Lima to Rio: Coast to Coast — Self-Launched Edition

Land at Jorge Chávez, take the Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores (~£6) or an authorised taxi (~£18). Stay in a Miraflores or Barranco hostel. In the evening walk Barranco's bohemian streets — Puente de los Suspiros, craft beer at BarBarian or a pisco sour at a local bar.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Miraflores/Barranco (~£12)

• →Barranco street wander
• →Craft beer / pisco sour
• →Optional: Lima cooking class (£30–40 direct)

Book a Cruz del Sur or Oltursa bus from Lima to Ica (~5 hrs, £12–15), then a short taxi to the Huacachina oasis (~£3). Late afternoon dune buggy and sunset sandboarding tours leave from the lagoon shore — book on arrival or via GetYourGuide (~£16–20).

🚌Lima–Ica bus ~£13; taxi to oasis ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or private in Huacachina (~£11)

• →Dune buggy + sandboarding sunset tour (~£18)

Early boat trip from Paracas to the Ballestas Islands for sea lions, pelicans and the Candelabra geoglyph (~£20 incl. transfer from Ica). Return, then take a bus south to Nazca (~3 hrs, £7). Stop at a Pisco winery en route (Bodega El Catador, ~£6 tasting).

🚌Local bus Ica–Nazca ~£7; shared transfer to Paracas ~£8

🛏Hostal in Nazca (~£12)

• →Ballestas Islands boat tour (~£20)
• →Pisco winery tasting (~£6)

Pick: a 30-min light-aircraft flight over the Nazca Lines (book direct with Aerodiana/ Movil Air, ~£95–100 plus S/.47 airport ticket) or the cheaper Mirador tower + Chauchilla cemetery tour (~£15). Join a local pachamanca lunch (earth-oven lamb/chicken, ~£8). Evening: Cruz del Sur overnight bus Nazca–Arequipa (~10 hrs, cama seat ~£20).

🚌Overnight bus ~£20

🛏Overnight bus (reclining seat)

• →Nazca Lines flight (~£100) or Chauchilla cemetery tour (~£15)
• →Pachamanca lunch (~£8)

Arrive early morning. Walk the Plaza de Armas, then the Santa Catalina Monastery (~£12 entry). Afternoon: Museo Santuarios Andinos (Juanita the ice maiden, ~£6). Eat at a picantería in Yanahuara — rocoto relleno, alpaca and queso helado.

🚌Local taxis/colectivos ~£4

🛏Hostal near centro (~£12)

• →Santa Catalina Monastery (£12)
• →Museo Santuarios Andinos (£6)

Book a 2-day/1-night Colca tour with a local Arequipa agency (~£30–40 incl. transport, guide, basic lodging; entry ticket S/.70 extra). Look for vicuñas and alpacas on the altiplano, then soak at La Calera hot springs in Chivay (~£3).

🚌Tour minibus

🛏Basic hostal in Chivay (included in tour)

• →Colca Canyon viewpoints
• →La Calera hot springs (~£3)

Pre-dawn start to Cruz del Condor viewpoint to watch Andean condors ride the thermals. Stop at terraced villages on the way back. Evening drinks in Calle Zela.

🚌Tour minibus back to Arequipa

🛏Hostal in Arequipa (~£12)

• →Cruz del Condor
• →Calle Zela night out

Day in Arequipa — Mundo Alpaca, the Yanahuara mirador or a walk around the suburbs. Evening: overnight bus to Cusco (~10 hrs, ~£18). Note the altitude jump — take it easy on arrival.

🚌Overnight bus Arequipa–Cusco ~£18

🛏Overnight bus

• →Free city exploring

Arrive morning. Check into a hostel in San Blas. Gentle day: Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha (~£4), coca tea, and a free walking tour (tip-based, ~£5). Confirm your Inca Trail permits and briefing.

🚌Local colectivo/taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, San Blas (~£11)

• →Qorikancha (£4)
• →Free walking tour (tip ~£5)

Option A: Rainbow Mountain full-day tour (leave 04:00, 5,029 m, ~£22–28 booked locally including breakfast/lunch — acclimatise first). Option B: cooking class (~£22) or Sacsayhuamán and the San Pedro market. Evening in San Blas cafés.

🚌Tour pickup / local taxi

🛏Hostel dorm (~£11)

• →Rainbow Mountain trek (~£25) or Cusco cooking class (~£22)

Collectivo from Cusco to Pisac (~£2) for the market and ruins, then on to Urubamba and Ollantaytambo (~£2). Visit the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op en route (most Sacred Valley tours stop there, ~£15 half-day) and Ollantaytambo fortress (~£12 with boleto turístico). Buy your Inca Trail porter/duffel arrangements here.

