About this trip
Ten days that take you from Lima's coast to the high Andes and Lake Titicaca, with a domestic flight bridging the two so you spend less time travelling and more time at altitude. It starts with the desert landscapes of Paracas and Huacachina before heading up to Cusco and the Sacred Valley.
The centrepiece is a run of high-altitude days: Rainbow Mountain, Humantay Lake, Machu Picchu, then the overland Route of the Sun from Cusco to Puno, ending with a boat trip out onto Lake Titicaca itself. Guided tours, transfers and three-star hotels are all arranged throughout.
It's a full itinerary rather than a slow one, moving from coast to mountains to altiplano with a lot of ground covered in a short space of time.
What you'll do
- Trek to Rainbow Mountain at 5,020m with views of Ausangate
- Hike to the turquoise waters of Humantay Lake at 4,200m
- Explore Machu Picchu after travelling in by train
- Follow the Route of the Sun from Cusco to Puno, stopping at Andahuaylillas chapel, Raqchi's Temple of Wiracocha and La Raya Pass
- Take a speedboat across Lake Titicaca to Taquile Island and the Uros floating reed islands, with lunch with a local family
- Ride dune buggies across the sand dunes at Huacachina and visit an Ica vineyard for a pisco tasting
- Altitude is a real factor here — Rainbow Mountain, Humantay Lake and La Raya Pass all sit above 4,000m, so build in time to acclimatise
- Fast-paced overall, with a lot of movement between coast, highlands and altiplano over the ten days
- Domestic flight, tourist-class buses and three-star hotels are included throughout, with daily breakfast
Worth it if you're reasonably fit, flexible with group changes, and want seamless logistics. Think twice if you're over 60, need downtime, or expect direct Waman guiding throughout.
- Guides like Wilbert and Papa Freddy elevate Machu Picchu visits with exceptional Inca history knowledge and patience.
- High-altitude hikes marketed as moderate include 14,000–16,000ft elevations; older travellers and those unacclimatized may struggle significantly.
- Most tours are subcontracted; hidden costs (island boat fees) only accepted in soles, and transport occasionally runs late.
- Itinerary is action-packed with few rest days and changing group sizes daily; Puno underwhelms compared to Cusco and Sacred Valley.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and fill fill in from our own tracking as it builds.
Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Lima · 21 Aug – 22 Aug
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