Wondering how you get there? Read our guide to flights to Peru from the UK, with routes, flight times and what a return costs in 2026.
INCA TRAILS · SACRED VALLEYS · CLOUD FORESTS
Peru Holidays
Inca Trails, Amazon Wilderness & Andean Peaks
South America
Tailor-made or small group
WHAT TO SEE
Peru highlights
The Inca Trail
Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World
Cusco
Explore Cusco, the former Inca capital with its blend of indigenous and colonial architecture
The Peruvian Amazon
Spot jaguars, macaws, and giant otters in the Amazon rainforest
The Sacred Valley
Visit the Sacred Valley, Moray terraces, Maras salt pans, and Ollantaytambo fortress
Colca Canyon condors
Watch Andean condors soar over the Colca Canyon
Lake Titicaca
Experience the floating islands of Lake Titicaca
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Watch the holiday
The long way to Machu Picchu
Read the video script
Condors rising out of one of the deepest canyons on Earth. Reed islands floating on the highest navigable lake in the world. And at the end of the road, Machu Picchu. Visit Peru with Travelfab. This is one of our favourite ways to see Peru, the long way to Machu Picchu. Land in Lima, on the cliffs above the Pacific, then fly south to Arequipa, the white city built from volcanic stone, under three volcanoes. Cross the high plains past herds of vicuña, down into the Colca Canyon, and at first light, watch the Andean condors rise on the warm air. Then on to Lake Titicaca. Sail to the Uros islands, built from totora reed, and on to the terraced island of Taquile. Over the high passes to Cusco, and down into the Sacred Valley, for the hillside terraces of Pisac, the great circles of Moray, and the Inca town of Ollantaytambo. Take the train through the Urubamba gorge, and walk the terraces and temples of Machu Picchu with your guide. End in Cusco, the Inca capital, where colonial churches stand on Inca walls, and the old stone lanes climb the hill. Eleven days that climb slowly, so you get used to the altitude as you go, with a guide throughout, flights from London included, and full ATOL protection. But your Peru holiday can take any shape you like. Your own dates, your own pace, travelling privately, or adding the Amazon or the Inca Trail. Tell us what you have in mind, and a Latin America specialist will plan it around you. Plan your Peru holiday at travelfab.co.uk.
When to go
The best time to visit Peru
May to October
The dry season in the Andes. Clear skies over Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, with cold nights. It is also the busiest time of year.
April and May, September and October
Good weather with fewer people on the trails, at either end of the dry season.
November to March
The wetter months in the Andes. The Inca Trail closes each February. Lima and the coast are warm and sunny from December to April.
Our full guide: Best time to visit Peru, month by month.
Where to go
The best places to visit in Peru
Tailor-made Peru holidays from the UK: Machu Picchu at first light, the hacienda hotels of the Sacred Valley, Cusco, Lake Titicaca and a lodge in the Tambopata rainforest, in the order and at the pace that suit you. We book your flights, hotels, trains and guides together on one ATOL protected booking. Prices start from £2,899 per person including flights for eleven days the long way to Machu Picchu, our small group tour by the Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca, from £5,399 for ten days pairing Machu Picchu with the Galápagos, and from £6,099 for fourteen days with the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and the Amazon. Or tell us what you have in mind and we will build the trip around you.
ICONIC ASCENT
The iconic ascent
Machu Picchu sits at 2,430m above the Urubamba river, hidden from the Spanish for 400 years and rediscovered by the outside world in 1911. The 15th-century citadel is the climax of any Peru trip, but how you arrive matters as much as the citadel itself. The classic four-day Inca Trail climbs through subtropical forest, alpine tundra and a succession of Inca ruins before delivering you through the Sun Gate at dawn. Permits cap at 500 a day (including porters) and sell out six months ahead in peak season.
For travellers who miss the Inca Trail window, or want a quieter, higher route, the Salkantay Trek circles a 6,271m glacier-clad peak with equally spectacular scenery and a fraction of the foot traffic. The Lares Trek trades archaeology for ethnography, passing through Quechua-speaking villages where traditional weaving and high-altitude farming continue unchanged. Both are 4 to 5 days and finish at Aguas Calientes for the final bus up to the citadel.