🚌Collectivos ~£5

🛏Hostal in Ollantaytambo (~£12)

• →Pisac ruins & market
• →Weaving co-op visit
• →Ollantaytambo fortress (£12)

Your trek permits must be booked months ahead through an authorised operator (~£420–500 for the 4-day trek including porters, cook, guide and Machu Picchu entry — the single biggest expense of the trip). Van to Km 82, checkpoint, then an easy 12 km walk through the Urubamba valley past Llactapata to camp.

🚌Van to trailhead (included)

🛏Trek camp (included)

• →Inca Trail hiking
• →Llactapata ruins

The hardest day: climb to Warmiwañusca at 4,198 m, then descend to Pacaymayo camp. Early start, slow pace, coca leaves. Porters carry the group gear; you carry a daypack.

🚌On foot

🛏Trek camp (included)

• →Dead Woman's Pass (4,198 m)

Cross Runkurakay pass (3,950 m), drop into cloud forest, then up to the second pass and the 'town above the clouds' at Phuyupatamarca. Continue to Wiñay Wayna camp if legs allow.

🚌On foot

🛏Trek camp (included)

• →Runkurakay and Sayacmarca ruins
• →Wiñay Wayna

Up at 03:30 for the checkpoint, reach Inti Punku (Sun Gate) for sunrise, then descend into Machu Picchu for your guided circuit (Circuit 3 for trekkers). Bus down to Aguas Calientes (~£10), then the Expedition/Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo (~£40–55) and a colectivo/bus to Cusco (~£5). Big night out in Cusco.

🚌Machu Picchu bus ~£10; train ~£45; bus to Cusco ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, Cusco (~£11)

• →Sun Gate sunrise
• →Guided Machu Picchu tour (included in trek permit)
• →Night out

Rest day. San Pedro market, chocolate museum, coffee in the plaza, or a massage after the trek. Sort onward bus tickets.

🚌Local ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm (~£11)

• →Markets and cafés

Take a daytime tourist bus Cusco–Puno (~8 hrs, £15–20) — the ones that stop at Andahuaylillas, Raqchi and La Raya pass. Arrive Puno on Lake Titicaca in the evening.

🚌Tourist bus Cusco–Puno ~£17

🛏Hostal in Puno (~£11)

• →Andahuaylillas chapel & Raqchi stops

Book an overnight homestay excursion with a Puno agency (~£25–35 incl. boat, meals, family stay) or arrange directly through the Taquile/Amantaní community boats. Visit Taquile's weaving co-operatives, lunch with a local family, then stay with a host family on Amantaní or the Capachica peninsula.

🚌Shared boat

🛏Community homestay (included)

• →Taquile Island
• →Weaving co-operatives
• →Homestay with local family

Boat back via the floating Uros Islands (~£3 entry). Afternoon options: Sillustani chullpas tour (~£12) or a kayak on the lake (~£15).

🚌Shared boat

🛏Hostal in Puno (~£11)

• →Uros Islands (£3)
• →Sillustani towers (~£12)

Full-day bus Puno–La Paz (~7 hrs with border formalities, ~£15) — or the cheaper local route to Desaguadero and onwards. Check visa rules for Bolivia in advance. Evening in Sopocachi's bohemian bars. La Paz sits at 3,650 m.

🚌International bus Puno–La Paz ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm, Sopocachi (~£10)

• →Border crossing
• →Sopocachi night out

Adrenaline option: Death Road mountain biking with a La Paz operator (Gravity, Barracuda etc.), ~£65–85 including gear, transport and lunch (entrance fee Bs53 extra) — cheaper booked direct than as a tour add-on. Otherwise: Mi Teleférico cable cars (~£0.40/ride), Witches' Market and the Valley of the Moon.

🚌Cable car ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm (~£10)

• →Death Road biking (~£75) or cable cars + markets

Day exploring the city — San Francisco church, El Alto market, museums. Evening overnight bus to Sucre (~11 hrs, cama ~£16).

🚌Overnight bus ~£16

🛏Overnight bus

• →City sights and markets

Arrive morning. Wander the whitewashed colonial centre, Plaza 25 de Mayo and the Recoleta viewpoint. Afternoon hike or a Spanish class if you fancy a week's stop.

🚌Local ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm (~£9)

• →Colonial centre walk
• →Recoleta viewpoint

Visit Cal Orck'o, the world's largest dinosaur-track wall (~£4), the Textile Cooperative and Mercado Central. Optional mountain biking or the Yampara community forest walk (~£35 booked direct).

