Rustic Pathways school trips to Peru are private, custom programs for schools. Select your dates and learning goals, and Rustic Pathways builds the itinerary around them.
Programs run 7 to 13 days, $3,595 to $5,676 per student depending on length and season.
No commitment, and no sales call unless you ask for one.
Choose a Peru school group travel program.
View a sample day by day itinerary for your school trip
Machu Picchu & the Amazon
Mountains, rainforest, Machu Picchu
Lima · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Cusco · Tambopata
Your 9-day starting itinerary
Each card is one program day. Scroll across to follow the trip from arrival through departure.
Depart Home Airport
Meet up with your group at a pre-selected location at your home airport. Once everyone has arrived, check your bags and go through security as a group.
Welcome to Peru!
Arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima (LIM) and meet your program leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program.
Cross the Andes to the Sacred Valley
Wake up and take a bus back to the airport for your quick flight to the Sacred Valley and Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco (CUZ). This flight will only be about an hour.
Explore Machu Picchu
Get set for a day at Peru’s most famous site. The day starts off with a picturesque train ride to Aguas Calientes, the base town of the Machu Picchu ruins.
The Capital of the Inca Empire
Enjoy a mix of the past and present as we explore Cusco’s 16th-century cathedrals, ancient Inca temples, and colonial streets at this UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Amazon Jungle
Head into the heart of the Amazon jungle. Wake up early and fly to Puerto Maldonado, our gateway to the Amazon.
Deforestation in the Amazon
Over the next two days you’ll learn about many of the complex issues that threaten the Amazon. Stay at an education research center in Peru’s only Amazonian national park.
Puerto Maldonado, Lima, and Home
Pack up and say goodbye to your friendly jungle staff before boarding a boat and returning upriver to Puerto Maldonado.
Sacred Valley Service & Culture
Andean culture and educational service
Lima · Cusco · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu
Your 10-day starting itinerary
Each card is one program day. Scroll across to follow the trip from arrival through departure.
Depart for Peru
Meet up with your group at a pre-selected location at your home airport. Once everyone has arrived, check your bags and go through security as a group.
Welcome to Peru!
Arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima (LIM) and meet your program leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program.
Cross the Andes to the Sacred Valley
Wake up and take a bus back to the airport for your quick flight to the Sacred Valley and Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco (CUZ). This flight will only be about an hour.
Hike to Rural Communities
Hike into the mountains around the Sacred Valley to get a perspective on the landscape challenges that make access to education more difficult.
Service in the Sacred Valley
Participate in service initiatives with the Sacred Valley Project, a local organization that supports the secondary education of girls from remote Andean communities.
Experience Machu Picchu
Start your day with a picturesque train ride to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of the Machu Picchu ruins. Explore the town and shop, and gear up for the adventure ahead.
Explore Cusco
After breakfast this morning, drive for approximately an hour and a half from Ollantaytambo to Cusco, taking in the breathtaking views of the Southern Peruvian Andes.
Adios, Peru!
Visit the local San Pedro market, taste the local fruits and vegetables, and bargain for any last-minute gifts for family and friends during your final morning in Peru. Arrive back at your home airport and reconnect with your friends and family. Thank you for joining us on this adventure!
Andean Adventures & Machu Picchu
Sacred Valley exploration and Machu Picchu
Lima · Cusco · Sacred Valley · Huaypo · Machu Picchu
Your 9-day starting itinerary
Each card is one program day. Scroll across to follow the trip from arrival through departure.
Depart Home Airport
Travel to Peru
Welcome to Peru!
