to San Blas plaza, got a massage at the Andina Spa, checked out the Sun Temple, San Blas market and the 12-sided stone. We had lunch at the Km 0 Bar and spent a lot of time exploring the streets in and around Plaza de Armas where we landed for dinner overlooking the plaza and enjoying traditional live music. Cusco is one of my favorite places in the world!
Day 8 & 9: Our Sky Airlines flight departed Cusco on Sunday at 7:10 pm and landed in Lima at 8:40 pm. We connected to our flight to Houston, departing at 12:45 am (Monday) and landing at 7:20 am. We spent our 5 hour layover in the United Lounge and boarded our flight to Minneapolis at 12:15 pm, landing at 3 pm. It was a long trek, but worth it to spend every last minute in Cusco versus Lima.
PACKING SUGGESTIONS
Travel light: use a Samsonite Underseat Carry-On or backpack and packing cubes
Bring a crossbody bag, travel wallet, portable charger, toiletry bag and travel adapter (and this small travel adapter)
GETTING THERE
We booked on United for $436 per person Minneapolis to Lima with a layover in Houston.
BUDGET (2 people)
Flight: $1071 (United $873, Sky $198)
Hotels: $579
Machu Picchu Tickets: $83
Transport: $185 (Inca Rail $164, $21 taxis)
TOTAL: $1918*
*I didn't keep track of restaurant spend, but it's extremely reasonable.
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