Peru
More glaciated tropical peaks than anywhere, an Inca road under permit, and an Amazon reserve under concession.
4 expeditions across high andes, amazon & rainforest, 1 of which is inquire-only. Windows on offer: May–Sep · Apr–Nov · May–Oct.
- Expeditions
- 4
- Open to plan
- 3
- Inquire only
- 1
- Days
- 7–12
What Peru is actually good at
The Cordillera Blanca in Ancash carries more glaciated peaks above 5,500 m than anywhere else in the tropics, and the Huayhuash sits just south of it — shorter, sharper, emptier. Both work from Huaraz. They are roughly 800 km from Cusco and belong to a different trip, which is worth saying because the two are frequently marketed as one.
Around Cusco, the Sacred Valley sits lower than the city, which is why we sleep in it first. The Classic Inca Trail is 43 km over four days on original paving, crossing Warmiwañusca at 4,215 m. Colca is about 3,270 m deep at its deepest point and, more interestingly, terraced and continuously farmed since pre-Inca times, with Andean condors riding the morning thermals at Cruz del Cóndor. In the east, Manu drops from Andean cloud forest to 400 m lowland Amazon inside one protected block.
Access and permits
Country-level constraints that decide whether a date is possible.
- The Classic Inca Trail closes for the whole of February for maintenance. Salkantay, Lares, and train-based itineraries run normally then.
- The Classic trail is capped at 500 permits a day including guides and porters, per person and non-transferable.
- From 1 January 2026 the Inca Trail permit no longer includes Machu Picchu citadel entry — two separate capacity-controlled purchases for the same date, with trekkers entering on a designated route.
- Citadel entry is time-slotted with a 30-minute grace period, no re-entry, an assigned sub-route, and passport checks. Daily caps are 5,600 in high season and 4,500 in low.
- Manu's Reserved Zone is entered only through operators holding a current SERNANP concession, and berths are capped. The Intangible Zone is closed permanently. A great many trips sold as "Manu" never leave the Cultural Zone.
- Huayhuash access is negotiated village by village and can change between seasons.
The Peru catalog
Peru
Andes Shadow Traverse
Cordillera Blanca & Cordillera Huayhuash (Ancash)
High passes catch first light while glacial valleys still hold cold air. Condors work the ridgelines as you thread camps between ice and stone.
- Duration
- 12 days
- Effort
- Challenging
- Window
- May–Sep
$8,900–$12,500
Detail →
Peru
Machu Picchu Inca Circuit
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Stone roads climb cloud forest toward the citadel. Dawn at the Sun Gate catches terraces still in shadow.
- Duration
- 8 days
- Effort
- Moderate
- Window
- May–Sep
$6,500–$8,900
Detail →
Peru
Colca Canyon Descent
Cañón del Colca, Arequipa
Condors ride thermals above terraced canyon walls. Trails drop to oasis villages where the river still cuts stone.
- Duration
- 7 days
- Effort
- Moderate
- Window
- Apr–Nov
$4,900–$7,400
Detail →
Peru
By invitation
Manu Amazon River
Manu Biosphere Reserve
From Andean foothills into one of Earth's richest rainforests. Clay licks draw macaws; oxbow lakes hold giant otters at dawn.
- Duration
- 10 days
- Effort
- Moderate
- Window
- May–Oct
On inquiry
Access →Inquire only in Peru
Why one of these is not bookable
Manu Amazon River
- Reserved Zone access is only through operators holding a current SERNANP concession, and berths are capped. This is the binding constraint on dates.
- The Intangible Zone is closed to protect peoples in voluntary isolation. We will not discuss routes through it.
Something else
Combine Peru with a neighbour
Most private journeys cross a border — the Atacama to Uyuni crossing, Copán into Guatemala, Iguazú from both sides. Tell us the shape you want and we will say whether the logistics hold together.
Private & custom