Luxury Andes on a Shoestring: Peru, Bolivia & Chile Self-Launched

Land at Jorge Chávez Airport and take an authorised taxi or Airport Express Lima bus (about £6-8) to a hostel in Miraflores or Barranco. Settle in, then wander the Malecón clifftop walk and Parque del Amor for your first Pacific sunset. For dinner, swap the operator's seafood restaurant for a casual cevichería in Miraflores or the Mercado de Surquillo — a ceviche and chicha morada should set you back £6-9.

🚌Airport Express bus or authorised taxi from LIM (~£6-8)

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Miraflores/Barranco (£10-15)

• →Malecón clifftop walk & Parque del Amor
• →Self-guided ceviche dinner in Miraflores or Surquillo market

Do a free walking tour of the historic centre (tip £5-8) covering Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral and the Government Palace exteriors. In the afternoon, take a local bus or taxi to the Amano Museum (£4 entry) for its Chancay textile collection, then explore San Isidro's olive groves and Huaca Huallamarca (£3). Skip the dinner show; instead eat at a menú-del-día spot in Barranco (£5) or catch a cheap folkloric peña if you want music.

🚌Local buses/Metropolitano & short taxis (~£5)

🛏Hostel in Miraflores/Barranco (£10-15)

• →Free walking tour of Lima's historic centre
• →Amano Museum (pre-Inca Chancay collection)
• →Huaca Huallamarca & San Isidro olive groves
• →Optional: Barranco peña night

Fly Lima to Cusco (Sky/LATAM/JetSMART, £50-90 if booked early). Take it very easy on arrival — coca tea, no heavy exertion. In the afternoon, buy the Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico, ~£18) and gently explore Qorikancha/Santo Domingo (£4), Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral (£4) and the Stone of Twelve Angles in the old town. Eat a light dinner near San Blas (£7) and sleep early.

🚌Flight Lima–Cusco (~£50-90); airport taxi ~£4

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Cusco historic centre (£12-18)

• →Qorikancha (Sun Temple) & Santo Domingo Convent
• →Plaza de Armas & Cusco Cathedral
• →San Blas old town & Stone of Twelve Angles

Take a colectivo or shared tour van from Cusco to Pisac (£3), hit the Sunday-style artisan market and hike up to the Pisac ruins (included in the Boleto Turístico). Continue by local combi to Ollantaytambo (£3) and climb the fortress terraces. If you want the full circuit, a self-bookable Sacred Valley day tour via GetYourGuide runs about £25-35. Sleep in Ollantaytambo so you're set for an early train to Machu Picchu.

🚌Colectivo Cusco–Pisac–Ollantaytambo (~£6 total)

🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (£12-18)

• →Pisac artisan market & archaeological site
• →Ollantaytambo fortress
• →Optional: Sacsayhuamán/Q'enqo/Puka Pucara circuit on the Boleto Turístico

Book the PeruRail or Inca Rail Vistadome/360° train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes in advance (£55-75 one way) and pre-purchase Machu Picchu entry online via the official Ministerio de Cultura site (£30-40, circuit 2 or 3). Take the consettur bus up to the citadel (£10 return) and either self-explore or join a small-group guide at the gate (~£15). Skip the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge lunch (£60+) in favour of a café lunch in Aguas Calientes (£6). Return by train to Ollantaytambo and bus/colectivo back to Cusco (£4).

🚌Train Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes return (~£65); consettur bus (£10); bus to Cusco (£4)

🛏Hostel in Cusco (£12-18)

• →Vistadome panoramic train
• →Machu Picchu citadel entry & guided or self-exploration
• →Optional: Huayna Picchu or Montana hike (extra ticket)

Take the tourist-class Cruz del Sur or Tour Peru bus Cusco–Puno (£15-20, 9-10 hrs) which stops at Andahuaylillas church, the Viracocha temple at Raqchi and the Sillustani chullpas — or book the Inka Express tourist bus (£25) which bundles the same stops with a guide and lunch. Arrive Puno in the evening; eat at a local picantería (£5) and rest at altitude.

🚌Tourist bus Cusco–Puno with stops (~£18-25)

🛏Hostel in Puno near the centre (£8-13)

• →Andahuaylillas church
• →Raqchi Temple of Viracocha
• →Sillustani burial towers

Cross the border at Yunguyo/Kasani to Copacabana (£4 by colectivo from Puno plus £1.50 exit/migration fees). Visit Copacabana's Moorish cathedral, then take the local ferry (not a hydrofoil — about £3 each way) to the south of Isla del Sol. Walk the ridge trail north to Yumani, visiting the Pilkokaina and Temple of the Sun ruins, and stay in a family guesthouse overlooking the lake (£8-12). Sunset over the Cordillera Real is free and better than any included tour.

🚌Colectivo Puno–Copacabana (~£4), ferry to Isla del Sol (~£6 return)

🛏Family guesthouse on Isla del Sol (£8-12)

• →Copacabana Cathedral
• →Ferry to Isla del Sol & Pilkokaina ruins
• →Ridge hike to Yumani
• →Sunset over Lake Titicaca

Walk down to Yumani's Inca steps and catch the morning ferry back to Copacabana. Take a local bus or shared van along the Altiplano to La Paz (£4-5, 3.5 hrs) crossing by the Tiquina strait barge. Optional stop at Huatajata's museum en route if you take a tourist bus. Arrive in La Paz and stay in the Sopocachi or Centro area — perfect for cheap eats and altitude acclimatisation.

