Absolute Peru: Amazon Jungle & Machu Picchu by Train — Self-Launched

Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take an official taxi or airport bus (about £10-12) to a hostel in Miraflores or Barranco (£12-18/night dorm, £25-30 private). Settle in, walk the Malecón clifftop path for Pacific sunset views, and eat at a menu del día spot for £3-4. Pick up a local SIM (Claro/Entel, ~£8) and set up a BIPC or Interbank ATM card for cash.

🚌Airport taxi or Airport Express Lima bus ~£10

🛏Hostel in Miraflores/Barranco (dorm £12-18)

• →Malecón sunset walk
• →Barranco street art wander

Morning in Lima: free walking tour of the historic centre (Plaza Mayor, catacombs of San Francisco, ~£3 tip) or a £3 ceviche lunch in Surquillo market. After lunch take a Cruz del Sur or Oltursa bus from Javier Prado terminal to Paracas (~4 hrs, £10-12). Overnight in Paracas village guesthouse.

🚌Cruz del Sur bus Lima–Paracas ~£11

🛏Paracas guesthouse (private ~£18-22)

• →Free walking tour of Lima historic centre
• →Surquillo market ceviche lunch

Early morning shared boat to the Ballestas Islands (£12-15, book at the pier or any Paracas tour kiosk) for sea lions, boobies and the Paracas Candelabra. Then a colectivo to Ica (£2) and a short taxi to Huacachina oasis for sandboarding and dune buggy sunset (£12-15). Evening bus onward to Nazca (2.5 hrs, ~£6).

🚌Shared boat + colectivo + local bus ~£10

🛏Nazca hostel (dorm £8-12)

• →Ballestas Islands boat tour
• →Huacachina dune buggy and sandboarding
• →Ica winery stop

Book a Nazca Lines overflight direct with the operators at Maria Reiche Aerodrome (£75-95 for a 30-35 min flight; morning is calmer). Afternoon take a shared taxi to the Chauchilla desert cemetery (£8-10 including entry) and a local pottery workshop (£3-5) — the same experiences the tour includes, booked locally. Evening overnight bus to Arequipa (Cruz del Sur/Oltursa cama seat, ~£16-20, 9-10 hrs).

🚌Nazca Lines flight + overnight bus to Arequipa ~£18

🛏Overnight bus

• →Nazca Lines scenic flight
• →Chauchilla cemetery guided visit
• →Potter's studio demonstration

Arrive early morning, check into a guesthouse near the Plaza de Armas (£12-18). Visit the Santa Catalina Monastery (£12), the Museo Santuarios Andinos with Juanita the ice maiden (£6), and the Mercado San Camilo for rocoto relleno. Free walking tour of the colonial centre in the afternoon (tip-based).

🚌Walking + local taxi ~£3

🛏Arequipa guesthouse (dorm £12-18)

• →Santa Catalina Monastery
• →Museo Santuarios Andinos (Juanita)
• →Free walking tour of the historic centre

Take a colectivo/bus from Arequipa's Terminal Terrestre to Chivay (3-4 hrs, ~£5). Settle into a basic hostal (£10-15), then soak in the La Calera hot springs (£2). Optional afternoon condor viewpoint or a short hike to a mirador.

🚌Colectivo/bus Arequipa–Chivay ~£5

🛏Chivay hostal (private ~£12-15)

• →La Calera thermal baths
• →Chivay market and mirador walk

Early shared van to Cruz del Cóndor (1.5 hrs, ~£16 return, or join a local tour £15-20) to watch Andean condors rise on the thermals. Return to Chivay, then travel via a connecting local bus or shared van to Puno (5-6 hrs, ~£8-10). Evening stroll to the Plaza de Armas and the lakefront.

🚌Shared van to Cruz del Cóndor + bus to Puno ~£18

🛏Puno hostel (dorm £8-12)

• →Cruz del Cóndor condor viewing
• →Puno lakefront evening

Book a 2-day/1-night community homestay directly with a Puno cooperative or agency (£45-60 incl. boat, meals and guides). Boat to Amantaní or Taquile, walk to a local mirador, and spend the night with a Quechua-speaking family — the same community-tourism homestay experience the tour includes. Bring a gift of fruit or coca and dress warm; nights at 3,800m are freezing.

🚌Shared tourist boat ~included in homestay package

🛏Community homestay on Amantaní

• →Community homestay
• →Taquile/Amantaní weaving and village walk
• →Sunset over Lake Titicaca

Return by boat, stopping at the floating Uros islands (£8-10 shared tour). Back in Puno, opt for the Sillustani burial towers (£10-12 half-day tour) or an afternoon at the Yavari ship museum. Eat local trucha (trout) by the lake for £5.

🚌Shared boat + local transport ~£8

🛏Puno hostel (dorm £8-12)

• →Uros floating islands
• →Sillustani chullpas (optional)

Full-day bus to Cusco (7 hrs, ~£12) with options: the tourist bus (Inka Express) with museum stops (~£25 incl. lunch) or a cheaper local bus via Juliaca. Check into a hostel in San Blas (£10-15 dorm). Take it easy — you're at 3,400m. Coca tea and a slow evening.

🚌Local or tourist bus Puno–Cusco ~£12-25

🛏Cusco hostel in San Blas (dorm £10-15)

• →Scenic altiplano bus journey
• →San Blas evening stroll

Choose your own adventure: Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) day trip booked direct with a local operator (£28-35 incl. transport, breakfast and guide, leaves 4:30am), a Peruvian cooking class (£20-25), or a slow day exploring Qorikancha, the San Pedro market and the San Blas galleries. Note Rainbow Mountain is at 5,000m — only do it if you've acclimatised.