🚌Local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm (~£9)

• →Cal Orck'o dinosaur tracks (£4)
• →Mercado Central

Local bus or shared taxi south to Potosí (~3 hrs, ~£4), the highest city of its size in the world at 4,090 m. Afternoon gentle acclimatising walk and a coffee on the plaza.

🚌Bus ~£4

🛏Hostal in Potosí (~£9)

• →Plaza and colonial streets

Mine tour with former miners (guide cooperative, ~£18–25 incl. gear) — an eye-opening few hours inside Cerro Rico. Afternoon at the Casa de la Moneda mint museum (~£5).

🚌Local ~£2

🛏Hostal in Potosí (~£9)

• →Cerro Rico mine tour (~£22)
• →Casa de la Moneda (£5)

Bus to Uyuni (~5 hrs, ~£6). Sort out your 3-day salt flats 4x4 tour for tomorrow morning with a Uyuni agency (~£95–120 per person incl. driver, food, basic lodging, shared with 4–6 travellers).

🚌Bus ~£6

🛏Hostal in Uyuni (~£9)

• →Book salt flats tour

4x4 out onto the world's largest salt flat: train cemetery, Colchani salt piles, the flags and Dakar monument, and endless perspective-photo ops. Sleep in a salt-brick lodge in the community of Santiago de Agencha or Jukil (~included).

🚌4x4 (included)

🛏Salt lodge (included in tour)

• →Salar de Uyuni
• →Perspective photography
• →Train cemetery

Cross the desert past Laguna Colorada, Laguna Honda and Árbol de Piedra. Wild vicuñas, llamas and flamingos at 4,000–4,900 m. Basic refugio accommodation tonight (included).

🚌4x4 (included)

🛏Basic refugio (included)

• →Coloured lagoons
• →Árbol de Piedra

Early start for the Sol de Mañana geysers and Laguna Verde, then border crossing at Hito Cajón and a descent by shared shuttle to San Pedro de Atacama (~£12). Pay the Chilean SAG agricultural declaration — no fresh food.

🚌Included 4x4 to border; shared shuttle ~£12

🛏Hostal in San Pedro (~£14)

• →Sol de Mañana geysers
• →Laguna Verde
• →Border crossing

Book the Valle de la Luna sunset tour (~£18 with entry) — dunes, salt caverns and Mars-like ridges. Or mountain bike to the valley (~£12 hire) and hit the hot springs (~£8). Star-gazing tour in the evening if the budget allows (~£20).

🚌Bike hire ~£12

🛏Hostal in San Pedro (~£14)

• →Valle de la Luna sunset tour (~£18)
• →Bike hire

Morning bus over the 4,700 m Paso de Jama to Salta (~10–12 hrs, ~£25–30). Arrive evening. First stop: empanadas salteñas, then a peña folklore show if you have energy (~£15).

🚌Bus San Pedro–Salta ~£28

🛏Hostel in Salta (~£13)

• →Paso de Jama crossing
• →Empanadas salteñas

Day trip to Cafayate through the Quebrada de las Conchas (~£25–35 organised, or local bus ~£8 each way), tasting Torrontés at high-altitude bodegas (~£5–10 per tasting). Note: bring USD cash for Argentina — cards and ATM rates are painful.

🚌Bus or day tour ~£20

🛏Hostel in Salta (~£13)

• →Quebrada de las Conchas
• →Cafayate winery tastings (~£10)

Domestic flight Salta–Buenos Aires (~£70–100 booked ahead on Flybondi/JetSMART — or a 20 hr bus for ~£30 if you're saving cash). Afternoon in Palermo; evening tango at a milonga (entry ~£5) or a show (~£45 direct).

🚌Domestic flight ~£85

🛏Hostel dorm, Palermo/San Telmo (~£14)

• →Palermo wander
• →Milonga (~£5) or tango show (~£45)

Walk the Obelisco, Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada and the Sunday San Telmo antiques market if it lines up. Coffee on a patio, then a bife de chorizo dinner (~£12).

🚌Subte ~£1/trip

🛏Hostel dorm (~£14)

• →Plaza de Mayo
• →San Telmo market
• →City walking

Bike tour with a local outfit (~£25–30, or self-hire ~£8), La Boca's Caminito, Recoleta cemetery. Last night out in Palermo's bars.

🚌Bike hire ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm (~£14)

• →City bike tour (~£28)
• →Recoleta cemetery
• →La Boca

Fast ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia (~1 hr, ~£45–60 booked direct with Buquebus/Colonia Express). Wander the UNESCO Barrio Histórico, the lighthouse and the riverfront sunset.

