Peru: 2 Days in Cusco and 2 Days in Lima

I have always wanted to go to Machu Picchu, and even proposed the idea of doing a Peru and Patagonia honeymoon. But that was just a little too adventurous and not relaxing for a post-wedding trip. So, I convinced Sam that it was only logical to do a stand-alone Peru trip to fulfil my dream of hiking to Machu Picchu - and he bought it! The trip was awesome (aside from getting Covid upon our return), and we had an action-packed 8 days (4 of which were spent hiking the Inca Trail).

Getting to and from Peru

From Philly, we had connecting flights to and from Lima, Peru. I played around a bit with the flights in order to find the best option, and we totally lucked out with business class for our return. Going down we flew Delta through Atlanta (~$400 each), and then we flew Latam Airlines from Lima to Cusco (~$200 rt). Returning was on American Airlines and for some reason the business tickets were significantly less than the Economy ones ($1000 each instead of $3000). It was very strange, but gave us each our first business class experience.

Acclimatizing in Cusco

We made sure to have 2 days in Cusco to acclimatize to the high altitude (~11k ft above sea level). This was important because it definitely took Sam a full day to start feeling normal, and we both got out of breath on the smallest hills. We were in Cusco in June, which was a big festival month that meant dancing and celebrations in the main plaza. During our two days we went into probably every shop we saw, thus resulting in a sweater for me to take on our trek. We also enjoyed a few meals at some great spots including Local and Yaku Restaurant. We got ceviche often in Peru!

We also did a 'hop on hop off' open top bus tour, although it was more of just a tour because we stayed with the same group and only hopped off at three spots. It was a tad disorganized in the beginning because we needed to wait for everyone, but it was something to do that wasn't shopping at every store I could find.

Where to stay in Lima

We had one full day in Cusco to recoup before heading to Lima for the final leg of our Peruvian vacation. It was a quick Taxi to the airport, and another quick flight back to Lima. We ordered an Uber and drove about 45 minutes to DoubleTree Hilton in Miraflores, which would be our home base for our two nights in Lima. I had done a lot of research to figure out which area was the best for tourists, and landed on Miraflores. It was definitely more commercial, had a lovely cat park, and was close to the water. However, we weren't in love with the area and found that we much preferred the neighboring Barranco area. Barranco was more artsy and seemed to have less of a business-area vibe.

What to do in Lima

• Walk around Parque John F. Kennedy, also known as the cat park. There are dozens of cats that hang out in this park. Some people play with them or just sit and read a book with them. It's right by a number of restaurants.
• Take a tour of Huaca Pucllana Site. We paid for an English tour and explored the clay and adobe step pyramids right in the middle of the city. 

• Enjoy tea by the water (or surf if you're looking for adventure). We walked down to the water and found a pier with a nice restaurant and area to overlook the surfers trying to catch a wave.

• Grab a bite at Barra Maretazo and try the tigers milks. This was a very popular restaurant and it was excellent. The staff were very friendly and the food was excellent!

• Go on a Barranco food tour with Exquisitio Peru. We had heard about this tour through Sam's coworker and decided to go for it. It was excellent! And it gave us an opportunity to explore this new area, and we loved it.

Overall Peru

I absolutely loved our Inca trail hike, and enjoyed learning about the Peruvian culture. I enjoyed Cusco more than I did Lima, but Lima had a few highlights. I would highly recommend a trip to see this beautiful country and hike to see the lovely lost city of Machu Picchu.