5 Day Peru Itinerary What’s The Best Route?

Last Updated on January 6, 2025 by James Bustamante

So What’s the best 5 day Peru itinerary? The best itinerary depends on your personal schedule and what you want to experience in Cusco. However, one of the most popular and highly recommended itineraries is as follows: Arrive in Cusco on day one for light sightseeing, take the Sacred Valley tour on day two, hop on the train to Agua Calientes on day three, take the Machu Picchu guided tour on day four and the return to Cusco airport on day five.

This complete description of the 5-Day Peru itinerary will go through all the details along with a precise schedule of everything you can see and experience during the Peru tour package. 

This itinerary highlights locations in the the highlands and the cloud forest, Cusco, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.

Activities include some light walks in Cusco, A full day excursions into (Urubamba) Sacred Valley, exploring the small town of Aguas Calientes, and the enigmatic Machu Picchu Tour. You can book it directly through the link below.

The basic outline of this 5-day Peru itinerary is detailed below:

Machu Picchu 5-Day Package Outline

1. Arrival to Cusco – Acclimatization Day.
2. Full-Day Sacred Valley Tour (8:45 am – 6:00 pm)
3. Train Ride to Aguas Calientes.
4. Machu Picchu Guided Tour.
5. Shuttle Ride to Cusco Airport – Departure.

Day 1: Arrival to Cusco

Welcome to Cusco! You are now at around 11,000 feet (3,229 meters) above sea level. Upon arrival at the Cusco airport, our guide, and one of our drivers, will be waiting for you at the entrance.

Remember to pick up your luggage and make yourself out through the main exit.

You will pass the gates at the airport before spotting our team, holding up a sign with your name(or one of your group members’ names) on it. 

Your arrival time will most likely be between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm depending on a few factors.  The exact time will, of course, be on your personalized itinerary. 

After our team has picked you up from the airport, we will drive to your Cusco hotel. The finalized hotel chosen from our list will be in your personalized itinerary for reference.

The drive to your hotel will take anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes depending on how dense traffic is.

Most hotels are located near the Cusco main square, this ensures you are close to stores, drug stores, restaurants, banks and currency exchange houses. 

Once you’ve checked in at the hotel our driver and guide will depart for the day.  Please take these first 24 hours to go through the acclimatization protocol so you can check on how to deal with elevation sickness.

Day 2: The Sacred Valley Tour

Today we head out for the Urubamba Valley for a nice day of hiking. This particular tour is not as intensive as the Machu Picchu hike which takes place later in this itinerary however it can present a challenge. 

The tour starts between 8:30 am and 9:00 am at your hotel where our guide and driver will pick you up. 

Throughout the trip we’ll visit markets and shops where the locals will happily haggle the prices of their items with travelers but remember, they are seasoned traders who do this for a living so they might drive a hard bargain.

Their products are handmade for the most part so regardless of paying $1-$3 more or less you’ll be taking home something special while also helping out the local economy. It’s really a win-win for everyone. 

We continue on this 5-day Peru itinerary with the full-day tour and climb to the top of the Ollantaytambo fortress for an amazing view of the terraced valley and gaze at the snow-capped peaks of the Andes’ most sacred mountains.

To the locals, the Andes are known as the “Apus” which translates to Mountain spirit. This is a term you will hear quite commonly throughout this trip through the Peruvian highlands. 

At around 1:00 pm we’ll gather and step into one of the best restaurants in the Sacred Valley to enjoy a feast, this buffet style lunch will be focused on Peruvian specialties.

We’ll have time to rest before we continue with the excursion throughout the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

We return to Cusco by the evening, the scheduled time is 6 pm. We recommend getting a good night’s sleep in preparation for the early train ride to Aguas Calientes the following morning.

Day 3: Train to Aguas Calientes

We begin this leg of the trip by having our Machu Picchu guide and driver pick you up at your hotel. 

The pick up will be scheduled for 9:00 am however this can change depending on your personalized itinerary. 

Be sure to be ready at the hotel lobby by 8:30 am, this should give you enough time to pack the necessary items you’ll need for Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu as well as have breakfast. 

Traveler’s Tips:When packing for Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu remember that your luggage will stay in your Cusco hotel.

You will need to pack for approximately 2 full days unless your itinerary has been extended to spend a few more days in Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu or if you are heading to another location. 

