Late March into early April 2026
Peru.
Five travelers. Late March. Coast to Andes.
The premise
We're going to Peru in late March — and stretching the trip into something that justifies eleven hours of flying.
Below is everything we're considering. Seventeen places, roughly. Three ways to string them together. A budget that flexes by several thousand dollars depending on which train class you take and how often you trade a hostel for a boutique.
Timing
Late March,
honestly.
The shoulder-of-shoulder season. Easter falls on April 5, 2026, so we're slipping in just before flights and Cusco hotels start their pre-Holy-Week climb. There are tradeoffs.
In our favor
- The Inca Trail just reopens after February maintenance.
- Highlands are lush and green. Photographs look like paintings.
- Crowds are a fraction of June–August. Restaurants take walk-ins.
- Lima is at the tail of summer — 75°F days, calm seas in Paracas.
Working against us
- Afternoon rain in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Mornings usually clear.
- Amazon is at its wettest. Wildlife active, but bring DEET and a poncho.
- Salkantay and Inca Trail are muddy and slippery. Waterproof everything.
- Huaraz and Rainbow Mountain are best skipped this season.
Seventeen places
Everything we're considering,
in no particular order.
Three routes
Three ways to do this, depending on how much vacation you have.
10-Day Essentials
The greatest hits. Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu.
From
$1,800–3,000 / person
14-Day Classic
Add the south coast and the Arequipa–Colca–Titicaca circuit before Cusco. The full Gringo Trail.
From
$2,500–4,500 / person
18-Day Comprehensive
Everything in the Classic plus three days in the Tambopata Amazon. Maximum trip without rushing.
From
$3,500–6,500 / person
Budget
Per person. Scales with the group.
Based on a 14-day trip. International flights from the US are included. The four other people on the trip change the math on ground transport more than anything else.
Budget
≈ $2,400
Hostels and guesthouses, group tours, local restaurants, public buses. No Amazon, skip the Nazca flight.
Mid-Tier
≈ $4,200
Three-star hotels, mix of group and private tours, some nice meals, domestic flights, one or two splurges.
Splurge
≈ $7,300
Better hotels, private guides for archaeological context, longer Amazon lodge stay, Vistadome train. Culture-deep, not luxury.
What to book, when
Inca Trail permits go on sale six months out. Everything else has slack.
A timeline of the fifteen things that have to happen before we leave — color-coded by how anxious to be about each. Inca Trail permits and Lima hotels need attention now; the rest can wait.
See the timeline →