Classic Peru and Lake Titicaca - My Peru Destinations

Peru Packages · 11 days · Lima · Cusco · Machu Picchu · Lake Titicaca

11 Day Tour: Classic Peru

and Lake Titicaca

The complete southern Peru circuit. Lima’s historic center and gastronomy, Cusco city, Maras and Moray, Machu Picchu, the Route of the Sun and Lake Titicaca. Floating islands, Taquile weavers and the highest navigable lake on earth at 3,812 metres.

PRIVATE GUIDES

LAKE TITICACA

ROUT OF THE SUN

UROS ISLANDS

YEAR-ROUND

From per person

$1,490

Economy · Double occupancy

Overview Itinerary Altitude & Climate Prices Included Tips Similar Tours

Duration

11 days / 10 nights

Destinations

Lima · Cusco · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Puno · Titicaca

Max altitude

3,812 m · Lake Titicaca

Availability

Year-round · Any start date

Overview

Eleven days is the minimum required to do the complete southern Peru circuit justice. Lima gets two nights instead of one, which allows a proper half-day Lima city tour on day two before the flight to Cusco. The Cusco and Machu Picchu section follows the same structure as the 7-day itinerary with the addition of an overnight in the Sacred Valley and the Maras and Moray morning. The final three days are entirely devoted to the south: the Route of the Sun by bus or train from Cusco to Puno, stopping at the Andean ruins of Raqchi, Pukara and the viewpoint of La Raya pass at 4,335 metres, and then two days on Lake Titicaca visiting the Uros floating reed islands and Taquile island, where the weaving tradition is UNESCO-listed.

What makes this tour different

Lima city tour including historic center, Plaza Mayor, San Francisco catacombs and Huaca Huallamarca pyramid

Route of the Sun from Cusco to Puno: one of the great overland journeys in South America, 394 km through the altiplano

Lake Titicaca at 3,812 m: the highest navigable lake on earth and the sacred origin point of the Inca civilization

Uros floating islands: communities living on hand-built reed platforms, continuously maintained and rebuilt

Taquile island: UNESCO-listed weaving tradition, community lunch and views of the lake at 3,950 metres

La Raya pass at 4,335 m: the highest point of the Route of the Sun, where the watershed between the Pacific and the Amazon basin is visible

Day by day itinerary

Day 1 · Lima

Arrival in Lima

Welcome at Jorge Chávez International Airport and private transfer to your hotel in Miraflores or Barranco. Lima at 80 metres above sea level. No altitude concerns tonight. The Miraflores Malecón with its Pacific cliffs and gardens is the ideal first evening walk if your flight arrives with time to spare.

Altitude

80 m · Sea level

Accommodation

Miraflores or Barranco

Meals

None · Arrival day

Tip: This itinerary gives you two nights in Lima instead of one, which makes it worth booking a dinner reservation at one of the city’s great cevicherías or fine dining restaurants for tonight. Gaston Acurio’s La Mar for ceviche at lunch tomorrow, or Central for dinner if you want the world-class experience immediately.

Day 2 · Lima and flight to Cusco

Lima city tour and flight to Cusco

Morning Lima city tour covering the UNESCO-listed historic center: Plaza Mayor flanked by the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Government Palace, the Convent of San Francisco with its colonial baroque library and underground catacombs that hold the remains of 25,000 people, and Huaca Huallamarca in San Isidro, a restored pre-Inca mud-brick pyramid that has been inhabited continuously for over 4,000 years. After lunch, transfer to the airport for the afternoon flight to Cusco. On arrival at 3,400 metres, transfer directly to your hotel. Afternoon acclimatization.

Morning

Lima city tour · Historic center

Flight

~1 hr 20 min · Afternoon

Altitude

80 m Lima → 3,399 m Cusco

Meals

Breakfast

Altitude transition: You are going from sea level to 3,400 metres in a single afternoon. Drink 3 litres of water from the moment you land. No alcohol tonight. Coca tea at the hotel. Light dinner. The city tour tomorrow will be much better if you rest properly tonight.

