Pope Leo XIV in Peru 2026: Lima, Cusco Itinerary & Tips

Trip status (updated October 17, 2026): On October 13, Pope Leo XIV had surgery at Rome's Gemelli hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after a pulmonary adenocarcinoma was found. He was discharged on October 17, returned to the Vatican and is due to lead the Angelus on Sunday, October 18. The trip has not been cancelled, but no date has been set for a final decision, which depends on how his recovery goes. Everything below follows the official program published on September 21. If dates change, the travel advice for Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu still holds.

Peru is the longest leg of Pope Leo XIV's South American tour, and the most personal one. Robert Prevost spent decades in the country as a missionary and bishop, took Peruvian citizenship, and now returns as pope for six days: from November 11 to 16, 2026 he is scheduled to cross the country from the Pacific coast to the Andes and the Amazon. Organizers expect more than a million people at the closing Mass in Lima alone.

If you are thinking of traveling for it, here is the official schedule, where the public can actually see him, and how to combine the visit with Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu without getting stuck at 3,400 meters with no hotel and no ticket.

The Peru itinerary, day by day

This is the program released by the Holy See and published by Peru's official gazette El Peruano and the state news agency Andina.

Wednesday, November 11 (Lima): arrival at the Callao Naval Air Base at 5:30 p.m. after the Argentina leg, welcome ceremony and meeting with the president at the Government Palace, then a meeting with authorities, civil society and diplomats at the Gran Teatro Nacional.
Thursday, November 12 (Lima): meeting with Peru's bishops at the Archbishop's Palace, midday prayer with clergy inside Lima Cathedral, an open encounter on the esplanade in front of the Cathedral at 11:30 a.m., and at 6 p.m. a prayer vigil with young people and university students at the Estadio Monumental in Ate. The Church expects around 60,000 people in the stands.
Friday 13 and Saturday 14 (Chiclayo and Cajamarca): the emotional heart of the trip. Mass at the Pampas de Pimentel, his former cathedral, and a helicopter hop to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba. We cover it in a separate guide to Chiclayo, the city where he was bishop from 2015 to 2023.
Sunday, November 15 (Cusco and Pucallpa): the busiest day. Details below.
Monday, November 16 (Lima): a visit to a home for elderly people run by the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly, then Holy Mass at 10:30 a.m. at the Las Palmas Air Force Base in Santiago de Surco. The Peruvian Bishops' Conference expects at least 1.2 million people, and the image of the Señor de los Milagros, Lima's most venerated procession figure, will be there. Farewell at the Callao Naval Air Base at 1:15 p.m. and departure for Rome at 1:45 p.m.

Cusco: three hours, two venues

The pope lands at Cusco's Alejandro Velasco Astete airport around 10 a.m. on November 15 and leaves for Pucallpa at 1:05 p.m. In between:

10:30 a.m., Sacsayhuamán: a meeting with the faithful and representatives of popular piety (the brotherhoods, dance troupes and patron-saint festivals that define Andean Catholicism) at the Sacsayhuamán National Archaeological Park, with a speech.
11:45 a.m., Plaza de Armas: the Angelus prayer in the square in front of the Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption.

One thing to clear up, because it circulated for months: there is no papal Mass in Cusco. Early reports talked about a huge Mass on the Sacsayhuamán esplanade, but regional authorities explained in August that it was not viable at a protected archaeological site managed by the Ministry of Culture. The official program has an encounter there, not a Mass. Local estimates spoke of up to 100,000 people at Sacsayhuamán and around 50,000 in the Plaza de Armas, and business groups expect several hundred thousand people moving through the region that weekend.

The Plaza de Armas has its own story: this is the Inca Huacaypata, the ceremonial square where the empire celebrated Inti Raymi and where the Spanish executed Túpac Amaru I in 1572. If you want that layer while you wait for the Angelus, Trevurs has a free audio tour, Cusco: The Navel of the World, the Incas and the Conquest, that walks you through the square, the Cathedral and the Inca walls that survived every earthquake, at your own pace and without joining a group.

