A week in Peru? Alpaca my bags!

One week exploring Lima and hiking the Inca Trail

The Inca Trail in Peru has always been on my bucket list, so when a group from school decided to tackle it with Alpaca Expeditions during Spring Break, I jumped at the opportunity. When planning your Inca Trail trek, it’s crucial to arrive in Cusco a few days early to acclimate to the high altitude. The adjustment period not only helps prevent altitude sickness but also allows you to explore the former Incan capital and gives you a bit of buffer time in the event of flight cancellations or delays. Additionally, don’t miss the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Lima at the beginning and/or end of your trip. The capital city is a food lover’s paradise, with several of the world’s top-rated restaurants.

Day 1: Lima

Stay at Tierra Viva Miraflores Mendiburu: Since we were only in Lima for one night before continuing on to Cusco (and because we were spending so much money on fine dining experiences), we opted for a cheaper hotel. We stayed at the Tierra Viva Miraflores Mendiburu for $52 USD a night. The hotel was simple / no frills but was very comfortable and located in the middle of the best gastronomic area of Lima: Miraflores. We could easily walk to all the best restaurants. Additionally, the hotel had a great rooftop breakfast buffet that was included.

Walking tour of Lima’s Historic Center: A walking tour – like this one – was a great way to see the highlights of Lima’s Historic Center: San Martin Square, Plaza de Armas (the main square), Government Palace, Basilica, and Convent of San Francisco. Make sure you select a tour that includes the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Government Palace! It takes place every day at noon outside, is free to watch, and features a brass band, marching of troops, and the changing of the guard.

Lunch at La Mar: Ceviche is considered the national dish of Peru and La Mar tops the list of best cevicherias in the city. La Mar is only open between noon and 5:30pm each day to ensure only the freshest produce is served. There areno reservations, so make sure to get there as soon as it opens to beat the line. The menu is enormous and a little overwhelming, but you can’t go wrong with the classic ceviche made with catch of the day (accompanied by at least one pisco sour, of course).

Visit the Larco Museum: The Larco Museum was founded in 1926 by Rafael Larco Hoyle and houses over 45,000 pre-Columbian art and artifacts spanning 5,000 years of Peruvian history. The museum features chronological galleries and a notable Gold and Silver collection, but the most interesting (and slightly bizarre) exhibit was the Gallery of pre-Columbian Erotic Pottery (not a joke) – definitely don’t miss that one. The museum is also known for the ability to view items not on display; visitors are free to peruse Cupisnique, Chimú, Chancay, Nazca, and Inca civilization artifacts in enormous storage rooms (see below). The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and there is a cafe at the ground level that is perfect for an afternoon snack.

Dinner at Mayta: Lima is home to several of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants (if you’re new here, eating my way through this list is a bit of a hobby), and Mayta was the first one we dined at. The restaurant is famous for its use of local ingredients and traditional Peruvian flavors in a 12-course tasting menu. I had high hopes for Mayta. While some courses were delicious and the presentation was really creative throughout, I did not care for four of the 12 courses (and I can’t in good faith recommend a restaurant where I didn’t like a third of the menu). However, menus change and culinary tastes are subjective! But in retrospect, I wish we had opted for Maido or Mérito.

Day 2: Lima / Fly to Cusco

Lunch at El Mercado: Because there’s just no such thing as too much ceviche! Before heading to Cusco for the Inca Trail hike, we had to squeeze more lunch into the schedule, and El Mercado was within walking distance of our hotel. Excellent ceviches and a chic, laid-back dining room.

Fly to Cusco: We flew from Lima to Cusco on Avianca, which took about an hour and 20 minutes.

Stay at Sonesta Hotel Cusco: It wasn’t the fanciest hotel in Cusco, but I’d absolutely recommend the Sonesta Hotel before and after hiking the Inca Trail. It was within walking distance of all the main attractions and Cusco’s historic center, and the staff were super friendly and organized (critical since we were such a large group). They also had a great breakfast…and I’m a sucker for a good breakfast.

