Peru & Bolivia: Canopy to Clouds

Day 1: Welcome to Peru!

Welcome to Lima, the City of Kings, and Peru’s sprawling capital. You’ll be staying in one of Lima’s friendliest neighborhoods, delightful Miraflores. With all the cafés, parks and ocean views on your doorstep, once you’ve dropped off your bags, why not head out for a wander? 

Dinner tonight is a chance to meet the women you’ll be traveling with, and your local guide. As you dine beside the clay and adobe pyramid of Huaca Pucllana, it’s not just your first taste of Peruvian food; it’s also your first encounter with Lima’s pre-Incan history. The rest of Lima can wait until tomorrow, but for now, tonight is just the beginning of the adventure!

Accommodation: Antigua Miraflores Hotel (or similar), Lima, Peru
Included: Dinner

Day 2: Explore Lima

In recent years, Lima has earned its place as one of the most talked-about food cities in Latin America. Where better to get to know it than a local market? Sample unfamiliar fruits like chirimoya and butterscotch-flavored lúcuma, come face to face with more varieties of corn and potato than you could ever have imagined, and fill your lungs with aromatic spices like aji amarillo. 

After gathering your ingredients, head to a local home to learn how to make Peru’s national dish, ceviche, and a fresh causa limeña to accompany it. Wash it down with a glass of chicha morada, an indigenous drink made by boiling purple corn. Then learn how to make an iconic pisco sour, ending the day with a guided walk along some of Lima’s best street food stalls—where the city’s history and flavors meet on every corner.

Accommodation: Antigua Miraflores Hotel (or similar), Lima, Peru
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack

Day 3: Puerto Maldonado

Today, you’ll leave the big-city life of Lima behind and embrace a striking change of scenery. It’s a short flight to Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the Amazon rainforest, but entering the forest is an adventure all in itself. 

You’ll leave most of your belongings in a secure office, taking what you’ll need in a small duffel bag. Journey deeper into the forest by motorized canoe to reach your remote eco-lodge. Here, you and your Hattie Squad (as in your fellow Harriet adventurers!) will eschew luxury to go all in on a more authentic experience: it’s cold showers, mosquito nets and limited electricity for the next few days. And while you should be prepared for heat and humidity, an array of wildlife sightings await too. If you’re lucky, you might spot macaws, monkeys, peccaries, jabirus, otters, and butterflies.

Accommodation: Explorer Inn Lodge (or similar), Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 4: Into the Amazon Rainforest

Wipe the sleep from your eyes under your mosquito net at the first light of dawn. Remember, the early bird catches the worm, or rather, spots the endangered giant river otter… fingers crossed! A boat ride on Lago Cocococha will have your camera working overtime to try to capture the action, as spider monkeys, hoatzin birds, parrots, and are-they-real Blue Morpho butterflies dart in and out of shot. Don’t go falling out of the boat, though, a leg-stretching walk will let you explore more of the Amazonian wildlife. 

With your head still spinning from all that you’ve seen, take some time to rest before your next adventure—a 138-foot-high tower with views over the rainforest that will have you feeling on top of the world. Group photo, everyone?

Accommodation: Explorer Inn Lodge (or similar), Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 5: Life in the Amazon

The Amazon awakens at the crack of dawn, and so will you. A quick boat ride takes you to the ‘clay lick’—a riverside spectacle where the morning light dances on the feathers of parrots and parakeets. Deep into their little ritual, these birds swoop and swirl, feasting on the mineral-rich clay to offset any toxins they may have consumed. 

After breakfast, call in to a local farm. Here, take your chance to connect with the land alongside resident farmers. They’ll show you firsthand how they care for their crops, teaching you the techniques that sustain life in the Amazon. 

The afternoon is yours to shape according to what tingles your curiosity. Maybe amble on over to Laguna Chica for a spot of birdwatching, add more jungle critters to the mix on a night walk or curl up with a good book instead.

Accommodation: Explorer Inn Lodge (or similar), Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 6: Cusco

As the sun rises above the steamy jungle, the sound of howler monkeys and birdsong provides the rousing finale to your rainforest adventure. It’s time to retrace your steps to Puerto Maldonado, where you’ll hop on a flight to the capital of the Inca Empire: Cusco. Brace yourself—in less than an hour, you’ll notch up a 9,843-foot (3,000m) elevation gain. Even with the city streets pulling your attention in every direction, you can’t fail to notice the effects of altitude. Take it easy, try to avoid alcohol and stay hydrated; coca leaves in their various forms can also help. 

