Our edition · Peru
Peru on Your Own
“Peru on Your Own” is the complete ebook that plans your trip from A to Z. Build your own Andean journey: altitude mastered, the car-bus mix, Machu Picchu, Colca, full budget.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
10 chapters · 11,000+ words · instant download · 14-day guarantee
You're planning your first independent trip
The guide starts from zero and turns every unknown into a simple procedure: rental, first roads, first bookings. The method behind our Namibia guide, applied to Peru.
You want to avoid the expensive mistakes
Misunderstood insurance, the wrong season, overrated stops, an underestimated budget: the classic traps are well known — and all avoidable when you know where to look.
You don't have 60 hours to cross-check everything
Contradictory forums, dated blogs, sales brochures: we did the sorting and the checking. You get the ordered, actionable digest.
Table of contents
The contents, chapter by chapter
10 chapters that follow the real order of your preparation: decide, book, drive, live the trip.
- 01
Why Peru on Your Own
What independence really changes in a country you climb more than you visit, and the three truths to accept before you go.
What organized tours will never do (sleep low, condors at 8 am, village homestays) · Why independent travel in Peru doesn't always mean driving · The three truths: altitude, lying distances, Machu Picchu logistics · How to use this guide depending on your profile
- 02
When to Go: Two Opposite Climates, Month by Month
Coast and highlands run on inverted calendars: the complete month-by-month table and the best compromise for your route.
Andean dry season vs coastal summer: the inverted-climate trap · The full month-by-month table for highlands and coast · Our recommendation by priority (trekking, photography, budget, mixed) · The dates that change everything, and when to book what
- 03
Renting a Car: Contracts, Insurance and Local Traps
The chapter that pays for the guide: SOAT, deductibles, mileage caps, excluded roads, the deposit and the walk-around inspection.
SUV, sedan or real 4x4: the right vehicle for your route · SOAT, CDW, zero deductible: the vocabulary that saves your deposit · Peruvian traps: daily mileage caps, roads excluded by name, closed borders · The 5-step inspection and the 8 questions to ask before signing
- 04
Driving in Peru: The Golden Rules of Andean Roads
Never at night, speed bumps, engine braking, police checkpoints, high-altitude fuel: the core skill of the whole trip.
Why you NEVER drive at night outside cities · Rompemuelles and engine braking: the two techniques that save car and deposit · Decoding local driving (horns, overtaking, turn signals) · Police checkpoints, fuel by the gallon, garúa fog and roadblocks
- 05
Car, Bus, Train, Plane: The Strategic Mix
The structuring decision of the trip: every leg has an optimal mode, with the segment-by-segment table and real prices.
Where the car multiplies your freedom, and where it divides it · Premium night buses: 160° lie-flat seats for €20-35 · The Machu Picchu train and domestic flights without getting caught out · The recommended mix, segment by segment
- 06
The Itineraries: 12, 15 or 21 Days, Day by Day
Three proven routes with real distances, honest driving times and the acclimatization profile built into every stage.
12 days: the essential south (~950 km + 2 night buses) · 15 days: the great classic with Lake Titicaca (~1,250 km) · 21 days: the grand tour with the Cordillera Blanca · The principles that hold an Andean itinerary together
- 07
Sleeping in Peru: Hospedajes, Haciendas and Homestays
The options and 2026 prices, the four bottlenecks to book early, and the mixed formula at ~€800 for two over 15 days.
From the €20 hospedaje to the Sacred Valley hacienda · The Titicaca homestay: the experience of the trip · The 4 bottlenecks: Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, Yanque, Huacachina · The traps: freezing nights, electric showers, noise, payment
- 08
Altitude: The Complete Method
The signature chapter: understanding soroche, the five rules of the Andean traveler, acetazolamide without ideology and the trip's real-life cases.
Understanding soroche and why only your sleeping altitude matters · The 5 rules: 500 m steps, the sacred first 48 hours, hydration, sleep as your gauge · Acetazolamide, coca tea and fake remedies · The practical cases: flying into Cusco, Patapampa, Puno, Laguna 69
- 09
The Complete Budget, Line by Line
Every cost in soles and euros, the underestimated tickets line, and three full profiles for 2 people over 15 days.
