Lima-Cusco Itinerary, help?
 

I've got a very late start on planning a Peru trip taking place from 9/7 to 9/16, please tell me if this is a good itinerary? I feel like i have 1 too many days in either Cuzco and/or Lima.

Fri-9/7
Arrive in Lima 3:15PM

Sat-9/8
Fly to Cuzco 8am

Sun-9/9
Sacred Valley (tour?)

Mon-9/10
Train to Agua Caliente
Hike Putucusi

Tue-9/11
Macchu Picchu
Return to Cuzco

Wed-9/12
Explore Cuzco

Thu-9/13
Cuzco city tour (or do it on Wed?)

Fri-9/14
Return to Lima
Stay in Miraflores?

Sat-9/15
Lima (what to do?)

Sun-9/16
Depart from Lima (morning)

I have not yet booked the LIM-CUZ flight yet, so dates can be adjusted. I was considering doing the Sacred Valley tour on Thursday 9/13 but I read that Sunday is better for Pisac?

I think it's fine.
On sat. 8 you will have time to acclimate altitude, and probably hang around quietly around Cusco city. I suggest to go to Convento de La Merced (one block from main square), to admire the beautiful treasures and jewels. Check the opening times, cause it's few hours per day, that's why usually it's not included in city tours.

2 days in Machu Picchu area gives you enogh time to visit the ruins and climb one mountain (why Putucusi instead of Huayna Pichu? just curious, I have not climbed any so I can't suggest, but usually I don't read people choose Putucusi).

Yes Pisac market, though it's open several days at week, it's better on sundays, or so I read. Farmers shows their uncommon products that day.

Sept. 13 and 14 in Cusco gives you enough time to do the city tour, including the ruins near the city (Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Sacsayhuaman).

Now your day at Sacred Valley including Pisac, probably will let you visit one more site, probably Ollanytaytambo. So on day 13 or 14, you could do a visit to Chinchero and Moray, near the sacred valley but actually not within the valley. It's 45 minutes from Cusco, or less. So I'll program it for one of those days. I wouldn't accept a one day tour of Pisac+Ollantaytambo+Chinchero, cause it would be too rush. So be careful with what they offer to you.

Yes, I'd suggest to stay at Miraflores (my neighborhood! ;) )
Suggestions in Lima of course include historic Downtown Lima and a good restaurant (lot of options!), but tell us what are your preferences, what do you like to visit, see (more ruins? museums? old/bohemian neighborhoods? nightlife) to give you more detailed suggestions.

Putucusi because it's free? or am i wrong? haha.

Any recommendations for tour companies/groups? i was just looking at the ones offered by different hostels, I assumed they were all the same. Ollantaytambo, Pisac, and Chinchero. So your suggestion is to do a Ollantaytambo+Pisac only and do Chinchero+Moray the next day.

We're pretty much up for whatever, but for nightlife we're not really the dancing/club type haha.

I agree with Villavic, Pisac market and ruins and Ollantaytambo ruins is enough for one day. Stay at Ollantaytambo on Sunday night, that's where the trains to Aguas Calientes leave.

I think you have enough time in Cuzco to see all the relevant sites and could, if there would be need, cut 1 day, but given the fact that September is not the best month for Lima, but a good one for Cuzco, I would rather spend 1 day too much in Cuzco than in Lima.

Ok, so I'll do the Cuzco city tour on Wed and do Chinchero and Moray on Thursday.

are there tour companies that offer Ollanytaytambo+Pisac and Chinchero+Moray only? I've only been able to find Ollanytaytambo+Pisac+Chinchero in 1 day.

Moray+Mara seem to be another tour option but those are like $160 per person for a private tour?! I can't find any group tours for like $15-20pp.

Where have you been looking for tours? There are much more options for visiting Moray+Mara when looking for tours in Cuzco in person as most tourists don't have as planned trip. Recepcionist, local tourism office etc should be able to help you with finding cheaper options.

google and trip advisor, briefly, haven't had time to go in depth yet. i like planning ahead to be safe and not waste time. but maybe i'll just have to ask reception or the tourism office as you suggest.

Ok, how's this instead:

Sat-9/8
Fly to Cuzco 8am
Explore, stay the night

Sun-9/9
Go on to Ollanytayambo (staying here for the night)
Travel to Uruamba and Pisac ourselves via taxi/bus (no tour!)

Mon-9/10
Train to Agua Caliente

and then the following Wed/Thurs, we'll do Chinchero, Moray, and Maras. <- Any suggestions for this? Tour or no tour?

On Sunday travel to Ollantaytambo via Pisac and Urubamba, don't go first to Ollantaytambo. You could also consider staying the night from Saturday to Sunday in Pisac. It's somewhat lower than Cuzco, therefore easier to adapt to the altitude.

On your way back from Ollantaytambo to Cuzco (after MP), hire a taxi and ask the driver to stop at Chinchero, Moray and Maras (it's on the way), different route than Pisac however.

Only problem with that is there is no train from Urubamba to Agua Caliente on the morning of 9/10. Perurail refers to "Ollanta" as Sacred Valley, is that the station in Ollantaytambo? How long does it take to get from Pisac to "Ollanta"?

The reason for staying in Pisac, per your suggestion, and not Ollantaytambo is because we'll have luggage. I can't imagine carrying luggage through Pisac, Urubamba, and then to Ollantaytambo.

I guess the easiest thing to do is follow the intinerary in my previous post. We'll arrive and explore Ollantaytambo on Sat 9/8 and take a day trip from Ollantaytambo to Urubamba and Pisac on Sun 9/9. That way I don't have to worry about the luggage and getting from Pisac to Ollantaytambo in the morning to catch the train to Agua Caliente.

Ollanta is indeed Ollantaytambo, that's were all trains to Aguas Calientes either depart or pass by.

If you want to stay 2 nights in Ollanta, then I can see your point, that's not what I understood from your previous post. I thought you want to stay the first night in Cuzco and then go for another night to Ollanta, my suggestion was to skip the Cuzco night and replace it with a night in Pisac. Ollanta-Pisac is about 1h drive, not a big issue time-wise, but if you go by taxi, certainly more expensive compared to breaking the journey in Pisac, which is more or less on the way to Ollanta.

However, 2 nights in Ollanta has even the advantage that it is lower than Pisac in terms of altitude and therefore even better for acclimatization.

Thanks. Yeah, I will stay 2 nights in Ollantaytambo and head out to Agua Caliente from there. If I return to Ollantaytambo from Agua Caliente, how much will a taxi charge for an entire day to take me to Moray, Maras, and Chinchero, then to Cuzco? Would it be hard to find a taxi that's willing to do this, or should i look for a private tour company?

I contacted a well-reviewed company and they quoted me $140 total (2 people)for a Ollantaytambo-Moray-Maras-Chinchero-Cuzco itinerary.

I don't know taxi fares in the Cuzco area as I did move around by rental car. However USD 140 for an entire day does not sound completely out of place. It is probably more difficult to find a taxi in Ollanta than in Cuzco due to its small size, therefore I would go with a pre-reserved solution. In any case, if prices are not completely different, I would certainly prefer a well-reviewed company over any taxi I just hail on the road, especially if you have baggage.

There are some tour agencies at Ollantaytambo main square. I think you can negotiate a better prices for the tour you mention. As MarLim said, getting a taxi in Ollantaytambo for a tour could be difficult (though not impossible, but there are more in Urubamba and of course Cusco city).

I know those agencies in Oll. offer personalized tours too, I asked when I was there in july, just for info cause I was driving by myself.