Pucallpa: the Amazon stop

From Cusco the pope flies to Pucallpa, capital of the Ucayali region, landing at 2:30 p.m. At 3 p.m. he meets missionaries and representatives of Amazonian peoples at the Puerto Callao boardwalk (on Yarinacocha lagoon), and at 4:45 p.m. he celebrates Mass at the Ucayali Regional Sports Village. He flies back to Lima that night. Pucallpa is a short flight from Lima and is a real jungle city, hot and humid in November, with the Ucayali river and the lagoon as its main sights.

Machu Picchu in November 2026: book now

This is the part that will trip up most travelers. Machu Picchu has a strict daily cap and named, timed tickets, and the papal weekend will fill Cusco's hotels and trains.

Where to buy: only on the Ministry of Culture's official site, tuboleto.cultura.pe. You choose circuit, route, date and entry time, and you need your passport number.
Daily cap: the 2026 high season (5,600 visitors a day) ran from June 19 to November 2. From November 3 the regular cap of 4,500 visitors a day applies, so mid-November actually has fewer slots than October.
Circuits: Circuit 1 (panoramic, upper terraces), Circuit 2 (classic, the full tour of the citadel) and Circuit 3 (royalty, lower sector). Several sub-routes such as Intipunku and Huchuy Picchu only open in high season, so they will not be available in November.
In-person tickets: around 1,000 tickets a day are sold in person at the cultural center in Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes). Treat them as a backup, not a plan.
Price: for foreign adults the reference fare is around S/152 depending on the circuit, plus a S/11 conservation fee charged by SERNANP since May 2026. Check the final amount on the official site before paying.

Tip: avoid going to Machu Picchu on November 15 itself. Book the 13th, 14th, 16th or 17th, and buy the train to Aguas Calientes at the same time as the entry ticket.

Altitude, flights and getting around

Altitude: Cusco sits at about 3,400 meters, higher than Machu Picchu (around 2,430 m). If you fly in from sea level on the morning of the Angelus and stand for hours in the sun, you will feel it. Arrive at least a day earlier, walk slowly, drink water and go easy on alcohol the first night.
Domestic flights: Lima to Cusco is roughly a 1 hour 20 minute flight with several daily departures. Prices around the papal weekend will climb, so book now. Expect airport restrictions in Cusco on the morning of the 15th while the papal plane lands and departs.
Weather: November is the start of the rainy season in the Andes. Mornings are usually clear and afternoons can bring showers, so bring a light rain jacket for Sacsayhuamán.
Security perimeters: for the Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán, arrive very early and check the access instructions that the Archdiocese of Cusco and local authorities publish in the days before.

What to see in Lima in one or two days

If you land in Lima for the Monumental vigil or the Las Palmas Mass, use the rest of your time well:

Historic center: the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral (where Francisco Pizarro is buried) and the San Francisco convent with its catacombs. Note that on November 12 the area in front of the Cathedral hosts a papal event, so visit on another day.
Miraflores and the malecón: cliffside walk over the Pacific, plus Huaca Pucllana, an adobe pyramid in the middle of the neighborhood.
Barranco: the bohemian district, with the Bridge of Sighs, colorful mansions and good bars.
Museo Larco: pre-Columbian ceramics and gold in Pueblo Libre. Ideal before heading to Cusco or Chiclayo.
Food: Lima is the reason many people come to Peru. Make ceviche at lunch (it is a midday dish in Lima) your non-negotiable.

On the day of the Las Palmas Mass, plan for road closures in Surco and nearby districts. Use public transport where possible and leave hours earlier than you think.

Explore Cusco with Trevurs

The pope will spend barely three hours in Cusco, but if you travel for him you will likely stay several days, and Cusco rewards people who understand what they are looking at. Every wall in the center mixes Inca stone and Spanish colonial building, and every church has a story about the conquest. Download Trevurs before you fly and play Cusco: The Navel of the World, the Incas and the Conquest on your first afternoon, while you acclimatize: it is free, it works at your own pace, and it turns the square where the pope prays the Angelus into a place you actually know.