Destinations to explore
Peru concentrates in 12 days three of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in South America. A tour that combines altitude, Inca civilization and Andean landscapes.
Updated on September 8, 2026
Peru is the cultural destination of reference in South America. Machu Picchu is part of everyone's list — and the reality goes far beyond the photo. But Peru is also Cusco and its Inca historic center under the Spanish colonial architecture, the Sacred Valley and its craft markets, Lake Titicaca and its floating islands of reeds. Twelve days allow you to see the essentials without rushing.
Cusco is at 3,400 meters. Machu Picchu is at 2,430 meters (more accessible). Lake Titicaca is at 3,800 meters. Altitude sickness (soroche) affects the majority of visitors in the first 24 to 48 hours: headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea.
The rule for adapting : - Spend 1-2 nights in Lima (at sea level) before going up - Start in Cusco, stay 2 nights before any strenuous activity - Drink 3 liters of water per day - Avoid alcohol for the first 48 hours at altitude - Coca tea (coca mate) is sold everywhere and helps with acclimatization - Acetazolamide (Diamox) prescription: consult a travel doctor before departure
An organized tour always incorporates this acclimatization phase into the schedule — this is one of the concrete differences with a poorly prepared solo trip.
Lima is often sloppy. That's a mistake. The neighborhood of Miraflores (overlooking the sea) and especially Barranco (the bohemian neighborhood with its colorful houses and art galleries) deserve a real night out. And Lima's food scene is one of the best in Latin America: the ceviche at Central or La Mar is the culinary experience of the trip.
Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire. The Spanish built their cathedrals on the foundations of Inca palaces — the perfectly fitted stone walls of the fifteenth century support the baroque arches of the seventeenth. The result is unique.
The Coricancha (the Inca Sun Temple, covered with 700 gold plates before the Spanish conquest) is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. What remains after the conquistadors melted the gold is enough to understand the Inca civilization.
The San Pedro Market: what the world's tourist markets are looking to emulate. Hundreds of stalls on several floors, unknown fruits (chirimoya, granadilla, lucuma), medicinal herbs, textiles, fresh fruit juices.
The Sacred Valley (Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Pisac) takes up a full day. Ollantaytambo is an Inca city that is still inhabited — Inca irrigation canals still flow through the streets. The fortress above the village is dizzying.
Access to Machu Picchu is by train from Ollantaytambo (1h30) and then a bus from Aguas Calientes (30 min in switchbacks). Since 2023, entrance tickets are limited and numbered by time slot — they must be booked 2 to 4 months in advance in high season.
The site: 13 km² of Inca terraces, temples and dwellings built between 1450 and 1530, abandoned during the Spanish conquest, forgotten by the West until 1911. At 2,430 meters, surrounded by clouds in the morning, under an Andean sky at noon. The reality of Machu Picchu is more beautiful than the photos — which is rare.
*The two circuits in the : site* - Circuit 1 (2h30): the classic panoramic view from the Sun Gate, the Sun Temple, the Intiwatana (Inti Stone) - Circuit 2 (3 hours): the agricultural districts, the fountains, the granaries
A night in Aguas Calientes allows you to enter the site at 6am, before the tourist buses. The morning light in the clouds is the light of the best photos.
! [The Inca city of Machu Picchu surrounded by clouds in the Peruvian Andes] (https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1526392060635-9d6019884377?w=1200&h=600&fit=crop&auto=format)
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world (3,812 meters). The crossing from Cusco is by bus or plane to Puno (1 hour 30 minutes).
The Uros Islands: floating islands built entirely of totora reeds by the Uros community. The houses, the boats, the floors — everything is made of reed. It's touristy but authentic: families have really lived on these islands for centuries.
Taquile Island: an agricultural island where the community has maintained its textile and social traditions. Men weave (women spin) — Taquile's textiles are listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Sleeping a night with a local, a dinner of lake trout and quinoa: one of the most powerful immersion experiences of the tour.
Flight Puno-Lima or Cusco-Lima (1h30). A last evening in Lima for shopping (textiles, ceramics, cocoa beans) and the night flight to Paris (arrival D+1).
Best time: May-October (dry season). June-August is the high season — book 4-6 months in advance for Machu Picchu. November-April: monsoon, hiking trails may be closed.
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