Travel guide
How to organize a private tour to Peru from Canada
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A private Peru tour from Canada comes down to four decisions: how many days you have, which regions you want to see, which Canadian airport you leave from and what time of year you travel. You send those four answers to Mystery Peru by email or WhatsApp, receive a written quote in US dollars and pay by card or bank wire through a secure link. This guide walks through each step, with three real itineraries of 7, 10 and 12 days and their approximate cost in Canadian dollars.
From first message to payment, step by step
Mystery Peru is a local operator based in Nazca that builds private trips across the country, from Lima and the southern coast to Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa. There is no call centre in between: you deal directly with the team that arranges the guides, drivers, hotels and tickets on the ground.
Multi-day packages are not paid online from the package page. They start with a request, become a written quote and are only charged once you have approved the plan. Single excursions, such as a Lima city tour or a Nazca flight, can be booked and paid directly from their own page.
- Step 1: open the package that comes closest to your idea and fill in the request form (name, email, number of travellers, travel date) and mention that you want it as a private trip, or send the same details by WhatsApp to +51 941 695 002 or by email to [email protected].
- Step 2: the team prepares your quote and replies on the same channel you used. This is the moment to adjust days, swap a region, add a rest day or ask for a different hotel category.
- Step 3: once the itinerary is final, you receive a personal payment link on mysteryperu.com/pay with the concept and the amount. Links can have an expiry date, so pay while it is active.
- Step 4: on the checkout page you choose card payment or bank wire. The charge is made in US dollars.
- Step 5: book your international flight to Lima, keeping the arrival date and time agreed in the quote, and share the flight number so your airport transfer is set.
What 'private' actually means on a Mystery Peru trip
The packages on the site are published as small-group trips of 2 to 12 travellers, with a mix of private transport, tourist buses and trains. When you ask for one of them as a private trip, the quote is built for your party alone: the guide and the road transfers work only for you, starting with the private pickup at Lima airport. That changes the pace more than anything else: you decide when to leave the hotel, how long to stay at a site and when to stop for lunch or photos.
The itinerary is also adjustable. The packages below are starting points, not fixed departures. A couple in their sixties can add a quiet day in Cusco before Machu Picchu, a family can drop the dune buggy in Huacachina, and a photographer can ask for an early start at a viewpoint.
Some legs are, by nature, shared with other passengers: the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu, the buses between Aguas Calientes and the citadel, long-distance buses between cities, the boat trips on Lake Titicaca and most scenic aircraft over the Nazca Lines. Your private guide travels with you or meets you on the other side. If you prefer to avoid overnight buses, ask for that leg to be quoted as a domestic flight or private transfer instead; the price changes accordingly.
Three sample itineraries: 7, 10 and 12 days
These three packages are published on the site and are a realistic base for a trip from Canada. Prices are the 'from' amounts shown on each package, in US dollars. The Canadian dollar figures are approximate, calculated at 1.4145 CAD per USD (Bank of Canada daily rate, 25 September 2026); your bank may apply a different rate on the day of payment.
All three begin with an airport pickup in Lima, where the flights from Canada land, and end with a transfer to Cusco airport for the flight back to Lima and your connection home. Your written quote confirms the exact amount for your group size, dates and hotels.
- 7 days, Best of Cusco, from US$1,490 (approx. CA$2,108): Lima, Cusco, the Maras salt pans and Moray, the Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, back to Cusco and departure. The right choice for a first trip or a one-week holiday.
- 10 days, Mystic Peru, from US$1,990 (approx. CA$2,815): Lima, the Nazca and Palpa lines, back to Lima, flight to Puno and Aramu Muru, Lake Titicaca with the Uros and Taquile islands, bus to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, a free day in Cusco and a flight back to Lima. It combines the desert coast with the Andes. For the same length focused only on the highlands, Andean Discovery (10 days, from US$1,790, approx. CA$2,532) adds a homestay on Amantaní island.
- 12 days, Peru Express, from US$2,350 (approx. CA$3,324): Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, the Nazca Lines flight, overnight bus to Arequipa, the Colca Canyon and the Cruz del Condor viewpoint, Puno with the Uros and Taquile, the scenic Route of the Sun bus to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and departure from Cusco. It covers the desert coast, the Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca and Cusco in a single route.
Getting to Lima from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver
Toronto and Montreal have nonstop flights to Lima, about 8 hours from Toronto and 8 hours 15 minutes from Montreal. Air Canada runs a seasonal winter route: for winter 2026-27 it announced three weekly flights from Toronto starting 24 October 2026 and from Montreal starting 25 October 2026. Air Transat has flown nonstop from Toronto (twice a week) and Montreal (once a week) since December 2023, with a third weekly Toronto flight in summer 2026; check its current winter schedule when you book.
