L'Heure du Voyage
🇵🇪 Itinerary · Peru · 30 days

1-month Peru itinerary 2026: the grand tour

30 days from the Pacific to the Amazon: Lima, Arequipa, Colca, Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu, the rainbow mountain, the Amazon and the Cordillera Blanca. Budget and stops.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

30 days

Stops

South, Amazon & North

Average budget

€3,800-5,500

Total distance

~5,000 km

Profile

Full adventure

Season

May-Sep

Lima & coast 3d · Arequipa & Colca 4d · Titicaca 2d · Cusco & Valley 5d · Machu Picchu & rainbow 4d · Amazon 4d · Huaraz 5d · Lima 3d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Peru 1-month itinerary map: Lima, Paracas, Arequipa, Colca, Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Amazon, Huaraz

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

8 days, day by day

1

~€70/day

Stage 1 · Lima & the Pacific coast (D1-3)

  • D1 Arrival in Lima, Miraflores and Barranco, gastronomy (cebicherías, Central).
  • D2 Historic centre, Larco Museum, night bus to Paracas.
  • D3 Ballestas Islands, Paracas reserve, Huacachina oasis and sandboarding.
🛌 🛌 Lima & Huacachina (3 nights)·🚌 Cruz del Sur bus·Peru guide →
2

~€75/day

Stage 2 · Arequipa & Colca Canyon (D4-7)

  • D4 Flight to Arequipa (2,335 m), Santa Catalina convent.
  • D5 Yanahuara viewpoint, acclimatisation rest, pisco sour.
  • D6 Drive to Colca, Patapampa pass (4,910 m), hot springs.
  • D7 Cruz del Condor at daybreak, drive to Puno.
🛌 🛌 Arequipa & Colca (4 nights)·✈️ Flight + 🚐 mountain road
3

~€70/day

Stage 3 · Lake Titicaca (D8-9)

  • D8 Uros floating islands and Taquile Island (3,812 m).
  • D9 Night with locals on Amantani, sunrise over the lake.
🛌 🛌 Puno & Amantani (2 nights)·🛥️ Boat on the lake
4

~€75/day

Stage 4 · Cusco & Sacred Valley (D10-14)

  • D10 Tourist bus Puno → Cusco, 4 Inca sites en route.
  • D11 Cusco: Qorikancha, San Blas, Sacsayhuamán.
  • D12 Pisac market and terraces, Maras salt pans, Moray.
  • D13 Ollantaytambo, the last Inca bastion.
  • D14 Free day, coffee and chocolate, rest before Machu Picchu.
🛌 🛌 Cusco & Sacred Valley (5 nights)·🚌 Tourist bus + 🚐 collectivo
5

~€110/day

Stage 5 · Machu Picchu & rainbow mountain (D15-18)

  • D15 Train to Aguas Calientes, first visit to Machu Picchu.
  • D16 Second visit at daybreak or Huayna Picchu, return to Cusco.
  • D17 Vinicunca rainbow mountain (5,200 m), very early start.
  • D18 Pitumarca Red Valley, rest in Cusco.
🛌 🛌 Aguas Calientes & Cusco (4 nights)·🚆 Train + 🚐 mountain 4x4
6

~€95/day

Stage 6 · Amazon (Puerto Maldonado) (D19-22)

  • D19 Flight Cusco → Puerto Maldonado, canoe to a Tambopata lodge.
  • D20 Lake Sandoval, giant otters, caimans, monkeys.
  • D21 Parrot clay lick at daybreak, guided forest walk.
  • D22 Canopy, piranha fishing, return to Cusco then Lima.
🛌 🛌 Tambopata lodge (3 nights)·✈️ Flight + 🛶 canoe
7

~€70/day

Stage 7 · Huaraz & Cordillera Blanca (D23-27)

  • D23 Flight Lima → Huaraz (or night bus), acclimatise at 3,050 m.
  • D24 Laguna 69 (4,600 m), one of the finest hikes in the Andes.
  • D25 Huascarán national park, Llanganuco lagoons.
  • D26 Chavín de Huántar, a UNESCO pre-Inca site.
  • D27 Laguna Parón or rest, return to Lima.
🛌 🛌 Huaraz · mountain lodge (5 nights)·🚐 4x4 + 🥾 hikes
8

~€70/day

Stage 8 · Lima & return (D28-30)

  • D28 Back to Lima, last gastronomic day (Maido, Central, markets).
  • D29 Barranco district, street art, textile and coffee shopping.
  • D30 Return flight to Paris (via Madrid or Amsterdam).
🛌 🛌 Miraflores · e.g. Casa Andina (3 nights)·✈️ Domestic flight + ✈️ return flight

