Bolivia to Peru: Lakes, Salt Flats & Machu Picchu (Self-Launched)

Land at El Alto International Airport (3,600m) and take it easy — altitude is real. Grab an airport taxi or the shared minibus into the Miraflores/Sopocachi area (~£3-6). Check into a budget hostel or guesthouse, drink plenty of water and coca tea, and acclimatise with a short wander. Evening: cheap set-menu lunch spots (almuerzo is under £3) and a stroll down the mirador for city views.

🚌Airport taxi/shared minibus to centre ~£3-6

🛏Budget hostel/guesthouse in Sopocachi or Miraflores (dorm £8-14, private £18-28)

• →Acclimatisation walk
• →Mercado Lanza food stalls
• →Sopocachi miradores

Explore the world's highest capital on your own. Ride the Mi Teleférico cable-car network (each line ~£0.30) between El Alto, the centre and the Zona Sur for sweeping views of Mt Illimani. Visit the Witches' Market (Mercado de las Brujas), San Francisco Church and the quirky Museo de la Coca. Optional self-bookable Death Road mountain-bike day trip (~£70-120 with local operators like Gravity or Barracuda) if you want thrills over sightseeing.

🚌Mi Teleférico + minibus (taxi colectivo ~£0.30-0.80 per ride)

🛏Budget hostel/guesthouse, La Paz

• →Mi Teleférico cable car
• →Witches' Market
• →Optional self-booked Death Road biking (~£70-120)

Day bus from La Paz's Terminal de Buses to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca (4-5 hrs, ~£4-6). Cross the Tiquina Strait by small ferry (included in most bus tickets, small fee otherwise). Base yourself in a lakeside hostel, then walk up Cerro Calvario for sunset over the water and eat fresh grilled trout (trucha) for about £3-4.

🚌Public bus La Paz-Copacabana ~£4-6 + Tiquina ferry ~£0.30

🛏Lakeside hostel/guesthouse, Copacabana (dorm £6-10, private £15-25)

• →Lake Titicaca views
• →Cerro Calvario sunset hike
• →Trout dinner

Buy a return boat ticket to Isla del Sol from the Copacabana jetty (~£6-8). Wander the Inca Staircase, the Pilcocaina ruins and the north-south ridge trail with panoramic lake views. Boats return mid-afternoon; bring cash for the community island entry fee (~£2). Back in Copacabana in time for another cheap dinner.

🚌Shared boat Copacabana-Isla del Sol return ~£6-8

🛏Lakeside hostel/guesthouse, Copacabana

• →Isla del Sol ridge hike
• →Inca ruins
• →Community entry fee

Cross into Peru today. Take a local bus or shared van from Copacabana to the Kasani/Yunguyo border (~1 hr) and onward to Puno by combi or bus — or book a direct tourist bus (roughly £8-12 total). Complete Peruvian migration formalities at the border. Evening in Puno: explore the Plaza de Armas and sample a cheap menu del día near Lima Street.

🚌Shared van/bus Copacabana-Kasani-Puno ~£8-12

🛏Budget hostal, Puno centre (dorm £7-12, private £18-28)

• →Border crossing
• →Puno Plaza de Armas walk

Join a shared full-day boat tour from Puno's port to the Uros floating reed islands and Taquile Island (~£15-25 with local operators, book on arrival). Alternatively take a public boat to Isla Amantaní and stay with a local family for a slower, more independent experience. Return to Puno for the night.

🚌Shared tour boat from Puno port

🛏Budget hostal, Puno

• →Uros floating islands
• →Taquile Island textiles
• →Optional Amantaní homestay

Overnight or daytime coach from Puno to Uyuni (8-10 hrs) directly, or via La Paz. Note the salt-flats loop is best done from Uyuni. Many travellers overnight-bus it to arrive fresh for a morning departure; book a hostel bed in Uyuni for the arrival morning. Stock up on snacks and layers — the altiplano nights are bitterly cold.

🚌Public overnight bus Puno-Uyuni ~£10-15

🛏Overnight bus, or cheap Uyuni hostal on arrival (dorm £6-12)

• →Altiplano scenery
• →Prepare for salt-flats loop

Start a self-booked 3-day 4x4 salt-flats and desert loop direct with a Uyuni agency (~£110-160 per person for the shared tour including guide, transport, community lodge and meals). Day 1 covers the train cemetery, Colchani salt-processing village, endless white salt flats, and the cactus island (Isla Incahuasi). Night in a salt-hotel or the Santiago de Agencha community lodge (Jukil) with towering cacti nearby.