Day 3: Cusco

Visit Cristo Blanco: The Cristo Blanco statue is a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cusco. Standing 26 feet tall on Pukamoqo hill, it depicts Jesus Christ with outstretched arms (very similar to Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer). The statue was donated by Arab-Palestinian immigrants after World War II as a gesture of gratitude for Cusco’s hospitality and has become one of the city’s most recognizable features. Its location near the Sacsayhuaman archaeological site offers beautiful panoramic views of Cusco. Although you can get there by taxi or public transportation, I would absolutely encourage going on foot! The walk through the city is lovely (pictures below) and takes about an hour. Entry to the statue is free year-round.

Lunch at Chicha por Gaston Acurio: We stopped at Chicha por Gaston Acurio for lunch and the food was fine. I’m mostly including it because I tried my first taste of alpaca meat here (and it was pretty tasty). Make sure you try this regional delicacy at least once before you leave Cusco!

Visit the Plaza de Armas: Cusco’s Plaza de Armas is a main square similar to the identically-named Lima Plaza de Armas with a variety of restaurants, bars, and shops. After strolling through the square’s shops (and securing the perfect alpaca sweater to bring home), grab a seat on the steps of the Cathedral for some excellent people watching.

Hiking the Inca Trail

The Inca Trail is one of only two hikes in the world that require the use of a licensed tour operator (the other being Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania). The Peruvian government began regulating the Inca Trail in 1990 to address environmental concerns; tour operators help regulate group sizes and porter loads. A warning: tour operator quality can vary significantly across several metrics, including hiker experience and treatment of staff, making it crucial to conduct thorough research before choosing one. I highly recommend Alpaca Expeditions! Considered the premier operator on the Inca Trail, they offer competitive pricing and the best hiking experience. Meals, equipment, and staff quality were all top notch, and the trek was logistically flawless. An additional note is that Alpaca also maintains the highest standards of care and equipment for their porters.

A second note: weather on the Inca Trail varies significantly throughout the year, with two main seasons affecting hiking conditions. The dry season (May to September) offers clearer skies and less rainfall but colder nights, while the wet season (October to April) brings warmer temperatures, higher humidity, and more frequent rain. Regardless of the season, weather in the Andes can be unpredictable, with temperatures fluctuating dramatically between day and night. You should be prepared for various conditions, including sudden rain showers or cold spells, even during the dry season.

Day 4: Inca Trail

Cusco – Piskacucho Km 82 – Llactapata- Ayapata
Distance: 8.7 miles (6 – 7 hours)

Day four of the trip marked day one of the Inca Trail hike! Alpaca Expeditions picked us up from our hotel at 4:30 AM, and our first stop was the Porter House where we had a delicious breakfast prepared by our cook and met our team of 63 (!!) porters and staff (pictured below). It was mind-boggling to think there were roughly two porters supporting one hiker. It was even more humbling to later watch them essentially run the same trail we were all huffing and puffing on all while lugging a pack four times the size of ours (video below).

After breakfast we drove to the first Inca Trail checkpoint and began the hike. The first two hours of the trek were relatively easy as we made our way to Patallacta, the first ancient Inca checkpoint on the road to Machu Picchu. From Patallacta, it was another another two hour hike to our lunch stop. While I was impressed after breakfast, I was even more impressed after lunch: each meal that the chefs prepared for us was a seated, multi-course feast; definitely not the brown-bag sandwiches I would have been eating on my own. After lunch, we hiked for another 2.5 hours until we reached the first night’s campsite at Ayapata, had another delicious meal, and went to bed.

Day 5: Inca Trail

Dead Woman´s Pass – Runcuraccay Pass – Chaquiccocha
Distance: 9.94 miles (7 – 8 hours)

Day two on the Inca Trail is the longest day of hiking with the most elevation gain. Porters woke us up with a hot cup of coca tea (while not scientifically proven, it definitely helped me with the effects of altitude…maybe the placebo effect, but I’ll take it!) and a huge breakfast spread. We hiked for roughly four hours to the highest point of the trek, Dead Woman’s Pass, which stands at 13,829 feet; I was definitely short of breath when we finally reached the top! Unfortunately it was foggy, so we weren’t able to enjoy what was probably a lovely view. We hiked down into a valley, enjoyed a lunch break, and then we ascended to the second pass of the trek and stopped at Runcu Raccay, a small Inca site (pictured below).

