Solo female travelers Peru Tour
Not every solo female traveler is single. Not every solo female traveler wants to be alone all the time. In fact most solo travelers agree that meeting other people while traveling is one of the main highlights of their travels.
However, when you travel as a woman alone through Peru you’re likely to receive more attention than you wish for. The macho culture is still very present and the Peruvian men have in general less respect for women than in the western culture. In this article you can find tips and experiences from solo female travelers in South America.
Our research shows that traveling alone is growing in popularity and especially women are recommended to set this step. Unfortunately it is still more expensive to travel alone, unless you travel as a backpacker, plan everything yourself and sleep in dorms.
But for those women who have a busy life, no time to plan every detail of their holiday and don’t want to sleep in dorms anymore we designed this alternative tour to Peru especially for solo female travelers.
We will organize all the travel logistics within Peru and bring you from destination to destination. But there will be no tour leader during this tour. In return we provide you with private online Spanish lessons. Knowing a few Spanish words will make you more independent while traveling and it makes it easier for you to decide if you want to spend more time alone, with your fellow travelers, or with the Peruvians.
More about the travel itinerary within Peru:
Travel together with other solo female travelers through Peru, enjoy its spectacular landscapes and learn more about the rich history and culture of Peru.
Highlights of our tour include: an excursion to Islas Ballestas, sleeping in the oasis of Huacachina, a tour into the Colca Cañon, visiting the islands in Lake Titicaca, a Sacred Valley Tour near Cusco and of course a guided visit to Machu Picchu. This tour has it all, but without being too busy!
To lower the costs and make the tour more authentic you will travel the long distances with comfortable public transport. This way is that you are not just a spectator behind a window, but you temporarily become part of daily Peruvian life.
Short itinerary, Solo female travelers Peru tour:
Day 1: Arrival in Lima
Day 2: Lima – Paracas – Huacachina
Day 3: Huacachina – Nasca – comfortable overnight bus
Day 4: Arequipa
Day 5: Arequipa
Day 6: Arequipa – Colca Canyon Tour
Day 7: Colca Cañon – Puno
Day 8: Puno – Titicaca Tours
Day 9: Puno – Cuzco
Day 10: Cuzco
Day 11: Cuzco
Day 12: Cuzco – Sacred Valley tour– Aguas Calientes
Day 13: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu Tour – Cuzco
Day 14: Cuzco
Day 15: Cuzco – Lima – End of this tour.
Departure date of the first Solo Female Travelers Peru Tour is Saturday … .
Full itinerary Solo female travelers Peru Tour
Day 1: Arrival in Lima, Peru
Most group members will arrive independently in Lima and we will transfer all of you to the group hotel in Miraflores, where you receive a short briefing about Lima and the tour.Lima is the capital of Peru and has more than 10 million inhabitants. Despite this huge amount of citizens and the busy traffic, it is still recommendable to visit the impressive colonial city center. If you arrive early we recommend you to take a taxi to Plaza San Martin and walk to the Plaza de Armas and the impressive San Francisco monastery with colonial style catacombs. Other interesting tourist attractions include: Larco Museum about the Moche culture, Parque del Amor on the coast and in the evening the spectacular lightshow of Parque del Agua!
Day 2: Islas Ballestas tour - Pisco - Huacachina
This morning we have to leave our hotel very early to travel by comfortable public bus to the harbor of Paracas. At 8:00 am you will join a two hour boat-tour around Islas Ballestas , which translates in “Arch Islands” because of their shapes. During this fun tour you can observe many birds and sea lions and maybe even some penguins and dolphins. Some people gave Islas Ballestas the nickname ‘Little Galapagos’, because of its abundant wildlife.After the Ballestas Islands tour you will travel with private transport from Paracas to our hotel in Huacachina. Along the way we will visit a special winery where they grow grapes and make Pisco, the famous National drink of Peru. Of course you will be able to taste some of the best Peruvian Pisco!
