I am travelling to Peru with a friend at the end of May. We've been following threads in the forum and have made up a rough itinerary. Just wanted to get some advice before we booked local flights in Peru.

We have 9 days and we've booked flights to/from Lima for the 21st of May. We've done a lot of travelling and a moderate amount of hiking here in the US, but never outside.

Here is the rest of our plan:

May 20, Friday
Reach Miami.

May21, Saturday
Depart from Miami at 8:45am.
Reach Lima on the same day at 3:15pm.
Looks like there are no flights out to Cuzco after this. Stay the night in Lima.

May 22, Sunday
Depart from Lima and reach Cuzco.
Go to Aguas Calientes same day by train. Stay overnight at Aguas Calientes. We are doing this because we hear tickets to Huayna Beach are limited and go out early. Also, Aguas Calientes is lower, so it might be easier to get acclimatized? Is staying in Aguas Calientes too expensive? I don't want to underestimate the altitude - are we pushing it? Is there an easier way to do this?

May 23, Monday
Machu Pichu, Huayna Beach, Inca Bridge, Hike down to Aguas Calientes.
Return to Cuzco/Ollantaytambo.
We want to see the sacred valley on Tuesday, does it make sense to return to Cuzco? How expensive is it to stay in Ollantaytambo?

May 24, Tuesday
Go to Sacred Valley.
Return to Cuzco

May 25, Wednesday (Buffer day in Cuzco)
Spend time in Cuzco - Local sights.
Should we spend more time here?


May 26, Thursday
Fly out to Puerto Maldonado. Reach there noon-ish.
Start tour into Amazon.
Do you recommend any good tours/agents?

Thu-Sat - Amazon tour.

May 29, Sunday
Fly to Lima from Puerto Maldonado - 11 am flight.

May 30, Monday
Fly out of Lima to Miami - 10.30 am.


Does this look like the best use of our time in Peru?
Any pointers will be super helpful. Thanks in advance!