Day 3 · Cusco

Cusco City Tour

Free morning to acclimatize. Afternoon guided city tour: Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral with the famous Last Supper painting where the main dish is guinea pig, Qorikancha where Spanish built the Church of Santo Domingo over the Inca Temple of the Sun so perfectly that the foundations are still visible, and the four sites on the city outskirts: Sacsayhuamán with its 125-tonne stone blocks, Qenqo, Tambomachay and Puka Pukara. One full afternoon, unhurried, with a specialist guide.

Altitude

3,399 m

Morning

Free · Acclimatization

Afternoon

Full guided city tour

Meals

Breakfast

Tip: The San Blas neighborhood in the morning is ideal for acclimatization walking: narrow cobblestone streets, artisan workshops and the highest viewpoint over the city. Steep enough to make you breathe hard, short enough to do in 30 minutes.

Day 4 · Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley: Pisac and Ollantaytambo

Full day in the Sacred Valley at 2,870 metres, a welcome altitude drop from Cusco. The morning begins at the Pisac archaeological complex, built on a ridge above the valley with one of the most extensive systems of agricultural terraces in the Inca empire: more than 40 individual terrace platforms covering the entire mountainside. Above the terraces, the religious and ceremonial sector includes temples aligned to the solstices and an Inca necropolis carved directly into the cliff face, with over 10,000 individual tombs visible from below. At the foot of the mountain, the Pisac artisan market is one of the most genuine in the region, where the same families have been weaving, producing ceramics and working silver for generations. Take time to speak to the producers directly through your guide. After a buffet lunch of regional specialties, the afternoon visits Ollantaytambo, the only Inca town in Peru that has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century without interruption. Its cobblestone streets still run with the original Inca water channels, the same terraces that fed the town centuries ago are still cultivated, and the fortress-temple complex above the town remains one of the most complete examples of Inca military and religious architecture in existence. In 1536 it was also the site of the only Inca military victory against the Spanish, when Manco Inca routed the forces of Hernando Pizarro from these same terraces. Overnight in a Sacred Valley hotel.

Altitude

3,399 m

Sites

Pisac ruins · Pisac market · Ollantaytambo

Meals

Breakfast and lunch

Accommodation

Sacred Valley · 1 night

Day 5 · Maras · Moray · TrainDay 4 · Sacred Valley

Maras, Moray and train to Aguas Calientes

The morning visits two sites that rarely receive the attention they deserve. Moray comes first: a complex of concentric circular terraces sunk into a natural bowl in the earth, reaching approximately 30 metres in depth from the rim to the lowest ring. Each terrace level creates a different microclimate, with a temperature differential of up to 15 degrees Celsius between the top and bottom rings. The Incas used this system as an agricultural research center, experimenting with crops at different simulated altitudes to understand which varieties could be cultivated where across their vast empire. The geometry seen from above is extraordinary: a series of perfect rings descending into the earth like a natural amphitheater. Then the Maras salt pans, a system of over 3,000 individual salt evaporation pools terraced across a mountain slope above the valley, fed by a single saltwater spring that has never been adequately explained by geologists. The system has been operated continuously since before the Inca period. Each pool is owned and worked by a different family from the village of Maras. The chromatic contrast between the brilliant white of the crystallized salt and the ochre and terracotta of the surrounding mountain is one of the most distinctive landscapes in Peru. In the afternoon, transfer to the Ollantaytambo train station and board the train to Aguas Calientes alongside the Urubamba river. The 90-minute journey passes through a dramatic change in vegetation: from the dry Andean scrub of the valley to the dense cloud forest of the Urubamba canyon, where waterfalls appear on the cliffs and the air becomes noticeably warmer and wetter in the final 30 minutes before arrival.

Altitude

3,500 m Moray · 3,380 m Maras

Train

~1 hr 30 min · Afternoon

Meals

Breakfast

Accommodation

Aguas Calientes · 2,040 m

Tip: Buy salt directly from the pool families at Maras. Small bags are sold at the site itself for the same price you would pay in Cusco markets, except here the money goes directly to the family who worked that specific pool. The salt has a distinctive mineral flavor from the underground spring source and it is genuinely different from commercial salt.