After arriving in the Oasis of Huacachina you can decide to relax and/or join a spectacular Sunset Buggy and Sandboarding Tour over the sand dunes around Huacachina, an spectacular and adventures ending of a busy day!
Day 3: Huacachina - Nasca - Arequipa (2350 m
It takes about two and a half hour to travel from Huacachina to Nasca. This small town in the desert is famous for the presence of the mysterious Nazca-lines and lesser knows Palpa-Lines. There are still many theories about why and how these lines were drew in the desert, but most likely the real answer will always stay a mystery. Depending on the weather conditions it is an optional excursion to fly early, or late in the afternoon over the Nazca-lines.Those who don’t want to fly might decide to visit the unique cemetery of Chauchilla. At this ancient old cemetery you can observe century old, but well preserved mummies and skeletons. From their holes in the desert ground they will look up at your camera to be forever digitalized.
Around 22:00h you will travel in 9 hours with a comfortable public bus towards Arequipa.
Day 4: Arrive and free day in Arequipa
After arriving in the morning in Arequipa, you will have the whole day to explore the city and start acclimatizing to the higher altitude (2350 m). Arequipa is also called “La Ciudad Blanca”, or The White City, because most of the buildings in the city center were built with bricks cut out of volcanic white rocks called sillar. Arequipa is surrounded by the impressive volcanoes Pichu Pichu, Misti and Chachani and is considered by many Peruvians as the most beautiful city of Peru. We invite you to discover for yourself if you agree with them. In the evening Arequipa has many good restaurants and a few good places to have a drink with your fellow travelers, or by yourselve. If you go out alone, please read-up on some tips from other solo female travelers.Day 5: Free day in Arequipa
Today you can decide to explore Arequipa together with your fellow travelers, or just by yourself. We highly recommend to join a tour through the huge and beautiful Santa Catalina Convent and to visit the very interesting Museo Santuarios Andinos, where you can admire the Juanita Ice Princess.Depending on availability it might also be possible to join a Reality Tour. This special tour will bring you to the less touristy places of Arequipa and teaches you more about the daily life of the citizens of Arequipa.
Day 6: Arequipa - Colca Canyon Tour – Chivay (3650 m)
This morning we all travel early from Arequipa over the Andes Mountain Range and into the Colca Valley. During the scenic route you will ascent quickly and are likely going to see many lamas and alpacas. Ones you reach an altitude of more than 4000 m, you will enter the Pampa Cañahuas National Park. This nature reserve is set up to protect the vicuñas. These elegant members of the South American camel family are shyer and are protected by Peruvian law to preserve them from extinction.After crossing over a high mountain pass at 4900 m altitude, our bus descents towards the village of Chivay (3650 m) at the edge of the Colca Canyon. You will get free time here to walk around or have lunch in a local restaurant.
After lunch we travel to our hotel in Chivay, or in one of the surrounding villages.
Before dinner you can go optional to the hot springs were the volcanic spring water is so hot that it needs to be cooled down before it enters the several small swimming pools.
Day 7: Colca Canyon - Chivay – Puno (3850 m)
Today we will have to get up early to drive around sunrise along a scenic route with great views over the impressive pre-Inca terraces and the country side from the Colca Canyon. Our destination is the special condor viewpoint named: “Cruz del Condor”. Depending on the season it is almost a guaranty to see condors ascending from the depth of the canyon where they have their nests. This fact makes that Cruz del Condor draws many tourists, but luckily for us these giant birds don’t seem to be the least disturbed with all this attention. Or maybe they even enjoy the attention and perform their show especially for us.After saying goodbye to the condors, we drive back to Chivay, where you have time to enjoy lunch before traveling along yet another scenic road to Puno.
Puno is a good place to enjoy dinner with fresh trout from Lake Titicaca. While eating you might be lucky the witness one of the many small street parades through the main street.
