Custom Peru itinerary
A custom Peru itinerary, drafted before you finish your coffee.
The phrase "custom itinerary" in travel usually means a long form, a 48-hour wait, and a PDF that looks suspiciously like the one your friend got. Ours doesn't. You talk with us in plain language, we sketch on the map within minutes, and we keep iterating until the journey actually fits the trip you're imagining.
Why "custom" usually fails — and how we fix that
Most agencies that offer "custom Peru itineraries" start with a long form. Twenty fields, drop-downs, dates that haven't solidified yet. You fill it out, you wait, and a quote arrives a day or two later — usually one of three or four templates with hotel names swapped. The custom part lives in the cover page, not the substance.
The deeper problem is that itineraries built off a form never capture pace. They tell you which experiences you get, but not how a day at 3,400 meters actually feels after a six-hour flight. They list Sacred Valley as one line item, but don't explain that Maras-Moray deserves its own morning, while Pisac on a Sunday is chaotic and the same artisans are calmer on a Tuesday.
Our approach is to start with a conversation, not a form. The chat asks the questions that actually shape the trip — what kind of time you want to have, who you're traveling with, how altitude usually treats you, the things that make a vacation feel restorative instead of exhausting. From that, we draft.
How we craft your itinerary
- Inputs. Vibe (slow vs. active), group (couples, family with kids, friends), time (5-14 days), altitude tolerance, food preferences, hard constraints (anniversary date, must include Machu Picchu, prefers boutique to luxury).
- Sketch. The map fills in: arrival acclimatization day, hotels picked for character, key experiences placed at the right time of day, transfers with breathing room. You see the shape before any numbers.
- Iteration. You react. Want to spend a full day in Sacred Valley instead of half? Move two experiences to morning so you have evenings free? We adjust live, no quote-and-wait cycle.
- Validation. When the shape feels right, we propose pricing and you confirm with 30%. Within 12 hours we validate availability with operators. If everything is there, the journey is yours.
What gets customized
- Pace per region: 1 day in Lima or 3, 2 nights in Cusco or 5, half-day in Sacred Valley or full-day-plus-overnight.
- Hotel character: ultra-luxury (Belmond, Inkaterra), boutique with soul (Atemporal, Hotel B), eco-lodges, Sacred Valley haciendas.
- Experiences: private Machu Picchu, Choquequirao trek, Lima culinary deep dive, Sacred Valley with locals at home.
- Time of day: Maras-Moray in the morning light, Machu Picchu first entry, Lima dinner reservations at the right cebicherías.
- Food customization: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergy management — relayed to operators ahead of time.
- Add-ons: Amazon (Tambopata, Manu), Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon, Paracas — when your time allows.
A few real examples (lightly anonymized)
10 days, honeymoon, $4,200/pp. Two nights Lima boutique with a cebichería deep dive and a Maido reservation, three nights Sacred Valley hacienda-style hotel with private Maras-Moray, two nights Aguas Calientes with private Machu Picchu plus Huayna Picchu, two nights back in Cusco for San Pedro market, San Blas walk, and a final farewell dinner.
7 days, family with two teens, $2,800/pp. One night Lima as a soft landing, three days in Sacred Valley with horseback riding plus Maras-Moray, one night Aguas Calientes with morning Machu Picchu, two nights Cusco with downtime built in to absorb altitude and let the kids reset.
14 days, four friends, $3,600/pp. Three nights Lima split across San Isidro and Barranco, four nights Sacred Valley including Choquequirao trek extension, two nights Aguas Calientes plus Machu Picchu, three nights Cusco with day trip to Rainbow Mountain, two nights Tambopata Amazon lodge.
Pricing
Custom Peru itineraries from Journee typically run between $2,000 and $5,000 USD per person, with the variance driven by hotel choice, experience density, and trip length. The proposal itemizes what each line costs — hotels, transfers, experiences, our coordination — so you know where your money goes. 30/70 payment structure: 30% at confirmation, 70% 30 days before the trip. Full pricing context lives on the premium Peru travel pillar.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take to get a custom itinerary?
- The first sketch comes out in minutes through our chat. Iterating until you reach 'yes, this is it' usually takes a day or two. Operational validation with local operators happens within 12 hours after the deposit. From first message to confirmed itinerary, most travelers are done in under a week.
- Can I change the itinerary after I confirm?
- Yes, with caveats. Pre-trip: most adjustments are easy if we make them more than 30 days out. Mid-trip: weather, mood, an extra day in a place you fell for — we re-coordinate with operators in real time when feasible. The further from confirmation, the more flexibility.
- What's the difference between custom and packaged itineraries?
- A packaged itinerary is the same trip sold to many travelers, with fixed hotels, fixed restaurants, fixed pace. Custom means we start from your inputs (vibe, group, time, altitude tolerance, food preferences) and build outward. No two Journee itineraries are identical.
- Do you handle restaurant reservations and small details?
- Yes. The proposal includes curated restaurant suggestions and we make reservations where we have direct relationships (Maido, Central, Mil, Mayta in Lima; specific Cusco and Sacred Valley spots). We also coordinate guides, drivers, special-occasion arrangements like anniversary dinners.
Get your sketch
Tell us what inspires you and how long you have. The sketch comes back in minutes.
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