7 Days Peru–Bolivia–Chile — Solo Adventure from Buenos Aires

Arrive Jorge Chávez International Airport

Fly in from Buenos Aires (LAN/LATAM or Aerolíneas Argentinas — budget around $120–180 USD booked in advance). Take a taxi from the official booth inside arrivals to Miraflores — fixed rate around 70 PEN, never accept unofficial offers at the door.

Check in and walk the Malecón cliffs

Drop bags at your hostel then walk the Malecón de la Reserva cliff-top path — it's free, dramatic, and gives you sea views that'll recalibrate your brain after the Buenos Aires flatlands. The paragliders launching over the Pacific are a good omen for the trip.

Huaca Pucllana archaeological site

A full-scale pre-Inca pyramid rising out of a residential neighborhood — genuinely surreal and almost nobody talks about it. Guided tour included in entry, takes about 90 minutes, and sets the tone for the archaeology you'll see all week.

Larcomar shopping mall cliff walk

Not for shopping — walk through to the outdoor terraces overhanging the cliffs for sunset. It's touristy but the view is legitimately good and it's right on your way.

Brief Barranco exploration

Grab an Uber south to Barranco (Lima's artsy, slightly bohemian district) and walk the Puente de los Suspiros — Bridge of Sighs — at dusk. This neighborhood has the best street art and bar scene in the city.

Larco Museum (Museo Larco)

Arguably the best pre-Columbian museum in the world — 3,000 years of Andean civilizations in a beautifully restored colonial mansion. The storage rooms are open to the public, which is rare and staggering in scale. Give it 2.5 hours minimum.

Historic Center — Plaza Mayor and Convento de San Francisco

Grab an Uber to Lima Centro and walk the Plaza Mayor, Cathedral, and the Convento de San Francisco — the catacombs under the convent hold the bones of 25,000 people and are not to be skipped. Guided tour runs 30 minutes and is included in entry.

Pack and prep for overnight bus

Head back to Miraflores, check out, grab snacks and a neck pillow from a pharmacy (there's a Fasa and Mifarma on every block), and get to Cruz del Sur or Oltursa terminal in Lima by 5 PM.

Overnight bus Lima → Arequipa (Cruz del Sur or Oltursa)

Book the 'Suite' or 'Bus Cama' class — it's around $40–55 USD and reclines almost fully flat with dinner service included. The 16-hour journey overnight means you wake up in Arequipa having saved a night's accommodation. Bring a hoodie — the AC is aggressive.

Arrive Arequipa bus terminal, check in

Bus arrives around 9–10 AM. Take a taxi from the official terminal booth (about 15 PEN) to your hostel in the historic center — Los Tambos Hostel or Wild Rover are both solid mid-range options near the Plaza de Armas.

Monasterio de Santa Catalina

A full city-within-a-city monastery in operation since 1580 — this place is genuinely one of the most beautiful things you'll see on the entire trip. Painted in vivid reds and blues, labyrinthine, and weirdly moving. Spend 2 hours here minimum.

Plaza de Armas and Cathedral walk

The cathedral here is one of the finest in Peru and it fronts onto a genuinely lively square. Arequipa's sillar (white volcanic stone) architecture is UNESCO-listed — just walking the streets around the plaza is the activity.

Book Colca Canyon 2-day tour

Walk along Calle Jerusalem or ask your hostel to book a Colca Canyon tour departing the next morning — agencies everywhere offer 2-day/1-night versions for $35–55 USD including transport and a night in Chivay. This is the sweet spot: you see condors at Cruz del Cóndor and are back in Arequipa the following afternoon.

Yanahuara Mirador viewpoint

15-minute walk or 5-minute taxi from the center — the arched stone mirador gives you an unobstructed view of El Misti volcano (5,822m) with the city in the foreground. Golden hour here is exceptional.

Depart Arequipa for Colca Canyon (tour bus)

Your agency tour picks you up from the hostel — early start is non-negotiable because condors are most active mid-morning. The drive through the Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca at 4,000m+ is itself spectacular, with vicuñas grazing at the roadside.

Cruz del Cóndor — Andean condor spotting

The world's largest flying bird with a 3-meter wingspan, rising on thermals from the canyon at 3,287m depth. Arrive by 9 AM for the best viewing — condors typically circle between 9–11 AM. Stand at the lower viewing platform for closest passes. Bring a warm layer; it's cold and windy up here.

Canyon rim hiking and village visits

The tour continues along the rim stopping at traditional Cabana and Collagua villages where women still wear the embroidered hats distinct to each community. Short hikes to canyon viewpoints and pre-Inca terraces still being farmed today.

La Calera thermal baths, Chivay

After a day of wind and altitude, soaking in geothermal pools with the Andes above you at 3,633m is genuinely restorative. The main pools are clean and well-maintained — bring a towel or rent one for 5 PEN.