Arrive in Lima · Flight to Cusco in the Andes
Travel to Cusco and the Sacred Valley
Arrive in Cusco · Descend into the Sacred Valley · Acclimatization afternoon
Historic Landscapes
Andean highlands hike · Visit traditional mountain communities · Learn regional history and ecology
Paddle in Huaypo, Mountain Bike and Explore Salt Flats
Kayak on Lake Huaypo · Mountain bike through Sacred Valley · Explore Maras salt terraces
Experience Machu Picchu
Train to Aguas Calientes · Guided exploration of Machu Picchu · Return train through Sacred Valley
Rock Climbing, Ziplining and Traditional Arts
Via ferrata rock climb and zipline over Sacred Valley · Traditional weaving workshop in Chinchero · Travel to Cusco
Explore the Capital of the Inca Empire
Cusco historic center exploration · Chocolate making workshop · Farewell dinner and Rustic Ties ceremony
Return Home
San Pedro Market visit · Return flight
What every Peru school trip includes
Included
- Accommodation for all program nights, in shared, gender-separated rooms
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, from airport pickup through airport drop-off, and drinking water throughout
- Airport transfers, in-country flights, and all scheduled ground transportation
- All scheduled activities, excursions, and entrance fees in the itinerary
- Gratuities and donations: guides, drivers, homestay and community contributions. Students never need to bring money to give away
- Bilingual Program Leaders, on site overnight, and a 24/7 emergency support line for parents
Not included
- Flights to and from Peru. Your school books them, or Rustic Pathways can as an add-on
- Medical insurance with coverage in Peru. Families arrange it themselves
- Travel insurance, recommended and not required
- Passport and visa fees
- Vaccinations and health preparation costs
- Personal spending: souvenirs, snacks, laundry, phone and data
How much does a Peru school trip cost?
Peru school trips cost $3,595–$5,676 per student for 7–13 days in 2025–2027. A nine-day trip has a median price of $4,432 per student.
Prices include accommodation, meals, in-country transportation, and scheduled activities but exclude international airfare and insurance. Final costs vary by dates, group size, itinerary, and lodging.
These USD prices are based on 11 programs, including seven nine-day Peru school travel programs.
How to pay: Pay as a group through the school or let families enroll directly. Families paying directly can use monthly installments for up to 23 months.
Monthly installment plans close 90 days before departure.
Enrolling early: Enroll early to access potential lower pricing. Ask for early-enrollment terms when requesting a proposal.
Cancelling: Cancel within 24 hours of enrolling for a full refund.
Cancel more than 70 days before departure for a refund less the deposit and ticketed airfare.
Cancel 41 to 70 days before departure for a refund less 50% of the per-traveler cost and ticketed airfare.
Cancellations fewer than 40 days before departure receive no refund. The deposit applies to the Monthly Installment plan.
These terms apply to School Group Travel; Student Travel uses a different calendar-based schedule. Full enrollment terms.
What moves the cost of a Peru school trip?
Five variables drive the pricing variance: season, trip length, group size, chaperones, and accommodations.
- SeasonPeru’s dry season is May to October. Peak and holiday weeks cost more than shoulder dates.
- Trip lengthShorter trips can cost more per day because fixed costs are spread across fewer days. Beyond that, season and what the itinerary includes matter more than length.
- Group sizeLarger groups lower the per-student price.
- ChaperonesOne chaperone place is complimentary for every 8 paying students. Additional places are shared across the group, so the number of chaperones you bring moves the per-student price.For example, a group of 24 students earns 3 free chaperone places; a group of 40 earns 5.
- AccommodationsLodging tier moves the price directly. The Westin in Lima costs more than the standard three-star option, and Rustic Pathways can arrange either.
Price an itinerary around your group.
Dates and group size are enough. Options come back within 48 hours.
What might a Peru travel program look like for your department?
Art, Spanish, history and environmental science departments can make Peru their own.
A travel sketchbook and visual storytelling project
Draw Cusco and the Sacred Valley, and the weavers and families whose work fills the pages.
What does a place look like to the person who lives in it?
A live-language practicum with service hours
Build conversation skills through interviews and field assignments that push students past their first answer.
What can you say in a second language that you cannot say in your first?
