Peru: Active Amazon & Machu Picchu

First thing to say is that throughout the pandemic we have frequently been praised by Which? as a tour operator to trust, so you're in good hands. Your safety is always our top priority and we want you to be able to fully look forward to and enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.

Even as restrictuons ease, our policy remains as it always has - we view quarantines as a travel restriction on a par with lockdown, in-country restrictions at your destination or FCDO advice against travel, and we will offer the same flexibility as in those situations; defer to new dates or a full refund at the point at which your trip is imminent. In these cases, we define imminent travel as a month prior to departure.

Read more: Covid-19 FAQs

Peru’s size and highly diverse geography result in very variable weather patterns, on a typical trip you can expect to come across a wide range of conditions, so it depends on which areas you will be visiting.

Generally, there is a dry season and a wet season. The best time to visit Peru is during the dry season which is between May and October. You can expect warm sunny days and clear skies with chilly nights in the Andes (Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu) as well as Lake Titicaca and Colca. The Amazon is less humid during these months. Arequipa has a pleasant, stable, year-round climate as does Trujillo on the Pacific coast – known as the City of Eternal Spring.

The wet season is between November and April, with the wettest months being January and February which are best avoided. We still recommend travel in November, December as well as late March - April as long as you are prepared for some rain. It is quieter, the scenery is greener, and international flights will cost less.

June to September is the busier period but we always steer you away from crowds so the trip still works very well in this period.

This somewhat depends on when you want to travel and what you want to do. Permits are required for the Inca Trail and the One-Day Trail. These are limited and disappear fast once on sale - once gone, they are gone. We also work with small hotels and lodges and a small number of specialist guides. If you have specific dates, we advise you book 12 months ahead to secure your dates. The more flexibility you have, the better.

Total carbon generated on this trip: 3,329kg per person
Carbon mitigated by us: 5,326kg per person

As Yvon Chouinard, of Patagonia, Inc. rightly declared: “To do good, you actually have to do something.”

Therefore, for every kilometre travelled by road, air and sea on your Pura Aventura holiday, we carbon balance it by a mile - i.e. by 160% of your trip's carbon, from your front door and back again, irrespective of whether we book your international travel or not.

This is one of the travel industry's most ambitious and innovative schemes and has recently been praised by Wanderlust, Condé Nast Traveller and The Independent.

The trip has private services throughout, you are not joining a group. As such, this isn't the most obvious choice for a solo traveller.

Activities on this trip are not that demanding but the destinations you are in – the high Andes and the Amazon – can make things a little more challenging.

While in the Amazon, activities are mainly gentle and short wildlife walks in the forest or boat trips. The heat and humidity can make it quite intense.

Our selected walks in and around the Sacred Valley are not long, though you are at altitude. We pace the days to allow for acclimatisation with the least active days at the start of your time in Sacred Valley. It is important to know that as you have your own private guide it's much easier for us to adapt the itinerary to suit your energy levels, be that increasing or decreasing walking times. If you want to do more, you can. If you don’t feel like a hike on a particular day, we will suggest alternative options.

The Royal (one-day) Inca Trail is the toughest hike. It is only 11km in distance but it is at altitude with some steep uphill sections. The highest point on the walk is 2, 800 m. We set a gentle pace with lots of breaks over 6 – 7 hours. If you enjoy hiking and are generally active in day-to-day life, this will be a moderate hike for you.

The hike to Tambo Machay on the day you travel to Cusco takes you to over 4,000m. Again, it is not a long hike (13km), it is largely flat, and we set a slow pace covering the 13km over 6 hours, but you will most likely feel the altitude. It’s a beautiful hike and you should be well acclimatized by this point, but if you don’t want to do it, you can skip it and head straight to Cusco.

The mountain biking is aimed at those of all abilities. The day is completely flexible, so you can cycle for as little as 45 minutes and still get the wonderful views, or you can extend it up to a couple of hours. The course is largely flat, so you shouldn't have too much of a sweat on by the time you dismount. There is a support vehicle with you throughout so you can jump in at any time. If cycling isn't your thing, there are plenty of other options on foot or in the car.

We pace your time in the Andes to allow for acclimatisation and with your own private guide, the pace is entirely flexible to suit you.

It is completely normal to feel a little short of breath and nauseous when you first arrive, as well as a loss of appetite, as your body adapts to the thinner air. This is regardless of age, health and fitness levels and usually passes in 24 hours. Drink lots of water both before and during your time at altitude. Arriving well-hydrated does help.

We use Sacred Valley as a base which is at 2,800 m and 600m lower than Cusco. This really does make a difference and makes your first few days that much easier. Arrival day and the first full day are both very gentle with the focus on local life and cultural interaction. We then pace the hikes building up to the one-day trail on day four.

Machu Picchu is at 2,430 so you shouldn’t feel any effects at all by the time you arrive.

Really quite comfortable. You can see the hotels and lodges we use for this trip by asking for full details, but overall expect 3- 4* type levels of comfort.

Each one has been chosen for its sense of place, level of service, and warmth of its welcome. Some are a little more slick than others; the hotel we most like in Cusco is veering towards the premium end which is alovely way to end the trip. Elsewhere - notably the Amazon - things are simpler, though you can expect to be very comfortable

Absolutely, yes. The focus of this holiday is undoubtedly the wildlife and landscapes but we want you to leave Peru feeling like you know the country and more than anything, that means its people.

Too often, the locals are treated as picturesque relics for us to photograph on the street corners of Cusco. We take you off the beaten track where nothing is contrived. On your walks in the Andes you will meet locals usually on their way to the village to buy supplies. You’ll see that colourful woven fabrics really are worn by shepherds in the high mountains. You will meet landowners who lost all their land in the 1960s and had to start again. You will meet villagers who never had anything to lose. You will help out in the kitchen of a local family and eat dinner together.

The amazing alarm clock in the Amazon. Waking up to the sounds of the jungle is often an unexpected highlight that you will recall long after you have left. The cacophony of sound is exhilarating and is a wonderful way to start the day. You are immersed in nature and the forest.

Absolutely. We can tailor your holiday in any number of ways, from extending your time in any destination, adding other destinations such as Colca Canyon and Arequipa, or adding in another country such as Ecuador and Galápagos. Just drop us a line to start the conversation.

We take a 15% deposit to secure your holiday, with the remainder due eight weeks before your departure.

Your money is 100% protected through our ATOL licence if your trip includes a flight booked through us, or through our ABTOT bond if it does not. Either way, this protection provides a cast-iron financial guarantee and helps you book with complete peace of mind. Because the contract between us exists here in the UK, you get this protection regardless of where you live.

As always, our covid-19 policies ensure you have complete flexibility, just in case. Throughout the pandemic we have frequently been praised by Which? as a tour operator to trust, so you're in good hands. Your safety is always our top priority and we want you to be able to fully look forward to and enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.