A brief guide of alternatives to touristic places in one of the most popular countries in South America
Peru is such a famous destination that it almost feels pointless to write an article about it. Like, what can we say that hasn`t been said before? There are thousands of articles about it. However, I noticed that, in general, all those articles are mostly about the touristic places and no one mentions the other ones. However, Peru is such a big and complex country and has so much to offer. The moment you step outside of the popular places, you start connecting to the real world of Peru: friendly people, incredible scenery, trekking opportunities, interesting history, great and natural food, you name it.
Unfortunately, there are many downsides of the mass tourism that no one is talking about. Habitat destruction, culture loss, community conflict, polution and waste are just a few to mention. On top of that, there are all the disadvantages that one gets when going to a commercial place: the need to book early, masses of people, loss of authenticity etc. For all these reasons, we encourage people to do their research before going somewhere and to try to avoid being part of the problem.
When we decided to come to Peru, we did it mostly to wander through villages and photograph its people. We tried to find remote and less touristic places, as well as alternatives to the most popular destinations. We did go to Machu Pichu though. Not sure if it was the right thing.
In the article that follows, I will try to summarize our research: our itinerary, alternative destinations, car rental, favorite places and other things that we found out on the way.
How to get there
Most of the people go to and from Peru via Lima, where most of the long haul flights land. However, there are many other international airports ( Cusco, Arequipa, etc ) in the country and plenty of flights.
When to go
Oficially, May to October is considered the dry season with sunny days and cold nights while December to March is the rainy season. Peru’s jungle region naturally experiences a tropical climate that is hot and humid. However, each region in Peru has its own distinct climate, which makes it difficult to define an absolute best time to visit Peru if you’re traveling all over the country.
In order to avoid crowds, traveling in the shoulder period, such as before and after the rainy season ( April/ November ) seems like a good option.
Altitude sickness
If you are heading to the mountains, inevitably you will face the altitude problem. Now, depending on every body, some people will experience it more than others. If you are landing in Cusco, the altitude will be roughly 3700 m, which is above the limit for getting the sickness. The whole region around Cusco and Sacred Valley will oscillate from 3000 m to 5000 m with mountain peaks obviously raising above.
The popular remedy in the area is coca leaves tea, however it doesn`t do that much. The best way to avoid it are Acetozolamide pills/ Diamox. In Europe you need prescription to get them but in South America you can get them in most of the pharmacies. ( We easily bought them in Bolivia and Lima ). Take one tablet a day for the first 1-2 days after you arrive at hard altitude. Ocasionally, one might experience tingling in hands and feet for a short while.
Getting around
There are few ways to get around the country. In between the main regions, the fastest way is by plane. Driving can take 12-15 hours in between Lima and Cusco, for example. There are various airlines operating domestic routes in the country, however, some of them don`t have the best reviews. We traveled using Latam, which is a bit more expensive, but we had smooth experiences.
Within the same region, one can either take public transport, book tours or rent a car. Since we wanted more flexibility, we opted for renting a car, despite its unpopularity. Public transport could be a more authentic option but limits you quite a lot. We personally don`t like doing tours, as they tend to only go to touristic places, however we understand it is easier for some people.
Car rental
The few people that do rent cars are doing it from international companies. From our experience, in less developed countries, we noticed that it is a better idea to rent from local companies. In general, the local companies offer better deals, they are less picky and you can negociate better with them ( such as the need for a credit card or the possibility to pay the deposit in cash ).
It is the same case in Peru. After literally checking the reviews of the car rental agencies on Google Maps, I contacted some of them and the winner was: Andean Rent a Car. We had a great experience with them. We booked the car via Whatsapp, we got a brand new Hyundai, we picked the car from their agency near the airport, we paid in cash both the rental and the deposit ( which was returned upon bringing back the car ). They had the lowest deposit rate, which was 800$, compared to the other companies which were asking over 1000$. The staff was super friendly, not picky with anything, constantly checked on us to see if we are fine or to alert us about things. The only thing is that they don`t speak English at all, however, you can translate everything with an app. For us it wasn`t a problem, because we speak Spanish.
Road condition
The roads were super ok in the Sacred Valley/ Cusco. All of them asphalt, with the exception of few country roads. The Google Maps distances and times were reliable as well. Driving is pretty descent, despite what is said about South America. Just be more careful in the cities, where people tend to be more rushing.