Day 8: Free day in Puno, optional Titicaca Tours
Puno is not a pretty city, but it port is the starting point to visit the famous floating reed islands of the Uros Civilization. Today you are free to decide if you want to participate in this tour with your fellow solo female travelers and other international tourists, or just take some time for yourself. The morning Uros tour can be combined with visiting Taquile Island. On this island the men have to knit hats to ‘conquer’ their wife. A well knitted hat proofs that the future husband isn’t lazy. It is said that some of these woolen hats can even be used to carry water!
The third popular excursion from Puno goes to the mysterious funerary towers of Sillustani. These towers were ones built by the Collas civilization who likely learned their technics from the Tiahuanaco culture. Later the Inca’s adopted and improved these techniques to build their own cities.Day 9: Puno - Altiplano - Cuzco (3500 m)
Our hotel is conveniently in the historical city center of Cuzco, which makes it very easy to go out by yourself and interact with the Cusqueños and other travelers.
Day 10: Free day in Cuzco
For the solo female travelers of our group we organize this morning a special cultural excursion, where we combine Spanish lessons with visiting a local market. This is a great way to learn more about the local food and the Peruvian culture in general.For the afternoon we highly recommend that you take a stroll through the small and steep streets of Cuzco where you can admire the fusion of ancient Inca architecture and Colonial Spanish architecture!
Day 11: Free day in Cuzco
This is a good day to explore Cuzco and surrounding alone, or with your travel companions. The many historical sites, museums, restaurants and bars in and around Cuzco will keep even the most experienced traveler busy. Extra tips for solo female travelers.Some of the highlights we recommend to visit include: the impressive cathedral, the Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun), the Inca Museum and Museo Pre-Columbino.
If you want to visit more archeological Inca sites and like to walk a bit, we like to recommend you to take a taxi to the Tambo Machay water temple and then walk back to Cuzco. Along the way you will be able to enjoy scenic landscapes and visit the interesting archeological sites of Pucara, Quenko and Sacsayhuaman.
For tonight we can recommend to have a drink, go (salsa) dancing and explore the exciting nightlife of Cuzco!
Day 12: Cuzco - Sacred Valley Tour - Aguas Calientes (2000 m)
Because we believe that you can’t travel to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, without visiting the Sacred Valley of the Incas we have included a beautiful private tour. Our Sacred Valley Tour starts with visiting the huge archeological Inca site of Pisac. Passing along the impressive ruins build on a hill, our guide will explain more about the archaeological site and the interesting Inca history. Besides learning more about the Incas you can also enjoy the great views over the Sacred Valley.
After visiting the archeological site of Pisac, you will have time to stroll around on the colorful souvenir market in the village of Pisac.From Pisac we travel to Salineras. This is a pre-Inca salt winning place from the Maras civilization. Hundreds of years ago the Maras started to collect the water from a mountain spring in small shallow pools. The sun would dry the water and what was left was salt. This simple, but effective system is even nowadays still working and the white ‘salt pans’ in the green valley will provide us with surrealistic pictures!
From Salineras we drive further towards the picturesque village of Ollantaytambo.After a short walk through the village, our guide will lead you around over the ancient Inca fortress next to the village. The fortress of Ollantaytambo is known for its huge rocks on the top that seem to be impossible to move and edit by hand without any machines. Ollantaytambo is also one of the very few places where the Inca’s won a big battle against the Spanish conquistadors.
After visiting this interesting archaeological site our guide will bring you to the train station from where you take the train to Aguas Calientes (now officially called Machu Picchu Pueblo).
Those who booked the famous Classic 4-days Inca Trail, or any other trekking will stay tonight in Ollantaytambo town, so tomorrow they don’t have to get up as early as their companions who depart from Cuzco.
Day 13: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cuzco
The first busses from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (8 km with a 400m ascent) depart at 5:30 am, but you can also decide to start walking at 4:00 am and be one of the first to arrive at the entrance gate to Machu Picchu. The site opens at 6:00 am.After a guided tour of around 3 hours, you will (still) have until 12:00 pm to explore the impressive archaeological Inca site by yourself and try to get a feeling of how it must have been to work and live at Machu Picchu while it was still a busy Inca town!
