By Dan Forteza
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If you ask me what’s my favorite country out of the growing list of countries I visited, it would be hard to answer honestly. But definitely Peru would always pop into my head alongside Japan as my reply.
Personally, visiting Peru’s Machu Picchu has always been a dream of mine ever since I was in high school and got fascinated with world geography.
Read also: My Sapporo, Japan winter itinerary with must-see attractions
That’s why in this blog, I decided to share a more detailed budget travel guide of Peru taken from my two-week South American travel blog article.
Thus, expect that I’ll be sharing my 7-day Peru itinerary when I visited this amazing South American country last December, complete with a trip to the glorious Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain.
If you’re a budget traveler like me, this blog is without a doubt for you.
NOTE: Before you set foot in Peru or other South American countries, be sure to get your yellow fever vaccination first. If you’re somewhere around Manila in the Philippines, you can get it at the Bureau of Quarantine.
Read also: How to get your Yellow Fever Vaccine in Manila
Hi there! First of all, I am Daniel – a solo backpacker from the Philippines. If you don’t know my story yet, feel free to read this article where I talked about how I quit my job in order to travel. This article was also featured on TripZilla Philippines .
DO YOU NEED A VISA?
If you’re also a Philippine passport holder, you can enter and travel around Peru up to 90 days without a visa. This is also true for other South American countries where Filipinos can enter visa-free! I was lucky enough to visit Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador in South America which are visa-free countries for Filipinos.
If you’re from another country, you might want to check first the visa policy of Peru to verify whether you need a visa or not.
PERU 🇵🇪
Language: Spanish
Capital City: Lima
Currency: Peruvian Soles (PEN)
Int’l Airports in this trip: LIM, CUZ
Preferred mode of transportation: Uber Taxi
Time Zone: GMT -5
HOW I GOT TO PERU?
Finding a cheap flight ticket to Peru from the Asia-Pacific region is a bit difficult. They’re way more expensive in comparison to flights within Southeast Asia!
In my case, I utilized different airlines to jump from one country to another within South America. This is also to maximize my travel itinerary while only in a two-week vacation and to take advantage of being halfway around the world.
Here were my flight itineraries with costs:
- Manila (Philippines) – Sao Paolo (Brazil) [$927.80 Round Trip]
- Sao Paolo (Brazil) – Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) [$92.18]
- Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) – Lima (Peru) [$301.40]
- Lima (Peru) – Cusco (Peru) [$58.84]
- Cusco (Peru) – Lima (Peru) [$70.33]
- Lima (Peru) – Bogota (Colombia) [$94.25]
- Bogota (Colombia) – Quito (Ecuador) [$314.90]
- Quito (Ecuador) – Sao Paolo (Brazil) [$313.50]
- Sao Paolo (Brazil) – Manila (Philippines) [Included in RT]
NOTE: Manila to Sao Paolo route (and vice versa) was via Ethiopian Airlines and has two layovers at Hong Kong and Addis Ababa airports. No transit visa needed.
Read also: How to check if you need a visa for transiting
Timeline (of when I purchased them) and flight details are found here .
If you’re also coming from the Philippines (or wherever in the world actually), I suggest you check Kayak as they usually offer cheap fare rates compared to other booking sites. Per my experience, they’re the best!
HOW TO GET AROUND PERU?
- Intercity Flight
- Flying is the quickest way you can travel from one city to another (e.g., Lima to Cusco). As mentioned above, you can book using Kayak to get the best flight deals available.
- Taxi – Cities of Lima and Cusco
- Uber Taxi – Hailing an Uber taxi is the most convenient way of getting around big cities in Peru. Uber is also widely used in Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador.
TIP: You should integrate your credit/debit card as your primary payment method when using the Uber app so you won’t have to worry about paying in cash. Your Uber app will also adapt to the local currency of your location.
- Train – Cusco to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes)
- Incarail.com – Book your train ticket in advance online to avoid hassle. Incarail is the site I used to book my transport ticket from Cusco City to Machu Picchu.
The transport consists of two services (called Bimodal):
- Minibus (Cusco → Ollantaytambo)
- Train (Ollantaytambo → Machu Picchu Pueblo)
Here were my train itineraries with costs:
- Cusco – Machu Picchu [$79]
- Machu Picchu – Cusco [$76]
Subtotal: $155
Timeline and train details are found here .
NOTE: I have only listed the transport services I used during my 7-day Peru itinerary travel. If you have more time, you can also use public transport such as buses, mototaxis, and shared taxis called Collectivos.
WHERE DID I STAY IN PERU?