🚌Ferry ~£50

🛏Hostel in Colonia (~£14)

• →Barrio Histórico walking
• →Riverfront sunset

Bus along the coast to Montevideo (~2.5 hrs, ~£9). Afternoon in Ciudad Vieja street art, the Mercado del Puerto for grilled meats (~£12), and the Rambla at sunset.

🚌Bus ~£9

🛏Hostel dorm, Montevideo (~£14)

• →Ciudad Vieja
• →Mercado del Puerto
• →Rambla walk

Hire a bike and ride the Rambla (~£6), or day-trip to Punta del Este (~£12 each way by bus). Free entry to the Estadio Centenario museum for football fans (~£5).

🚌Bike/bus ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm (~£14)

• →Rambla cycling
• →Optional Punta del Este day trip

Local bus to Mercedes (~3 hrs, ~£12) and transfer to a working estancia. Budget ranch stays with full board run ~£55–80/night pp shared — book direct (e.g. small family estancias near Mercedes or Tacuarembó).

🚌Bus ~£12; estancia transfer ~£8

🛏Estancia, shared room (full board ~£65)

• →Countryside walk
• →Asado dinner

Morning horseback ride with the gauchos, learn to make empanadas, then a long outdoor barbecue. This is the closest thing on the trip to pure slow-travel.

🚌—

🛏Estancia, shared room (full board ~£65)

• →Horseback riding
• →Empanada making
• →Asado

Travel to Gualeguaychú via Mercedes and Concordia (~£15), cross back into Argentina, and board an overnight bus towards Puerto Iguazú (~10 hrs, cama ~£30).

🚌Buses ~£45 total

🛏Overnight bus

• →Border crossing
• →Overnight bus

Arrive morning. Optional Guaraní community visit with a local guide (~£20, book in town). Cross to the Brazilian side of the falls for the panoramic walkway (park entry ~£14, bus ~£4). Optional helicopter flight (~£90) or the bird park.

🚌Local bus to Brazilian park ~£6

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (~£12)

• →Brazilian side falls (£14 entry)
• →Optional Guaraní community visit (~£20)

Full day in the Argentine park (~£22 entry): Devil's Throat upper walkway, the lower circuit and the free Ecological Train. Optional Gran Aventura boat under the falls booked direct (~£40).

🚌Local bus to park ~£2

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (~£12)

• →Devil's Throat
• →Lower circuit
• →Optional boat (~£40)

Fly Foz do Iguaçu–São Paulo (~£70–100 booked ahead), then a Costa Verde bus from São Paulo to Paraty (~6 hrs, ~£18) or a shared transfer. Evening in the colonial centre.

🚌Flight ~£85; bus ~£18

🛏Hostel/pousada in Paraty (~£14)

• →Paraty colonial centre

Schooner boat trip around the bay islands with swim/snorkel stops (~£18–25 booked at the pier). Or hire a bike to Praia do Sono. Caipirinhas on the waterfront in the evening.

🚌Boat trip ~£22

🛏Hostel/pousada (~£14)

• →Schooner boat tour (~£22)
• →Swimming and snorkelling

Bus to Angra dos Reis (~2 hrs, ~£6) then the ferry to Vila do Abraão (~£9). Pick a pousada in the village and walk to Lopes Mendes or Abraãozinho beach for sunset.

🚌Bus + ferry ~£15

🛏Pousada/hostel on Ilha Grande (~£15)

• →Beach walk

Hike to Lopes Mendes (~2 hrs each way) for one of Brazil's best beaches, or take a shared boat tour (~£20). Optional outrigger canoe with local youth instructors (~£18).

🚌Boat/trail

🛏Pousada/hostel (~£15)

• →Lopes Mendes hike
• →Optional boat tour (~£20)
• →Optional canoe (~£18)

Ferry to Angra, then the scenic coastal bus to Rio (~3 hrs, ~£12). Watch the cliffs of Vidigal appear as you enter the city. Evening in Lapa — samba and street caipirinhas.

🚌Ferry + bus ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm, Botafogo/Lapa (~£14)

• →Coastal bus ride
• →Lapa night out

Community-run favela tour with a local resident (~£20–25 direct, not a big-operator tour) including capoeira and drumming. Afternoon at Ipanema or a Sugarloaf cable car (~£18).

🚌Metro ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm (~£14)

• →Community favela tour (~£22)
• →Capoeira
• →Ipanema beach

Last morning: Christ the Redeemer by Corcovado train if time allows (~£25) or a final beach walk. Head to Galeão airport by BRT/airport bus (~£3).

🚌Airport bus ~£3

🛏—

• →Optional Christ the Redeemer (~£25)