Culture and History or Landscape First
Peru pairs one of the most recognizable ruins on earth with living Andean culture. Cusco is built on Inca foundations, with cobbled San Blas and convent hotels. The Sacred Valley is where couples tend to fall for the country: terraced hillsides, adobe villages, weaving cooperatives, the Moray terraces and the Maras salt pans. Lake Titicaca adds reed islands and Taquile weavers. Arequipa is a white stone city under three volcanoes. Even when you are hiking, you are walking through history.
Chile's story is mostly told by its scenery. In the Atacama, you watch sunset in the Valley of the Moon, float in the salt lagoon at Laguna Cejar and count satellites after dark. In Torres del Paine, you hike to the base of the three towers and take a boat to Grey Glacier. Culture is there too, in Valparaíso's funiculars and murals and in the moai of Easter Island, where you stay on paths and never touch the statues. But most couples come back from Chile talking about light, wind and space.
Food and Drink
Peru wins this round. Lima has ceviche counters at lunch and tasting menus built from ingredients gathered at different altitudes, cheaper than their equivalents in New York. In the Sacred Valley, Mil, Virgilio Martínez's restaurant above Moray, is worth the drive. Even small towns take their potatoes, chilies and corn seriously. Lunch is the main meal, many cevicherías close by late afternoon and pisco comes as a sour or a chilcano. In the Andes, cuy, roasted guinea pig, is a festive dish. Try it or politely pass.
Chile's strength is wine and seafood. Carménère, Syrah and coastal Sauvignon Blanc are excellent value. The Colchagua Valley, two and a half hours south of Santiago, is the red wine capital, with winery hotels and long lunches. Seafood runs from sea bass ceviche to locos, an abalone-like shellfish. Meals run late, with lunch around 1:30 or 2 p.m. and dinner rarely before 8:30. Once, a late-afternoon tea of bread, avocado and cheese, fills the gap. Wine lovers will lean Chile. Food lovers will lean Peru.
Where You Will Stay
Peru's honeymoon hotels are concentrated around Cusco and Machu Picchu. Sanctuary Lodge, a Belmond hotel, is the only hotel at the gates of Machu Picchu, with 31 rooms. Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel has adobe casitas among orchids a few steps from the train. In the Sacred Valley, Explora Valle Sagrado arranges guided hikes, while Sol y Luna and Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba offer casitas and gardens at gentler rates. Palacio Nazarenas in Cusco is an Inca palace turned convent with oxygen-enriched rooms. Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica brings thatched cabanas in Tambopata.
Chile specializes in the all-inclusive adventure lodge. In Torres del Paine, Explora puts the Cuernos across Lake Pehoé from your window, Awasi Patagonia has sixteen villas on a private reserve and EcoCamp offers warm domes with wood stoves. In the Atacama, Awasi, Tierra Atacama and Nayara Alto Atacama plan your days around excursions. Viña Vik sits above its own vineyards in Colchagua. Explora Rapa Nui covers Easter Island.
What It Costs
Peru costs less than its reputation suggests. Our Peru guide estimates midrange couples in good boutique hotels spend roughly $300 to $500 a day for two, including guides and transfers. Luxury hotels in the Sacred Valley and Cusco and top rainforest lodges often run $500 to over $1,200 a night, though Amazon lodges usually include meals and excursions. The train is often the biggest single expense, especially the luxury Belmond Hiram Bingham. Foreign visitors are usually exempt from the 18% IGV tax on hotel rooms, so ask what paperwork your hotel needs.
Chile is one of the more expensive countries in South America. Boutique hotels in Santiago, Valparaíso or Puerto Varas commonly run about $150 to $300 a night, but the headline lodges in Patagonia and the Atacama cost roughly $1,000 to $2,500 a night for two, all-inclusive. Domestic flights are often $80 to $250 each way. Paying for lodging in US dollars usually exempts foreign visitors from the 19% VAT. All figures for both countries are approximate.
Seasons Pull in Opposite Directions
This can decide the trip. Peru's Andes are best in the dry season, May through September, with sunny days and cold nights. June through August is peak, with the Inti Raymi festival on June 24 and the busiest trains. April, October and early November are a sweet spot. December through March brings heavy rain to the mountains. The classic Inca Trail closes every February. For a trip covering the Andes and the Amazon, aim for May, September or October.
Chile's best window runs the other way, from October through April, because Patagonia is a summer destination. Torres del Paine lodges mostly operate from about September or October to April. January and February bring the longest days and strongest wind. November and March are quieter and often better value. The Atacama works all year, with crisp, clear winter skies from June to August. So a summer wedding points to Peru, while a fall or winter wedding lines up with Chile's spring and summer.
Altitude, Health and Safety
Altitude matters most in Peru. Cusco sits at about 11,150 feet, Puno near 12,550 and the Sacred Valley floor around 9,400. Machu Picchu is lower, at roughly 7,970. Headaches and poor sleep are common the first night or two regardless of fitness, so fly into Cusco and drive straight down to the Sacred Valley, drink water and go light on alcohol. Talk to your doctor about preventive medication. In the Amazon, dengue and Zika occur, so if you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices.
In Chile, San Pedro de Atacama sits around 7,900 feet and some excursions climb above 13,000, so take the first night easy there too. Patagonia's challenge is wind and changeable weather. Strong sunscreen matters everywhere. The State Department rates both countries Level 2, exercise increased caution. In Peru, protests can close roads or the train around Cusco and Puno, so build in a spare day. In Chile, watch bags in Santiago and Valparaíso and avoid demonstrations.
Flights and a Two-Country Trip
Lima (LIM) has nonstops from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Atlanta, Houston, New York and Los Angeles, about 5.5 hours from Miami and 7.5 to 8 from New York. Cusco is another 80 minutes from Lima. Santiago (SCL) has nonstops from Miami, Atlanta, New York JFK and Los Angeles, plus seasonal Dallas and Houston flights, about 8.5 hours from Miami and 11 from New York, usually overnight. Within Chile, you fly: Calama for the Atacama is about two hours from Santiago and Punta Arenas about three and a half.
Lima and Santiago are linked by frequent flights, so combining them is realistic on a trip of two weeks or more. A good order is Peru first, in May or September or October, then Chile's Atacama, which is pleasant year-round. Patagonia only fits in that combination in spring and early fall, around October or April. With ten days, choose one country. Peru's classic ten-day route covers Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco. Chile's covers Valparaíso, the Atacama and four nights in Torres del Paine.