You can book a room at any hotel in Peru through Agoda or Booking.com. I usually book my accommodations through Booking.com. Room options range from cheap hostels to luxury hotels. Booking.com also offers free cancellation or pay-at-the-hotel options.
If hotels aren’t to your liking, try Airbnb. Airbnbs are immersed in neighborhoods, condos, and townhomes, giving you a more local experience. Since it is someone’s home, there is a certain pride you feel while staying there. I have used Airbnb on some of my other trips and loved it!
If you’re new to Airbnb, you can get up to $43 free travel credit by signing up through this link.
Book AGODA here
Book BOOKING.com here
Get AIRBNB $43 free credit
My Room Accommodations:
- Lima City
- Room type: Airbnb private room
- Cost per night: $14.18 ($28.36 for 2 nights)
- Cusco City
- Name: La Casa De Ingrid in Cusco
- Room type: Private room
- Cost per night: $12 ($36 for 3 nights)
- Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes)
- Name: Pirwa & Waca Machu Picchu (now Illapa Inn Machupicchu)
- Room type: Bed in 4-Bed Dormitory
- Cost per night: $6.30 ($12.60 for 2 nights)
Subtotal: $76.96
ANY OTHER TICKETS TO BUY IN ADVANCE?
I highly suggest booking your Machu Picchu ticket in advance to avoid running out of slots on the day you plan to visit.
If you also want to hike Waynu Picchu (the famous mountain behind Machu Picchu), you really need to book early because only about 200 hikers per day are allowed. I recommend booking at least 3–6 months in advance.
You will choose whether to add the Waynu Picchu hike when booking your ticket online and select your preferred schedule. I chose the 10:00–11:00 AM slot. Visit the official site here.
If you’re curious what the ticket looks like, here is mine.
TIP: My credit card was not accepted when booking the ticket online. I solved this by booking my hostel in Cusco early and asking the hostel owner to help me purchase the ticket locally.
You can also book Machu Picchu tickets easily through Viator:
Also consider booking the famous Rainbow Mountain tour when visiting Cusco.
- Machu Picchu + Waynu Picchu ticket $60
- Rainbow Mountain tour $31.50
Subtotal: $91.50
MY 7-DAY PERU ITINERARY
DAY 1: EXPLORING LIMA CITY
- PEN 195 – SIM Card with Internet (Lima Airport)
- PEN 37.5 – Uber Taxi: Lima Airport to Airbnb
- PEN 2 – Bread
- PEN 1.5 – Bottled Juice
- PEN 12.5 – Uber Taxi to Lima Square
- PEN 16 – Lunch: Chaufa con Pollo
- PEN 16 – Dinner: Chaufa con Pollo
- PEN 2 – Bottled Water
- PEN 9.5 – Uber Taxi back to apartment
Subtotal: PEN 292
NOTE: You will notice many “Chaufa con Pollo” meals in my expenses list. It means fried rice with chicken. As an Asian, I love rice, so whenever I was unsure about local dishes, I usually chose anything with rice!
DAY 2: EXPLORING LIMA CITY (2)
- PEN 3.5 – Some coffee near my apartment
- PEN 3 – Laundry detergent and fabric conditioner
- PEN 1.5 – Bottled water
- PEN 9.2 – Uber Taxi: Apartment to Lima Square
- PEN 16 – Lunch: Chaufa con Pollo (Fried rice, chicken, potatoes)
- PEN 16 – Dinner: Chaufa con Pollo (Fried rice, chicken, potatoes)
- PEN 11.5 – Uber Taxi: Somewhere to apartment
- Subtotal: PEN 60.7
NOTE: Yep, I did the laundry that day. My Airbnb host was very kind to assist me with my laundry needs.
I also met my Peruvian friend Ciprian, who took me to the Magic Water Circuit Show.
DAY 3: EXPLORING CUSCO CITY
- PEN 33 – Uber Taxi: Apartment to Jorge Chavez (LIM) Airport
- PEN 10.5 – McBreakfast at LIM Airport
- PEN 25 – Taxi: Cusco (CUZ) Airport to La Casa De Ingrid Hostel
- PEN 5.05 – Uber Taxi: Hostel to Plaza Mayor
- PEN 20 – Cusco city sightseeing bus tour
- PEN 0.2 – Toilet fee
- PEN 1 – Bread
- PEN 7 – Food (Chicken, rice, potato)
- Subtotal: PEN 101.75
NOTE: I saw many tour agents around Plaza Mayor offering city tours. I decided to take the chance and experience the Cusco sightseeing bus tour.