Overnight in Chivay guesthouse (tour-included)

Most 2-day tours include a basic guesthouse in Chivay — it'll be simple but warm. This is your only non-bus overnight until Uyuni, so enjoy a real bed. The altitude (3,633m) means you may sleep fitfully — drink coca tea and hydrate.

Early morning canyon walk before return

If your tour allows free time before the bus back, walk 20 minutes down from Chivay to see the terraces and river up close without the crowd. The morning light in the canyon is different — softer, and the condors sometimes reappear.

Return drive to Arequipa (tour bus)

Back in Arequipa by 1–2 PM. Drop your bag at the hostel if they'll hold it, grab a quick lunch, and buy your ticket for the evening bus to Puno if not already booked.

Free afternoon — San Francisco church and picanterías

Walk the Calle Santa Marta artisan market for alpaca goods (cashmere quality at a fraction of European prices — a good alpaca sweater runs 80–150 PEN). Pop into the Museo Santuarios Andinos to see Juanita, the 500-year-old Inca ice mummy — genuinely extraordinary.

Overnight bus Arequipa → Puno (approx. 5–6 hours)

Several companies run this route — Civa and Tour Peru are reliable. Get the cama class (about 25–35 PEN, ~$7–10 USD). Arrive Puno around midnight or early morning. The road climbs onto the Altiplano at 3,800m — spectacular if you're awake for it.

Check in, freshen up, breakfast

Most guesthouses in Puno will let you check in early morning if you call ahead — try Balsa Inn or Casa Andina Standard Puno. Puno itself is fairly gritty and functional; the magic is entirely on the lake.

Uros Floating Reed Islands (morning boat tour)

45-minute boat ride to the Uros islands — man-made totora reed platforms inhabited by the Uros people for centuries, originally built to escape Inca expansion. The floating sensation underfoot is disorienting and oddly wonderful. Opt for a smaller boat that stops at a less-touristed island cluster if you can.

Taquile Island — textiles and the highest lake on earth

Continue by boat to Taquile (2 hours from Uros) — a steep, terraced island where the men knit and the women weave in a UNESCO-recognized tradition. The views of the lake from 3,950m altitude on a clear day are immense. Walk the main path to the central plaza and look south — that water extends into Bolivia.

Return to Puno, arrange Bolivia crossing

Back in Puno by late afternoon. Head to your hostel or a tour agency on Jiron Lima (the main tourist strip) to book a direct tourist bus Puno → Copacabana, Bolivia for the following morning — these run daily and cost about $10–15 USD, crossing at the Desaguadero or Kasani border.

Puno waterfront and Plaza de Armas evening

Walk the lakefront malecón at sunset — the light on Titicaca at 3,800m elevation at dusk is extraordinary, with the sky doing strange things at altitude. Puno's plaza has a good energy on weekend evenings with live music.

Tourist bus departs Puno → Copacabana, Bolivia

The bus crosses into Bolivia at Kasani border (Yunguyo crossing) — straightforward but bring all your documents, have your Bolivia visa fee ready in USD cash, and keep your luggage with you during the border walk-through. Total journey to Copacabana is about 3.5 hours.

Copacabana — Basilica and Lake Titicaca Bolivia side

Stop 1–2 hours in Copacabana — the Moorish white Basilica contains a famous black Madonna and is legitimately beautiful. The Bolivian side of Titicaca is quieter and bluer than Peru's. Walk to the hilltop calvario for views if time allows.

Lake crossing by catamaran (Strait of Tiquina)

The tourist bus drives onto a flat wooden raft to cross the Strait of Tiquina while you cross separately on a small motorboat — one of the more surreal 10-minute travel moments you'll have. Standard on all tourist buses; the raft and motorboat leave simultaneously.

Arrive La Paz — check in and altitude adjustment

La Paz sits in a canyon at 3,650m with El Alto above it at 4,100m — it's a disorienting city of a million and a half people stacked vertically on canyon walls. Check into Loki Hostel La Paz or Adventure Brew Hostel for the mid-range social scene. Take your first hour slow.

Mi Teleférico — aerial gondola over the city

La Paz's urban cable car system is genuinely the best $0.70 USD you'll spend on this trip. Take the Línea Roja (Red Line) up to El Alto for a jaw-dropping bird's-eye view of the canyon city below, then ride back down as the city lights come on. Locals use it as transit; you use it as the world's best observation deck.

Witches' Market and Mercado de Hechicería evening walk

Walk the Calle Linares witches' market — dried llama fetuses, potions, amulets, and Aymara ritual items sold openly in stalls. It's genuinely strange and worth understanding as a living spiritual practice, not a tourist exhibit. Talk to the market women if you're curious.