Day 6 · Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu citadel

First bus at 5:30 AM from Aguas Calientes. The 30-minute ride winds up the mountain in the dark and delivers you to the citadel gate as the sun begins to rise over the ridge. The citadel at 2,430 metres is dramatically lower than Cusco, and the combination of lower altitude, warm humidity from the cloud forest and the morning light on the stone makes the physical experience of Machu Picchu noticeably different from anything you have felt in the highlands above.

Machu Picchu entry is managed by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and requires a purchased circuit ticket. Each circuit covers a different area of the site and they are not interchangeable. Circuit 1 is the upper circuit, following the terraces and the agricultural zone before entering the citadel from above: best for an overview of the entire site and the classic photographs from the guardhouse viewpoint. Circuit 2 is the most comprehensive, entering through the urban sector and covering the Temple of the Sun, the Royal Palace, the Intihuatana astronomical stone, the Sacred Plaza, the Temple of the Three Windows and the agricultural terraces: this is the circuit that most travelers want for a first visit. Circuit 3 extends to the Inca Bridge, a retractable wooden walkway on a cliff ledge that served as a secret access point to the citadel. Circuit 4 extends to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), the original arrival point for travelers coming along the Inca Trail. When booking your itinerary with us, we discuss which circuit best matches your interests and physical level and secure the tickets accordingly. Your guide covers all the significant sectors within the assigned circuit, typically 2 to 3 hours of guided explanation followed by free time.

Altitude

2,430 m · Machu Picchu

Circuits

1, 2, 3 or 4 · Assigned at booking

Entry

Ministry of Culture · Included in all tiers

Meals

Breakfast

Return

Train and private transfer to Cusco

2026 important: Inca Trail permits no longer include Machu Picchu citadel entry since January 2026. The two tickets must be purchased separately. We manage both simultaneously for all clients at the time of booking confirmation. If planning independently, citadel tickets are purchased at tuboleto.cultura.pe. Peak season slots (June to September) sell out 2 to 3 months in advance.

Day 7 · Cusco

Free day in Cusco

Full free day in Cusco. The San Pedro market, the San Blas barrio, the MAP café for dinner, optional excursions to Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake available through Hello Visit Peru. This rest day before the Puno journey also allows preparation for the 3,812-metre altitude of Lake Titicaca, which is higher than Cusco.

Altitude

3,399 m

Program

Free · Optional excursions available

Meals

Breakfast

Optionals

Rainbow Mountain · Humantay Lake

Titicaca preparation: Lake Titicaca is 400 metres higher than Cusco. The acclimatization you have built over 5 days in Cusco is your preparation for Puno. Stay hydrated today. Light activity. Tomorrow is a long travel day.

Day 8 · Route of the Sun

Cusco to Puno: Route of the Sun

One of the great overland journeys in South America. The 394-kilometre route from Cusco to Puno follows the altiplano through a series of archaeological sites and Andean landscapes that no flight can show you. The bus or train stops at the temple complex of Raqchi, dedicated to Wiracocha with its extraordinary 12-metre walls, the colonial church of Andahuaylillas known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, and the pre-Inca funerary towers at Pukara. La Raya pass at 4,335 metres is the highest point of the journey and the continental divide between the Pacific and the Amazon basin: the water on one side of the road eventually reaches the Pacific, the water on the other side reaches the Atlantic via the Amazon. The journey concludes in Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca as the sun sets over the water

Distance

394 km · Cusco to Puno

Max altitud

4,335 m · La Raya pass

Duration

~8 to 9 hrs · Full day journey

Optionals

Tourist bus with guide or Titicaca train

Bus or train? The Inca Express tourist bus stops at all archaeological sites with a guide on board. The Titicaca Train (Peru Rail) is more comfortable but stops at fewer points. We recommend the Inca Express for first-time travelers on this route: the archaeological stops are significant and the altiplano landscape is best understood by road. The train for those who have done the route before and want the comfort.

