Essential Peru

Overall i had an amazing trip! the food, culture, history and landscapes where just magical.

Essential Peru was just excellent, every day there there was something different and exciting, each experience matching the visit to Machu Picchu, which we thought was going to be the highlight, but just became another amazing example of the wonders of Peru.

We loved our trip to all of the exciting places in Peru. This trip hit all the places you’ve always wanted to visit all in one package. Machu Picchu was outstanding. The Nasca Lines were fantastic. We really enjoyed all the restaurants and food. It was above and beyond delicious.

First time travelling with Exodus. One of the best trips we’ve taken. Very well organised, great tour leader and lovely company of our fellow travellers. Every day provided wonderful experiences. Awe inspiring scenery, changing landscapes, culture and history, the people we met and sites visited were just wonderful. We travelled many kilometres and had some early starts, but the comfortable transport and laughs on the way made it worth it. We had a full on experience of this beautiful Country. Thanks to Renato, our tour leader, everything went smoothly. His pride in his country was infectious.

Hands down one of our favorite trips! Extremely well organized tour with an amazing leader. Every day was chock full of fantastic sights and awesome scenery. The Peruvian landscape, history and culture were captivating and I still can't believe how much we experienced. There were some long days and early starts, but we loved every minute and will cherish each memory. Our fellow travelers were a great group and we shared a lot of laughs. Kudos to our leader Renzo for making this a seamless journey through his amazing country.

We had a wonderful time, despite some altitude sickness and lots of driving.

During the two very busy weeks we basically saw most of Peru - starting from Lima - making our way through the mountains via Cuzco and ending up with Lake Titicaca and Arequipa. Wonderful scenery across, tons of archaeological ruins visited along the way and we get to know Peruvian culture very well due to our excellent guide Edwind (winner of Exodus Guide of the Year 2023 for a good reason! ). Highlights for me was definitely Machu Picchu and two days we spend there, but also a wonderful Amantani Island homestay on Lake Titicaca. Staying with a local family was a very humbling and magical experience. Great trip if you want to see most of Peru in just two weeks - really comprehensive!

I have enjoyed every Exodus trip I have done and this was no exception. It was a busy trip with several long travelling days in a very comfortable coach, but the journey was always broken up with numerous stops and the scenery was amazing.

This was a trip of a lifetime, from start to finish I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very get up and go, so if this isn't your sort of trip then I don't think it would be for you.

In summary, the trip, the organisation, and the itinerary was extremely good. Leo, our guide, was excellent.

Outstanding full-on tour of southern Peru, with its wonderful variety of scenery and historical attractions. Overall organisation and itinerary were excellent. There were some very long drives but not tiring as there was so much to see. Food (huge portions) and drink were very good, reasonably priced and quite varied (nice to see lots of craft beers). Hotels were very good. There were only 3 of us, luckily we got on very well! Others had cancelled, doubtless scared off by the civil disruption early in 2023. People were friendly and we encountered no problems, in fact Peru felt safer than some southern European countries…

So much to see and do. Quite tiring, with early starts and some long drives, but I loved it all. We saw so many wonderful sites, met great local people and tried lots of different foods and drinks. Arrangements and support in Peru were brilliant, particularly the lead guide, William.

This trip fulfilled my long-held ambitions to see Machu Picchu and condors flying over the Colca Canyon while also giving us the chance to visit the Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca. I loved all these experiences but there was so much else to enjoy, including time spent relaxing in Cusco, pisco tasting in Ica and the Lima tour on our last morning. The local guides we had at Lake Titicaca and in Arequipa and Lima were all superb. My only disappointment was seeing so few birds and no penguins on the Ballestas Islands boat trip. It was upsetting to see the effect of bird flu and El Niño on the wildlife there.

An unforgettable trip of a lifetime. After so many trips, this was probably one of the most impressive and perfectly organised 2-week round trip I have ever experienced, with a very nice and friendly tour group and our guide Luis, who did an excellent job of informing us about the history, geography as well as current events of Peru, including the continent. Every day was full of sights to discover, every day was interesting and full of news, although we made a long journey and it was sometimes exhausting. But no stretch, no tiredness was in vain, because thanks to the professional drivers and local guides, it was the earth of Peru itself, with its diverse colours, areas, people, climate and dreamlike landscapes, that always surprised, amazed and sometimes moved you between speechlessness and tears of unique beauty. From the legendary Machu Picchu to the fiery red rocks of Cola Canyon, from Lake Titicaca, the warm-hearted people and the lovely host family on the island of Amantani to the magical volcanic area, from the region of Ica and many, many places, this beautiful country of Peru is always worth a trip, no matter if it is a round trip or just regional. No matter which region or city I mention, none of it would have been so perfectly possible without our professional tour guide Luis, whose narrations on the bus I kept wishing would never stop, as he not only shared historical facts and local peculiarities with us, but also answered every conceivable question from fellow travellers clearly, precisely and absolutely understandably. Luis, you remain for us an unforgettable, wise, very intelligent and funny tour guide. I would also like to thank the Exodus team for the excellently planned itinerary, even though the planned time in Aguas Caliente proved too long for such a small place. Whomever Luis is assigned as tour guide, he can be sure that he is in good hands and travelling with a very experienced and friendly soul. The many drivers and local guides may forgive me for not remembering their worthy names, but they all did their best, from day to night, from the mountains to the dry and hot areas all over Peru. Thank you. Muchas Gracias. Sulpayki.

So much to see and do. Quite tiring, with early starts and some long drives, but I loved it all. We saw so many wonderful sites, met great local people and tried lots of different foods and drinks. Arrangements and support in Peru were brilliant, particularly the lead guide, William.

The trip was very tiring due to many early starts and very long bus journeys and the high altitude, but oh my goodness it was so worth it. Overall the trip far exceeded my expectations and ranks amongst the best experience of my lifetime.

This is really varied trip, which allows you to see different regions and terrains of Peru , from coastal islands to deserts, to the Andes mountains and Machu Picchu, to the islands and communities of Lake Titicaca. A fantastic choice if you want to see more of the country than just Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Absolutely fell in love with Peru and its people. The tour was extremely varied, covering so many different aspects for example the food, culture, history and wildlife. Spectacular scenery in addition to the views of Machu Picchu. All of this was enhanced by the enthusiasm, knowledge, professionalism and superb organisational skills of our guide - Holger (Olli). There were some long days on the coach, but it was very comfortable, and we would not have wanted to miss any of the stunning and constantly changing landscapes.

For my first long distance trip I couldn't have chosen a better company to book with. Right from the start, landing in Lima, I was looked after, guided and supported the whole way through my trip. It is full on, value for money, and never a dull day. Peru is stunning and I urge anyone with a sense of adventure to book onto this trip!

I’ve just come back from the Essential Peru trip and it was incredible. Our expert local guide, Holger, was fantastic. From the beginning, his outstanding knowledge of Peruvian culture, folklore and cuisine shaped and enhanced our experience as we travelled through the country.