Family, Nature and Outdoors, Travel

Vacation to Cusco Peru {Full Itinerary}

We just returned from an epic vacation to Cusco, Peru! We’ve been trying to take the kids on one trip per year, just to stay connected to them. And, until we have grandkids, we can pretty much go anywhere in the world!

So, we decided about 6 months ago to let the kids choose a vacation spot. They had to create a power point presentation, and pitch their idea to the group. They had to develop an itinerary, while staying within a budget.

Nate and Erica BOTH unknowingly selected the same place, Peru! So, after voting, Peru won. It was really a fantastic trip, made even better because two of my kids speak Spanish fluently- SO HELPFUL!!

We learned a few things on this trip. 1) To Keep Erica in a good mood, she needs food and sleep. 2) For Nate to enjoy a vacation, he needs a little bit of autonomy or alone time. And 3) for TJ to have a good vacation, he needs to stay busy and active.

Day 1: Fly to Lima & Miraflores

The first day we flew from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, and then from LA to Lima Peru. I knew Erica’s drivers license had her married name, so when booking the tickets, I used her married name.

However, when we arrived at the airport, because her passport still had her maiden name, Delta would NOT let her fly. We were already late, as we were arriving right as they were boarding the plan. And because they refused to let her on, Erica and I walked over to the Delta service desk to BEG them to change the name on the ticket.

They continually said it was impossible. They said, once we arrived in LA, that Latam Airlines (the carrier taking us to Lima), won’t let her on the plane for the name mismatch.

I pleaded with the agent to just let us get her to LA, and I’d deal with Latam after we got to California. At the very last second (literally, as they were closing the doors to the plane, they said OK. The other option was they wanted to rebook her tickets through Atlanta for the NEXT DAY! But that wasn’t an option for us, because we had a very expensive tour for Machu Pichu just hours after we arrived in Cusco. I did NOT want her to miss Machu Pichu.

So, once we got to Los Angeles, we went straight to the Latam airline counter, who had NO PROBLEMS changing the name on her ticket! I really felt like Delta was being difficult for no reason. But no matter, she got on the plane and I was grateful for that.

We arrived the next morning in Lima with an 8 hour layover till our flight to Cusco. So, we decided with 1 day in Lima to venture out into the city to check it out.

We downloaded a ride share app, and we requested a driver to Miraflores, because we heard it’s a beautiful place to see along the coast. We checked our luggage into storage at the Lima airport.

Our driver took us to Miraflores- which was beautiful to see the coast. But then, he continued to drive us around the outskirts of Lima, and we ended up at his favorite restaurant on the far side of the city. My kids made me try Leche de Tigres, which was WAY too spicy and fishy all at once for me. Two things I dislike passionately. So, I was not a fan.

After a full day in Lima, we returned to the airport and flew to Cusco.

Lima Peru

Where we stayed in Cusco

I found a VRBO in the San Blas neighborhood. This was the perfect location. We were walking distance from everything interesting to see in Cusco. We walked to the San Blas mercado, a waterfall, traditional downtown shopping and cathedrals, with lots of people watching, festivals, parades, and lots of independent vendors trying to sell you keychains and Knick knacks.

The apartment itself was only $75/night and it had 7 beds! It also had a shower that produced heat through electricity at the shower head, making it difficult to have a warm shower. It also had a garage door for it’s front door, and was at the top of a LONG flight of cobblestone stairs. Definitely not wheelchair accessible. 🙂 But the hosts were fantastic and made sure our stay was good.

The best part though was that we all had our own room, and it seems that “alone time” is pretty vital to each of us if we want to have a good vacation.

Day 2: Machu Picchu- Inca Trail

We booked a tour with Alpaca Expeditions for 2 days, one night and hotel stay. So, the very next morning after arriving in Cusco, we got picked up at 5am from our apartment to head to the start of our tour.

We boarded a shuttle with about 10 other travelers and rode a few hours to a train station to grab a train to where we were going to start our 2 day/1 night hike to Machu Picchu. I was a bit nervous for choosing an 8 mile hike, considering Wade had hip replacement surgery just 5 months ago.

Our tour guide was Rueben- always calling himself the Rueben sandwich. It was POURING rain when we arrived at the train station. I was so nervous that our entire 8.5 mile hike was going to be in rain and mud. But Rueben said he thought it would clear up within the first hour. And he was right! What a relief.

On the 8.5 miles we were able to see two villages of ruins that you really can only see if you are hiking. We also had some authentic lunch made by locals waiting for us at the stop. We had the most incredible views of Sungate, which opened up to a view of Machu Picchu.

We also saw Alpaca’s and llama’s on the trail. The best part was arriving at Machu Pichu at dusk. We were able to see the entire mountain with almost no one else around. Most people had already headed out of the area for the night, leaving us to see the views at Sunset, and feel like we were all alone there.

After lots of photos and walking around, we boarded a shuttle to Aguas Calientes, where our tour included a night at a hotel. The hotel (La Jaya MachuPicchu) was AMAZING! A perfect place to rest after a long day.

Day 3: Machu Pichu – Aguas Calientes

We woke up early because our tour group had the first bus tickets back up to Machu Pichu. But first, our hotel provided a buffet breakfast at 5am. I was sad to check out of the hotel, because it was so nice.

