So you're heading to Peru? Let's get it right.
We've put together the ultimate guide to visiting Peru — everything you need to know. Machu Picchu fully decoded (Circuit 2, train + Salkantay options, who to book with). Cusco + the Sacred Valley. Where to stay, our favourite hostels, Lima as the best eating city on the continent, the Colca Canyon condors, Huaraz's lake hikes, the Amazon two ways, the altitude playbook, how to get around — and so much more. Over 1,000 hours of research, time on the ground and community submissions. This is the guide you need.
Every review is from a paying Aussies In member — unfiltered, unedited.
"Landed in Cusco convinced we'd get last-minute Inca Trail permits and got laughed at politely by three different agencies. The guide's Salkantay pitch saved the trip. Went with Machu Picchu Team on the 5-day, groups of 12 so it felt personal, and the crystal dome at Soraypampa was the highlight, better views than my Airbnb back home. Mentioned Aussies In at booking, USD 15 off, no hoops."
Did Salkantay with Machu Picchu Team based on the guide's write-up. The pass day is brutal, no way around that, but nights one and two make up for it. Dome accommodation was the sell for me and it delivered. Would have blown the same money on a wet tent otherwise. Ended up on Circuit 2 like the guide says, which is the only circuit that shows you the postcard shot from above.
Was an Inca Trail or bust head until I read this. The Salkantay breakdown changed our whole approach, half the cost, no permit headache, and you actually walk into Machu Picchu on day five. Best decision we made and we never would've considered it without this guide.
The altitude playbook alone is worth fifteen bucks. We spent two nights in the Sacred Valley first instead of flying straight to Cusco, and we were the only ones in our group not horizontal on day one. Honestly should be the first thing anyone reads before going.
Skimmed the Lima section thinking we'd just transit through. Ended up staying four nights based on the food picks and it was easily the best eating week of my life. Wouldn't have set foot in half those restaurants without this.
Reviews are from verified Aussies In buyers. Names abbreviated for privacy. No reviews have been removed or edited beyond grammar.
4 preview chapters are free below. 9 chapters — the bulk of the guide — unlock with purchase.
Most travellers spend 20–40 hours researching a trip like this — scrolling Reddit threads, saving Instagram videos, watching YouTubers in monetised content loops, comparing 12 blog posts that all say the same thing. This guide is what those hours should have given you.
"Knowing what to skip is worth as much as knowing what to do."
Cusco + Sacred Valley + Machu Picchu, Arequipa + Colca + Titicaca, Lima + the South Coast, Huaraz + Cordillera Blanca, the North + Beaches, the Amazon + Hidden Gems
Every route in: Salkantay (Machu Picchu Team, our partner), classic Inca Trail (permits sell out ~a year ahead), train + Circuit 2, Lares, Inca Jungle. Which circuit, which season, what to book and when
Central + Maido (World's 50 Best), La Mar cebichería, Isolina, Grimanesa anticuchos, plus the dishes + carts + chifa joints worth crossing the city for
Salkantay, Laguna 69, Laguna Parón (the Paramount mountains), the Santa Cruz + Huayhuash treks, Colca Canyon, Ausangate + Rainbow Mountain — difficulty, cost, when to book
Iquitos (fly-in, Pacaya-Samiria) vs Puerto Maldonado (Tambopata, road from Cusco). Lodge costs, tour lengths, the yellow-fever cert you need first
10 days, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month, plus the classic Gringo Trail. Pick yours, copy the route
Peru rewards the prepared traveller and humbles the rest. The Inca Trail needs a permit booked 6 months ahead, altitude sickness derails 30% of first-timers in Cusco, and Salkantay tours sell out for the dry season. Walk through this and you'll arrive ready to walk the trails, not lose a day to nausea.
Only 500 permits per day (200 for trekkers + 300 for porters/guides) — they sell out 4-6 months ahead for dry season (May-Sept). If you miss them, Salkantay + Lares are alternatives that don't need permits.
Cusco sits at 3,400m, Lake Titicaca 3,800m, the Inca Trail peaks at 4,200m. Many cheaper policies cap at 3,000m or exclude trekking. Read the altitude clause + adventure-activity rider.
Recommended for the Amazon basin + required if continuing on to Brazil/Bolivia. Vaccination takes 10 days to become effective + needs a yellow card (ICVP) as proof.
If you're not doing the Inca Trail, you still need to pre-book Machu Picchu entry (Circuit 1, 2, 3 or 4) — they're capped at 4,500 per day + sell out. Pair with a Salkantay (5-day, no permit) or Lares (3-day, no permit) trek for the route in.
