The 11 Best Day Trips from Peru

1.Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cusco

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,644 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $336Our pick

Review of the 14-hour Machu Picchu day trip from Cusco, covering trains, guides, circuits, costs, timing, meals, and practical tips.

“The day before the tour I received all the various tickets for the train, bus and Mathu Picchu. I recommend taking screenshots and saving them in your photos, this way you can access without an internet connection which is spotty along the trip. Do remember your passport. Was picked up at the hotel in Cusco at 6:45 with one other person. We did wait about an hour for the train. I wish they gave us 15 more minutes to be picked up, allowing for a hotel breakfast. The train to Machu Picchu was comfortable. They provided a snack which was meager and sugary. The entertainment was basically the crew singing…”

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2.Day trip to Paracas, Ica and Oasis Huacachina

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 409 reviews · 17h 30m · from $61

Visit the Ballestas Islands, taste pisco in Ica, and race across Huacachina’s dunes on a long but rewarding Lima day trip.

“I liked the whole experience, we saw nice places and had a great time, but the bus that transferred us was really uncomfortable, we hardly had any space to put our legs.”

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3.Paracas & Huacachina Oasis Day Trip with Wine & Dunes

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 266 reviews · 16h 30m · from $100

Review of Lima’s Paracas and Huacachina day trip, with Ballestas wildlife, pisco tasting, dune buggies, sandboarding, and practical tips.

“Wonderful, I enjoyed it. I felt to love with Dunes. PS. Need add local food from mercado :)”

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4.2-Day Trip to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 265 reviews · 2 days · from $370

Review of a 2-day Cusco tour through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu, with trains, guides, hotel pickup, lodging, and practical tips.

“This trip was outstanding! As a non Spanish speaking tourist I was immediately put at ease when a representative came the day before the trip and explained the process. Being escorted from my hotel to the tour bus by the tour guide was fantastic. Having someone meeting and my party at the train station to take use to the next location was superb. Both tour guides were outstanding, very personable and knowledgeable about the history and people. I would suggest this trip a thousand times over.”

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5.Ballestas & Huacachina Day Trip w/ Nazca Lines Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 117 reviews · 19h 30m · from $600Top rated

Review of Lima’s Ballestas Islands, Nazca Lines flight, and Huacachina day trip, with practical advice on price, timing, comfort, and value.

“The tour was wonderful and the tour Guide Alfonso Choji was great. He is very knowledgeable and very friendly. He made me interested in visiting Peru again ( I live in Australia - the longest flight possible). If I can give stars to this tour and tour guide I will put 10 stars out of 5. Thanks a lot”

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6.From Arequipa: Colca Canyon Day Trip with Transfer to Puno

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 90 reviews · from $65

Review of the Arequipa to Colca Canyon and Puno day trip, with condors, villages, hot springs, Andean views, costs, and practical tips.

“Très belle excursion pour voir les condors et de superbes paysages!!”

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7.Day Trip to Paracas, Ica & Oasis Huacachina

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 74 reviews · 17h 30m · from $60

Review of Lima’s 17.5-hour trip to Ballestas Islands, Ica, and Huacachina, with sea lions, pisco tasting, dune buggies, and sandboarding.

“Lo mejor de todo el tour es la ruta en buggy, el trayecto en barco malo y peligroso, no pudimos ir a las islas Ballestas por el temporal, y el piloto era bastante temerario para la seguridad del turismo debido al estado del mar y a la velocidad que iba. NO RECOMENDABLE ESTA EXCURSIÓN”

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8.Nazca Lines and Ica Desert Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 65 reviews · 18 hours · from $390

Review of Lima’s 18-hour Nazca Lines and Huacachina tour, with flight tips, dune buggy details, costs, itinerary, and booking advice.

“The tour day was very long, and was well worth the effort. Sonya was an informative and friendly guide. The Nazca Lines flight is not for the faint of heart or for those who are prone to motion sickness. And the Huacachina buggy ride feels like a roller coaster ride. We saw beautiful places and had a great experience.”

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9.From Arequipa: Salinas Lagoon Full-Day Trip with Hot Springs

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 62 reviews · from $49

Review of Arequipa’s Salinas Lagoon day trip, with volcano views, flamingos, Lojen hot springs, local food, costs, and altitude tips.

“The guide is good. And the view of the Salinas Lagoon is amazing. However, it is suggested to have more time for the lake.”

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10.Andes: Colca Canyon Day-Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 50 reviews · from $36Best value

Review of a Colca Canyon day trip from Arequipa with condors, Chivay hot springs, Andean villages, breakfast, and mountain views.

“Food overall was pretty bad. The included breakfast was disappointingly small and the lunch gave me stomach issues.”

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11.Puerto Maldonado: Sandoval Lake Full-Day Trip with Canoeing

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 38 reviews · 1 day · from $85

Review of Puerto Maldonado’s Sandoval Lake canoe trip, with river travel, jungle walks, wildlife, practical tips, costs, and honest drawbacks.

“Llegaron 2 horas tarde de lo que pone, lo que supuso hacer la excursión con un calor asfixiante. A pesar de que claramente pone que la excursión es en español, el guía Sergio solo hablaba en inglés, por más que le insistimos traducía solo una parte y de forma incompleta y malas formas, cuando es su lengua materna. Éramos 6 españoles en el grupo que se lo estuvimos continuamente diciendo. Luego decidió mandarnos con un compañero suyo para separarnos y él no tener que hablar en español. En el camino de vuelta, pasó lo mismo, no volvió a hablar en español. No entiendo, porque se ofrece esta excursión de esta…”

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