Transport, tickets, lodging, food: the 2026 ranges · The 3-profile table: ≈ €2,000 / €3,070 / €5,000 excluding flights · Where to save without impoverishing the trip — and where never to · Money day to day (soles, ATMs, fake banknotes, tipping)
- 10
Health, Safety, Paperwork and Checklists
The chapter to print out: entry formalities and the IGV tax exemption, vaccines, insurance with an altitude clause, level-headed safety and full checklists.
Paperwork (90 days, international driving permit, IGV exemption) · Vaccines, the Andean first-aid kit and your insurance's altitude clause · Safety without fantasy: opportunistic theft, roadblocks, guarded parking · The Andes gear checklist and the final ten-day countdown
Sample pages
Judge for yourself
Chapter 8 — Altitude: The Complete Method
It's the altitude you sleep at that counts
« Third point, the most counter-intuitive: it's the altitude you sleep at that counts, not the altitude you pass through. Crossing Patapampa at 4,910 m during the day while sleeping at 3,400 m that night: no problem for a minimally prepared body. Sleeping at 4,000 m without a staging night: near-guaranteed trouble. Hence the mountaineers' rule, which applies by car too: climb high, sleep low. Above 3,000 m, never sleep more than 500 to 700 m above your previous night. Our itineraries follow that profile: sea level → Arequipa (2,300 m) → Yanque (3,400 m) → Puno (3,850 m). »
Chapter 3 — Renting a Car
The specifically Peruvian traps
« Unlike in Europe, unlimited mileage is NOT the norm: many contracts cap you at 200-250 km per day, which sounds generous until the Arequipa-Puno day. Some contracts exclude specific roads by name — the Hidroeléctrica road toward Machu Picchu is a classic exclusion, and driving on an excluded road means your insurance is void. And the border is closed: a Peruvian rental car crosses into neither Bolivia nor Chile. If you dream of Copacabana, plan to return the car in Puno and continue by bus. Get every answer in writing before you sign. »
Chapter 5 — The Strategic Mix
The country's best-kept secret
« Forget the image of the rattling South American bus: Peru's premium segment runs 160° to 180° lie-flat seats, a lower deck of 12 seats as quiet as a sleeper car, blankets, dinner, toilets — for €20 to 35 on a long leg. On a Cusco-Puno or Lima-Huaraz run, the car costs you a day of rental, a tank of fuel, tolls and a day of fatigue; the bus costs you less and gives you the day back. The night-time road safety we forbid you at the wheel, you buy here by choosing a company whose drivers rotate and whose buses are speed-limited. »
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The complete guide
Guide « Peru on Your Own »
Build your own Andean journey: altitude mastered, the car-bus mix, Machu Picchu, Colca, full budget
29 €
- 10 chapters, the complete method
- Day-by-day itineraries
- Printable version (PDF via Cmd+P)
- Complete checklists
Secure payment by Stripe · Instant download · 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
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Before you go
Readers' questions
What format does the guide come in?
Right after payment you receive a download link: the full guide in HTML, readable on any device and printable to PDF in one click (Cmd/Ctrl+P), plus the chapters in Markdown to read wherever you like. No proprietary app, no subscription.
Is the guide available in English?
Not yet: the guide is currently written in French, and an English edition is in the works. Prices, routes and checklists are of course language-independent — but if you don't read French, we recommend waiting for the English edition.
Is it up to date for 2026?
Yes: the price ranges, local rules and advice reflect the 2026 situation. The fundamentals — itineraries, driving or transport, logistics — change very little from year to year.
What if the guide isn't for me?
A simple guarantee: 14 days, money back, no questions asked. One email to our support is enough — full refund within 48 hours. We'd far rather refund you than leave a disappointed reader.
How is this different from the free pages?
Our free pages (the Peru country page, destinations, field notes) give you the panorama. The guide gives you the complete, ordered method: day-by-day itineraries, a line-by-line budget, detailed driving and logistics, and every checklist. It's the digest we wish we'd had before our first trip.