Destination

Private Peru

The famous part is one morning of it.

Region & Scope Sacred Valley, Cusco & Machu Picchu
Access Mode Rail, Trail & Private Vehicle
Best Season April – October
Ideal Pacing 6 to 9 Days

Machu Picchu takes a morning. The trip takes a week, and the week is where the country actually is.

The Sacred Valley sits below Cusco, which matters more than it sounds. It is lower, it is warmer, and it is where your body should spend its first nights. Pisac is down there, and the terraced bowls at Moray, and the salt pans at Maras. So are the weavers at Chinchero, working the way their families have for generations.

Above it, the Salkantay route climbs past a glacial lake to a pass most visitors never see, then drops onto the Inca Trail for the last stage into the citadel. You reach the Sun Gate on foot, having earned it.

Both versions are good. They are different weeks, and we build either one.

Advisor Field Note

One passport, three checkpoints: Machu Picchu entry tickets and rail tickets are both issued against a passport number, and both are checked against the physical document on the day. Travel on a renewed passport and you can be turned away at the platform or the gate. We record the details at booking and flag any renewal that falls between booking and departure.

Regional Expressions

Regions

Three environments at three different elevations, sequenced so your body has time to catch up with your itinerary.

Moray terraces in the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley

Pisac, the terraced bowls at Moray, and the salt pans at Maras. Lower and warmer than Cusco, which makes it the right place to land. Private visits to sites the buses skip, and afternoons with the weavers at Chinchero.

Machu Picchu citadel

The Trail to Machu Picchu

The Salkantay route past Humantay’s glacial lake, or the classic Inca Trail. Either way the final stage is on foot, and you arrive through the Sun Gate rather than stepping off a bus.

The Plaza de Armas fountain, Cusco

Cusco

Inca foundations with colonial buildings set directly on top of them, still visible on most streets. Best kept for the end of a trip, when the altitude has stopped being an event.

What We Design in Peru

  • Dome trekking: the Salkantay route in heated geodesic camps, Humantay glacial lake, and a private final stage on the Inca Trail.
  • Multisport routes: mountain biking Maras and Moray, rafting the Urubamba, and trekking to the Sun Gate.
  • Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by rail: the classic shape, at a pace that respects the altitude.
  • Artisan and culinary days: weaving with the Chinchero families, and a private Pachamanca cooked in the ground.
  • Family travel: paced for altitude, built around salt terraces, rafting, and short walks rather than sustained trekking.
  • Extensions: Lake Titicaca and the Amazon, added properly rather than squeezed in.
Expert Knowledge

Insider Guidance

Permits, altitude and ticketing rules decide more about a Peru trip than anything you will find in a brochure.

Why Peru is Harder to Plan Than It Looks

The permit sets the date

Five hundred Inca Trail permits are issued per day, but that count includes guides, porters and cooks. Only about two hundred are for travelers. Peak-season dates typically go four to six months ahead, so the trek date comes first and the itinerary is built around it.

The trail closes every February

Annual maintenance closes the Inca Trail for the whole month, reopening on the first of March. If February is your only window, it is a different trip built on a different route.

Your ticket locks your route

Machu Picchu is sold by circuit and route, ten of them, with hourly entry windows and no roaming between them. Which ticket you hold decides whether you see the Sun Gate at all, and arriving outside your window means being turned away.

Altitude is a sequencing problem

Cusco sits at 11,152 feet, well inside the range where altitude sickness begins. The Sacred Valley runs up to two thousand feet lower. Fit people get sick too, which is why the order of your nights matters more than your conditioning.

What We’d Talk You Out Of

Landing in Cusco and starting the next morning

Go down to the valley first and sleep two nights lower before you go back up. It costs you nothing in itinerary terms and it is the single most common way people lose two or three days of a trip they waited years to take.

Machu Picchu as a day trip from Cusco

Roughly eight hours on the road, leaving before sunrise and back after dark, for a couple of hours at the site. You arrive with the biggest crowd of the day and leave before the light is worth anything.

Adding Arequipa, Puno and the Amazon to the same week

Each one becomes a rushed half day and the week becomes transit. Pick one extension, give it the nights it deserves, and leave the rest for the next trip.

Building the itinerary before the permit

If the Inca Trail matters to you, that date is the fixed point. Choosing hotels and flights first and then discovering the trek is full is a needless way to start.

February

The trail is closed all month and it is the wettest part of the year. Go in April instead and get the valley at its greenest with the skies already clearing.

Handcrafted Routes

Peru Journeys

Private itineraries combining Sacred Valley lodges, high-altitude trekking, and the rail line into Machu Picchu.

Peru Ecocamp Salkantay
PERU
SALKANTAY TO MACHU PICCHU

Peru Ecocamp: Salkantay & Inca Trail

Heated geodesic eco-domes beneath Mount Salkantay, Humantay glacial lake, and a private final-stage trek along the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu.
DURATION
8 Days
STYLE
Dome Glamping
STARTING FROM
$7,670pp
Peru Multisport and Inca Trail
PERU
SACRED VALLEY & TRAIL

Peru Multisport & Inca Trail Trek

Mountain biking Maras & Moray salt terraces, rafting the Urubamba River, and trekking to the Sun Gate.
DURATION
6 Days
STYLE
Multisport & Trek
STARTING FROM
Inquire
Field Notes & Dispatches

More Inspiration: From the Journal

Field notes and lodge spotlights from our time in the Andes.