Lima → Cusco is a 1.5hr flight or a 21hr bus. Worth the flight cost. Book 4+ weeks ahead for best fares — same for Lima → Arequipa, Lima → Iquitos.
Uber works in Lima + Cusco + Arequipa. Cabify is the cheaper alternative. English is rare outside major hotels in Lima — offline Spanish translation is essential.
Start 1-2 days before reaching Cusco, continue for 2-3 days after. Talk to your GP — it dramatically reduces the chance of acute mountain sickness. Coca tea + slow ascent are the natural complements.
Peruvian SIMs require a DNI/CE which you don't have. eSIMs (Airalo, Trip.com) work on arrival; a 30-day pack with 5GB covers most trips.
Cusco + the Sacred Valley are high-altitude high-UV. Sunburn is faster up there. Pack a sun hat, lip balm with SPF, layers you can shed during the day.
Don't hike, don't drink alcohol, hydrate constantly. Drink the muña or coca tea on offer at most hostels — it genuinely helps with the soroche (altitude sickness). Slow + steady saves your trip.
These are the major banks with reliable ATMs accepting foreign cards. Avoid the ones inside small kiosks — they skim. Always decline 'pay in AUD' (dynamic currency conversion).
Peru is big (the coast alone runs 2,400km) and the network is excellent for it. Cruz del Sur runs the best long-distance buses on the continent (lie-flat VIP beds), domestic flights skip the long hauls cheaply (LATAM + Sky), colectivos cover the short hops, and two private rail lines run the only way into Machu Picchu. In cities, use the apps — never the airport taxi rank.
Peru's intercity buses are the best in Latin America. Cruz del Sur's 'Cruzero Suite' = 180° lie-flat beds, meals, blankets, onboard toilet — book the bottom deck VIP seats. Lima → Arequipa (16hr, A$45-A$70), Arequipa → Cusco (10hr, A$35-A$55), Lima → Huaraz (8hr, A$30-A$45). Oltursa + Civa Excluciva are the solid runners-up.
TIP — Book on the Cruz del Sur app/site or redBus a few days ahead in peak. Keep your daypack on your lap, big bag in the hold (you get a tag). The bottom deck is smoother + quieter; seats 1-4 downstairs are the lie-flat ones.
For limited time, fly the long legs. Lima → Cusco (1.5hr, A$50-A$130), Lima → Arequipa (1.5hr, A$50-A$110), Lima → Iquitos (2hr, A$70-A$140 — the ONLY way in besides riverboat), Lima → Piura/Talara for Máncora (2hr, A$60-A$120). LATAM is full-service; Sky + JetSMART are the budgets.
TIP — Budget fares are carry-on-only and they weigh it (8kg). Flying into Cusco straight from sea level = altitude hits hard — take it easy on arrival day. Morning flights to Cusco are far less likely to be cancelled by afternoon weather.
Two private lines run Ollantaytambo (or Cusco/Poroy) → Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu. ~1.5-2hr through the Urubamba gorge. PeruRail 'Expedition' / Inca Rail 'The Voyager' are the standard fares (A$100-A$170 return); the panoramic 'Vistadome' / '360°' add big windows (A$160-A$240). The only non-trekking way in.
TIP — Book the train AND your timed Machu Picchu entry (Circuit 2) well ahead in peak. Budget hack: a colectivo/bus to Ollantaytambo then the cheapest train segment; or the backpacker route via Hidroeléctrica (long, cheap, scenic). Tickets via perurail.com / incarail.com.
In Lima + Arequipa + Cusco use Uber, Cabify or InDrive — fixed/known fares, no airport-taxi games. For short intercity hops (Arequipa → Chivay, Cusco → Sacred Valley towns), colectivos (shared vans/cars) leave when full from set corners and cost a few dollars. Combis are the chaotic city minibuses — cheap, an experience.
TIP — From Lima airport, pre-book or use the app pickup zone — never the touts inside. InDrive lets you name your price (handy where Uber is thin). For the Sacred Valley, colectivos from Cusco's Calle Pavitos beat any tour for flexibility.
Every mistake below is one this guide prevents. The numbers aren't theoretical — they're sourced from our community's actual reported losses on previous trips. Add them up and the math becomes hard to ignore.
You'll get every avoidance technique, every booking lead time, every scam-dodge, every Aussie-tested workaround. Lifetime updates. Money-back if it doesn't earn its keep.
Where to go. Where to stay. What to eat. How to get around. What to skip. Every answer in one place — researched by Aussies who've actually been.