Our itinerary
We spent 8 days driving through the Sacred Valley basically. Initially we included Titicaca Lake as well but then we found a more remote village and we changed our minds. Our itinerary was : Cusco – Maras – Moray – Ollantaytambo – Machu Pichu – Sicuani – Layo – Calca – Maras – Cusco. And looked like this:
What to visit
Although it is the starting point for many adventures in Peru, and therefore, very touristic, this city is super charming. The views, the architecture, the people dressed in traditional clothes, the amazing bars and restaurants, the food, they all contribute to make this city a must.
Most of the people skip this little village and go straight to the salt mines. However, if you are passionate about photography, like we are, this place is a true gem. Situated at about 3000 m altitude, features views of the mountains surrounding the Sacred Valley. Also, people are very nice and friendly and open to talk ( if you speak Spanish ). If you get the chance, buy some smoked salt and salt chocolate from a local shop.
The amazing views in Maras and the cute llamas around
The Salineras de Maras, or Maras salt mines, date back to pre-Inca times. They are also the largest prehispanic salt mines in Peru.Historians know little about exactly who created the mines and when. However, archeologists have found evidence of civilizations in Maras since around 700 BCE. Of course, when the Inca came to power, they oversaw the area’s salt production. They are currently own by local families and still used to this day.
Moray is one of the famous Inca ruins near Maras. It is composed of three groups of circular terraces that descend 150 meters from the highest terrace to the lowest. With the Incas having no written language, the Moray ruins are officially an enigma but it is widely believed that the ruins were used as an experimental farm by the Incas over 500 years ago.
As the name suggests, this is more an experience than a destination. Located few kilometres before the Salt Mines, we discovered this place by mistake. Initially we thought it is just a restaurant but we soon discovered that they have accommodation, too. On top of that, they keep many llamas and other animals roaming freely ( the llamas even got used to enter the restaurant! ) and they provide horse riding and other activities. The place is located on the same plateau as the village of Maras, featuring stunning views over the mountains. The cabins are really fancy, having jacuzzi and fire place. The prices vary from about 100 $ to 350$, depending on the cabin, but quite acceptable. The only downside is that there is no heating and considering the cold night temperatures, it gets very cold inside. But there are enough blankets so you don`t actually feel cold while sleeping.
The place can be booked here and you need to pay in full in advance.
As mentioned before, we had doubts if we should visit it or not, considering the mass tourism and its implications. On the other hand, we thought that since we are already there, it might feel like a pity not to visit one of the wonders of the world. We don`t regret it, as the location is magical, however, it was the least authentic experience from the whole trip. Even though we technically went in the low season, there were still hundreds of people. We opted for the easiest way to get there, as we wanted to spend the extra days in places more authentical.
Trying to visit Machu Picchu can be really overwhelming as there is a lot of information on the internet, mostly from travel agencies, which sometimes is not that helpful. So we will try to sumarize as much as possible. So these are the main points to follow:
- Machu Picchu tickets
- official website: https://tuboleto.cultura.pe/llaqta_machupicchu ( don`t use other websites )
- buy them as early as possible ( we bought them 3 months before but in high season it might not be enough )
- post covid there are 3 circuits ( with different variations – A,B,C.. ) and one ticket is only valid for the specified circuit
- the circuit which allows you to take the classic Machu Picchu picture is Circuito 2 – Ruta clasica disenada
- the ticket is only valid for the specified time ( with a tolerance of being late of 45 min in high season/ 30 min in low season ) – more information can be found here
- You cannot reach Macchu Picchu by car – the only ways to go there are by train or by foot ( we will only cover the first one here )
- the trains leave from 2 locations : Ollantaytambo and Hidroelectrica ( both reaching Aguas Calientes )
- from Aguas Calientes there are another 10 km on the road, which can be done by walking or bus ( take extra time into consideration from reaching Aguas Calientes by train and the allocated time for entrance ) – ideally 1 hour
- bus tickets from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu can be purchased on the spot in both locations but take into consideration extra time for waiting in line
- buy the train tickets as early as possible as well ( best is to buy them at the time time with the entrance tickets )
- there are only 2 train companies: Peru Rail and Inca Rail ( Peru Rail has more daily departures to Machu Picchu )
- Nobody tells you but bring strong insect repellent, preferably DEET, even though it is cold – there are some insects that bite and then the bites turn into blisters and take ages to cure – you can read more on this old TripAdvisor forum
- Officially there is a limited amount of time to stay inside – around 4 hours – but in reality, nobody checks you
- Also, bear in mind that drones and tripods are not allowed, as well as big backpacks
In Peru there are various rainbow mountains but only one of them is popular. They are: Vinicunca, Palcoyo and Pallay Punchu. Apparently there are even more, but we couldn`t find out the names. The last 2 are alternatives for the first one and we preffered Pallay Punchu. Now I will tell you why.