Inca, colonial and contemporary Peru on location
Compare regions on the ground. What students discuss about the Inca and colonial past might sit at an angle to the textbook.
Who gets to decide what Machu Picchu means?
A field study of Andean ecology across elevations
Study ecology across the elevation gradient, collecting field data to compare ecosystems, agriculture, and biodiversity. Use the dataset for lab analysis or a research paper after the trip.
How do people who share a landscape describe what it is for?
Service learning with the Sacred Valley Project
Learn how the Sacred Valley Project addresses barriers to education for girls from remote Andean communities. Students eat with girls who board at the dormitory and work alongside project staff.
The program aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5: Quality Education and Gender Equality.
The school receives documentation for 12 service hours after the trip, suitable for IB CAS requirements.
What makes a Rustic Pathways educational travel program different?
- 01No mixed groups. Just your school
- 02One student, one bed
- 03Your school picks the dates
- 04Monthly payment plans available
- 05No tipping; tips and community donations included
- 06Aligned to your curriculum
Who handles what on a Peru school trip
Rustic Pathways makes travel easy for teachers and administrators. The itinerary, lodging, meals, transportation, guides, and in-country staff are all taken care of.
Your school sets the parts only a school can set.
- Rustic Pathways handles
- Itinerary
- Accommodations
- Meals
- In-country transportation
- Activities
- Reservations
- Donations
- Guides and Program Leaders
- 24-hour in-country medical support
- Teachers handle
- Travel dates
- Who travels
- Learning objectives
- Internal approval
- Student supervision and school policy
How families stay in touch
Families stay in touch on school trips abroad through the MyRustic portal, WhatsApp, calls, and texts. After enrollment, families can access the itinerary, packing list, flight details, payment schedule, moderated daily photo feed, and Peru Country Director through MyRustic.
Students can contact home at any time unless the school’s communication policy differs.
Safety changes by Peruvian region
Lima and Cusco programs are city-paced: walking, traffic, and supervised service work. The Sacred Valley adds day hiking and rural travel.
Altitude is the factor that shapes a Peru itinerary. Cusco sits at 11,150 feet, so groups arrive and acclimatize before any demanding day, and the Sacred Valley is deliberately lower than the city.
Every route is reviewed around its real operating environment. Program Leaders brief the group daily, and licensed providers handle transport and specialist activities.
Cusco and Sacred Valley routes operate within reach of hospitals in Cusco, and the evacuation pathway for each remote night is named in the trip’s risk plan.
Rustic Pathways has had a dedicated Medical Director since 2015. Dr. William R. Smith is a board-certified emergency physician and a U.S. Army colonel; his work is also documented on Wikipedia. Rustic Pathways staff members completed Viristar’s month-long Risk Management for Outdoor Programs certification course.
Across 2014 through 2026, 87% of the 4,139 incident reports logged across 57,079 traveler records were GREEN, the minor tier: 3,619 of them.
Read Rustic Pathways safety protocols →How a Peru school trip manages altitude
A Peru school trip uses a descent to acclimatize. Students fly from sea-level Lima to Cusco at 11,150 ft on day two, then drop to the Sacred Valley at 9,000–11,000 ft for three nights before returning to Cusco.
Groups spend three nights at lower Sacred Valley elevations before returning to Cusco for the final higher-elevation nights.
Is Rustic Pathways the right Peru partner for your school?
Rustic Pathways is the right fit for a school with ten or more students traveling as its own group on its own dates, and the wrong fit for an individual student or a school that wants to join an existing departure.
A strong fit if
- You are a school group of 10 or more, middle school through university
- You want your school to travel as its own group, on your own dates, never merged with others
- You want the itinerary built around what you teach
Worth a conversation first if
- A student has significant mobility, medical or mental-health support needs, a condition affected by altitude, or a specialized dietary or religious accommodation
- You have fewer than 10 students, or a budget below the range above
None of these is automatically a no. Each is assessed before Rustic Pathways sends a proposal.