Not everyone wants a multi-day trek. The Vistadome train from Cusco through the Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes is a beautiful half-day journey in its own right and opens Machu Picchu to families, slower travellers, and tighter itineraries. Whichever route, plan two nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley first, Machu Picchu sits below 2,500m, but you'll have arrived through 3,400m Cusco, and altitude acclimatisation is non-negotiable.
ANDEAN HEARTLAND
Where two civilisations meet
Cusco was the Inca Empire's capital, then the Spanish viceroyalty's mountain seat, and the city wears both layers openly. Colonial churches and mansions on the Plaza de Armas sit directly on top of precision-cut Inca walls that no mortar can pry apart. The bohemian quarter of San Blas climbs the slope in cobbled lanes of artisan workshops, churches and balconies. Cusco is small enough to walk in a day and layered enough to take three.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas runs sixty kilometres between Cusco and the Machu Picchu railhead, a lower-altitude corridor (2,800m vs Cusco's 3,400m) that makes it a smarter base for acclimatisation. Three sites anchor any visit: the circular agricultural terraces of Moray, an Inca microclimate laboratory; the Maras salt pans in use since the 15th century; and the fortress-temple of Ollantaytambo, the last place the Incas successfully repelled the Spanish conquistadors and still a living Inca town.
For most UK travellers, the sequence that works best is Cusco for a night or two, then move down into the Sacred Valley for two or three nights, better sleep at lower altitude, a slower rhythm, and a logical staging post for the final push to Machu Picchu. Boutique hacienda hotels at Urubamba, Yucay and Ollantaytambo turn this leg from logistics into one of the trip's highlights.
WILD INTERIOR
Peru's wild interior
Peru's share of the Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Tambopata National Reserve and the Manu Biosphere Reserve have the macaw clay licks, giant otters, the odd jaguar and more than 1,000 bird species, and the lodges are comfortable enough that three nights in the forest is a rest rather than an expedition.
Away from the jungle the country keeps changing. Colca Canyon, twice the depth of the Grand Canyon, is where you watch Andean condors ride the morning thermals from the Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint. Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, has the floating reed islands of the Uros people, and the desert around Nazca holds the geoglyphs that nobody has fully explained.
BETWEEN PLACES
On the way between
TAILOR-MADE TWIN-CENTRE
Pair Peru with the Galápagos
For travellers who came for Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, the natural next step is a five-night Galápagos crossover. Quito's colonial centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at 2,850m, slots in as a one-night transit before the islands, and Santa Cruz's volcanic interior, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies make the second half feel like a different holiday entirely. Ten days, two countries, two completely different wonders of the world.
Travelfab's Galápagos & Machu Picchu, Andes Twin-Centre Holiday is a fully tailor-made 10-day itinerary covering Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Quito and Santa Cruz Island. From £5,399pp including international flights, internal Peru and Ecuador flights, all transfers, central hotels and guided tours. ATOL protected and tailored to your dates.
Ready when you are.
We'll tailor the itinerary to your dates, pace and budget, no fixed departures, no group tour compromises.
Practical answers
Know before you go to Peru
Getting there
One change, 16 to 18 hours
There is no direct flight from the UK. Most routes change once, in Madrid, Amsterdam or Paris, and take around 16 to 18 hours in total to Lima. We book your flights with the trip, so the whole holiday is ATOL protected.
Language
Spanish
Spanish, with Quechua widely spoken in the Andes. English is common in Lima and Cusco hotels and with guides, less so in villages and on the trails.
Money
Soles, plus some US dollars
The Peruvian sol (PEN). Cards work in hotels, better restaurants and shops in Lima, Cusco and Arequipa; carry soles in small notes for markets, taxis, small towns and tips. US dollars are accepted for larger tourist payments. ATMs are common in cities.
Plugs
Type A and C, 220 V
Type A and type C plugs (flat two-pin US style and round two-pin European style) at 220 V and 60 Hz. UK devices need an adapter for either; most chargers are dual voltage. Some hotels have both socket types.