Day 9 · Uros and Taquile

Uros floating islands and Taquile

Full day on Lake Titicaca at 3,812 metres. The morning visits the Uros floating islands: communities living on hand-built platforms of totora reed, continuously maintained and rebuilt as the reed below decomposes. The islands have been continuously inhabited for centuries, originally built as a defensive measure to escape mainland conflicts. A community member explains the construction and maintenance of the platforms. The afternoon crosses to Taquile island where the male weaving tradition is UNESCO-listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The men of Taquile learn to weave before the age of ten and the intricacy of their work is extraordinary. Community lunch on the island with views of the lake, then the return boat to Puno as the Andean sun sets over the water.

Altitude

3,812 m · Lake Titicaca · 3,950 m · Taquile island

Transport

Private boat on the lake

Meals

Breakfast and community lunch on Taquile

Walking

Moderate · Steps on Taquile

Tip: The steps up to Taquile village are steep at 3,950 metres. Take them slowly. Most travelers who rush the ascent need 20 minutes to recover at the top. The weaving market in the village square is where to buy directly from the weavers. Quality is immediately distinguishable from imported imitations: the stitch density of genuine Taquile work has no equal.

Day 10 · Puno to Lima

Sillustani and flight to Lima

Free morning in Puno. Optional excursion to Sillustani, 35 kilometres from Puno: the pre-Inca chullpa funerary towers of the Colla culture on a windswept peninsula above Lake Umayo. The cylindrical towers, some over 12 metres tall, predate the Incas and are among the most striking and least-visited sites in the southern circuit. 90 minutes round trip from Puno and worth it if your flight schedule allows. In the afternoon, private transfer to Juliaca airport (45 minutes from Puno) for your flight to Lima. The journey from Juliaca to Lima takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. Arrival in Lima late afternoon or evening. Transfer to your hotel in Miraflores.

Altitude

3,812 m Puno → 80 m Lima

Optional

Sillustani towers · Morning

Flight

Juliaca to Lima · ~1 hr 40 min

Meals

Breakfast

Connection note: Allow at least 3 hours between your Juliaca arrival in Lima and any international connection. Andean weather causes frequent delays on the Juliaca route. Confirm flight timing with us when booking.

Day 11 · Lima · Departure

Final Lima morning and departure transfer

Final breakfast at your Lima hotel. Free time in the morning before your international flight. If you have a late departure, the Larco Museum in Miraflores is the ideal final Peru experience: the finest collection of pre-Columbian gold, ceramics and textiles in the world, open until 10 PM. The museum garden café is one of the better lunch spots in Miraflores. Private transfer to Jorge Chávez International Airport for your departure. Eleven days across Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, the Route of the Sun and Lake Titicaca.

Transfer

Private to Jorge Chávez Airport

Meals

Breakfast

Optional

Larco Museum · Open until 10 PM

Last tip: The Larco Museum shop has the best selection of high-quality artisan pieces in Lima. Worth visiting even if time is short before departure.

Altitude and climate

Lima

80 m

Sea level · Days 1 to 2

Cusco

3,399 m

Sea level · Days 1 to 2

Machu Picchu

2,430 m

Lowest highland site · Day 6

La Raya Pass

4,335 m

Route of the Sun · Day 8

Lake Titicaca

3,812 m

Higher than Cusco · Days 8 to 10

Taquile Island

3,950 m

Steep steps at altitude · Day 9

Aguas Calientes

2,040 m

Warm and humid · Day 5

Sacred Valley

2,870 m

Lower than Cusco · Day 4

The critical altitude note on this itinerary is that Lake Titicaca at 3,812 metres is higher than Cusco at 3,399 metres. After five nights in Cusco and the Sacred Valley you will have the acclimatization required for Puno and the lake. Do not go directly from Lima to Puno. The Route of the Sun on day 8 crosses La Raya at 4,335 metres, but the crossing is brief and you are in a vehicle rather than exerting yourself physically.

Season

Months

Cusco

Puno / Titicaca

Verdict

Dry season

May to October

Days 18-22°C · Nights 2-8°C

Days 14-18°C ·
Nights -2 to 6°C

Best. Cold Puno nights. Bring warm layers. Pack a down jacket for Titicaca boat mornings.

