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A plate of Peruvian ceviche with corn and fried calamari

10 days · The Coast · Cusco & the Sacred Valley · The Southern Andes

Peru for Food Lovers

Lima's tables, Sacred Valley farms, Cusco's markets and Arequipa's picanterías.

From US$4,800 per person, excluding international flights

Length
10 days
Regions
The Coast, Cusco & the Sacred Valley, The Southern Andes
Hiking
Easy walking
Highest night
~3,400 m · High
Best months
Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

Overview

Why it works

In Peru, the menu changes with the altitude. So does the view. This trip follows the food from Lima's cevicherías and tasting menus up to farm kitchens in the Sacred Valley, Cusco's markets and chocolate makers, then down to Arequipa's spicy lunch houses. Machu Picchu is there too.

Highlights

  • Three Lima tables we book for you
  • Pisco tasting
  • Pachamanca on a valley farm
  • San Pedro market tour
  • Chocolate workshop
  • Arequipa picantería lunch

Altitude profile

How this journey climbs

Highest night about 3,400 m; highest point about 3,700 m (verify). Diamonds mark days with a pacing tip. Altitude, explained

10 days: Peru for Food Lovers10 days. Highest night: Cusco, about 3,400 m (day 7). Highest point: about 3,700 m (day 4). Nights above 3,500 m: 0. All altitudes approximate (verify).
  • Low 0–1,500 m
  • Moderate 1,500–2,500 m
  • High 2,500–3,500 m
  • Very high 3,500 m+
  • Day's high point
LowModerateHighVery highSea level1k m2k m3k m4k m5k mD1150D2150D3150D42,870D52,870D62,040D73,400D83,400D92,335D10150Sleep (m)

Hover, tap or use the arrow keys on the chart to see each night. Altitudes are approximate (verify). This is general guidance, not medical advice.

Show as a table
10 days: Peru for Food Lovers: altitude by day
DaySleepSleep altitudeHigh pointTip
Day 1Lima~150 m · Low——
Day 2Lima~150 m · Low——
Day 3Lima~150 m · Low——
Day 4Sacred Valley~2,870 m · High~3,700 mSleep lower first
Day 5Sacred Valley~2,870 m · High~3,500 mTake it easy today
Day 6Aguas Calientes~2,040 m · Moderate——
Day 7Cusco~3,400 m · High—Take it easy today
Day 8Cusco~3,400 m · High—Drink plenty of water
Day 9Arequipa~2,335 m · Moderate—Heading lower: easier breathing
Day 10Departure~150 m · Low——

Day by day

Your itinerary

A welcome pisco sour and an early night.

  • Sleep: Lima, ~150 m (low)
  • Flight
  • Road

Stay: A garden house in Miraflores

Getting around

How you travel

  • Flights: Lima → Cusco, Cusco → Arequipa, Arequipa → Lima
  • Private road transfers
  • Train: Ollantaytambo → Aguas Calientes → Cusco

Machu Picchu details

By train

Timed entry on day 7.

Permit: Entry ticket only. Typically booked 1–4 months ahead.

Rules change, we'll confirm the latest. Rules change often, sometimes at short notice. We'll confirm the latest rules, ticket types and circuits when you book.

Machu Picchu planner

Accommodation

Where you'll stay

An arched colonial arcade with a checkered floor

Lima · boutique

A garden house in Miraflores

A restored 1920s house a short walk from the clifftop parks, with a quiet garden and a bar that takes its pisco seriously.

Terracotta buildings and gardens below green Sacred Valley hills

Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Maras & Moray · hacienda

A hacienda in the Sacred Valley

An old valley farmhouse with adobe walls, an orchard and llamas on the lawn. The gentlest first Andean night we know.

Leather armchairs in a quiet colonial patio in Cusco

Cusco · boutique

A boutique house in old Cusco

Built on an original Inca wall two blocks from the main square, with oxygen-enriched rooms and coca tea on arrival.

A stone courtyard with a fountain, volcanoes behind, in Arequipa

Arequipa & Colca Canyon · boutique

A sillar-stone house in Arequipa

White volcanic-stone arches around a sunny courtyard in Arequipa's historic centre, with a roof terrace facing Misti.

Experiences

Along the way

Take it with you

Download the full itinerary as a PDF, with the day-by-day plan and the altitude profile for every night.

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Make it yours

Change the pace, the hotels or the order. Your Peru Specialist will shape this journey around you.

Start planning