Machu Picchu & More

Yes, I am typing out this itinerary more than a year after visiting Peru. The thing is, I came back home from my trip to Peru to an altered world – one filled with Coronavirus, sickness, confusion, and despair.

Travel blogging seemed tone-deaf at best. Still, I persevered with my blog posts – more as a way of escapism and recording my memories before I forget all about my incredible adventure.

Now that the world seems to be opening up in a big way, I thought I’d share my itinerary with folks looking to plan a trip to Peru.

Day 1 – Lima

Lima has the only international airport in Peru currently. So, you would have to land in Lima, and depending on where you are coming from and what time you land, you may or may not want to explore. I landed late evening, so it was a stiff drink and sack out for me.

Note: Plans to have an international airport in Cusco are in the works, so check if you are short on time or are focused just on Machu Picchu.

Day 2 – Lima

Suggested activities

• Explore Barranco – the artsy, hip parts of Lima. Visit the Mario Testino photography museum. I, unfortunately, couldn’t do this as the museum was closed on Monday (the only day I was in Lima).
• Linger around Miraflores – this is a scenic part of the city. If you’ve seen any photos of Lima on the web, 90% of them would be from this area. I also suggest picking accommodation in Miraflores because it’s so pretty, safe, and tourist-friendly.
• Hang around the city center – The city center is another very Instagrammable place. There’s a beautiful cathedral (Convento de Santo Domingo), the square is charming, and there are many colonial-era buildings where you can admire the architecture.
• Visit Museo Larco – One of the prettiest museums I have seen. It’s not a very big place, but it does give a good insight into Peruvian pre-Colonial history and is a helpful introduction for when I started visiting the historical sites during my visit to Peru.

Day 3 – Cusco

I checked out of the hotel and flew to Cusco, flying over the Andes. Once I landed, it was a quick city tour covering the city center – Cathedral of San Blas, Korikancha (an old Inca building that is currently a museum), the market of San Pedro to get a glimpse of the local produce, then a short drive outside to view Sacsayhuaman – site of Inca ruins.

I had a few issues with the elevation, and I was glad it was a light sightseeing day where I didn’t have to walk around too much.

Cusco is a great town, with tons of excellent dining places. The hotel was close to the town center, and if I had had more energy, I would have done more than walk to the end of the road and eat at the first restaurant I found, followed by some grocery shopping, and hit the bed.

If you visit Cusco during the dry season (I didn’t), you want to spend an extra day exploring Rainbow Mountain. Unfortunately, they were closed when we visited (February), which is the rainy season, and not safe to go.

Day 4 – Sacred Valley

Left all my baggage at the hotel. I just took a small backpack containing essentials for the next couple of days and headed to the Sacred Valley in my cab. I had booked this tour from Hotel Novotel, so they provided the cab and tour guide up to Ollantaytambo.

Why did I leave my baggage at the hotel? Because we were going to travel by cab, train, and bus to Machu Picchu, I didn’t want to be burdened with all the luggage when I had to return to Cusco to board my flight to the next destination.

So backpack in hand, I started on a long, meandering drive through the Sacred Valley, with stops at Moray, other scenic viewpoints, and an unplanned stop when the car broke down and was left stranded on the highway for about an hour. Still, I arrived at Ollayantaytambo at a decent time, late in the afternoon but still bright.

It was still bright and sunny, so we explored the Inca ruins in town before checking into our hotel for an early night.

Day 5 – Machu Picchu

I got up bright and early, checked out of the hotel, and caught the train (two hours approx) from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo (the town at the base of the Machu Picchu ruins). This is the scenic Vistadome train – one of the best train rides I have ever had. Once we reached Machu Picchu town, we queued up at the bus station to take the bus ride up to the ruins (a 45-min drive). You can also choose to hike up the mountain to Machu Picchu.

By the time we reached the top, it was past 11. The tour around Machu Picchu takes another two hours. You don’t necessarily have to take the tour, but there is no audio tour option, and I didn’t think I would get much out of the ruins without someone explaining them to me.

Besides the historical aspect, Machu Picchu is incredibly scenic, the weather was beautiful, and we lingered till three or so until they had to tell us to get off the mountain as the buses would start running full.

The buses were incredibly full. Thankfully, it was a quick ride back to town for a late lunch and then wait at the train station for the evening train back to Ollantaytambo. I spent this time shopping for souvenirs at the station (best prices, quality, and decent bargaining). Of all the places in Peru, I think the train station had the best merchandise. I came away with sweatshirts (incredible quality – my daughter has worn them to death), fridge magnets, keychains, the works.

The train dropped me at Ollantaytambo, but I had booked my hotel at Cusco. So, it was a long cab drive back to Cusco past midnight.

The staff at the Cusco hotel were fabulous – they sent a tray full of desserts to the room to make up for the car breakdown from the previous day. It was very welcome as I was starving after the late lunch. Too tired to have a full meal, I gobbled down the free and delicious cakes.