🚌Shared 4x4 vehicle (tour included)

🛏Community lodge/basic salt hotel, multi-share (included in tour)

• →Train cemetery
• →Colchani salt village
• →Isla Incahuasi cacti island
• →Jukil community experience

Continue the 4x4 loop across the high-altitude desert: the 'stone tree' (Árbol de Piedra), the red and green Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde with surrounding flamingos and borax flats. Push to the thermal springs and stay in a basic community hostel close to the Chilean border (the standard last night before the Atacama). Extremely cold — bring a sleeping bag.

🚌Shared 4x4 vehicle (tour included)

🛏Basic community hostel, multi-share (included)

• →Laguna Colorada
• →Laguna Verde
• →Árbol de Piedra
• →Thermal springs

Final morning: geo-thermal fields, the Salvador Dalí desert and the white-and-red lagunas, then transfer to the Chilean border at Hito Cajón. Get your exit/entry stamps and take the connecting shuttle down to San Pedro de Atacama. (If you've chosen to stay in Bolivia instead, loop back to Uyuni.) Evening: cheap hostel + valle walk.

🚌4x4 + border shuttle to San Pedro (~£8-15 add-on)

🛏Budget hostel, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile (dorm £10-16)

• →Desert crossing
• →Chilean border crossing
• →San Pedro evening

Optional morning excursions self-booked: Valle de la Luna moon landscape tour (~£10-15) or the El Tatio geysers sunrise tour (~£20-30). Then take the public bus back to Uyuni or a long-distance coach toward Chile/Peru depending on your chosen routing. This is a good flex day to buffer against transport delays.

🚌Local tours + onward bus ~£15-25

🛏Hostel in San Pedro or Uyuni (dorm £8-15)

• →Valle de la Luna (optional)
• →El Tatio geysers (optional)
• →Onward travel

Complete the loop back in Uyuni and take the overnight bus to La Paz (8-9 hrs, ~£10-15). Save the daytime for a quick salt-flat sunset if you haven't had enough, and grab a shower and real meal before the sleeper bus. Nocturnal travel keeps costs down.

🚌Overnight bus Uyuni-La Paz ~£10-15

🛏Overnight bus, then La Paz hostel on arrival

• →Salt flats sunset (optional)
• →Return travel

Cheapest reliable route is a flight La Paz-El Alto to Cusco via Lima or a direct carrier (~£80-140 if booked ahead) — this saves exhausting days. Budget alternative: bus La Paz-Puno then Puno-Cusco (another long haul). Once in Cusco (3,400m), rest, drink coca tea and get a hostel in the historic San Blas district.

🚌Flight La Paz-Cusco ~£80-140 (or bus ~£25-40 with a stop)

🛏Budget hostel/hostal, San Blas or centro, Cusco (dorm £7-13, private £18-30)

• →Cusco acclimatisation
• →San Blas wander

Full day in Cusco to adjust to altitude. Self-guided walking route: Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun), the San Pedro Market for cheap juices and almuerzos, and the Sacsayhuamán ruins on the hill above town (buy the Boleto Turístico ~£15-20 if you'll visit multiple sites). Optional self-booked cooking class (~£30-45).

🚌Walking + short taxis ~£1-2 each

🛏Budget hostel/hostal, Cusco

• →Qorikancha
• →San Pedro Market
• →Sacsayhuamán
• →Optional cooking class (~£30-45)

Cheap public buses (colectivos) run from Cusco through the Sacred Valley for pennies. Start at Pisac ruins and market, continue to Urubamba for lunch, then Ollantaytambo's dramatic fortress and terraces. Stay overnight in Ollantaytambo (base for the Inca Trail/Train) rather than returning to Cusco. Buy your entry tickets individually or with the Boleto Turístico.

🚌Colectivos/buses along the valley ~£0.50-1 per hop

🛏Budget hospedaje, Ollantaytambo (dorm £8-14, private £18-30)

• →Pisac ruins & market
• →Ollantaytambo fortress
• →Valley views

Visit the Ccaccaccollo Women's Weaving Co-operative and the community-run Parwa restaurant near Lamay (a farm-to-table project supporting the local economy). You can arrange this directly with the co-op or via a licensed Cusco agency for a modest fee; it's a way to meet local weavers and eat a genuine community-cooked lunch.

