Peruvian Perfection - a 2 week itinerary
Peru Overview
Peru is so much more than Machu Picchu. From the metropolitan energy of Lima, to the wild depths of the Amazon, to the historic Incan capital of Cusco, this country truly has it all.
It's also quietly become one of the world's top culinary destinations. Peru is home to the #1 restaurant in the world — Central in 2023 and Maido in 2025 — along with several other restaurants ranking in the global top 10.
And Peru works for every kind of traveler. You can backpack, stay in hostels, and hike the Inca Trail on a shoestring, or go full luxury with an Amazon river cruise and a journey through the Andes aboard the Belmond Andean Explorer.
This was another solo adventure for me, and out of 33 countries visited, Peru has landed in my top 3. It's one of the most underrated destinations in the world, and it deserves a spot on every traveler's list. Here's how I experienced it, day by day.
Lima
I made Miraflores my home base in Lima — a polished, walkable neighborhood that made for an easy launchpad into the city (San Isidro and Barranco are both excellent alternatives if you're looking for other areas to stay). And yes, I felt very safe, even walking the city at night.
I always like to start a new city by getting my bearings, so my first day in Lima began with this historic city tour, meeting my guide at Love Park before setting off to explore the heart of the city. The tour wound through Plaza San Martín and the Basílica of Nuestra Señora de la Merced — a stunning church with a facade that stops you in your tracks — before descending into the catacombs beneath the Convento de San Francisco, a genuinely fascinating (if a little eerie) glimpse into the city's past. Along the way, I learned about Peru's history dating back to the Spanish conquistadores, before the tour wrapped in the beautiful Plaza Mayor, Lima's grand colonial square.
In the afternoon, I headed to Larcomar — not your average mall, but an open-air shopping center built directly into the cliffs overlooking the Pacific, with the ocean crashing below as you shop. It's one of the more unforgettable retail experiences I've had, and a great way to unwind after a morning of history and walking.
It was the perfect introduction to the city — equal parts history lesson and orientation walk, and exactly how I like to kick off a new destination.
Central Restaurant
I was fortunate to secure a dinner reservation at Central, ranked the #1 restaurant in the world in 2023, and let me tell you — it lived up to every bit of the hype. Lima is also home to Maido, the #1 restaurant in the world in 2025, but I chose Central for the evening because I always prefer a local, authentic experience when I can have one. Where Maido leans into a Japanese-Peruvian fusion, Central is unmistakably Peruvian, and that's exactly what I was after.
The tasting menu is a 12-course journey through Peru's ecosystems, with each course drawn from a different altitude, from the depths of the ocean to the highest reaches of the Andes. Every dish tells a story of the ingredients, climate, and culture at that elevation, and the flavors shift dramatically as the meal progresses, unlike anything I've experienced elsewhere.
What struck me most wasn't just the food, though every course was extraordinary, it was the presentation. Each plate arrived as its own work of art, thoughtfully composed to reflect the landscape it represented, turning dinner into something closer to a multi-sensory exhibit than a meal. It was, without exaggeration, a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience, and one I'd recommend to any client who wants their trip to include a truly world-class culinary moment.
4-Day Amazon Cruise
The next four days were, without question, the highlight of my trip: a luxury expedition aboard the Aqua Expeditions Aria, an intimate 16-cabin vessel with a nearly 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio. The service is attentive and personal from the moment you step aboard, and the cabins are spectacular — floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows that turn every sunrise over the Amazon into a private, breathtaking moment.
This isn't a traditional cruise, it's an expedition, more akin to an African safari than a river sailing. Each day centers around two guided skiff excursions, sunrise and late afternoon, through hidden tributaries in search of pink river dolphins, blue-and-yellow macaws, sloths, caimans and more — and I even saw a 6 foot baby anaconda!
The Peruvian Amazon is remarkably sparsely populated, so much of the time it truly feels like it's just you and nature, with barely another soul in sight. In between excursions, there's time to rest, piranha fishing, and a visit to a local river village (I loved bringing school supplies to donate). Four days that feel entirely removed from the rest of the world, and exactly the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience I love building into a Peru itinerary.
Cusco - The Incan Capital
After the Amazon cruise, I flew from Iquitos to Cusco (via Lima) for the next chapter of the adventure. Cusco is the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, a city steeped in history and layered with Spanish colonial influence, sitting at over 11,000 feet above sea level.
Because of the altitude, it's highly recommended to take it easy for the first 24-48 hours while your body acclimates. I also picked up these altitude tablets beforehand, which helped ease the adjustment. Locally, coca tea is served everywhere, and coca candies are sold on nearly every corner. The Incas relied on the coca leaf for centuries to help with altitude, and yes, it's the same plant cocaine is derived from. No, it won't get you high. Yes, it's legal in Peru. No, you can't bring it home to the US.
If you're hoping to spot some local fauna, you're in luck. Alpacas and llamas are everywhere in Cusco, and locals are happy to explain the difference between them and their wild cousins, the vicuña and guanaco (only llamas and alpacas are domesticated). Cusco is also a treasure trove of alpaca textiles. For authentic, high-quality sweaters, hats, scarves, and wraps, stick to reputable shops like Kuna, Sol Alpaca, or the Alpaca Factory Outlet. Steer clear of the tourist stalls, where "alpaca" goods are often mixed with synthetic fibers.
You'll also notice a rainbow flag flying throughout the city. It's not the LGBTQ flag, it's the flag of the Inca Empire, distinguished by an emblem at its center.
