Peru - Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu planning help needed

I am taking advantage of the BA 100k card last year. Have 6 nights during July in Peru, looking to party and have a good time in Lima, and go see MP along with some other common sights in Cusco. I love to stay in hostels or couchsurf to meet locals and get to know the area better. Traveling by myself. Here's my plan:

Thurs
Arr LIM 11pm
Sleep in Lima
Meet up with couchsurfers and see Lima

Fri
Lima
Sleep in Lima
See ruins in Lima and go out in Miraflores / Barranco at night

Sat
Lima
Sleep in Lima

Sun
Fly to CUZ
Sleep in Cusco
Half day sightseeing in Cuzco / relax and rest to get used to altitude

Mon
More Cusco sights, Sacred Valley
Then go to Agua Calientes for the evening

Tues
MP / Huayna Picchu
Sleep in Agua Calientes

Wed
Half day sightseeing in Agua Calientes OR head back to Cusco
Fly CUZ-LIM in the early afternoon
FLY LIM-JFK a little after midnight (early Thurs morning)


Is this itinerary too dense? I haven't booked any tour or anything for MP/HP. Should I? I like to do things on my own, maybe hook up with other travelers that I meet along the way. How hard/safe is it to do that by myself? If I leave about 6-8 hours for my connection CUZ-LIM-JFK, will I be safe? It will be on two different PNRs, but both on LAN. Any other recommendations?

IMO your last day is overcharged. You need at least half a day to go back from Aguas calientes to Cuzco (train and bus). 6-8 hours layover in Lima should be ample, but flights out of Cuzco get rather delayed or cancelled in the afternoon than in the morning. I would rather spend some time in Lima at the end of my trip than at the beginning. Be aware that July is the worst time to visit Lima (foggy and cold), but a good time for Cuzco and surroundings (cold, but normally sunny).

I guess you know that you have to reserve both train and entry into MP. You can do so in Cuzco, but in case you travel at the end of July, I would suggest you do so beforehand via internet. I'm not sure, but I don't think you can reserve Huayna Picchu before arriving at MP. If you arrive early enough in MP (before 7am), it should not be a problem. By the way, there is nothing to see in Aguas Calientes (use it only to get up to MP early in the morning).

...By the way, there is nothing to see in Aguas Calientes (use it only to get up to MP early in the morning).

We just got back from burning our pre-Avios BA miles in late May. I would echo MarLim's comments regarding Aguas Calientes - there's nothing to do. My husband booked a 9pm train back to the Sacred Valley thinking that we could spend a few hours in AC after MP closed, but we ended up wishing that we had just gone back earlier and to rest up at the Tambo.

I'd say you can stay one day less in Lima and one more in Cuzco, but that's down to personal preferences. You can book any local tours in Cuzco, will pay less and they are the same. You can even combine transport, like take an organized tour around the sacred valley, then at Ollantaytambo, leave and take the train to MP, instead of going back to Cuzco. I believe there are hot springs and baths at Aguas Calientes if that's your thing, otherwise there is nothing to do there, you can take the evening train back.
There are a few trains between Cuzco and AC, but several more between Ollantaytambo and AC.

I'd say you can stay one day less in Lima and one more in Cuzco, but that's down to personal preferences.

I agree. That would give you more time to organize transport between Cusco and AC, cause the "Half day sightseeing in Agua Calientes OR head back to Cusco - Fly CUZ-LIM in the early afternoon" is more than overcharged, I'd say even impossible; how early is your CUZ-LIM flight? Anywy even if the schedule fits, I find it too risky.

On the other hand, if you do want to stay those days in Lima, what are you interested to see? I can give you tips about it too.

Hello, searching the web I could find a website http://www.aboutlima.com/ about Lima Peru, Lima Peru Hotels, Travel Agency Lima, Peru Adventure Sports, Machu Picchu, Hotels in Miraflores and also tour to Cusco, Sacred Valley, and I hope to serve you

¡Gracias! And, bienvenido a Flyertalk.

The site looks like it is an informational site rather than one that belongs to a specific agency, though it does accept advertising from some travel and other companies, so we can allow that to be posted here (the post was suppressed as spam until it could be examined and approved by moderators).

JDiver, Senior Moderator

There's a lot to do in Aguas Calientes - if you are a birder. (Cock of the rock, steamer duck, etc. etc.) but otherwise, borrring!

OTOH, in the Sacred Valley and in and around Cusco / Qosqo there is a LOT to see (but give yourself a bit of time and lots of hydration to adapt to the altitude). Markets (e.g. Pisac, especially on Sunday, maybe Chinchero, and in Cusco, the San Blás neighborhood for arts and crafts,) archaeological sites (in and near, such as the impressive Sacsayhuaman,) the site of Ollantaytambo (you can see exactly how the Incas built and moves stones and the site is beautiful - ou can take a bus to this place, see the ancient village with its pre-Columbian stone walls and the site, as well as a good chance to see Andean condors, then take the local train to Aguas Calientes - or vice versa).

In Cusco check out a place to stay where you also help impoverished kids at the Los Niños (http://www.ninoshotel.com/html-eng/accommodatie/accommodatie.html) hotels (singles with separate facilities begin at USD $23).

If one can spend a week or more, there's even more to see if one is interested in ancient cultures and see more of Tawantinsuyu - the land of the Incas - including the salinas (ancient and still working salt evaporating terraced pools) at Maras overlooking the Urubamba / Wilkamayu river, what we imagine are the ancient agricultural experimental terraces at Moray, etc. etc.

Lima has some interesting sites and sights from the museums to some archaeological areas and Centro Histórico to the Gold Museum (and for a more authentic feel than Miralfores, go to Barranco); Miraflores, not so much, merely a yuppie enclave at the coast, IMO. OTOH one can head south to the Ballestas Islands if one is interested in natural history, as well as the excellent museum nearby at Paracas, and on to Nazca for the lines.

Enjoy - and keep yourself secure; like most places with a lot of tourists and a lot of poverty, you stand a good chance of being separated from your wallet, valuables, camera, etc. if you do not take care.

I think you're doing it backwards. Start in the Sacred Valley, then MP, then Cuzco, and finish with time in Lima. It'll make your last day (when you fly LIM-JFK) more productive not to be in transit CUZ-LIM.

And it's usual to leave Mach Picchu for the last visit if possible. Since it's the most impressive site, it's better to do it as a grand finale than start with it. If you start with Machu Picchu then you will compare it with everything you see later and of course MP will always win ;).

But of course it depends on how all fits in your itinerary.

How far is Pisac from Cuzco and is the market open at 330 on Sunday afternoon?

How far is Pisac from Cuzco and is the market open at 330 on Sunday afternoon?

I have read it's also open en tuesday and thursday, but on sunday surely there is more activity, and the mass is in quechua at the main church. I don't know the exact market schedule but at 3:30pm is open fore sure.

Pisac is 35km from Cusco, 45 minutes aprox.

Pretty good advice, IMO. Sacred Valley, some excursion up to Moray etc. and on to Ollantaytambo, on to Machu Picchu and maybe the finale at Cusco due to the altitude. Sacsayhuamán and all are pretty impressive in their own right, but Macu Picchu is the jewel in the crown.

I wonder how much the valley will ultimately change, particularly in the area of the airport planned there "en algún futuro"? See it now, folks... before the whole thing becomes "Incalandia, por la Compañia Walt Disney". ;)

And it's usual to leave Mach Picchu for the last visit if possible. Since it's the most impressive site, it's better to do it as a grand finale than start with it. If you start with Machu Picchu then you will compare it with everything you see later and of course MP will always win ;).

But of course it depends on how all fits in your itinerary.