For all of our fellow hotel-staying, suitcase-packing, sight-seeing, bar-hopping, daily-showering compatriots – this one’s for you!

When we were planning our epic journey to Peru, we came across numerous packing lists and almost all of them were geared towards hiking. Seriously, all of them. After our adventure, we decided to create this list of tips since we know we aren’t the only ones who left out the treks in Peru!

For some background on our experience, we traveled to Peru in late August which is considered the dry season. Our itinerary started in Arequipa, traveling through the Colca Canyon to Puno, on to Cusco and the Sacred Valley and obviously Machu Picchu. Unfortunately at the end of our trip we got trapped in Lima due to a hurricane, but that’s an entirely different story for another blog post!

First Step -Choose your bags

We all used suitcases on this trip. Hiking backpacks were considered, but we weren’t really carrying our own stuff most places and suitcases hold more fluffy llamas stuff! Plus the ease of rolling them through the airports was worth it. The second bag to choose is a LARGE daypack/backpack. **Important** When you take the train to Aguas Calientes for Machu Picchu, you CANNOT bring a bag bigger than a large daypack. We made the mistake of bringing foldable duffel bags to use for this, only to learn they were too big!

Second Step – Clothing

You will be warm, cold and wet (not at the same time we hope) during your adventure in Peru no matter the time of year you go. Layers are always key, but bringing the right layers can be difficult, but here’s what worked well for us:

• Adventure pants – at least that’s what we call them! Some might say hiking pants. They are water-resistant, lightweight, stretchy, hold their shape after multiple washes and super comfy….can you tell we love them? They are way more stylish than typical hiking pants-you know the ones, they are mossy green and have zip-off shorts and cargo pockets-ick. What we found are supper flattering and worked on all of our different body shapes. Check them out here!
• Wicking or cotton T-shirts – we wore these as our base layer every day.
• Lightweight hoodie or sweatshirt – great for cool but not cold days.
• Thicker fleece – for colder days and nights.
• Packable Puffer – we were SO happy to have these throughout the trip. The temperatures change a lot and they are so easy to stow away in your day bag.
• Undergarments – whatever type may peak your fancy.
• Jeans – optional. We brought some, but really didn’t wear them much and didn’t find them necessary.
• Yoga pants/leggings – the days we didn’t wear our beloved adventure pants, this is what we had on – yes even to nice restaurants – judge us if you want.
• Lightweight raincoat – even though it never really rained on us, this was a good layer to have just in case.
• Socks – nice comfy ones because you will be doing LOTS of walking and climbing.
• Shoes
  • Hiking boots – make sure you break them in before the trip – we might have worn ours on the treadmill at home a couple times…
  • Structured sneakers – the cobblestone roads are no joke. You’ll already be gasping for air, you don’t want to have to worry about the uneven roads too.
  • Flats – optional – we  threw one pair in just in case we wanted to look a bit nicer one night and never wore them!
  • Flip flops – just in case you go to the hot springs or encounter a questionable shower floor.

Third Step – Accessories

These are all those little things you contemplate bringing, but really don’t want to give up precious suitcase real estate to pack unless you really have to. We break it down for you below with this list of must haves!

• Bug spray – Do not make the mistake we did! We thought we would be fine without it at Machu Picchu. We were not. It left us with what we deemed “pollo pox” for weeks afterwards!
• Hat with a wide brim – Turns out that the higher the elevation, the closer you are to the sun… who knew? But for real, the sun is very strong and it was nice to shade our faces and protect our heads (one of us didn’t wear one and got a scalp burn – ouch!)
• Sunglasses – see above.
• Sunblock – remember how we said you are closer to the sun?
• Umbrella – not only can this be for rain, but also to protect from the harsh sun. There are many sites we explored with no shade.
• Foldable water bottle – we found one we loved and used it everywhere. You cannot drink the water in Peru and need to buy bottled water, but a big money saver was to buy very large water bottles and fill up the travel foldable bottles for each day out exploring – Here’s what we used
• Hand Sanitizer – can’t stress this enough. Many bathrooms there have no soap.
• Travel Toilet Paper – again can’t stress this enough. Many, many bathrooms have no toilet paper. We really do not know what the locals do…But we like this stuff.
• Hand/Body Lotion – our skin got pretty dry out there.

Now get out there and pack. Unless you think we missed something…tell us in the comments below!