I saw a query about Peru and nearby countries here, with a somewhat rushed itinerary. I went to only one, Peru.

In a way, ours was rushed too, since we had only 16 days. But
in Cusco it's best to spend time acclimating to the height as
some people can get fairly sick if they rush that.

With Machu Picchu, the place is so affecting (space, feel) that
I'd stay overnight either at the top (expensive but you get to
enter the ruins after most people leave to go back down the hill)
or below, coming back up in the morning. I don't think it's a
Stop and Run place.

I have a Machu Picchu and Peru Highlands PhotoDiary
at my main site, which will give a sense of what a trip
through that area is like. It has a good amount of text
but I hope not too much.
That's at http://www.andrys.com/indox.html

These have smaller photos (though you can click to larger
ones), as the emphasis is what we experienced on the trip and
I explain the layout of Machu Picchu a bit. And it works
for slower phone modems better that way.

I did put the larger photos separately, if that's of interest,
at http://www.pbase.com/andrys/ - with the Machu Picchu
set via the 2nd thumbnail and the Highlands via the 3rd thumbnail
at the top of that general page.

I hope the photodiary is helpful to any planning to go there.

- Andrys