🚌Ferry (~£2) + bus Copacabana–La Paz (~£5)

🛏Hostel in Sopocachi/Centro La Paz (£9-15)

• →Yumani Inca steps & morning lake views
• →Altiplano bus journey to La Paz

Ride the Mi Teleférico cable car network (£0.40 per hop) for the best aerial city views. Wander the Witches' Market (Mercado de las Brujas) and the indigenous markets of El Alto on Thursday/Sunday, then take a local minibus to the Valley of the Moon (£1 entry, £1 transport) for a lunar-landscape walk. Eat a salteña lunch (£1.50) and a Menu del Día dinner (£4).

🚌Cable cars & local minibuses (~£3)

🛏Hostel in La Paz (£9-15)

• →Mi Teleférico cable cars
• →Witches' Market & El Alto market
• →Valley of the Moon
• →Optional: Death Road mountain biking day tour (~£35)

Fly or bus to Uyuni (overnight bus £15-20 from La Paz, or a £45-60 flight). Join a 3-day group 4x4 tour of the salt flats (£90-120 with food and basic lodging) departing Uyuni — day one covers the train cemetery, Colchani salt processing, the salt mounds and eyes of water, the Salt Museum and a sunset on the flats with pisco or coca-liquor toast, finishing on Incahuasi/Sajchilla island territory. Budget shared costs, not private transfers.

🚌La Paz–Uyuni bus (~£18); 4x4 tour vehicle

🛏Basic salt hotel or hostel on the flats (included in tour)

• →Train cemetery
• →Colchani salt village & Salt Museum
• →Salar de Uyuni sunset
• →Optional: salt handicraft shopping

Continue the 3-day tour northbound through the high desert: Incahuasi Island with its giant cacti (£2 entry), the Ollagüe volcano viewpoint, local community stops, then Laguna Cañapa and Laguna Hedionda where you'll spot flamingos along the shore. Nights are in basic refugios at 4,000m+ with hot water limited — bring layers and extra cash for park entries (£15 total).

🚌4x4 tour vehicle (included in 3-day tour)

🛏Basic high-altitude refugio, Laguna Colorada area (included)

• →Incahuasi Island giant cacti
• →Laguna Cañapa & Laguna Hedionda flamingos
• →Ollagüe volcano viewpoint

Sunrise at the Sol de Mañana geysers and mud pools, then the Dali Desert, Árbol de Piedra and Laguna Colorada. Finish at the emerald Laguna Verde beneath Licancabur and cross the Hito Cajón border to San Pedro de Atacama, where your 4x4 drops you. Take a local transfer or bus into town (£5) and check into a hostel; if you haven't pre-booked your onward tours, book them at the agency desks tonight.

🚌4x4 to Hito Cajón; border shuttle to San Pedro (~£5)

🛏Hostel in San Pedro de Atacama (£15-25)

• →Sol de Mañana geysers
• →Laguna Colorada & Árbol de Piedra
• →Dali Desert & Laguna Verde
• →Cross border to Chile

Book two shared day tours with a local agency (each ~£25-35): a morning tour to the Salar de Atacama and Laguna Chaxas for flamingos, and an afternoon/evening tour to the Cordillera de la Sal, Quebrada de Jere and the Valle de la Luna sunset — cheaper than private versions and the same minibus format the operator uses. Rent a bike (£8) if you'd rather self-explore the nearer sites.

🚌Shared tour minibuses

🛏Hostel in San Pedro de Atacama (£15-25)

• →Salar de Atacama & Laguna Chaxas
• →Cordillera de la Sal & Quebrada de Jere
• →Valle de la Luna sunset
• →Optional: bike rental

Take a local bus or shared transfer from San Pedro to Calama (£6-10), then fly Calama–Santiago (LATAM/Sky, £45-80 booked early). In Santiago, use the metro (£1) to hit La Moneda, the Plaza de Armas and the Church of San Francisco, then walk Santa Lucía hill and ride the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal (£4) for sunset views. Dinner in Barrio Bellavista (£8-10) and stay in a hostel there.

🚌Bus to Calama (~£8); flight to Santiago (~£60); metro (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Bellavista, Santiago (£18-25)

• →La Moneda & Santa Lucía hill
• →Cerro San Cristóbal funicular & views
• →Bellavista district

Book the Concha y Toro 'Camino del Vino' tour direct online (£20-25 including two wines and the Bodega del Diablo) and get there by metro to La Cisterna then a local bus or the winery's own shuttle (£3-5). Afternoon back in Santiago for the Parque Bicentenario or Vitacura cafés, then a final dinner of pastel de choclo or seafood (£10).

🚌Metro + local bus to Maipo Valley (~£5 return)

🛏Hostel in Bellavista (£18-25)

• →Viña Concha y Toro tour & tasting
• →Vitacura / Las Condes wander
• →Optional: buy wines direct at the winery

If you have a late flight, take a local bus to Valparaíso (£4 each way, 1.5 hrs) for the colourful hills and street art before heading back to the airport (£5 by bus). Otherwise, buy a last empanada and fly out from Arturo Merino Benítez — note the £30-40 international departure tax may be levied by your airline.

🚌Bus to airport (~£5), optional Valparaíso day trip (~£8)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional day trip to Valparaíso & Viña del Mar
• →Optional: Cerro Alegre street art walk