Southern Divide — Self-Launched: Lima to Santiago Overland

Land at Jorge Chávez International (LIM). Take an official airport taxi or the Airport Express Lima bus (~£7) to Miraflores or Barranco — both are safe, walkable bases with dorm beds from ~£10-14. Settle in, walk the Malecón clifftop promenade at sunset and eat ceviche at a local mercado or a cheap menú del día (~£4-5). Cash: withdraw soles at a bank ATM in Miraflores rather than the airport.

🚌Airport Express Lima bus or official taxi ~£7-10

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

• →Malecón sunset walk
• →Barranco street art wander

Fly Lima to Cusco (Sky Airline / LATAM / JetSMART, ~£55-85 one way if booked 4-6 weeks ahead — the analogue of the tour's included internal flight). Take it easy on arrival day: Cusco sits at 3,400m. Check into a San Blas or Centro Histórico hostel, drink coca tea, and keep the afternoon light. Optional: join a GetYourGuide/Klook Cusco cooking class (~£30) or a cheap city walking tour.

🚌Domestic flight LIM-CUS ~£70; airport-to-centre taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel private/dorm, San Blas (~£12-15)

• →Acclimatisation stroll
• →Optional cooking class

Full day to acclimatise and explore. Buy a partial Boleto Turístico (~£18) covering Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo and other sites, walk up to San Blas, visit the Inka Museum (~£2), or book a Rainbow Mountain day trip via GetYourGuide (~£25-35, includes transport and guide — leaves very early). Book your Machu Picchu entry ticket online in advance at the official Ministerio de Cultura portal or via a licensed operator.

🚌Walking / local colectivo to trailheads ~£1

🛏Hostel, San Blas (~£12-15)

• →Sacsayhuamán
• →Inka Museum
• →Optional Rainbow Mountain hike

Do the Sacred Valley the local way: a shared colectivo or cheap bus from Cusco to Pisac (~£2), browse the market, then continue to Urubamba and Ollantaytambo (~£2-3). Stop at the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op (a Planeterra-supported project you can visit directly, small donation appreciated) and have lunch at Parwa Community Restaurant in Lamay (~£8) — both are open to independent travellers. In Ollantaytambo, hike to the Pinkuylluna storehouses above town (free) or visit the fortress ruins (~£8).

🚌Colectivos/buses Cusco–Pisac–Urubamba–Ollantaytambo ~£6 total

🛏Guesthouse, Ollantaytambo (~£14)

• →Pisac market
• →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op
• →Parwa Community Restaurant
• →Pinkuylluna hike

Take the PeruRail or Inca Rail Vistadome/Expedition service from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (~£45-55 one way — book several weeks ahead, it sells out). Afternoon at the Machu Picchu hot springs (~£4) or the local market. Pre-purchase your Machu Picchu entry ticket with your passport details — circuits are limited and sell out.

🚌Train Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes ~£50

🛏Hostal, Aguas Calientes (~£18)

• →Hot springs
• →Riverside market

Take the first Consettur bus up (~£9 return) or walk the steps before dawn for the Sun Gate view. Entry ticket ~£35-40. Hire a licensed guide at the gate (~£20-25 per small group) or join a GetYourGuide small-group tour. Then bus down, train back to Ollantaytambo (~£50) and a colectivo/bus to Cusco (~£3). Long but very doable day.

🚌Shuttle bus ~£9, train ~£50, colectivo ~£3

🛏Hostel, Cusco (~£13)

• →Machu Picchu with licensed guide
• →Sun Gate viewpoint

Recovery day. Explore San Pedro market, the San Blas artisan quarter, or day-trip to the Maras salt pans and Moray terraces by colectivo (~£8-10 round trip). Sort laundry, top up cash (Cusco ATMs are reliable) and buy your onward bus ticket to Puno.

🚌Local colectivos ~£8

🛏Hostel, Cusco (~£13)

• →San Pedro market
• →Optional Maras & Moray day trip

Take a tourist bus or first-class Cruz del Sur/Transzela service Cusco–Puno (~7 hrs, £15-25) — the tourier buses include stops at Andahuaylillas, Raqchi and La Raya pass, which is a good value substitute for a guided transfer. Arrive Puno (3,830m), check into a cheap hotel near the main square and take it easy at altitude.

🚌Bus Cusco–Puno ~£20

🛏Budget hotel, Puno (~£12)

• →Andahuaylillas church stop
• →Plaza de Armas evening

Book a shared full-day boat tour to the Uros floating islands and Taquile (~£18-25 on GetYourGuide or at the Puno port). Taquile's community charges a small landing fee and sells lunches (~£5). Alternatively take a colectivo to Luquina Chico on the Capachica peninsula and stay a night with a rural family (community tourism ~£15 incl. meals) for a closer match to the tour's community visit.

