2 weeks in Peru in July

I'm in Peru right now. I would say 4 days in Lima is too long. Two full days is more than enough to see, do and eat what you want. Just some warnings I severely burned my neck by just being in the sun for an hour in Lima so put on sunscreen and don't be stupid like me. Also got severe food poisoning from drinking the fruit juices with ice so maybe a heads up to avoid the ice/tapwater while you're there.

Don't know about lake titicaca. But it is recommended to be in Cusco for two days before doing the short inca trail as well. There's a whole lot to do in Cusco. From hiking rainbow mountain to a daytrip to humantay lake, take your pick.

I’m actually going in July to Peru, Alpaca Expedition was the consensus for the best Machu Pichu trek. You should check out the 7 colors mountain close to Cusco

I´ve been there 3 times, and really you must go to a town called Huaraz, it´s 8 hour from Lima in bus, there´s no airport in the city, that part of Perú it´s called the Peruvian Switzerland there u can visit Lake Parón (4.600 mts), and also Lake 69(4660 mts) ( i thin they are considered the prettiest lakes in the world), and that's not it, also u can climb mountains and make summit in San Mateo peak or Punta Olímpica and maybe make summit in the prettiest Mountain in the world The Alpamayo, in town u can stay at Selina Hostel and coworking (that´s my choice always also in Lima but in Cusco i prefer to Stay in Loki Hostel or in Wild Rover u can find also Selina in Cusco) In Huaraz u can find another type of food and traditions with the coca leaf and all that kind of activities, u can go to Lake Churup and its free! but there´s a lot of other tours not only these ones, u can find in that sector more than 400 lakes like the ones i told u ! It´s simply beautiful, i go the first time and extend my days in there due to the site and the beauty of the life style.

But the central theme here is a Glaciar that i think is the only one in Perú, the Pastoruri Mountain (5000 mts) it only remains 8 years left of existence, he is defrosting in a very fast rhythm so u must go that nature wonder before it disappears. (also been there and it´s amazing)

The people are kind and they will guide u all around the city, there's some ruins called Wilcahuain and Chavin de Huantar also amazing sites (also been there).

I also recommend to go to PISAC RUINS in Cusco City Tour or maybe Pikillacta ancients ruins in the region.

I love Perú a lot hope can find a lot of adventures there !

In Agua Calientes (the town next to Machu Picchu where you have to buy your Machu Picchu ticket) you get off the train and you have to race to the ticket office. You stand in line for 30 mins with your passport to get a ticket to queue later. The ticket has a time and a number on it. You come back to the ticket office at that time and then you wait for a person with a megaphone to call your number, he only calls it in Spanish. Then you queue for 2-3 hours with your passport and you get to the front and the best option is 'circuit 1+2' and there are only 4000 tickets issued per day so chances are you wont get the time you want as they sell out, and you may not get a ticket for tomorrow but the day afterwards.

They do this because they apparently had a problem with resellers so they want people to only have the ability to purchase one ticket at a time. Its awful.

Source: Was in Peru for two weeks, got back four days ago.

I am going with family..booked Peru on the HOP from Lima to Cusco

I found Puno to be intensely boring, but know nothing about Juliaca. But regardless, I'd say spend less than 3 days in that area. Too much time in Lima as well. Why not do a 3 or 4 day trek towards Machu Picchu? It's a fantastic, once in a lifetime experience and you'd be doing yourself a disservice being driven through 3 quarters of the trek for an easy 2 day tour. 

Also, as a European, be aware of the dangers of altitude sickness. It's no joke. If you're feeling uneasy, take it slow. Don't overexert yourself. 

Hello! I’m here right now.

You for sure do NOT need four days in Lima. There is not a lot to do there unless you are interested in the food scene. Spend those extra days in Huaraz (you need at least three days for transport, hiking, and back), Paracas (do two days and relax by the water/explore the desert by dune buggy!), and/or Huacachina (only really need one night there but this was a total highlight for me for dune buggies and sandboarding!).

Lake Titicaca is also not worth it. I would skip. Swap for Arequipa and check out Colca Canyon.

I personally have not done the Inca Trail, but I did the Salkantay Trek and enjoyed it! It is five days long and you need to acclimate for it, though. Inca would probably be better if you are short on time! But do NOT under estimate acclimating; I got altitude sickness while out here.

Most importantly, have fun! Peru has treated me very well so far. 🙂

Note: Are you asking for travel advice about Peru? Read what the Solo Travel community had to say in the weekly destination thread for Peru .

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Any reason you want to go in July? It’ll be pretty chilly everywhere, especially in the mountains at night

Try to visit Lima on the weekend to experience the nightlife…perhaps a day at Huacachina as well

I went before pre-Covid. I spent 3 days in Lima,cand that was plenty. I stayed in Barranco, which was decent and was worth wandering around.

Cusco is worth more than a day. I spent a couple of days getting acclimated before doing the 4 Machu Piccu trek I used Llama Path and can recommend them. Then I spent a couple more days in Cusco after.

Puno is nicer than Juliaca. I'd stay there. Plenty of places to book a trip on the lake.

Food in Lima is delicious! I highly recommend you to try some of the nice restaurants there! Lima has 3 top 50 restaurants in the world, including the #1 spot! Make sure you make a reservation now if you can!