Peru Sacred Valley
Sacred Valley

Peru’s Sacred Valley: Adventure Awaits

The way golden light spills over ancient terraces, the way the Andes seem to cradle the villages in a timeless embrace. Where to stay, who to meet, and what the buses miss.

Read Story →
Selected Stays

A few of the places we work with

A few examples of what we mean. Where you sleep affects how the altitude treats you, which is why properties and routing tend to get discussed together.

Belmond Rio Sagrado in the Sacred Valley
Riverside Sanctuary Private Vehicle
Urubamba • Sacred Valley

Belmond Rio Sagrado

On the river in the Sacred Valley, with alpacas grazing the lawn and a spa drawing on Incan ritual. Low enough in the valley to be the right first night after you land.

Explora Sacred Valley lodge
All-Inclusive Exploration Private Vehicle
Sacred Valley • Urubamba

Explora Sacred Valley

A contemporary lodge built around private guided exploration rather than a fixed programme, and all-inclusive. Suits travelers who want to be out every day.

Heated geodesic domes on the Salkantay route
Dome Glamping Trek Access Only
Salkantay • Humantay Lake

The Salkantay Eco-Domes

Heated geodesic domes with proper beds, set beneath the mountain on the trekking route past Humantay lake. Comfortable at altitude in a way tents are not.

The old center of Cusco at dusk
Old Town Boutique Rail & Road
Cusco • Historic Center

Cusco

A small hotel inside the old center rather than a large one outside it. Kept for the end of the trip, once the altitude has stopped being an event.

Optimal Windows

When to Go, and What For

April to October is the dry season. Inside it, the trade-off is weather against crowds.

Window What It’s For & What to Expect
April to MayGreen after the rains, skies clearing, fewer people on the trail. Arguably the best of it.
June to AugustDriest and clearest, and the busiest. Permits go earliest, and nights are cold at altitude.
September to OctoberThe other shoulder. Dry, quieter, comfortable, with permits easier to secure.
November to MarchRainy season. Lower rates and a greener valley, with less reliable trekking.
FebruaryInca Trail closed all month for maintenance. Alternative routes only.
Diagnostic Questions

What to Ask Before You Book Peru

Whether you work with us or not, these are worth asking before committing significant funds.

Do you already hold the Inca Trail permits, or are you applying for them?

There is a large difference between a confirmed permit and an intention to obtain one. Ask which it is, and ask for the permit numbers once issued.

Which Machu Picchu circuit and entry time am I booked on?

A specific answer is the only acceptable one. Circuit and hour are printed on the ticket and determine what you will actually see, including whether the Sun Gate is included.

How is the altitude sequenced across my nights?

You want to hear the Sacred Valley before Cusco, with specific elevations attached. If the plan puts you highest on night one, ask why.

Has anyone on your team stayed at the properties you are recommending?

First-hand experience, or a trusted colleague’s direct experience, is the standard. “I’ve heard great things” is not sufficient.

What does travel insurance need to cover for a trip like this?

High-altitude trekking is excluded from many standard policies. You need coverage that specifically includes altitude, emergency evacuation, trip interruption, and supplier default. Credit card benefits are not sufficient.

Frequently Asked

Peru Planning, Answered

What’s the best time of year to visit Peru?

April to October gives the clearest skies and the most reliable trekking. April to May and September to October are the shoulder months, dry but quieter. June to August is driest and busiest, and cold at night at altitude. November to March is the rainy season.

How far in advance do I need to book?

If the Inca Trail matters, the permit sets the date. Only about two hundred of the five hundred daily permits go to travelers, and peak-season dates typically go four to six months ahead. Shoulder months move six to twelve weeks out. Machu Picchu entry tickets are also capped by circuit and hour.

Does Peru work for families with younger children?

Yes, with altitude-aware pacing. The Sacred Valley sits lower than Cusco and makes a far better base for families. Days can be built around salt terraces, weaving workshops, rafting and short walks rather than sustained trekking.

How much does a private Peru trip cost?

Our published Peru Ecocamp Salkantay and Inca Trail journey is $7,670 per person for eight days. A fuller private itinerary with Sacred Valley lodges, rail to Machu Picchu and Cusco nights varies with property choice and party size. We give you a straight number before you commit to anything.

Is Peru physically demanding?

It depends on the version. The Salkantay route and the Inca Trail involve sustained days at altitude. A Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu trip by rail asks very little beyond walking a site. Altitude affects everyone regardless of fitness, which is why the order of your nights matters more than your conditioning.

Personal Advisory

Your Peru Design Team

One of us personally owns your trip from the first conversation to the last night.

Deb Miller

Deb Miller

Experience & Adventure Designer
Frank Castro

Frank Castro

Expedition Partner & Adventure Specialist
Start the Conversation

Ready when you are

Tell us which week you have and what you want out of it, and we will tell you honestly what is still available and what it will take.

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