Peru Complete Guide 2026 - Machu Picchu, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Lima, Arequipa, Titicaca & the Amazon
Browse more guides: Peru travel | South America destinations Peru Complete Guide 2026 - Machu Picchu, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Lima, Arequipa, Titicaca & the Amazon TL;DR Peru gave me the densest two weeks of any trip I have ever planned. I walked Cusco at 3,399 metres, slept above Lake Titicaca at 3,812 metres, climbed Machu Picchu at 2,430 metres on a circuit-coded ticket, drank coca tea in Arequipa under El Misti at 5,822 metres, and finished above the Amazon canopy outside Iquitos. The 2026 reality: Machu Picchu sells a daily cap of 4,500 timed circuit tickets, the Inca Trail demands permits booked six months ahead, Sacred Valley logistics have settled after the 2022-2023 protests, and the country runs on Cruz del Sur buses, LATAM domestic flights, and the PeruRail line into Aguas Calientes. Budget travellers run the country at PEN 280 to PEN 420 per day. Mid-range travellers like me sat at PEN 600 to PEN 900 per day. Give Peru ten nights minimum, fly into Lima, fly internal ...