Dinner this evening is at Mama Seledonia, a restaurant that supports young, single mothers and serves food that will make you very glad you came. You might even get to chat to the founder herself.

Accommodation: Munay Wasi Hotel (or similar), Cusco, Peru 
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Altitude: 11,319 ft (3,450 m)

So, What Exactly Is Coca?

Peru is famous for coca. You’ll see it everywhere in the Andes region of South America as a remedy for anything from altitude sickness to asthma. Yes, this is technically the base ingredient for both Coca-Cola and cocaine—though what ends up in either bears little resemblance to the leaf itself. 

Coca has been used medicinally for thousands of years and is sacred to the Quechua people. Used in ceremonies and rituals, residue of the leaves has even been found on the lips of mummies, sacrificed long ago by the Incas. Whether you stew your coca to make tea or tuck a wad of leaves inside your cheek to suck on, you may find it helps offset the impact of altitude on your body. 

Day 7: History of the Incas

You’ve only had a taste of ancient Incan history, so now it’s time for a deep dive. Make your way to the outskirts of Cusco and see an enormous fortress ahead: Sacsayhuaman — local guide’s joke, you should pronounce it as: “sexy woman” — is the place to start (obviously!). 

The stone blocks used in its walls — they’re huge, some weighing more than 100 tons — fit so neatly together you’ll barely be able to slip a piece of paper between them. How on earth did Inca stonemasons carve them so accurately? Your guide has a theory or two.

Move on to the archeological site of Qenqo — subterranean passages, an underground sacrificial chamber and zig-zagging stone channels that have puzzled historians for centuries. (Also, kinda cool for selfies.) By now, Pachamama feels close. Express your gratitude to Mother Earth in a healing ritual performed by a female shaman. 

You’ll continue to learn about Cusco’s history, easily envisioning the upheaval that radiated throughout the Inca Empire when you hear how Atahualpa was murdered by Pizarro and his conquistadors.

Accommodation: Munay Wasi Hotel (or similar), Cusco, Peru 
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Altitude: 11,319 ft (3,450 m)

Day 8: San Blas neighborhood

This morning is yours. Sleep in, wander, do absolutely nothing… because this afternoon Cusco’s creative side has plans for you. 

The white-washed, terracotta-roofed buildings of San Blas are home to galleries, artists’ studios and a café scene worth lingering in. Hear that? Underneath it all, the notes of a zampoña, Peru’s traditional pan pipes, drift through the streets. 

Want to play one? Better yet, want to make one? You’ll visit a local musician’s home where you’ll do both and take your handmade zampoña home with you. 

Accommodation: Munay Wasi Hotel (or similar), Cusco, Peru 
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Altitude: 11,319 ft (3,450 m)

Day 9: Sacred Valley of the Incas

Time to head back out into the countryside. You’re edging closer and closer to Machu Picchu as you journey into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Pass fields of maize swaying in the breeze beside the river and crane your neck to see the stone-walled hillside terraces that have been worked by farmers for hundreds of years. 

Here, you’re instantly part of local life, learning about Andean weaving and dyeing techniques using camelid wool. After a yoga session overlooking Laguna Piuray, you’ll enjoy a traditional Pachamanca feast. Meat, potatoes, corn and vegetables are buried under hot stones and cook slowly in this underground oven, using a technique that’s been around for thousands of years. If you can stomach it, this might be the time to taste the local delicacy, cuy, or as you may know it: roasted guinea pig.

Accommodation: Sonesta Posada del Inca Yucay (or similar), Sacred Valley, Peru
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Altitude: 9,383 ft (2,859 m)

Day 10: Hot springs at Aguas Calientes

Your Sacred Valley adventure continues this morning as you set your sights on Ollantaytambo. The town’s Inca grid pattern is still evident. As you admire the cliffside granaries and well-preserved Temple of the Sun, it’s easy to free your imagination and drift back in time. 

Back in the present, you’ll board a train, stowing some of your belongings securely at the station. Flanked by distant snow-capped mountains, the train hugs the bank of the winding Urubamba River and trundles along the tracks as far as Aguas Calientes. There, take a dip in the hot springs that give this traveler magnet its name, or simply hang out at the hotel with a few Hatties in anticipation of the treat that is to come—the mythical Machu Picchu.