Although the site of Machu Picchu is famous, it is also still covered with mysteries about its original purpose, how the Inca’s could build this town on and between the mountain tops and even about its original name! Here you can find more information about Machu Picchu and the new (2018) visitor regulations.Your train and bus back to Ollantaytambo and Cuzco depart late afternoon which gives you enough time to relax and have lunch in the tropical tourist town of Aguas Calientes.
Note: please let us know already with your booking if you want to climb the Huayna Picchu, or Machu Picchu Mountain.
Day 14: Free day in Cuzco, optional: Rainbow Mountains
Your last day in Cuzco might be a good day to sleep in, relax and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at one of the balconies around Plaza del Armas.For those who want to be more adventures, Cuzco offers many exciting excursions, which include: rafting tours, mountain biking, horseback riding, bungee jumping and even parapenting over the mountains around Cuzco.
A tough but beautiful option for today can also be a full day tour in shared international service with other travelers to the Rainbow Mountains (Montañas del Arco Iris).
Note: for this tour you will have to get up at 3:00 am in the morning and it includes about 7 hours of travel time…
Day 15: Cuzco - Lima ->
Standard in this tour we will fly with an early flight back to Lima is, but this itinerary can easily be changed for travelers who want to stay longer in Cuzco. Please do inform us already with your booking if you might want to extend your stay.Solo travelers tour extension options:For more information about extending this tour with an adventures trekking, please visit: Recommendable Machu Picchu trekking options in Peru! Another highly recommendable extension of this tour can be to visit the Amazon Rainforest. Please check out our tour options for more information: Our Amazon Tour Selection in Peru! Or our special website Amazon rainforest Tours with more tour options in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia
This tour for solo female travelers in Peru includes:
– Four private Spanish classes by Skype
– ALL transfers with private transport!
– 13 Overnights with breakfast in well located good middle class hotels, based on two female travelers sharing a room with two beds
– Day 3 an overnight bus, we don’t have a hotel today
– Transport over long distances in comfortable public busses
– Train Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu Pueblo – Ollantaytambo
– Bus Machu Picchu Pueblo – ruins of Machu Picchu (both ways)
– Entrance fee to Machu Picchu + guided tour, please be informed that you already have to decide with the booking of your tour if you want to climb up Huyana Picchu, or Machu Picchu mountain (15 US$ additional fee).
– Flight Cusco-Lima, including airport taxes
– The included excursions below, always have English speaking guides:
– day 2: Tour to Islas Ballestas in pool, including entrance fee
– day 6-7: Colca Canyon, including entrance fees
– day 10: An half day cultural morning tour in Cusco
– day 12: Sacred Valley Tour in private services, including transport, guide and entrance fees worth USD 26 per person.
– 24h emergency support in English
The price doesn’t include:
– Optional excursions
– Tour extensions
– International flights
– Other entrance fees, not mentioned in the itinerary (exit) taxes for international flights, food and other personal expenses
– Tips (in restaurants, for guides, drivers and more) during the tour
– Additional price for one person a room, around 260 US$
– All things not clearly mentioned in the tour above, or included list below
– International banking costs
– Obligated travel and health insurance
We recommend you to check the local visa and vaccination obligations.
We recommend you to bring at least with:
– Valid identification and travel documents and when needed a valid visa
– The information of your travel insurance
– Valid vaccinations, ask you countries health center for more information
– A good big backpack
– A small day (back)pack
– Good shoes
– Sandals/ flip flops
– A warm jacket/ fleece
– A rain jacket/ poncho
– A warm sweater
– Two light trousers
– Two pair of shorts/ skirts
– Two dresses
– Four T-shirts
– A flashlight/ headlight
– Personal toiletry
– Swimming clothes
– Something to be able to back-up your photos
– Protection against the sun and mosquito’s (you can also buy in Peru)
Be aware that Peru is not a Third World Country anymore, so most things are available. If you do have any doubts about what to bring, please feel free to ask us.