Maras Salt Flats and Chinchero
I purposefully planned my first few days at a lower altitude, so I headed to the Sacred Valley (7,000 feet) before settling into Cusco itself. I booked this tour, which winds through the stunning countryside and valleys of the Andes.
The first stop was the Maras Salt Flats, thousands of ancient salt pools fed by a natural underground spring, which the Incas began farming centuries ago and locals still farm by hand today. From there, we continued through the Sacred Valley to Moray, an extraordinary set of circular terraces the Incas engineered to create distinct microclimates at different depths, allowing them to cultivate crops suited to varying temperatures, all within a single site.
On the way back to Cusco, we stopped in Chinchero to learn more about Incan history and the traditional textile techniques still used today, including how natural resources like purple corn and limes were used to hand-dye alpaca wool into the vibrant colors seen throughout Peruvian textiles.
Sacred Valley
For Machu Picchu, I opted for a 2-day tour rather than the 1-day option from Cusco. While the single-day trip is doable, it means a very early morning and a long day of travel, and I much prefer a more leisurely pace when visiting somewhere this special. I booked this tour, which routes through Ollantaytambo for even more rich Incan history against the dramatic backdrop of the Andes.
Along the way, we visited Pisac Cultural Park, an ancient Incan village and farming community built directly into the hillside cliffs, where alpacas roam freely among the terraces. We ended the day in Aguas Calientes, the small mountain town that serves as the gateway to Machu Picchu. I didn't have much time to explore since we arrived in the evening, but it's a quaint, walkable town split by a river running through its center, lined with restaurants and, notably, home to the famous Paddington Bear statue.
Machu Picchu
The big moment: I took the PeruRail Vistadome Observatory train from Aguas Calientes to the base of Machu Picchu, a scenic 1.5-hour ride that's an experience in itself. While other train options are available, I highly recommend the Vistadome Observatory for a more luxurious touch, complete with a light snack served on board and live entertainment and dancing in the bar car, where I enjoyed an iconic Pisco Sour to help pass the time. Though honestly, you won't need the distraction. The scenery alone, rushing rivers cutting through the shadows of the Andes, is absolutely stunning. Peru has some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen.
At the train station, a bus awaits to take you up the mountain, a winding 30-minute ride. I was fortunate to have Circuit 2 tickets, one of three circuit options at Machu Picchu. Circuit 1 covers the upper-level paths and panoramic viewpoints but doesn't take you down into the village itself. Circuit 2, the classic route, offers the most comprehensive experience, combining the upper platforms with the interior of the site, including the Temple of the Sun. Circuit 3 covers only the lower circuit and royalty viewpoints, without the iconic upper-level postcard views.
Standing there, taking in the 360-degree views and imagining how the Incas lived here just 500 years ago, was nothing short of spectacular.
Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)
After a few days in Cusco and exploring the lower-altitude Sacred Valley (Machu Picchu, for comparison, sits at only 8,000 feet), I took this tour to Rainbow Mountain. I was on the fence, given the 3:30am pickup and the mountain's 17,000-foot altitude (nearly the same as Everest base camp), but after meeting an 80-year-old couple on the Amazon cruise who'd done it, I figured I could too. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.
The four-hour drive from Cusco winds through rural Peruvian towns, where locals still live in traditional adobe homes, with alpacas dotting the hillsides the entire way (in Peru, they're as common as cows are in America). After a breakfast stop, we reached the village at the base of the mountain and began the hike up. Short in distance, but the altitude makes even a slow walk feel like a marathon.
Rainbow Mountain is even more vibrant in person, its colors coming from mineral deposits, iron, copper, and sulfur, only revealed in the early 2010s as the snowcap melted. Surrounded by the towering Andes, including Ausangate at nearly 21,000 feet, it's a breathtaking sight, with a short additional hike leading to an overlook of the Red Valley, which puts Sedona to shame.
I did battle both altitude and motion sickness on the winding drive back down, but it didn't take away from how rewarding the day was, one of the most unforgettable experiences of the whole trip.
Last Day in Lima
I flew back to Lima to close out my last day and a half in Peru. Since Peru's jungles grow some of the finest cacao in the world, I decided to dig into that firsthand with a chocolate-making workshop. It was such a fun, hands-on way to learn the process from pod to candy bar. We tasted raw cacao fruit, roasted the beans, crushed them, and made our own chocolate bars from scratch.
Afterward, I took a stroll through Miraflores. It happened to be a Sunday, so locals and tourists alike were out enjoying the parks along the coast. From there, I wandered into San Isidro, a beautiful, upscale neighborhood filled with gorgeous homes and green space. It's more residential than touristy, but well worth a stop if you have the time.
For my last dinner in Peru, I chose Huaca Pucllana (pictured), a restaurant overlooking a 1,500-year-old pre-Incan pyramid. Dining above an ancient pyramid built from millions of adobe bricks was genuinely awe-inspiring, made even more surreal knowing this same site was briefly turned into a motocross track in the 1980s.
Astrid y Gaston
Before leaving Peru, I made one more stop: Astrid y Gastón in San Isidro. This legendary restaurant was ranked the #1 restaurant in Latin America in 2013, and placed as high as #14 globally in both 2013 and 2015. It was founded by husband-and-wife duo Gastón, the executive chef, and Astrid, the pastry chef, and their partnership shows in every detail.
I stopped in for lunch (with a reservation, of course), housed in a beautifully restored historic mansion in San Isidro. Rather than ordering a set tasting menu, I chose a variety of appetizers off the à la carte menu to sample as much as possible, and every bite was absolutely delicious. As an unexpected treat, Astrid herself came through the dining room to greet guests table by table. She was every bit as lovely as I'd hoped.