Probably not the right fit if
- You are an individual student or parent looking to join a departure. Individual-student Peru programs are a better fit.
- You want a mixed group with other schools, a fixed-date catalog tour, or a departure sooner than a proposal and planning cycle allow
Have a question before you ask for a proposal?
I answer Peru school-trip questions myself.
Send your group size, dates, trip length, and what you want students to learn. I’ll send you options within 48 hours. No sales call unless you ask for one.
Questions about school trips to Peru
How much does a school trip to Peru cost?
Peru school trips cost $3,595 to $5,676 per student for 7 to 13 days in 2025 to 2027. A nine-day trip has a median price of $4,432 per student. International airfare, travel insurance and medical insurance are separate.
Is Peru safe for a school trip?
Yes, with structured risk management. Peru currently carries a Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) U.S. State Department advisory; Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu sit outside the higher-level restricted zones.
Rustic Pathways has run school programs in Peru since 2008, with at least two trained Program Leaders per group, a set altitude protocol, and a 24/7 emergency line. Check the current U.S. State Department Peru travel advisory for entry and regional conditions before you book.
Is the altitude in Cusco safe for students?
Yes, when the itinerary follows Rustic Pathways' acclimatization sequence. Cusco sits at 11,150 ft, so the itinerary is sequenced around it.
Groups fly in from sea-level Lima, then drop to the Sacred Valley at a lower elevation to sleep for three nights before returning to Cusco and going higher. Leaders watch for altitude symptoms throughout and the day plan stays light on arrival.
When is the best time for a school trip to Peru?
Peru’s dry season runs May to October and the wet season runs November to April. Days are warm in the Sacred Valley and Cusco in both seasons, and nights are cold at altitude year-round.
Your school picks its own dates, so the itinerary is built around your calendar.
Who books flights, and do teachers fly with the students?
Your school can arrange international flights itself, or Rustic Pathways can book them as an add-on. Either way, teachers fly with students: the group meets at a pre-selected spot at the home airport and checks bags and clears security together.
Do students need a visa for a school trip to Peru?
Most travelers from the United States, Canada, and the European Union do not need a visa to enter Peru for a short trip. Requirements vary by nationality, so confirm with your embassy or consulate before departure.
Passports should have at least six months of validity remaining at the time of entry into Peru.
How does rooming work?
Every student gets their own bed, teachers get their own room.
What support does Rustic Pathways provide teachers during the trip?
Rustic Pathways supports teachers by assigning Program Leaders to manage the itinerary, logistics, local coordination, and daily trip details. Program leaders manage the experience and teachers supervise students.
Rustic Pathways Program Leaders complete a four-month vetting process, pass Sterling background checks, and hold CPR and First Aid certification. Rustic Pathways staff members have completed Viristar’s month-long Risk Management for Outdoor Programs certification course.
Start with your travel window
Start a Peru trip proposal with your travel dates, group size, and student learning goals. Receive trip options within 48 hours.
Or reach a person directly: +1 440-975-9691 or groups@rusticpathways.com
Have a quote from another operator?
Send it over. Rustic Pathways will show you what’s possible for the same budget.
Need approval or funding first?
Certificate of insurance and help with risk management plans, on request.
Need help fundraising?
Rustic Pathways provides parent-letter and sponsor-letter templates, plus a fundraising ideas sheet, to help families cover the cost.
- Rustic Pathways has operated student travel since 1983. Recent industry recognition:
- 2026 GoAbroad Innovation AwardsInnovation in Adventure-Based Programming · Global Adventure Learning Model
- 2025 International Travel AwardsBest Group Tour Operator
- 2024 Skift IDEA AwardsIndustry Innovators – Tour Operators
- 4x WYSETC Best Youth Tour Operator2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
- 2025 World Travel AwardsUnited States’ Leading Tour Operator