🚌Colectivo to Ccaccaccollo/Lamay ~£1 + return

🛏Budget hospedaje, Ollantaytambo or Urubamba

• →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op
• →Parwa community restaurant lunch

The classic 4-day/3-night Inca Trail must be booked in advance (permits sell out — secure them 3-4 months ahead either via the official Peruvian government portal or, more practically, through a licensed Cusco operator, ~£450-650 including porters, cook, meals and guide). Take the train or bus from Ollantaytambo to KM 82 and begin trekking to Wayllabamba camp.

🚌Train/bus to trailhead ~£15-25 + porters on trek

🛏Tented camp on the trail (included in trek package)

• →Inca Trail start
• →Riverside trekking
• →First campsite

The hardest day: climb to Warmiwañusca (Dead Woman's Pass) at 4,198m, the highest point of the trek, then descend steep steps to Pacaymayo. Your included porter team carries the heavy camp kit while you carry a day pack. Pace yourself, hydrate and drink coca tea. Spectacular Andean views all the way.

🚌Hiking (porter-supported)

🛏Tented camp, Pacaymayo (included)

• →Warmiwañusca / Dead Woman's Pass (4,198m)
• →Andean ridge trekking

Cross the second pass (Runkurakay) and descend through cloud forest past the ruins of Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca and Wiñay Wayna. Lush orchids, waterfalls and quieter stretches. Camp near Wiñay Wayna for the early final-day start.

🚌Hiking

🛏Tented camp, Wiñay Wayna (included)

• →Sayacmarca ruins
• →Phuyupatamarca
• →Wiñay Wayna

Wake pre-dawn, walk to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) for the classic first view of Machu Picchu as the sun rises, then enter the citadel. Guided entry of the ruins is worthwhile (a licensed guide is easy to arrange at the gate or include in your trek package). Shuttle or walk down to Aguas Calientes for the night — trains back to Cusco run from there.

🚌Hiking + shuttle bus Machu Picchu-Aguas Calientes ~£10

🛏Budget hostal, Aguas Calientes (dorm £10-16, private £25-40)

• →Sun Gate sunrise
• →Machu Picchu guided tour
• →Aguas Calientes hot springs

Take the scenic PeruRail or IncaRail train from Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy (~£40-70), then a colectivo or taxi to Cusco. Spend the afternoon relaxing — the market at San Pedro, a massage, and a well-earned hearty meal. This is your decompression day after the trek.

🚌Train Aguas Calientes-Poroy/Ollantaytambo ~£40-70 + transfer to Cusco

🛏Budget hostel/hostal, Cusco

• →Scenic train ride
• →San Pedro Market
• →Cusco rest day

Flex day. Options: a day trip to the Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) self-booked from Cusco (~£25-40 including transport and breakfast), a trip to Lake Humantay, or the Maras salt pans and Moray terraces (~£20-30). Or simply slow down, browse artisan markets and enjoy the café culture. Book any excursion the day before at your hostel or through a Cusco tour desk.

🚌Van tours as chosen ~£20-40

🛏Budget hostel/hostal, Cusco

• →Rainbow Mountain (optional)
• →Maras & Moray (optional)
• →Lake Humantay (optional)

Fly Cusco-Lima (roughly 1h15, book ahead for ~£50-90). On arrival, settle into a budget hostel in Miraflores or the historic centre. Afternoon: walk the Malecón clifftop path in Miraflores, watch the sunset over the Pacific, and enjoy a ceviche dinner. Lima's restaurant scene is world-class at every price point.

🚌Flight Cusco-Lima ~£50-90 + airport transfer ~£3-8

🛏Budget hostel, Miraflores or centro, Lima (dorm £9-15, private £22-35)

• →Miraflores Malecón
• →Pacific sunset
• →Ceviche dinner

Self-guided day in the Peruvian capital: the colonial Plaza Mayor and Cathedral, the San Francisco Monastery catacombs, the bohemian Barranco district with its street art and the Puente de los Suspiros, and the Museo Larco if archaeology appeals. Use the cheap Metropolitano bus rapid-transit system or simply walk and use taxis.

🚌Metropolitano bus / taxis ~£2-5 for the day

🛏Budget hostel, Lima

• →Plaza Mayor & Cathedral
• →Barranco district
• →Museo Larco (optional)

Final morning — a last-market breakfast run, souvenir shopping at the Inka Market in Miraflores, then transfer to Jorge Chávez International Airport for your flight home. If you have time, a short Huaca Pucllana pyramid visit is a good final taste of Peru.

🚌Airport transfer ~£3-8

🛏None (departure day)

• →Inka Market shopping
• →Huaca Pucllana (optional)
• →Departure