First of all, you are not part of the destruction that mass tourism causes. Secondly, it is much less known and you have more chances to be alone on the mountain. Or at least, surrounded by few people. Thirdly, it looks great, even better than Vinicunca. And if you also have a drone, the shots look epical. Fourthly, the road going there passes through some remote villages, which are great to explore – such as Layo.
Why NOT visit Vinicunca, the famous Rainbow mountain? This mountain started to be popular around 2015 thanks to social media and the tourism has plummeted ever since. Unfortunately, this is not always a good thing. It brought together with it habitat destruction for the native birds ( a wetland once popular with migrating ducks has also been turned into a parking lot the size of five football fields ) and also environmentalists are concerned tourists could now destroy the treasured landscape, which is already being coveted by international mining companies, to name just a few. At the same time, it brought issues among the surrounding peasant communities which began to dispute the rights over the mountain itself, sometimes in a violent way. You can read more details about it: www.independent.co.uk, https://impactful.travel/why-not-to-visit-the-rainbow-mountain-in-cusco/ or you can just google it.
For these reasons, we chose not to visit the famous mountain and go to Pallay Punchu instead. Look how beautiful it looks like! And this was in a day with shitty weather and super windy, so we didn`t have time to take more pictures because we couldn`t handle the drone anymore.
How to get to Pallay Punchu? We noticed that there is not so much information on how to get there or details of the trek, as this area is not very popular. First of all, we reccommend getting an accommodation in Sicuani, as this is pretty much the only place where you can find a room. At least, officially. Then, from Sicuani, you need to drive for about 1 hour to Layo. Here, you can either leave your car and walk about 7 km uphill on a mountain road, or drive to the small parking. we didn`t have enough time to walk 14 km in total and we drove. Just for information, we had a small car and it was manageable to drive on this road. We reccommend downloading the app Maps.me and searching for Mirador Pallay Poncho. This app works much better than Google Maps.
From the small parking, the trek is super easy, about 3 km in length return. The maximum altitude reached is about 4700 m.
These are two local communities near Pallay Punchu and they are completely authentic and not touristic. In Layo we stepped in a local restaurant which was full of locals and we ate a 2 meal course with 3 $ both of us, tips included. This kind of non-touristic. If you are into photography, like we are, this is a great opportunity.
This place is slightly more touristic. We found here some nice coffee shops and a nice place to stay, Unuwasi hotel. We found a trek/ mountain road to Laguna Qanqan from here, which turned out to be very nice. It is a small lake in the mountains where the local people go fishing basically. The way up provides amazing views over the Sacred Valley and the lake itself is surrounded by beautiful mountains.
Last but not least, the food capital of the world. Although the city itself is not very impressive, it is worth spending a day or two here. Most of the hotels and bars/ restaurants are in Miraflores neighbourhood, which is also the most touristic.
Here, you can find some of the best restaurants in the world. We were tempted to go to Central, which is now in top 50 worldwide. To be honest, we didn`t do too much research and the prices were not very obvious either, so after putting ourselves on the waiting list, we got accepted and we initially confirmed the reservation. However, just before going there, we realized that the prices tripled since 2023 and now it costs about 400$ per person for an experience there, drinks excluded. We decided that it is a bit too much and we cancelled the reservation. However, apparently, if the reservation is not cancelled minimum 24 hours in advance, they charge more than the full price, which is absolutely crazy! In the end, fortunately, they made an exception for us and we didn`t have to pay anything.
Other places that we did not have time to visit but look nice
- Parque Arqueologico de Choquequirao – a less touristic alternative to Machu Picchu; bear in mind that it takes 2 days hike ( time we didn`t have )
- Salkantay trek – an alternative to Inka Trail
- Pisac ruins
- Titicaca Lake – we initially planned to go there but we changed our mind and stayed in Layo region instead; however, it is a bit touristic, from what we read
- Paracas Peninsula
Next, please enjoy our photo gallery. The images were shot mostly on Sony A7III, using 35 mm, 85 mm and 135 mm. For the aerials, we used our DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone.