We continued our hike to our second campsite, Chaquicocha, where we enjoyed a much-needed break for the night and dinner.

Day 6: Inca Trail

Chaquiccocha – Wiñaywayna
Distance: 6.2 miles (5 hours)

Our third day on the trail took us into the Cloud Forest, which offered great views of Salkantay, the second highest snow-capped mountain in the Sacred Valley, and the Urubamba River (pictured below).

We arrived at our campsite for lunch and then spent the afternoon visiting Wiñay Wayna, the most impressive, well-known Inca site on the trail after Machu Picchu (pictured below). We even made a few alpaca friends during our tour!

Day 7: Inca Trail

Machu Picchu

On our last day of the hike, we were woken up at 3:30 AM, which ensured we were one of the first groups to start trekking when the rangers open the gates at 5:30 AM. We reached the Sun Gate an hour later, but unfortunately, the views of Machu Picchu were completely obscured by fog (as is often the case regardless of season). As we continued to hike down, the views of the city got better! I had such a feeling of accomplishment when we reached the last checkpoint and finally entered Machu Picchu. After four days without a shower, we definitely stood in stark contrast to the groomed and perfumed tourists who were merely bused in for the day.

After a two hour tour of Machu Picchu, we headed into the town of Aguas Calientes for lunch at Full House. Although my stomach wanted nothing more than a greasy burger, there was a second local delicacy that I needed to check off my list: cuy (aka guinea pig…apologies and condolences to anyone who owned/loved one as a child). TLDR; I didn’t love it. It had a rubbery chicken consistency and fishy taste – a terrible combination. BUT totally worth saying you tried it at least once.

Day 8: Lima

Stay at Casa Republica Barranco Boutique Hotel: Since we were staying in Lima one more night on the way back home, we decided to stay in a different area to see more of the city. Casa Republica in the Barranco neighborhood was lovely – a boutique hotel in a great location (with a cute courtyard that was great for breakfast / relaxing in the afternoon).

Lunch at Central: I would be lying if I said I didn’t specifically return to Lima on my way home just to eat at Central, which now graces the World’s 50 Best The Best of the Best list. Because I totally did. In fact, when I went to book the reservation in September, the only availability remaining for March was for lunch (so obviously, lunch it was). Central’s menu concept revolves around altitude – they only use ingredients of a specific altitude per course, from -100m below sea level to 5000m above sea level. It was a cool idea, and the courses really reflect Peru’s biodiversity. The food was innovative, the plates were stunningly beautiful, and there were so many new ingredients that I had never tried before. However, like Mayta, there were a few courses that I thought didn’t taste like anything or that I just didn’t like (and it wasn’t just me…the rest of my tablemates felt the same!). Additionally, while I was full after the meal, two of my friends were still hungry (definitely not how you want to feel after spending ~$400 on a meal). While that was disappointing, I’m still grateful for the experience of eating at the #1 restaurant in the world (at the time).

Of note, the rankings have been reshuffled since my trip, and Maido now resides in the top 10. I didn’t have enough time to dine there, but would jump at the chance to go back and try it.

Explore Barranco: Thankfully, our hotel was in the middle of many boutiques and art galleries, so we didn’t have to go far to explore. We found a few hidden gems in Dédalo (contemporary Peruvian crafts, home decor, clothing, jewelry, art, etc.), Museo Jade Rivera (paintings), and Artesanos Don Bosco (incredible furniture that I wish I could have taken home).

Watch the sunset in Barranco: We capped the trip off by watching the sunset. There’s no real beach in Lima (at least not one worth walking along), but there are a number of cliffside parks in Barranco, like Parque Malecón de Barranco. Grab a seat on the ledge and enjoy the view!