🚌Local transport or tour van included in activity

🛏Cusco hostel (dorm £10-15)

• →Rainbow Mountain hike (optional)
• →Cusco cooking class (optional)
• →San Pedro market

Morgen walking tour of Cusco's colonial and Inca layers with a local guide (£10-15 or tip-based free tour): the Cathedral, Qorikancha, Hatunrumiyoc's twelve-angled stone, and the Sapantiana aqueduct staircase. Afternoon free for the Boleto Turístico (£16, covers multiple sites) or a coca-leaf-and-altitude slow afternoon.

🚌Walking

🛏Cusco hostel (dorm £10-15)

• →Cusco walking tour
• →Cusco Cathedral
• →Sapantiana staircase aqueduct

Book a shared Sacred Valley day tour direct with a Cusco agency (£22-30) covering Pisac ruins and market, the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op (£5 for a weaving demo), Lamay for a community farm-to-table lunch like Parwa (£8-10), the Maras salt pans (£3) and the circular terraces of Moray (£6). Stay overnight in Ollantaytambo (£12-18) rather than returning to Cusco.

🚌Shared tour van ~included in £25 tour

🛏Ollantaytambo guesthouse (private ~£15-20)

• →Pisac ruins and market
• →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op
• →Maras salt pans
• →Moray terraces
• →Community lunch in Lamay

Morning exploring the Ollantaytambo fortress (£10 with Boleto Turístico). Then take the PeruRail or Inca Rail Expedition train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (£45-65 one way, book online 4-6 weeks ahead — the cheapest Expedition fares sell out). Stay in a basic hostal (£15-25), visit the Machu Picchu museum (£4) and the Mandor waterfall (£5). Buy your Machu Picchu entry ticket in advance online via the official MINCULETUR/tuboletomachupicchu site (~£40 for Circuit 2).

🚌PeruRail/Inca Rail train ~£50

🛏Aguas Calientes hostal (private £18-25)

• →Ollantaytambo fortress
• →Scenic train ride
• →Machu Picchu museum

Up at 4:30am for the bus up (£10) or a 1.5-hour hike, to enter as the gates open. Explore on a pre-booked circuit (Circuit 2 includes the classic viewpoint; Circuit 3 the panoramic view). Skip the on-site guided group unless you want one — licensed guides wait at the gate and charge £20-25 for 2 hrs. Down for a late lunch, then afternoon train to Ollantaytambo (£50) and local bus or colectivo back to Cusco (£3).

🚌Bus up Machu Picchu + train + bus to Cusco ~£55

🛏Cusco hostel (dorm £10-15)

• →Machu Picchu guided entry (Circuit 2)
• →Optional Huayna Picchu or Sun Gate walk (needs separate permit)

Buffer day for altitude, laundry, and exploring more of Cusco's cafés and museums. This is the buffer most self-launched travellers build in — if Machu Picchu weather was against you, this is when you retry. Pick up any last supplies for the jungle (light long-sleeve layers, knee-high socks, insect repellent).

🚌Walking

🛏Cusco hostel (dorm £10-15)

• →Cusco Inka Museum (£3)
• →San Blas cafés

Morning flight Cusco to Puerto Maldonado (~1 hr, LATAM/Sky, £50-80 booked 4-6 weeks ahead). Reputable jungle lodges include transport from town in their package — a 3-day/2-night Tambopata or Madre de Dios lodge with naturalist guide, all meals, boat transfer and activities runs £180-250 per person booked direct (compare Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas, or a budget Tambopata eco-lodge). Afternoon boat upriver to the lodge and an evening night walk with a naturalist looking for frogs, owls and tarantulas.

🚌Domestic flight ~£65 + lodge boat transfer (included)

🛏Amazon jungle eco-lodge (included in package)

• →Night walk with naturalist guide

Full day at the lodge with naturalists: a dawn boat to an oxbow lake to look for giant otters, hoatzins and caiman, a trail walk learning medicinal plants, a canopy tower climb if your lodge has one, and an afternoon siesta in a hammock. Most meals are included in the lodge rate. This is the same 3-day Amazon lodge pattern the tour includes — you just book the lodge direct rather than through G.

🚌Lodge boat and walking

🛏Amazon jungle eco-lodge (included in package)

• →Oxbow lake wildlife boat trip
• →Jungle medicinal plant walk
• →Canopy tower (if available)

Early morning caiman-spotting boat cruise or a parrot clay lick if your lodge offers one. Return by boat to Puerto Maldonado and take the afternoon flight back to Lima (£65-85). Check into a Miraflores hostel for the night and celebrate with a proper ceviche dinner (£8-10).

🚌Boat + flight to Lima ~£75

🛏Lima hostel (dorm £12-18)

• →Caiman-spotting cruise
• →Lima dinner in Miraflores

Free day in Lima: Barranco street art and the Puente de los Suspiros, the Larco Museum (£8), surf lessons at Punta Hermosa or Miraflores (£20), or a bike ride from Miraflores to Barranco (£8). Eat at Isidro market or a menu del día spot for £4.

🚌Local buses/taxis ~£4

🛏Lima hostel (dorm £12-18)

• →Larco Museum
• →Barranco street art walk
• →Optional surf lesson

Final morning for souvenir shopping at the Inka Market or Mercado Indio, then transfer to the airport for your international flight home. Airport bus or taxi ~£10.

🚌Airport transfer ~£10

🛏None

• →Souvenir shopping