You'll also struggle with altitude a lot in Lake Titicaca if you go from Lima. Make sure you have some altitude sickness meds with you. Trust me, you'll like 99% suffer from altitude sickness doing that route.

I'm from the US 26F and I spent 1 year living and traveling in Peru on and off through 2022-23. My main interests are food, culture, and hiking/seeing nature, and here's some stuff I loved off the beaten path:

• In Lima, I lived in Barranco in the south of the city and I found it WAY more fun than Miraflores! Lots of street art and acclaimed restaurants. Isolina, Merito, and Central (super fancy, one of the top in the world) come to mind but there are many more. El Gato Tulipan is the cutest cafe/bar/art gallery/concert space/terrace, complete with resident cats. I implore you, stay in Barranco!!

• I agree with another commenter that Huaraz is a beautiful city with access to amazing hikes (dry season May-September). It is north from Lima though, so may not be worth it if you only have 2 weeks and want to focus on the south.

• I wanted to do one of the Inca Trails to Macchu Picchu but all those treks required booking too far in advance for me. In the end I decided to hit Choquequirao instead. It's Macchu Picchu's lesser-known relative, extensive Incan ruins still not fully excavated that can only be reached by a hike down 2000 m into a canyon and up the other side. You can go to Choquequirao and turn back or hike all the way through to Macchu Picchu, no guide required. It was so special. I saw the biggest spider of my life at night here... about the size of my face. You can also choose to hike up to Macchu Picchu from the base of the mountain at Aguas Calientes, which was cool, or follow the train tracks and walk back to Cusco, which was also cool. It's recommended to take a day or two to acclimate to the altitude.

• I love canyons so I visited Colca Canyon, considered the Grand Canyon of Peru. You can take a trail down and there are so many lovely little places to stay at the bottom. Cabanaconde was a great entry/exit point.

I speak fluent Spanish, had a full set of camping gear and generally lean adventurous, but you could do any of this with a normal backpacking setup. All of the hikes mentioned were not technical and had lodging options. I hope you have a lovely time in Peru!! <3

If you want to spend three days in the Titicaca region, consider an overnight stay on one of the islands. We did a homestay in Luquina combined with a lake tour that was interesting and different, but there are lots of options. I strongly recommend you start in Cuzco tho and THEN travel to Puno to give yourself more time to adjust your the altitude though.

Two things: train and don’t waste too much time in Lima.

Training: I had a hard time with the altitude in Peru even though I was physically fit. There’s not much you can do about that but you can at least make sure your muscles are stronger and used to walking uphill. My one recommendation for anyone going there is to train walking at a very steep incline on a treadmill. It will help your body and your heart tolerate the Andes’ steep gradients much better and aid with muscle recovery, which slows down in a reduced oxygen environment.

Lima: You don’t need 4 days there, especially if your trip is so short. 1-2 is more than enough. There really isn’t that much to do. It’s more about the food than anything else. Go to the Central Market, Mercado Surquillo, and maybe 1-2 other restaurants. If you’re into seafood, focus on that as you’ll have everything else in the mountains.

If you’re worried about being tired, start working on shifting your sleep/wake times a week before so the jet lag doesn’t hit you as hard. You’ll still be tired but, that’s the price to pay for transatlantic travel.

Hi! the altitude in Cuzco or Arequipa usually do not affect all people, Juliaca could be a little bit difficult but your body will adapt, I would recommend to include Arequipa in your trip, it is at 2500 masl, a good start before going to Cuzco and Puno. If you think Juliaca is not a great place, then Arequipa will fill your days. Here in Arequipa you can trek the Colca, take a 2 day trek or 3 day trek, it would be like a warm up and also you will learn a lot about Peru. You can also go to the Sillar route or the Salinas reserve and volcanoes, Arequipa is a city built in front of a Volcano, the view is beautiful. The guides in these cities (Arequipa, Cuzco, Puno) are usually very kind and full of knowledge, they will teach you a lot.

Skip Juliaca and spend a week in Cusco. Juliana, Puno, and Lake Titicaca is fun for a day when you are passing by, but it's not worth to take a plane to go there (or worse a bus ride).

Cusco is so great and magical, a week is still not enough. 2-3 days in Lima and 8-9 in Cusco is the best option imo.

Agree with other poster - I went to Peru prepandemic and was more than happy with essentially 2 full days in Lima (one on arrival where I booked a tour), and one at the end to ensure I wouldn’t miss my flight home. Stayed in miraflores. Traffic to the center is insane - the tour was worth it to avoid having to deal with it. Miraflores is fun to walk around.

Cusco deserves more time than Lima. There’s tonal day sites in the area plus the city itself. I took the train from Cuzco to lake titicaca and it was really lovely - not sure if you can book it reverse though.

For the altitude highly recommend getting prescription for diamox. Almost everyone I spoke to, when they arrived in Cusco for a day or two they were unwell. I had no issues. Key was the medication and staying really well hydrated. Also for Cusco, due to higher elevation it gets really chilly at night and in the morning. Pack warm clothes. During mid day the sun is quite bright with strong uv rays- pack a good hat and sun gear. Peru is fantastic!