Two days of packing should include a day pack, personal items such as toothpaste, toothbrush, pajamas, undergarments, jacket or jumper, a couple of pairs of pants, insect repellent, sunblock, a good camera (or camera phone), your itinerary, a flashlight. 

The ride to Aguas Calientes will take approximately 2 hours and is considered one of the most beautiful train rides on earth.

You’ll travel though the amazing highland scenery to the lush and green cloud forest as your train rides lower in elevation.

The climate in Aguas Calientes will be more humid (this will feel like a huge relief) due to its location.

If you were feeling a bit under the weather due to the high elevation in Cusco, the time in Aguas Calientes will feel wonderful since it is at a lower altitude. 

Upon leaving the train station our Aguas Calientes guide will walk you to your hotel.  Aguas Calientes is so small that you don’t need a car to get around the town, a brief walk will get you to any point you want to reach. 

Once you check into your hotel, you’ll have the rest of the day to yourself. 

We suggest taking a couple of hours to visit the local hot spring, this is precisely the reason why this town is called Aguas Calientes which translates to thermal waters.

These hot springs are no more than a 10 minute walk from your hotel and the entrance fee is around $3. 

End the evening with a good meal in one of the many restaurants in Aguas Calientes. Make sure to get a good night’s sleep since the 5 day Peru Itinerary has the  Machu Picchu transport leaving early the following morning. 

Day 4: Machu Picchu Guided Tour

We finally get to the day that everyone in your group has been waiting for! Today we get to hike through the stone city of Machu Picchu. 

We begin the day by getting everyone in the group at the hotel lobby by 5:15 am. Make sure to have an early breakfast, your hotel will have it ready by 4:30 am.

Yes, this is very early but we are trying to get that wonderful photograph of the sun rising over the Andes mountains before your Machu Picchu Hike. 

The Cosentur shuttle will be waiting for us by 5:30 am at the station. A brief 5 minute walk is all it takes to get there. We then have a quick drive up the winding paths towards Machu Picchu.

Just 20 minutes later we will arrive at the entrance of the Inca city.  We leave the shuttle to get ready to enter so make sure you have your Machu Picchu reservation ticket on hand so the park rangers can clip it upon entrance.  

We’ve finally made it to the most anticipated destination on this 5 Day Peru Itinerary, one of the new wonders of the world: Machu Picchu.

Most travelers agree, Machu Picchu is full of mystery, breathes history and emanates culture, truly a fantastic place to visit. To most, this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.  

The Machu Picchu guided tour starts at this point. In total, the tour will take around 2 hours and from that point, you can explore the Inca ruins on your own. 

Some of the important attractions in Machu Picchu that we’ll cover during the tour will be:

• Intihuatana.
• The temple of the Sun.
• Temple of the Condor.
• Temple of the 3 windows.
• The Moon Temple (Reserved with Huayna Picchu permit).

Additionally, you’ll be able to hike either Mount Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu. Both of these hikes require an additional permit and each takes around 2.5 hours to complete. 

If you want to hike either Mount Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu make sure the tickets are reserved at least 30 days in advance. Permits to Huayna Picchu are limited to 400/day and most hikers will want to do this climb.  

At around 1 pm we get together once again and take the shuttle back down to the town of Aguas Calientes.

From here we’ll proceed to get our belongings from the hotel and have a final walk around through the town. This would be a perfect time for lunch. 

Our train departs at 3 pm en route to the Ollantaytambo station. The approximate time it takes to reach the train station is about 2 hours.

Once we arrive we exit the train station and proceed to board our shuttle which will take you to Cusco for the final overnight stay in the city.

Day 5: Ending The 5 Day Peru Itinerary

This is your final day in Cusco as part of this 5 Day Peru itinerary.  This package includes your transfer back to the airport, remember to be ready and at your hotel lobby at least 3 hours prior to your flight out of Cusco. 

Remember to have a good breakfast and if you have time, please go out and walk around the city to get those last few pictures as well as any souvenirs you might have missed. 

We enjoyed having you stay with us and we hope you enjoyed the trip we as a certified Machu Picchu Travel Agency put together for you.  Have a great flight and happy travels! End of Services

If you wish to extend your stay please let your travel advisor know so we can put together some more amazing experiences for you. 

Frequently Asked Questions About the 5 Day Peru Itinerary