We were able to arrive just as the sun was rising, and it was GLORIOUS! We walked around much of the grounds for a few hours, before the majority of the crowds were there.

Instead of taking the shuttle back to Aguas Calientes, Wade, Nate, TJ, and I decided to use a trail and hike down the road. It seemed like it was only 1 1/2 miles about. Probably took us 45 minutes, but it was all down hill, so pretty easy.

Erica met us back in town and we stopped for lunch. Our tickets back to Cusco wasn’t till about 1:00, so we were just trying to kill some time. We ate lunch at Wisslas Restaurant. It was DELICIOUS!

We caught the train back to our shuttle that Alpaca Expeditions had arranged. Then, we made the drive back to Cusco. We went through different neighborhoods on the return trip, and I loved looking out the window the entire time.

Rueben pointed out things along the way, including telling us how the homes with the unfinished roof’s were people’s way of avoiding taxes. Unless their roof was finished, they weren’t responsible for property taxes. Or at least that what he told us. Rueben was not happy about people cheating the system. LOL

After we got home, we were SO tired! But we got a few groceries for the rest of the week. We bought tortillas, eggs, yogurt, bread, lunch meat, and cheese. I had brought from home trail mix, Built Bars, granola bars, and fruit snacks.

Then, we went to sleep!

Day 4: Cusco City Tour- the Llama cafe

Day 4 was Sunday and we decided to do our own walking tour of the city. I bought a book, toggled a few different websites, and opened my maps, to plan our walk, making sure to hit all the interesting buildings and places around Historic center Cusco.

From the San Blas neighborhood, these were our stops in order of the walk (and I’m pretty sure we didn’t miss anything important):

  1. San Blas Cathedral
  2. San Blas Square
  3. Plaza De Armas
  4. Choco museum
  5. Twelve Angle Stone
  6. Santa Clara Arch
  7. San Pedro Market

It was a Sunday when we walked around the city. It was fantastic, as many of the cathedral’s were having worship services, and were open to the public. We also witnessed a HUGE parade in the Plaza De Armas. There was a huge crowd, and an even bigger party.

Day 5: ATV to Salt Mines/ White Jesus

While we were walking around Cusco, we were approached by several people selling tours. We did purchase a tour from a woman near San Pedro Market. We arranged for her company to pick us up on Monday and take us for an ATV ride to a few lakes, to stop at a salt museum, and to visit the salt mines.

They picked us up when they said they would- I always get nervous when we have no idea who we’ve booked a tour with when we meet them on the street, and if they’ll follow through. But, we actually never had any problems!

The drive to the salt museum and the location of the ATV’s was LONG! Over an hour at least. But, I do enjoy going through all the neighborhoods in a foreign country. You really do get to see how people live when you drive through their towns.

The salt museum was pretty great. They gave us a short tutorial/demo about the different kinds of salt they harvest- therapeutic, culinary, etc. And of course, I bought some soaking salt for a bath.

The ATV ride as actually A LOT of fun. And normally, I don’t love activities like this. But riding through the country side and seeing the remote part of the country was absolutely breathtaking! The ATV’s were easy to handle, and I was really just able to enjoy the ride. We stopped at two different lakes for photos, and then headed back.

The Maras salt mines were pretty amazing. The intricate plumbing system they’ve created is quite miraculous. The water settles into smaller pools, evaporates, and then someone harvests the salt. Basic system, but very cool!

When we returned from the day of ATV and Salt mines, we walked up the hill from our VRBO to the White Jesus statue on the hill. It was a short walk- but like all the neighborhoods around cusco, ALL UP HILL!

We had a great view of the city.

We only stayed there a few minutes, but we did connect with a guy selling horseback rides to the ruins. He was not licensed with a tour agency. He was just a guy who happened to have a ranch and horses. Because there were 5 of us, and he didn’t have to pay any middle men, we were able to negotiate $40 each for him to take us to 3 ruins the next day.

Day 6: Horseback ride to Sacsquana ruins

Again, shocked that we got picked up by a random stranger when they agreed to pick us up, the man with the ranch sent two cars to fit the 5 of us and bring us to the ranch.

When we got there, there was very little regulations. We weren’t given helmets or instructions, and I don’t think we even signed waivers. Haha. But, once we all got saddled, we headed out on the mountain side to five different ruins: Sacsayhuaman, Quenco, and Tambomachay, Templo de Luna, and Pucapucara.

We also went to a small shop where they hand made alpaca products. I bought a winter hat, and it’s the SOFTEST thing I own. I love it so much!!

Day 7: Travel home

Getting home was quite the adventure! I used the ride share app and specifically selected “LARGE VEHICLE”. There was five of us and we all had luggage. Since the apartment was somewhat difficult to find, and the streets of Cusco are so crowded, it took at least 30 minutes for our ride to arrive.

When the car arrived, it was a SMALL 5 seater car, with no room for luggage. Because the driver insisted on taking us, I sat on Erica’s lap, and we had ALL the luggage on our laps as well. A 10 mile trip to the airport took us almost a full hour. The traffic is so bad through town, it was just slow going.

Overall- TRIP OF A LIFETIME! I’m thrilled we got to take our kids and we can’t wait for our next trip.

(videos from social media)