Solo Travel in Peru

So you love hiking, and you want to be spontaneous? Really no place better than Peru! Everyone is solo travelling. And you don't need to plan anything in advance - just get there and sign up for the trips you want. A minivan will come and pick you up from your hostel, along with other solo hikers - for a day hike with a guide. And if you want to do a multiday hike - same deal, though you have to be prepared for camping in the freezing mountains with the group. For my first solo trip, I decided to focus on day hikes. By the way, I am in my 30s and met enough travellers in their 30s to make friends with.

*I travelled at the beginning of October. The weather was perfect and there were plenty of backpackers.

HUARAZ

Huaraz is an incredible place. The capital city of the Magnificent Cordilla Blanca range, you can see white peaks all around. Hard to not feel desperate with anticipation to hit the trails as you wait 2 days to acclimate to the high altitude. Huaraz attracts only hikers - so it still feels very authentic as you wander through the town.

How to get there? Take the overnight bus form Lima. I took Cruz Del Sur which felt very safe. Buy tickets online a few days before to make sure you get the time and seat you want. Most of the bus was hikers. I got to the Plaza Norte station from Lima airport with an official Taxi (I think it was Green Taxi). If you have time to kill, you can wait at the giant modern mall in front of the bus station - it felt safe.

Stay at Selina - felt like a mountain palace. Beautiful rooms, and cool people. And a common kitchen and lounge, where I spent several nights trying to cook rice and lentils, waiting endlessly for them to cook due to the high altitude. You can sign up for hikes directly through Selina.

Laguna Paron is an excellent acclimatisation hike, and very beautiful. It was a bit hard to scramble over the rocks while I was still getting used to the altitude.

Laguna Churup a super fun hike that you can get to on your own. Take a Collectivo from Huaraz for 30 min (ask at your hostel). The hike is all uphill, and at the end there is a beautiful lake. It's actually quite difficult. Don't attempt this alone - join friends you make in Huaraz. And make sure you ask the collectivo what times they depart back to Huaraz, and make it down the mountain on time! Else you'll be stuck out there. Also - we scaled a slippery waterfall, which was tricky (with metal ropes). There is a round about way to the lake - try to find out the way. The trail is not well marked. On the way back we thankfully followed other hikers down the roundabout way. The waterfall was nuts.

There are several other day hikes in Huaraz - including Laguna 69 & Pastouri Glacier. And of course magnificent multi-day treks. I didn't feel well the the day of Laguna 69 Trek so I didn't go. Maybe take my advice and don't drink Coca tea.

CUSCO

Cusco is much more touristy. But I had fun meeting lots of people there in the hostels. I changed hostels a lot because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my time there, but they were all good hostels. I found that staying in the center near the main square is the best, easy to get everywhere. The food was surprisingly really great in Cusco.

How to get there? Fly from Lima. Take an Uber from the Airport. I used Uber in Lima too, from the bus station back to the airport.

Hiking Around Cusco:

In Cusco it's better to sign up for a trip through an agency. Not through the Hostel. Ask backpackers you meet which agency they went to.

Laguna Humantay: Beautiful lake, but the busiest of all the day trips I went on. Too many people at the lake, especially since there are donkeys that take people up. We hiked on foot of course. It's the beginning of the Salkantay Trek to Machu Pichu. BTW if you want to go to Machu Pichu, buy tickets 2 months in advance. I didn't have tickets, so I didn't go for it. If you do Salkaltay and get there anyways - maybe you'll have luck standing in line at 3 am for the few tickets they sell on the spot.

Ausangate: Magnificent hike. I think this was my favorite in Peru. No people. Lots of Alpacas. And I had a great hiking group.

SACRED VALLEY

Of course you won't visit Cusco without going to the Sacred Valley. One day I joined a group to go to multiple Inca Ruins. Very worthwhile.

The second time I got tired of Cusco, so I left my big backpack at the hostel, and took myself and a day pack on a Colectivo to Pisac, with no plan and no booking. Worst case, I'd hop back to Cusco, I thought. It was so freeing. I walked into a Hostel (Colores) , booked a room for $10 a night, went to a yummy restaurant where I had Trout Cevice, and hung out with people. Pisac is artsy, and has a Yoga center. It attracts Hippies from around the world (somehow the sacred valley generally does). But it still also had an authentic vibe. I really enjoyed it.

Laguna Kinsacocha: I organized a day trip with a cab driver and 3 other people to hike to this lake. While not as crazy stunning as the other hikes, it was pretty and looked like what I would imagine Scotland to be.

Oh Peru - you are truely fantastic and exceeded all expectations. I'll be back - for more hiking, for the Amazon, for Machu Pichu and lots more <3

(I spent two weeks here in total)