Accommodation: Hatun Inti Boutique Hotel (or similar), Aguas Calientes, Peru
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Altitude: 6,693 ft (2,040 m)

Day 11: Machu Picchu

You’ve seen it on a screen or maybe in a magazine, but nothing prepares you for the moment you see this place with your own eyes. Tucked away on a ridge high above the Urubamba River and overgrown with vegetation, Machu Picchu—dubbed the Lost City of the Incas—was overlooked for centuries before an American explorer stumbled upon it in 1911. 

Staying in Aguas Calientes gives you a jump on those beginning their day trip in Cusco; you’ll wind uphill by shuttle bus, saving your energy for exploring the ruins themselves. It’s a breath-catching visit. In the early morning, before the sun burns off the mist, the place stops you in your tracks. 

But it’s also popular. To conserve this fragile site, visitors must stick to a predetermined route and exploring on your own is no longer permitted. Though, with a view like this, you won’t be looking for an excuse to wander off anyway. 

Accommodation: Munay Wasi Hotel (or similar), Cusco, Peru 
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Altitude: Machu Picchu 7,973 ft (2,430 m), Cusco 11,319 ft (3,450 m)

Day 12: Cusco Deep Dive 

The Inca sites you visited while back in Cusco were only a taster. Museums and archeological sites are scattered like confetti across this region. If you haven’t had your fill of Peruvian history, why not use your Boleto Turistico to tick off a few more? Or perhaps you’d rather concentrate on Cusco? People-watch in one of the squares, browse the colorful blankets and array of foods in Mercado San Pedro or track down the Jesuit-built Sapantiana Aqueduct for an alternative view over the city. Whatever you decide to do, be sure to also sleep in and get some much-needed rest. Tomorrow is a long drive deeper into the Andes.

Accommodation: Munay Wasi Hotel (or similar), Cusco, Peru 
Included: Breakfast
Altitude: 11,319 ft (3,450 m)

Day 13: Lake Titicaca

A 10-hour, 250-mile drive through the Andes awaits. And before you raise an eyebrow — the bus is comfortable, the views are outrageous, and your fellow Hatties are good company. Settle in and watch Peru’s highest landscapes roll past the window, and let the altiplano do its thing. Up here, watchful shepherds tend flocks of alpacas while their wild ancestors, vicuñas, graze on clumps of grass.

Break for lunch at a local restaurant and a picture stop at the La Raya Pass, where the Chimboya Glacier comes into view. Before you know it, your Hattie Squad arrives at the shores of iconic Lake Titicaca — the highest point of the trip at 12,467 feet (3,799 m)

Spend the night, tucked beneath thick blankets in your host family’s humble, mud-brick home. Catching some zzz’s won’t be difficult after the day you’ve just had.

Accommodation: Homestay with a Llachon Community (or similar), Lake Titicaca, Peru
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Altitude: 12,664 ft (3,859 m)

Day 14: Island Life

Be sure to get your host family to teach you a few words of Quechua so you can say a proper goodbye before you set out across the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca’s Uros Titinos are your first stop on the water. Jump up and down — the reeds that make up these floating islands give a little beneath your feet. But don’t worry, they’re thick enough to hold everyone’s weight! 

Next up is Taquile. The people of this (much more solid) island are masters of the loom, and some of the warmest you’ll meet on this trip. This evening’s accommodation is a step up from last night’s mud-brick charm. You’ll enjoy an overnight in the quiet lakeside town of Puno. It’s barely any distance from here to Bolivia — who’s getting excited?

Accommodation: La Hacienda Plaza de Armas (or similar), Puno, Peru
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Altitude: 12,566 ft (3,830 m)

Day 15: Welcome to Bolivia! 

Welcome to Bolivia! After two weeks in Peru, it’s time to cross the border en route to the highest capital city in the world, La Paz, which sits at almost 11,811 feet (3,600 m). It’ll be a travel day unlike most as you navigate customs and immigration formalities, a change of guide and winding switchbacks. But the journey will be studded with interesting and downright mysterious stops along the way. 

The biggest head-scratcher is Tiwanaku, a once-great civilization which existed for 1,700 years before vanishing without a trace. While historians can’t be certain, your guide can offer a few theories about why. Now, just two hours separate you from downtown La Paz, a city crouched within a volcanic crater, looking as if it’s cradled in the arms of gargantuan mountains. Like being welcomed straight into a hug. 