DAY 4: EN ROUTE TO MACHU PICCHU PUEBLO
- PEN 4.92 – Uber Taxi: Hostel to Plaza de Armas
- PEN 25 – Food (Chaufa con Pollo) with bottled water at Machu Picchu Pueblo
- Subtotal: PEN 29.92
NOTE: I was in transit to Machu Picchu Pueblo (also known as Aguas Calientes) this day. Fortunately, the train ticket included lunch and snacks.
Departure: 09:00 AM (estimated)
Arrival: 02:00 PM (estimated)
DAY 5: EXPLORING MACHU PICCHU RUINS
- PEN 3 – Bottled water
- PEN 40 – Bus ticket: Pueblo to Machu Picchu ruins
- PEN 50 – Tour guide fee
- PEN 2 – Toilet fee
- PEN 40 – Bus ticket: Machu Picchu ruins to Pueblo
- PEN 6 – Bottled water
- PEN 25 – Hamburger
- PEN 48 – Food (Chaufa con Pollo)
- Subtotal: PEN 214
NOTE: Machu Picchu can be reached either by hiking or by bus from Aguas Calientes. Hiking takes around 2–3 hours. My advice: just take the bus!
ANOTHER NOTE: I originally planned to explore Machu Picchu on my own. However, someone invited me to join their tour group for only 15 USD (50 PEN). It turned out to be one of the best tours I had.
TIP: Food is very expensive in Machu Picchu Pueblo. Bring or pack some food if you’re traveling on a tight budget.
DAY 6: BACK TO CUSCO CITY
- PEN 22 – Food (Chaufa con pollo)
- PEN 21 – Food (Chaufa con pollo)
- PEN 4.14 – Uber Taxi: Cusco drop-off to La Casa De Ingrid Hostel
- Subtotal: PEN 47.14
NOTE: Later that day, I was in transit from Machu Picchu Pueblo back to my hostel in Cusco City.
– Departure: 06:00 PM (estimated)
– Arrival: 10:00 PM (estimated)
DAY 7: HIKE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN
- PEN 1 – Toilet fee at Rainbow mountain
- PEN 3 – Coffee at Rainbow mountain
- PEN 6 – Photo Op with natives at the Rainbow Mountain summit
- PEN 1 – Toilet fee at Rainbow mountain
- Subtotal: PEN 11
NOTE: Breakfast and Lunch were included in the Rainbow Mountain Tour.
Rainbow Mountain Tour details:
- Pick up time: 3:30 – 4:00 AM
- Pick up location: My hostel
- Tour duration: One (1) whole day
DAY 8 (LAST DAY): TO BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- PEN 3.4 – Bottled Water and Doritos
- PEN 16.59 – Uber Taxi to Cusco (CUZ) Airport
- PEN 839.5 (USD 250) – Flight from Cusco to Lima (due to canceled flight)
- PEN 16.5 – Coke and Doritos Snacks
- Subtotal: PEN 876
NOTE: My flight Cusco-Lima via LC Peru Airlines was canceled. Basically, all LC Peru Airlines were canceled on that day. I just knew when I arrived at the airport. So then I booked a new flight Cusco-Lima via LATAM Airlines and in order to catch another flight Lima-Bogota via VivaAir. You have no idea how frustrated I was.
And there you have it!
Excluding the flight costs, here is the overall total of my expenses in Peru:
TOTAL: $155 (trains) + $76.96 (rooms) + $91.5 (tickets) + $480 (PEN 1632.51, 7-day cost)
TOTAL: $803.46
Because things happen, it is worth noting to set aside an emergency fund for unwanted expenses abroad. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed exploring Peru! I’m sure you would, too.
RECOMMENDED TOUR PACKAGES
If you have more days to spend in Peru, you might consider these cool package tours:
LIMA:
CUSCO:
- Cusco Airport Arrival Transfer
- Peruvian Cooking Class and Local Market
- Maras, Moray and Chinchero Private Day Trip
BOOKING ESSENTIALS
- Hotel / Hostel
- Booking.com – I usually book my hostel accommodation here. They offer options ranging from cheap hostels to luxury hotels, often with free cancellation.
- Airbnb – Great for finding comfy and cozy rooms. I have used Airbnb on many trips and highly recommend it for a more local experience.
Have you tried Airbnb? Sign up with my link and you will get up to 43 USD off your first stay. Click here to get that discount.
- Flights
- KAYAK – All of my flight bookings are through KAYAK. It searches hundreds of travel sites to find the best rates.
I suggest you check Kayak (HERE) as they usually offer cheaper fare rates compared to other booking sites.
- Tickets to book in advance:
- Other Package Tours:
- Viator – A leading resource for finding the best travel experiences worldwide.
Dan Travels 