Day 6 -Puno

I checked out from the hotel and went to Cusco airport to board the flight to Juliaca. Juliaca is a dead-end, seedy-looking town, but it is the closest airport to Lake Titicaca, in the remote southwest corner of Peru.

From Juliaca, I boarded a bus to Puno – another one-horse town. Seriously, I was getting a bit depressed and homesick and wondering why I had booked myself into this remote and dreary place for four nights!

One bright spot was a stop at Sillustani – a site of ancient tombs on a little hillock on Lake Umayo. It was stunning and scenic; stopping here (even though it was pouring) cheered me immensely.

A short tea and snack break at an incredibly shabby hut, and my depression was back in full force. What the fuck was I doing here? It also didn’t help that the hotel room that looked so nice in the picture didn’t have any views of the lake, was located in an isolated spot where it seemed dangerous to linger in the evenings, and to top it all, a toilet that wouldn’t flush. I complained about the loo many times during my stay, but the front desk person couldn’t even understand Spanish properly (she spoke Quechua), let alone English.

Stay (which I do not recommend): Hotel Xima, Puno.

More information: A Cold Rainy Afternoon in Sillustani

Day 7 – Isla Taquile and Amantani

This was a beautiful day – one of the best days of my tour (after Machu Picchu, of course). I headed to the lake to catch a boat that would take me to Taquile and Amantani islands. It took about two hours to reach Taquile – a sparsely populated island with no internet or modern amenities. The local tribes live isolated but self-sufficient lives growing their food, weaving their clothes, and hardly leaving the island.

Small but incredibly scenic, I enjoyed my hike across the island walking from one end to the other and enjoying the lovely views of the lake (and even Bolivia in the far distance).

Back on the boat again to visit Amantani Island. This was just as beautiful but slightly more modern with visible electricity poles. Amantani Island is a popular homestay destination, with most tourists opting to stay the night. Apparently, the sunrises here are beautiful. But seeing how rustic the place was, my luxury-loving self was quite happy to return to my comparatively better Puno hotel.

I did have a delicious lunch at the homestay. The owner had prepared some delicious quinoa soup and rice with veggies. And I loved every bit of it. Especially since the complimentary breakfast at Xima hotel was shitty.

Back in Puno and the hotel by three. I tried going for a short walk in vain, hoping that something interesting was down the corner. But the only exciting thing in that place was me, I guess. I felt very uncomfortable with the stares and decided to return to the hotel.

Thankfully, I always carry enough reading material with me when I travel. So, I relaxed in my room with The White Queen by Philippa Gregory – which was excellent.

More information: Cruising Lake Titicaca

Day 8 – Uros islands

The next day, it was back to the lake for a tour of the floating Uros Islands. This is a short tour lasting for about 2-3 hours. I”ll be honest; it’s a bit of a tourist trap. But if you are in Puno, there’s not much to do apart from getting on the lake. So, it was a decent time-pass. The weather was lovely, and it was an okay-ish way to spend the morning.

After the Uros island tour, it was back to the hotel – where I alternated between staring at the walls/reading my book/Instagramming for the rest of the day and night.

I don’t know what I was thinking. I had this idea of a pleasant, sophisticated resort town by a lake, but the reality was crushing.

More information: Uros Floating Villages in Lake Titicaca

Day 9 -Chucuito

I got up in the morning and dragged myself to a tour of Chucuito. By this time, I was seriously done with Puno and homesick. I realize that nine days is just a bit too much travel for me personally (especially on a solo trip). I missed my family; I missed my home. And Puno (apart from Taquile and Amantani) was a bit of a disappointment. Unfortunately, because there aren’t daily connecting flights out of Peru, I was forced into an extra day’s stay.

Chucuito is a town close to Puno. There I hung around the deserted town square, visited a fertility temple, which was mildly amusing, petted a few alpacas, and then done.

By 11 am, I was being driven back to the hotel by the kindly guide, who kept discouraging me from roaming the town alone. But I had had enough! No way I would spend one more boring afternoon in the room. I made her drop me off at the Puno town center, where I once more went shopping for souvenirs, enjoyed a reasonably good lunch at a restaurant, and felt a little more in touch with the place.

I came back to the hotel late-ish and started packing for my flight back home, which I was a little nervous about. My guide warned me to be early for the flight back because Covid rumors were spreading, and some flights were getting canceled/rebooked.

One more worry!

Day 10 – Homeward bound

I got up all geared up to get this done. This was a long travel route back with multiple hops. Bus from Puno to Juliaca. Then LATAM airways flight from Juliaca > Lima > Panama City. Then KLM flight from Panama City > Amsterdam > New Delhi. Then Vistara flight from New Delhi to Bangalore. Phew!

I had a few hairy moments in Panama City where it seemed like I would get bounced off my flight. I don’t know what exactly happened, but I eventually got on board. Phew! It took almost two days to get home, and with the time difference and everything, I was a bit of a zombie for days.

Hope you find this itinerary useful. Get in touch if you have questions about anything!