Essentially, my original plan for 8 days was 3 days in lima (miraflores, barranco, city central "each a day" with overlap), and then 5 days for cusco / machu picchu; i ended up having some travel complications, so i wasnt able to get to cusco, and ended up doing

4 days in lima, 4 days in huacachina/paracas/icas, and then 2 more days in lima, LOL.

in terms of activities, in lima, i got hastled by a promoter to go surfing, but i got 2 hours of private surfing instruction + gopro footage for $100usd total. without footage it was like $60usd for the 2 hours. glad i got hastled, because it was a great experience, tbh.

then in huacachina / paracas, i signed up for tours to do dune buggying + dune boarding. on my way back from huacachina to lima, i stopped by paracas, which is known for their beach partying and their national beach park that has like 7 stops with an atv or scooter. if i had an extra day, i wouldve flown over the ica lines, but everyone suggested paracas national beach park > ica lines

food wise, peru is known for some of the best cuisine, as well as some great fusions. you'll find a lot of tips if you "x in peru reddit" search, so won't go into detail there. even if you are there for a month, there is plenty to try something new every day. i didn't do much online research, i always just asked the city tour desks, taxi drivers, and hostel hosts for the best food nearby.

i unfortunately missed cusco, the sacred valley, and machu picchu, but in hindsight im glad i did; i would recommend (and plan to next time im there) to draw out 2-3 weeks for the entire sacred valley + salkantey trek + machu picchu ruins package, but thats just my opinion. if you had to shorten it, i would still do minimum 1 week to enjoy + acclimate in cusco or ollantaytambo and do the machu picchu tours.

tip 1: be careful for scammers (be aware of common scams, taxi drivers double charging apple pay, the baby formula story), but a lot of people are also just offering cheap things for the sake of getting business. always ask around 2-3 options, and even locals (other travelers who did events, hostel/hotel hosts, even nearby restaurant owners) and youll converge on good prices and experiences. as an american with decent budget, i didn't find it hard to find things at a very reasonable price, but i did overpay for some things because i was too lazy to keep looking.

tip 2: stay at hostels. if i had recommendations, it would be viajero, wild rover, and then black llama, in that order, based on whats available. all the research is online for the three, but viajero is objectively (ig subjectively, but on reviews + other travelers opinions) the best compromise of cleanliness & solo travler/partiers culture , wild rover has a good travler/partying culture too, and black llama is a quieter "coworking" hostel. i like hostels because i can meet other travlers, and oftentimes the hostel itself hosts daily social events + can give good advice on best prices nearby, since theyre often asked by other travelers. if its not for you, idk much about hotels, but i would def look to hangout near hostels. locals love hostels cos they can look for their international boos and practice their english. note: viajeros have branches all throughout latam, and i met multiple travelers who were literally strictly staying in viajeros for 2 months across all their locations. sounds fun, hope to do that soon as well.

tip 3: honestly, i wouldn't go there with much of a plan. i think its a great place thats reasonable to get around price and activities wise, so i would ask around people, if you have the energy and confidence to do so. if i would do it over again, i would book 1 round trip to and from the states <> lima, and 1 night at a viajero. then, figure out the rest of the trip from there, whether it be restaurants, cities, food, or sights.

feel free to dm for more info!