I’ve been asked several questions about my trip to Perú, and I thought a blog post would be the best way to answer those questions properly. Perú has been on my bucket list for years and this trip lived up to my expectations and then some. This trip allowed me to accomplish three things from my 30 before 30 bucket list which I posted in the heights of the pandemic. My 5-day trip to Perú was supposed to be 6 days, but a strike by the Jamaican air traffic controllers robbed me a day of my trip and I’m still a bit salty. Anyway, here’s what I did during my short trip and what things costed. Next South American stop: the Galapagos Islands, I hope!
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My 5 Day Itinerary in Perú
- Day 1: Flight from Lima to Cusco. Exploring some sights in the city of Cusco (Plaza de Armas, some churches, Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo)
- Day 2: Train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (also called Machu Picchu Town). I explored the small town, went to Baños Termales (hot spring) and its waterfall
- Day 3: Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu
- Day 4: Full day of traveling. Train from Aguas Calientes to Cusco, flight from Cusco to Lima.
- Day 5: Exploring Larcomar, Miraflores and the art district of Barranco in Lima.
This is a simplified version of my itinerary, of course. I arrived in the country at 10:38pm on a Friday, and left on Thursday of the following week at 3:00am so technically I was there for a bit over 5 days. However, those extra hours were just spent waiting around at the airport so they don’t count in my book. Also, please note that my trip was in May 2022 which falls within the start of peak season.
Here’s more information on when is the best time to visit Peru.
My Perú Budget
This poster summarizes all the costs of my trip. The only expenses I left out were the money Sky Airline STOLE from me after they changed my flight to 7+ hours earlier a few days before my trip, promised me a refund then left my application unanswered for over a month! If anyone has any suggestions on how I can get my refund from these scammers, I’d love to hear it! (AUGUST UPDATE: Finally got the refund!) All I’ve done so far was resort to tagging them in a series of vents on Instagram, and I’ve left negative reviews detailing how I got scammed on TripAdvisor and Skytrax (an airline review website). All this is really to save other travelers from making the mistake I did. We have a saying in Jamaica: anything cheap nuh good, and I’ve proven it here. Their last minute flight change left me scrambling to book a new ticket with LATAM airline, so of course that ticket turned out very expensive (US$217). I then had to fork out another US$140 on an even more last minute flight change after the Jamaican airline workers went on strike, so I spent an extra US$266 not included in this graphic because my misfortune is an exception and not the rule.
Another thing to note is that I didn’t travel alone. Therefore, while I listed the full cost of my accommodation in that graphic, I spent half that figure on my stay. Accommodation and food can be very affordable in Peru once you go to 3-star hotels and B&Bs, and don’t dine at high end restaurants. Therefore, I’m sure I could’ve spent an extra week in Peru for under US$300. You just have to know what your priorities are. I didn’t travel for the hotel; I traveled for the attractions. Therefore, all I needed was a clean comfortable room to sleep in, place to shower and breakfast. The money I saved on food and hotel costs was put towards other things like transport and entry tickets, which made the trip more economical.
Something to bear in mind: Peru has a tourism-dependent economy so the country is designed to get as much money from tourists as possible (not unlike my own country Jamaica). Therefore, entry tickets for foreigners cost twice as much than for locals. Purchasing a bus or entry ticket to touristy places like Machu Picchu requires showing your passport, so don’t even think you can get away with pretending to be local. What you can save on hotel and food costs will be quickly gobbled up by ticket prices to attractions so spend wisely.
Lastly, be sure to haggle well. The street vendors are very aggressive and will price up goods for unsuspecting tourists, so research or ask at the hotel what things should cost. Try not to pay too much extra for stuff if you’re on a budget. Most restaurants have a server or stand bearing their menu at the door, so look through their prices before getting seated. If prices aren’t favorable, walk away. There’s no shortage of restaurants from which to choose.
Pro Tip: Book travel insurance before your trip.
Wrap Up
Do you have any additional questions about traveling to Peru that I didn’t answer? Ask away in the comments. 😀 Recap my first Peru post here, and look out for the rest of the series. Like, share + pin this post and subscribe to ensure you don’t miss new adventures.
Take care! ‘Til next time.
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