Peru Survival Guide: Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu & The Amazon

Peru is one of South America's most famous and popular countries, and for very good reason. It's home to white sandy deserts on the southern coast, breath-taking highlands in the Altiplano, the world's highest navigable body of water at Lake Titicaca, the world's largest tropical rainforest - the Amazon, and of course one of the New Seven Wonders of the World: the Inca City of Machu Picchu.

That's a hella lot of world bests for one country and is exactly why it's worth the visit. Need more convincing? I spent a week in Peru and experienced more adventure in that time than I have during pretty much the rest of my existence. Read on for my itinerary and top survival tips, because Peru really is a series of pretty magnificent death traps.

DAY 1: London to Lima

Lima is not a beautiful city, however its saving grace is the foodie scene.

Eat: Central Restaurante, located in the Barranco District, has been ranked in the top 5 of the 'World's 50 Best Restaurants' for the past 5 years and if you're in Lima for an evening, it's essential that you book a table and experience their 16-course contemporary Peruvian tasting menu. 

If Central is out of your budget, or if you're staying in Miraflores (an upscale suburban district of Lima around 10km from the city centre), La Gloria is a wonderfully authentic place to dine (it's always a good sign when there are no British tourists in sight). Order the ceviche and thank me later! 

Survival tip 1: don't walk around Lima at 5am on your own, no matter how jet-lagged you are. It's not that safe. 

Survival tip 2: English isn't widely spoken (and why should it be!) so make sure you've got un poco de Español in your locker, or at least, easy access to Google translate.   

DAY 2: Lima to Cusco

If you have time to kill (half a day is enough), stroll along El Malecón, a scenic cliff top walkway stretching almost 6 miles. You'll walk past 7 parks with colourful flowers and various sculptures including Parque del Amor, a romantic spot with its sculpture 'El Beso' (The Kiss). That and the Faro la Marina lighthouse are probably the two best features of the walk, close behind the creperie that overlooks the ocean. Nonetheless, some of the graffiti streets around Miraflores are also beautiful! 

We flew to Cusco that afternoon, to acclimatise for Machu Picchu and for our pre-hike briefing. Cusco is a gorgeous city in the Peruvian Andes known for its archaeological remains and Spanish colonial architecture. We stayed at Esplendor, a hidden side-street gem close to the hustle and bustle of the city. 

Eat: Pachapapa, a lovely courtyard eatery that served guinea pig, a local delicacy. When in Rome, right? It was actually delicious! 

Survival tip 1: altitude sickness is a real thing! We climbed a few steps to get to dinner and it was more tiring than a F45 workout. Cusco is 3,399m above sea level! 

Survival tip 2: the local kids are very entrepreneurial (you can hold their baby coats for a few pennies) but they might also take all your cash. 

DAY 3: Cusco

Cusco has so much to offer but with only one day to explore, we wandered around San Pedro Market, San Blas, Plaza de Armas, walked to the top of the city for the #InstaView and drank coca tea at Cappuccino Cafe.

Eat: we enjoyed a healthy and exquisitely presented lunch at Organika and for dinner, we dined at Uchu, Peruvian steakhouse! We ate alpaca (sorry - another delicacy!), beef and local sausages, and I'd go as far as to say this was my best meal in Peru. Served with sweet potato and salad on hot stones, it was all so right. 

Survival tip: Cusco is a food poisoning breeding ground. Don't eat the street food.

DAY 4-5: Cusco/Machu Picchu/Huayna Picchu 

We chose the 2-day Inca Trail Hike through Pachamama Explorers, which (as you'd imagine) entailed 2 days of hiking. Post an early morning train journey, we hiked up to Machu Picchu (~15km) and reached the top around 2:30pm. I had goosebumps as we reached Inca City - I've never seen anything more beautiful and genuinely nearly cried. It looks better in real life than it does in pictures! 

We stayed in Aguas Calientes, a small town near Machu Picchu where you can drink Pisco Sours and play Jenga to your hearts content (that's literally all there is to do). 

Day 2 of the hike consisted of a tour of the Inca City and our second hike, this time up Huayna Picchu. This was a 45 minute (almost) vertical climb but totally worth it!

Survival tip 1: take mosquito repellent whilst hiking. You don't need walking boots or sticks, just spray. 4 weeks later and I'm still itching. 

Survival tip 2: make sure you book your trip during the dry season (May - September).  

DAY 6-9: Cusco to Iquitos 

There are few Peru itineraries that include Iquitos. It's the most remote city in the whole world and the only 2 ways of getting there are by plane or by boat (which takes 8 days). Keen to experience the true Amazon Rainforest, we opted for Iquitos because we thought it had the most to offer - if you're going to do something once, do it right! We wanted to experience 'the wild', in the heart of the jungle.

We stayed at Tahuayo Lodge, an eco accommodation built on wooden stilts, totally exposed to the surrounding rainforest. Over 3 days, we took part in a range of day trips; from pink dolphin watching, night hiking and caiman crocodile trekking to piranha fishing and zip-lining. We saw a vast range of additional wildlife en route to our excursions including monkeys, river otters, snakes and birds. 

No words can describe how incredible the experience was! Hands down one of the best things I've ever done, alongside climbing Mt Batur in Bali. Watch the video above for a little snippet of jungle life! 

Survival tip 1: be prepared to step outside your comfort zone. The jungle is unpredictable.

Survival tip 2: don't panic if you're caught in a tropical thunderstorm whilst zip-lining from tree to tree 100m in the air (and being strapped to the only metal around for miles). It's all part of the experience! 

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