Accommodation: Rosario La Paz (or similar), La Paz, Bolivia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Altitude: 11,811 ft (3,600 m)

Day 16: Explore La Paz 

Today is your introduction to the ‘Tibet of the Americas’ through La Paz’s happily-jumbled streets. You should be used to the altitude at this point, but Bolivia will still leave you breathless as you explore this city of two million with your guide. Be prepared for a colorful streetscape and a prismatic explosion of textiles in various shades of neon and primary hues. A visit to the Valley of the Moon will wow you with its barren, lunar landscape. 

Once you’re back in the city, hop aboard the shiny-new cable cars for a bird’s-eye perspective. In this rapidly modernizing city, you’ll still find plenty of evidence of ancestral and indigenous Andean rituals—nowhere more so than the curious Mercado de las Brujas, better known as the Witches’ Market. It’s as if you’ve stepped into a world running on different rules entirely; llama fetuses and talismans are sold side-by-side. Just the usual everyday items. 

Accommodation: Rosario La Paz (or similar), La Paz, Bolivia
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Altitude: 11,811 ft (3,600 m)

A Bolivian Fashion Statement

Spot a Bolivian woman in a British bowler hat, and you’d be forgiven for doing a double take. Known as a bombin, this distinctive hat was introduced to the country by accident a century or so ago. The story goes, when a large shipment intended for railway workers arrived, they were the wrong color – brown instead of black. 

Instead of letting them go to waste, enterprising sellers touted them as the latest trend, and they were snapped up by Cholitas (the name given to indigenous Aymara and Quechua women) who wear them proudly to this day. Look closely at how they are worn: a married woman wears it high on her head, while tilted to the side means that the Cholita is single or widowed.  

Day 17: Uyuni Salt Flat

A short flight from La Paz gets you to the scruffy town of Uyuni and the largest salt flat in the world, formed thousands of years ago as lake waters slowly receded. 

The vast scale of this alien landscape feels otherworldly; surrounded by an immense sea of white, your worries evaporate as you take in just how far it stretches. In summer, it’s the perfect spot for some crazy perspective photos—best to bring the right props. 

The standout stop of the day is Incahuasi Island, where a sea of giant cacti is marooned amid the salt. And tonight you’ll sleep in one of Uyuni’s famous salt hotels where the walls, floors and furniture are made from—you guessed it—salt. You could lick the walls to double-check, but we think you should just trust us.

Accommodation: Luna Salada Hotel (or similar), Uyuni, Bolivia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Altitude: 11,975 ft (3,649 m)

Day 18: Tunupa Volcano

After a restful sleep beneath the salt, it’s time to venture back out onto the arid salar. We hope you brought your chapstick and an extra bottle of water! Your guide will lead you through ancient caves where pre-Incan mummies have been resting for hundreds of years, perfectly preserved by the briny air. End the day with views of the salt flats from the base of Tunupa Volcano as the sun slips slowly beneath the horizon.

Accommodation: Luna Salada Hotel (or similar), Uyuni, Bolivia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Altitude: 11,975 ft (3,649 m)

Day 19: La Paz Returns

It’s your last full day in Bolivia, and you’re headed back to the capital via a one-hour, early morning flight. Perhaps you’ll visit the shoe-shiners, known as lustrabotas, who’ll smarten up your footwear for a handful of bolivianos. Maybe spend some time browsing the shelves of Librería Gisbert, a characterful bookstore where things are still done the old-fashioned way. 

Walk the street markets and savor those peek-a-boo views of Illimani, or just rest and reminisce about your time in South America with your Hatties—the ones who arrived as strangers and somewhere along the way became something else entirely. This is your last chance to grab souvenirs like a bottle of singani (Bolivia’s popular brandy), colorful textiles or even an amulet to bring you good luck. Tonight you’ll celebrate the end of this road with dinner and traditional dancing, elbow-to-elbow with your adventure squad. 

Accommodation: Rosario La Paz (or similar), La Paz, Bolivia
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Altitude: 11,811 ft (3,600 m)

Day 20: Farewell, Friends!

It’s time to pack up your stuff, board your flight and watch Bolivia disappear out the plane window. Can you believe your Andean adventure is already over? Before you leave for the airport, don’t forget to exchange info with the other Hatties over one last breakfast of traditional salteñas. As the soft pastry crumbles against your lips and the meaty stew spills out onto your tongue, know that this doesn’t have to be goodbye, merely an interlude as you plan your next adventure. Hasta la proxima!

Included: Breakfast