You are looking for hostels in Peru? Good news, you have come to the right place.
On this page we list every single city with hostels and other budget accommodations. Hostelz.com helps you to find your Peru hostel and compare its prices on the major booking sites such as Hostelworld, Hostelsclub and Booking.com. So you can sleep on a budget and save money while backpacking Peru.
We list every single hostel in Peru and the world. In total, we have 59 cities in Peru for you. Please note that not all cities actually have a hostel to stay in. Below you can filter for cities with hostels and with no hostels-type accommodation, but guesthouses and budget hotels. This will help your planning.
Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.
Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in Peru. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.
Peru is a country in South America, most famous for the Inca trail and Machu Picchu, though these are amazing sights and activities, Peru has much more to offer, which most tourists are unaware of.
Lima, the city's captial is where most people start there trip in Peru. The city has a number of good restaurants, a beautiful malecon (or boardwalk) and a historic centre as well as many good markets. From Lima visitors can head to the Amazon city, Iquitos, head up the coast for amazing hiking in Huanuco, or great surfing in Trujillo, or head south to Paracas (known as the Peruvian Galapagos), Nazca and the Nazca lines, Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, or east to Cusco and Inca trails to Machu Picchu.
Although the quintessential destination to visit in Peru are the ruins of Machu Picchu and the city of Cuzco, in this South American country there are plenty of destinations, experiences, tourist and cultural activities to enjoy in its vast territory. From the jungle, its borders with Brazil and Ecuador, the mountains and its colonial cities, the south and its proximity to Bolivia and Chile, deserts, mangroves, valleys, rivers and the extensive coast that faces the Pacific. Peru offers its visitor, in addition to the beauty of its resources and heritage, the warmth and ancient traditions of its land and its people.
If you love ancient history, historic sights and hiking or surfing, then Peru is a great backpacking destination for you.
Overall, Peru is a safe country, however precautions should still be taken, for example:
1. Don't take all your valuables out with you, keep them in a locker at the hostel
2. Don't show off all your flashy, expensive gear
3. Don't roam the streets by yourself at night
4. Check with your hostel staff where the safe and unsafe areas are
Accommodation can vary in type and quality throughout the country. In the touristy areas and big cities, you can expect to find good traveller hostels and backpackers, including 'party hostels', as well as hotels, resorts, and budget hotels.
Budget hotels can sometimes be cheaper than hostels, but the services and quality is not always up to the same standard. In smaller towns and villages, there may only be budget or local hotels and camping opportunities.
Hostels are a great option for solo travellers, but party hostels are very common, so if you don't like to party, make sure you check out the hostel site, or write to the hostel to check. Party hostels really will party every night of the week until the early hours of the morning.
Starting with Machu Picchu, the famous UNESCO world hertiage site - the ancient Incan ruins.
Machu Picchu can be accessed via the famous Inca trail (which must be booked in advance, as only 500 permits per day are issued, and these go fast). The site can also be accessed via the town Agua Calientes (means, 'hot water' / 'springs' in English), which you can get to by a train from histortic city, Cusco.
Discover all Agua Calientes hostels.
You have the option of hiking up ancient Inca steps to the entrance of Machu Picchu, or catching a touist bus. Once you enter the site, you can get your passport stamped (for no cost) to prove you've visited. There are also a number of other Inca trails, that don't have a limit on issued permits, which you can hike as an alternative to the famous Inca trail. Unlike the main Inca trail, these hikes usually terminate at Agua Calientes, but are still a great (and cheaper) alternative.
Also: If you love hiking then Huascaran National park is a must, and offers many alpine hikes in the Cordillera Blanca range. The Colca Canyon is also a great hiking opportunity. A 2-3 day hike to the Colca Canyon can be arranged in Arequipa.
Peru is also home to the highest altitude lake in the world (or highest commerically navigable body of water in the world - to be exact), Lake Titicaca. This is a stunning region, with beautiful lakes, historic churches, great hikes and good local (and cheap) food. This is a great place to chill out for a couple of days. From here you can easily catch a bus into Bolivia.
Enjoy Peru! Make sure you get off the tourist trail, you won't regret it!
Handwritten by local expert for Peru hostels Kelly Sheldrick
Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking Peru. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of Peru. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!
There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:
There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.
This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.
For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.
Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.
You can search for exacty hostel prices in Peru here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.
If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.
We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.
Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.
There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.
There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.