Nine nights in the order the altitude asks for: two low in the Sacred Valley, Belmond's Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu, two in Cusco, then down off the mountains for three nights on an Amazon expedition ship.
Off an evening flight and into a bed at the airport. The Cusco flight leaves the next morning, and a room here beats two runs through Lima traffic, into the city and back out again. It is there to be efficient, and it isn't sold as more than that.
A Deluxe Terrace Room in the Sacred Valley, where the first two nights do the acclimatizing. The valley sits at about 9,400 feet and Cusco at about 11,150, so sleeping here first is the gentle way up. It is also Belmond's base for the Hiram Bingham, which boards at the Sacred Valley station, so the train day starts from here. Booked through me, the stay carries Belmond's Bellini Club benefits once Belmond confirms that season's list.
Cusco, reached late at night off the Hiram Bingham. Two nights here mean the next morning is free, not a travel day, and the private city tour starts and ends at the hotel door. A Deluxe Room.
A suite on the Plaza de Armas, in the middle of Iquitos. It is a buffer night, not a jungle experience, and that's the point: there's no road in or out of Iquitos, so the flight in and the boarding are on different days. Belmond doesn't place hotels in Iquitos, so I booked this one directly, on a refundable rate.
A Design Suite on an expedition ship, three nights on the river out of Iquitos. The suites share one design and differ only by deck. Selected wines, beer and soft drinks are included. The excursions are the ship's own, with its guides, shared with the other guests. This was the sailing that fit the dates, recommended by one of the specialist partners I approached when its own vessel didn't fit the window.
An ocean-view room kept for the last evening rather than slept in: somewhere to shower and change after the river, have dinner in Lima and leave for the overnight flight home.
An evening landing in Lima, and the bed is at the airport. Straight there and to sleep.
A morning flight to Cusco, about an hour and a half. You're met on arrival and driven down into the Sacred Valley instead of stopping in Cusco. The afternoon is left open to settle in at Rio Sagrado, which at this height is the plan, not a gap in it.
Ollantaytambo, Moray and the Maras salt pans with a private guide from the hotel in the morning, and lunch at Unu in Tiobamba. Back to the hotel for the evening.
A Pullman-style train with meals on board: Belmond's Hiram Bingham leaves the Sacred Valley station late in the morning and reaches Aguas Calientes around midday. Then a private two-hour guided visit of the citadel and a cocktail at the Sanctuary Lodge by the entrance. The evening train runs back to Poroy, and you're in Cusco late at night. Belmond hadn't published the train's schedule for that season when this was booked, so the times can move.
A morning with nothing in it, after the late night. In the afternoon a private guide meets you at the hotel for a half day: the Cathedral, Koricancha at Santo Domingo, Sacsayhuamán and Q'enqo.
From the Andes to the Amazon in a day. An early flight from Cusco connects in Lima to the Iquitos flight. You land in Iquitos in the afternoon and spend the buffer night on the Plaza de Armas.
A morning in Iquitos, then on to the ship. You board in the early evening, and three nights on the river begin.
Out in the skiffs, into the tributaries with the ship's guides. June is the changeover: the water can still be high enough to take the skiffs into flooded forest close to the canopy, and more walking trails open as it drops.
Off the boat, then an afternoon flight from Iquitos to Lima. An ocean-view room in Miraflores to clean up, dinner in Lima, and the airport for the overnight flight home.
The first day up high. Go easy for your first day at Cusco’s height: no alcohol, nothing strenuous, more water than feels necessary, and light meals. Coca tea is offered everywhere. It is not a substitute for acclimatizing.
See a travel medicine doctor. Do it before the trip, not after you land. Altitude medication is commonly prescribed for this route, and that is the doctor’s call, not mine.
Machu Picchu entry is separate. The Hiram Bingham ticket does not include entry to the citadel. Entry is timed, capacity-controlled and sold on its own, so those tickets get secured before anything else is locked.
Iquitos runs on moto-taxis. Rooms facing the Plaza de Armas hear them, so ask for one away from the square.
Choosing a month for the river. Water level decides an Amazon cruise more than anything else, and it changes month by month. Ask the ship what its own route looks like in your month. The cruise lines know their rivers better than any season chart does.