Shoulder

April · November

Days 17-21°C · Nights 5-10°C

Days 13-17°C ·
Nights 2-8°C

Good conditions. Occasional showers. Fewer crowds at Titicaca.

Wet season

December to March

Days 16-20°C · Nights 8-12°C

Days 12-16°C ·
Nights 4-10°C

Viable. Lake Titicaca is accessible. Route of the Sun can have muddy stops. Warmer nights in Puno.

Prices and categories

All prices are per person based on double occupancy. Economy is shared service throughout. Standard (4 stars) and above are fully private. Comfort uses 4-star superior hotels and Vistadome Observatory glass roof train. Luxury uses 5-star hotels throughout with all meals and private specialist guides. International flights not included.

Economy

$1,490

per person · double

3-star hotels throughout
Expedition train service
Shared group tours and guides
Shared bus to Machu Picchu
Shared bus Cusco to Puno
Shared boat on Titicaca
Basic breakfast daily

What is included

Included in all tiers

All accommodation (10 nights)
Lima to Cusco domestic flight
Puno (Juliaca) to Lima domestic flight
Train to and from Aguas Calientes
Bus to Machu Picchu gate
Machu Picchu entry ticket and circuit
Lima city tour (Day 2)
Cusco city tour (Day 3 afternoon)
Sacred Valley full day (Pisac, Ollantaytambo)
Maras and Moray visit
Cusco to Puno overland (bus or train by tier)
Uros and Taquile full day boat tour
Community lunch on Taquile Island
All entrance fees to included sites
24-hour emergency contact

Not included

International flights to/from Peru
Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
Meals not specified per tier
Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets
Optional Sillustani excursion (Day 10)
Optional Rainbow Mountain or Humantay (Day 7)
Personal spending and tips
Visa fees if applicable

Essential tips for this tour

Puno nights are cold

Lake Titicaca at 3,812 m drops below freezing on clear nights in the dry season. A down jacket or heavy fleece is essential for the boat mornings on the lake. Even in summer, the wind off the water at this altitude is cold. Do not underpack for the Puno section.

Route of the Sun: bus vs train

The Inca Express tourist bus stops at Raqchi, Andahuaylillas and Pukara with a guide on board. The Titicaca Train is more comfortable but bypasses the stops. For a first visit, the Inca Express is the better choice: the sites are significant and you understand the altiplano landscape properly by road. The train for those who have done the route before.

Buy textiles on Taquile, not in Cusco

The woven pieces sold on Taquile island are made by the men and women of the community. Prices are similar to Cusco markets but the money stays on the island. The quality of genuine Taquile weaving is immediately distinguishable from imported imitations by the stitch density and the natural dyes

Uros: go with an open mind

The Uros islands receive many visitors daily and the community has adapted to tourism accordingly. Some visitors feel the experience is staged. The floating reed platform construction is genuine: get off the boat and walk on the platform. The reed beneath your feet is real. Ask your guide to take you to one of the smaller, less-visited islands further from the docking point.

Altitude medication for Puno

Lake Titicaca is 400 m higher than Cusco. Most travelers who have acclimatized in Cusco for 4 to 5 days arrive in Puno with no symptoms. If you are sensitive to altitude, consult your doctor about continuing acetazolamide (Diamox) through the Puno days. Ibuprofen for headaches. Coca tea freely available throughout.

Best light on the lake

Lake Titicaca at sunrise, before the wind picks up and while the water is still glass, is one of the most spectacular photography experiences in South America. The first boats leave Puno dock at 7 AM. Request the early departure if available. The Uros islands in morning light with the Cordillera Real visible on the Bolivian side are extraordinary.

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Book this package

11 Day Tour: Classic Peru and Titicaca

From per person (double occupancy)

$1,490

Economy · See all tiers above

Book this package

Duration

11 days / 10 nights

Destinations

Lima · Cusco · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Titicaca

Max altitude

4,335 m · La Raya pass (vehicle)

Titicaca altitude

3,812 m · Higher than Cusco

Best season

May to October

Group size

Private · 2 to 16

Difficulty

Easy to moderate

Languages

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