Phone and internet
An eSIM is easiest
Buy an eSIM before you leave or a local SIM from Claro, Movistar, Entel or Bitel in Lima or Cusco with your passport. 4G is good in cities and the Sacred Valley; expect nothing on the Inca Trail and little in the Amazon. Hotels have wifi, slower at altitude lodges.
Time zone
5 hours behind the UK
Peru Time, UTC minus 5, all year with no daylight saving. That is 5 hours behind the UK in winter and 6 hours behind in British Summer Time.
Tap water
No, drink bottled water
No. Do not drink tap water anywhere in Peru. Use bottled or filtered water, including for brushing teeth, and avoid ice outside good hotels. Most hotels and all our lodges provide filtered water.
Tipping
About 10 percent in restaurants
Tipping is customary in tourism. Around 10 percent in restaurants if service is not included, USD 10 to 20 per person per day for trekking guides, USD 5 to 10 for drivers and day guides, and a shared tip for Inca Trail porters and cooks, which we will explain in your itinerary.
Visa and entry
No visa for up to 90 days
UK passport holders can currently visit Peru for tourism without a visa for up to 90 days. If your flights connect through the US you also need a US ESTA. Check gov.uk before you book and again before you fly.
These answers are a guide as of 2026. Entry rules change, so check the UK government travel advice for Peru before you book and again before you fly.
Which eSIM should I buy for Peru?
An eSIM gets your phone online as soon as you land. You buy it online, install it at home on wifi and switch it on when you arrive. Most phones from the last few years take one: if yours does, its settings will offer "Add eSIM". All three below work in Peru; where they differ is how you pay for data.
Best for set data
Airalo
Airalo has the widest choice of plan sizes and a Latin America plan if you are visiting more than one country. When we checked, it was usually the cheapest for a set amount of data, such as 10 GB.
Best for a laptop
Saily
Saily is priced close to Airalo, the app is simple, and it puts no limit on hotspot use, so it is a good pick if you need to connect a laptop.
Best for unlimited
Holafly
Holafly sells unlimited data only, priced by the number of days, so you never have to keep an eye on it. Sharing it as a hotspot is capped at 1 GB a day. Our code TRAVELFAB takes 5 percent off.
For maps, WhatsApp and photos, 5 GB is plenty for two weeks, and a set amount of data is the cheaper way to buy it. For video calls or working on the road, go unlimited.
We may earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It never adds to your price, and it does not change which one we suggest.
Before you book
Your Peru holiday questions
UK citizens do not need a visa for tourist visits of up to 90 days (extendable to 183 days). Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your planned departure date. No compulsory vaccinations are required, but yellow fever vaccination is recommended if visiting the Amazon region.
Real reviews
What our customers say
From travellers who visited Peru with us
“
Peru was the trip of a lifetime. We did the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu of course, but the real surprise was Cusco itself, the blend of Inca walls and colonial architecture, the bustling San Pedro market, and the food scene is world-class. The ceviche at Chicha was outstanding. Travelfab arranged altitude acclimatisation days which made all the difference. We never felt rushed.
Margaret & Tony H.
“
Walking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was the most rewarding experience of our lives. The sunrise through the Sun Gate brought tears to our eyes. Travelfab handled all the permits and logistics perfectly.
Emma & Paul D.
“
Peru offers so much beyond Machu Picchu. The Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, and the Rainbow Mountain were all extraordinary. Our private guide made everything special.
Richard & Jane L.
Travel Guides & Tips
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: A UK Traveller's Guide
How to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: permits, the 4-day route, difficulty, best time to go, and alternatives if it's sold out.
Best Time to Visit Peru: Machu Picchu, the Andes & When to Go
A Peru specialist's month-by-month guide, the dry season, and the surprising best time for Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, the Amazon and the Lima coast.
Peru Travel Guide 2026: Machu Picchu, the Andes & Amazon
Peru for UK travellers: Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Lima's food and the Amazon. When to go and how long you need.
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Tailor-made · ATOL 10898
Plan your tailor-made Peru trip
Tell us when you want to travel, who with, and roughly what budget you have in mind. A Latin America specialist replies within one working day with a bespoke proposal.
Plan a tailor-made Peru trip