How much

Itinerary budget (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€3,800

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €1,050
  • 🏨 Hostels & simple lodges: €20/night
  • 🍽️ Menús del día: €12/day
  • ✈️ Domestic flights: €280
  • 🎫 Machu Picchu, Amazon & sites: €600
Recommended

Comfort

€4,800

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €1,150
  • 🏨 3★ hotels & lodges: €75/night
  • 🍽️ Mixed restos: €28/day
  • ✈️ Domestic flights: €320
  • 🎫 Trains, guides & entries: €750

Premium

€9,000

per person

  • ✈️ Business flight: €2,500
  • 🏨 5★ & Belmond/Inkaterra lodges: €260/night
  • 🍽️ Fine dining: €75/day
  • 🚆 Hiram Bingham train: €480
  • 🎫 Private guides & luxury Amazon lodges: €1,000

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

1 week

1 week

Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. The Inca essentials.

2 weeks

2 weeks

The full southern circuit, from the Pacific to Titicaca.

You're here

1 month

1 month

The grand tour: South, Amazon, rainbow mountain and Cordillera Blanca.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

Over a month, Peru is covered by combining comfortable night buses, several domestic flights (Arequipa, Amazon, Huaraz), boats on Titicaca and the Tambopata, and the Machu Picchu train. Altitude management and Amazon weather are the two keys.

✈️

Domestic flights (LATAM, Sky)

Lima-Arequipa, Cusco-Amazon, Lima-Huaraz · time saver

🚌

Inka Express tourist bus

Puno → Cusco · 4 Inca sites included

🚆

Machu Picchu train

€70 round trip · PeruRail or Inca Rail

🛶

Amazon canoe

Puerto Maldonado → Tambopata lodge

🥾

Cordillera Blanca hikes

Laguna 69 (4,600 m) · acclimatisation required

Adapt by season

May-September, the Andean window

The grand tour follows the Andean dry season (May-September): clear skies over Machu Picchu, the rainbow mountain and the Cordillera Blanca. The Amazon is also less rainy from May to October, which fits well. The coast stays grey in austral winter but that's secondary here. Avoid February: the Inca Trail closes and the rains blur the peaks.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In June 2025 I kept the Cordillera Blanca for the end, after three weeks at altitude: Laguna 69 at 4,600 m felt easy, while it floors those who land straight from Lima. Stringing the altitude in the right order turns hard hikes into pleasures.
  • • The Amazon mid-trip, as a break: after the mineral Andes, the jungle changes everything.
  • • The rainbow mountain at 5am: before the groups and before the clouds rise at 10am.
  • • The Puno-Cusco tourist bus: 4 Inca sites en route, far better value than the direct bus.
  • • Booking Machu Picchu and the Amazon the moment you buy the flights: everything goes fast in dry season.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Cut Huaraz to 4 days if the weather is bad and add a night in the Amazon.
  • • Do the rainbow mountain via Palccoyo (lower, less crowded) if Vinicunca worries you.
  • • Avoid finishing at altitude: ending in Lima, at sea level, is restful.
  • • Swap Puerto Maldonado for Iquitos for a wilder Amazon (but pricier).

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is a month too much for Peru? +
No. Peru is huge and varied: a month lets you add the Amazon, the Cordillera Blanca and the rainbow mountain to the classic southern circuit, without rushing. It's the ideal format for a full adventure.
In what order should you handle altitude over a month? +
Climb in stages: coast, Arequipa (2,335 m), Colca, Titicaca (3,812 m), Cusco. Keep the highest hikes (rainbow mountain 5,200 m, Laguna 69 4,600 m) for the end, once acclimatised.
Which Amazon to choose, Puerto Maldonado or Iquitos? +
Puerto Maldonado is more accessible from Cusco (short flight) and cheaper. Iquitos offers deeper jungle and big cruises, but needs more time and budget.
What's the best time? +
May to September: Andean dry season and a less rainy Amazon. Avoid February (Inca Trail closed, blurred peaks).
Do you need many domestic flights? +
Three main ones (Lima-Arequipa, Cusco-Amazon, Lima-Huaraz) plus the Cusco-Lima return flight. They save several days over a month and limit fatigue. The rest is by bus and train.
What budget for a month? +
Count €3,800 in backpacker mode, €4,800 in comfort (3★ hotels, lodges, domestic flights), flight from Europe included. Machu Picchu, the Amazon and the domestic flights are the key costs.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

Profile →