Where to Elsewhere: Traveling in Peru After the Sacred Valley Retreat
Peru is layered.
Once you've moved through the stillness and altitude of the Sacred Valley with Elsewhere Retreats, the journey doesn’t have to end. From oceanside boardwalks to high Andean lakes and hidden jungle lodges, these are a few places we return to—before or after the Elsewhere Sacred Valley Yoga Retreat.
Each one offers something distinct: texture, depth, ease.
Lima — Coastal Rhythm, Big Flavor
Start (or end) in Lima. The city hums in color and contrast—quiet cafés in old colonial casonas, art museums in garden courtyards, and some of the most exciting food in the world.
Book a table at Central, Maido, or Mérito for meals that read like geography: sea, mountain, jungle, plate. Or stay casual with Isolina for slow-braised criollo classics, Canta Rana for ceviche and cold beer, or Chifa Unión for Peru’s beloved take on Chinese.
Walk Barranco for its galleries, concept shops, and colonial bones softened by street art and tropical air. Follow the Bajada de los Baños down to the Pacific—one of the best places to catch the light shift. Then connect to Miraflores along the Malecón, Lima’s cliffside greenway that runs the length of the coast.
→ Read our full Lima restaurant guide here
Cusco — Altitude, Artisans, and Quiet History
Cusco is where Elsewhere Retreats land and lift off. If you can, spend time here beyond your arrival.
Wander San Blas, the city’s arts district, where cobbled alleys open into courtyards of painters, ceramicists, and textile weavers. Stop for a coffee, sit in the sun. Visit Qorikancha or the Cathedral of Santo Domingo to witness the layers of empire and resistance—Incan foundations topped by Spanish facades.
Skip the souvenirs and head to the local markets instead. You’ll find ingredients, crafts, and colors you won’t see again.
Arequipa & Colca — Stillness and Scale
Built from white volcanic stone, Arequipa is a softer kind of city—wide streets, quiet plazas, and architecture that glows at golden hour. Visit Santa Catalina Monastery for peace in color: dusty reds, blues, and sun-bleached corridors.
From there, head into the Colca Valley, where condors ride thermal currents over canyons twice the depth of the Grand. Thermal springs, ancient terraces, and tiny villages offer pause—it's a place that invites you to slow all the way down.
The Peruvian Amazon — Still Wild, Still Sacred
Fly into Puerto Maldonado and step off the plane into warmth, humidity, and something slower.
This is the rainforest as it should be—low impact, high immersion. Take a boat ride at dusk, walk under the canopy, and fall asleep to the sound of life all around you. Spot pink river dolphins, howler monkeys, or flocks of scarlet macaws. For anyone craving disconnection, this is the place.
Huaraz — Altitude, Ice, and Silence
A different kind of Andes. Huaraz is a mountain town ringed by snow-draped peaks, glacial lakes, and trails that make you feel very small in the best way.
Trek to Laguna 69 if you're up for the challenge—icy blue water, jagged cliffs, and air that reminds you you're alive. Or stay closer to town and explore Huascarán National Park, home to over 400 alpine lakes, including the mirror-still Llanganuco Lakes.
Kuelap — The Other Lost City
Far less visited than Machu Picchu, but just as arresting—Kuelap is a massive, pre-Incan fortress set high in the cloud forest.
Once home to the Chachapoyas, or Cloud Warriors, this site still feels fiercely independent. Take the cable car up for sweeping views, then spend the night nearby in Chachapoyas or Cocachimba, where rooms open onto misty mountains and you can see Gocta Waterfall, one of the tallest in the world, from your window.
Máncora — Warm Water and Slow Days
If you’re looking to finish in full exhale, head north. Máncora is where Peru loosens its shoulders: warm surf, quiet beaches, long afternoons.
Order seafood by the shore. Watch the sky change from a hammock. For surfers, Los Órganos is just up the coast with consistent breaks and minimal crowds. For the rest of us—sun, sand, and nothing to prove.
Next Stops with Elsewhere Retreats
We curate experiences around stillness, beauty, and story. Where you land before or after retreat is up to you—but these are the places we’d send you if you asked where to go next.
Let us know if you’d like help mapping it out. We’ve done this before.