Some of these flights land in Lima late at night or in the early morning. On a private trip that detail matters: your driver waits at arrivals whatever the hour and takes you straight to the hotel, so tell us your flight number as soon as you have it.
From Vancouver there is no nonstop service to Lima. Itineraries connect through a US hub such as Houston or Atlanta, and the fastest options take around 13 hours 20 minutes. With a journey that long, it is worth planning one night in Lima on arrival before continuing to Cusco.
Jet lag is minimal. Lima stays on UTC-5 all year: from November to mid-March it is on the same time as Toronto and Montreal, and one hour behind them the rest of the year. Since British Columbia moved to permanent Pacific time in 2026, Lima is two hours ahead of Vancouver all year.
When to travel from Canada
In the Andes (Cusco, Machu Picchu, Titicaca, Colca) the dry season runs from April to October, with sunny days and cold nights. November to March is the rainy season, with heavy rain and greener mountains. Machu Picchu is open all year and reached by train, but the classic Inca Trail was closed for maintenance throughout February 2026, so check its status if you plan to hike it that month.
The coast works the other way around. Summer runs from December to April, with highs of 25 to 30 °C in Lima, while June to September brings grey skies and a persistent morning drizzle to the capital, with highs of 16 to 19 °C. Rain is rare on the coast (Lima averages about 6 mm a year), so coastal excursions such as the Nazca flight and the Ballestas Islands are not tied to a season.
For Canadians there is a trade-off. The Air Canada nonstops operate in the Canadian winter, which is the rainy season in the Andes but summer on the coast. Between April and October you get dry weather in the mountains, with the coldest nights in Cusco around July, when lows approach 0 °C; in those months the nonstop option is Air Transat, which flew to Lima through summer 2026.
Entry, health and money: what Canadians need
Canadian citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days in a 365-day period. Your passport must be valid for six months from your arrival date, and officers can ask for a return ticket, proof of accommodation and proof of funds. Arriving by air, the passport is not stamped: the Andean Migration Card (TAM) is digital and can be downloaded from the Peruvian immigration website, which is worth doing and keeping on your phone.
The Government of Canada rates Peru as 'exercise a high degree of caution' and has regional advisories for the VRAEM, the Alto Huallaga and the Colombian and Ecuadorian border areas. None of these areas is on the routes described here. Travel insurance that covers medical evacuation is recommended.
Cusco, Puno, Lake Titicaca and the Colca Canyon are all above 2,500 m, so plan an easy first day in the highlands; our guide on altitude sickness in Cusco explains how to prepare. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for Amazon areas below 2,300 m, such as Tambopata, which appears in some longer packages, and not for Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu or the coast. The local currency is the sol (PEN); US dollars are widely accepted and cards are less common outside the main cities, so carry some cash for tips and markets.
What your quote covers and how you pay
The quote lists what is included day by day. Check in particular which entrance fees are inside the price. The Machu Picchu full day tour, for example, includes the Vistadome train, the shuttle bus and the entrance ticket (S/ 163 for foreign adults since May 2026), but not the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain climbs. The Nazca Lines flight from the Nazca airfield excludes the airport tax and tourist ticket, S/ 77 per person paid on site before boarding, while the Nazca tour from Lima via Pisco already includes them.
All charges are in US dollars. The site can display prices in Canadian dollars for reference, but that is only a visual conversion: the amount charged is in USD and your card issuer applies its own exchange rate and fees. For a large amount, compare the card cost with a bank wire before paying.
- Payment methods: card or bank wire, from the same checkout page.
- Currency charged: US dollars, whatever currency you see on screen.
- Changes: ask for them before paying, since each payment link carries a fixed amount.
- Local cash: soles for tips, snacks and fees paid on site.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay my Peru trip in Canadian dollars?
No. The site can display amounts in CAD for reference, but the charge is always in US dollars. Your card issuer or bank converts it at its own rate. As a guide, US$1,490 is about CA$2,108 at the Bank of Canada rate of 25 September 2026.
Is there a direct flight from Vancouver to Lima?
No. From Vancouver you connect, usually in a US city such as Houston or Atlanta, and the shortest itineraries take around 13 hours 20 minutes. Toronto and Montreal have nonstop flights of about 8 hours.
Do Canadians need a visa for Peru?
Not for tourism up to 90 days in a 365-day period. You need a passport valid for six months from arrival, and you may be asked for a return ticket, proof of accommodation and proof of funds.
Are the package prices fixed?
The package pages show a 'from' price in US dollars. Because the trip is private and adjustable, the final amount depends on your group, dates, hotels and any changes you request. It is set in your written quote before you pay.
Can we change the itinerary of a package?
Yes. The packages are starting points. You can add or remove days, swap regions, replace an overnight bus with a flight or add rest days at altitude. Ask for changes during the quote stage, before the payment link is issued.