🚌Shared boat tour ~£20

🛏Budget hotel, Puno (~£12) or Luquina homestay (~£15)

• →Uros floating islands
• →Taquile island walk
• →Optional Luquina homestay

Jeep or bus to the Yunguyo/Kasani border (~£4), cross on foot (Brits need a visa on arrival, ~£75-80, or check current rules), then a shared minibus to Copacabana (~£2). See the basilica, have trout lunch by the lake (~£5), then take a Bolivia Hop/Tourist bus Copacabana–La Paz including the Tiquina ferry crossing (~£10-15, 4 hrs). Arrive La Paz in the evening; the city drops to 3,650m.

🚌Border transfer ~£6, Copacabana–La Paz bus ~£12

🛏Hostel, Sopocachi or Centro (~£10-12)

• →Copacabana basilica & lakefront
• →Tiquina ferry crossing

Ride the Mi Teleférico cable cars (~£0.40 a hop) for city views, browse the Witches' Market, visit the Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore (~£3). Book your Sucre flight, and if you're keen, pre-book Death Road mountain biking for the morning (~£35-45 via GetYourGuide/local operator). Eat at a local salteña joint for under £2.

🚌Cable car + local minibuses ~£3

🛏Hostel, La Paz (~£11)

• →Mi Teleférico
• →Witches' Market
• →Museums
• →Optional Death Road biking

Fly La Paz–Sucre with BoA or EcoJet (~£45-60, ~1 hr) or take the overnight bus (~14 hrs, ~£15-20) if you want to save money. Sucre is low, sunny and relaxed — a great place to slow down. Wander the whitewashed colonial centre, Plaza 25 de Mayo and the Recoleta viewpoint for sunset.

🚌Domestic flight ~£50 (or overnight bus ~£18)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Sucre (~£10)

• →Plaza 25 de Mayo
• →Recoleta sunset viewpoint

Morning trip to the Cal Orck'o dinosaur trackway (~£4 entry, ~£2 colectivo), afternoon at the Casa de la Libertad (~£3) or a chocolate workshop. Optional: hike or mountain bike the surrounding hills. Book your onward transport to Uyuni for tomorrow.

🚌Colectivos ~£4

🛏Hostel, Sucre (~£10)

• →Cal Orck'o dinosaur tracks
• →Casa de la Libertad
• →Optional horseback ride

Fly (if available, ~£50) or take the overnight/day bus Sucre–Potosí–Uyuni (~10-14 hrs, ~£12-18). If you go via Potosí, the Casa de la Moneda (~£5) and a mine tour (~£12) are worth a few hours — go with a reputable cooperative-run operator. Arrive Uyuni, sleep in a cheap hostal and confirm your 3-day salt flat tour for tomorrow morning.

🚌Bus via Potosí ~£16

🛏Hostal, Uyuni (~£10)

• →Optional Potosí mine visit
• →Uyuni town

Join a shared 3-day 4x4 tour (~£100-130 per person including food, guides, transport and basic accommodation — book via GetYourGuide, Klook or a Uyuni agency; check the operator's licences and reviews carefully). Day 1 covers the train cemetery, Colchani salt-processing village, the salt-flat dummies and the Incahuasi cactus island. Night at a basic salt lodge or the Jukil community lodge at Santiago de Agencha (multi-share, as on the original tour).

🚌Shared 4x4 (included in tour price)

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

• →Train cemetery
• →Incahuasi island
• →Salt flat photography
• →Jukil community dinner

Full day crossing south past the Ojo del Inca and the turquoise/red lakes of the altiplano, with flamingos, the Árbol de Piedra and the Siloli Desert. Nights are at altitude (around 4,300m) and very cold — pack layers and a warm hat. Basic dorm accommodation, typically included in your 4x4 tour price.

🚌Shared 4x4 (included)

🛏Basic refugio, Siloli/Red Lagoon (included)

• →Altiplano lakes
• →Árbol de Piedra
• →Flamingo spotting

Early start for the Sol de Mañana geysers and hot springs (entry ~£4-6), then Laguna Verde and the Hito Cajón border crossing into Chile. Most 3-day tours drop you at the border where a shared minibus continues to San Pedro (~£8-10). Note: some Uyuni tours end at Uyuni instead — confirm your operator includes the Chilean drop-off. San Pedro is pricey but dorm beds exist from ~£14.

🚌Border crossing and minibus to San Pedro ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, San Pedro de Atacama (~£16)

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

Spend the morning recovering, then take a shared tour to the Valle de la Luna for sunset (~£15-20 including park entry, or cycle ourselves ~£8 bike hire + ~£5 entry). Optional pre-bookable extras: star-gazing observatory tour (~£25-30), altiplanic lagoons day trip (~£30), sandboarding (~£25). Book your onward bus to Calama/Santiago.

🚌Shared tour van ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm, San Pedro (~£16)

• →Valle de la Luna
• →Optional observatory tour
• →Optional sandboarding

Bus to Calama (~£5, 1.5 hrs), then either fly Calama–Santiago (~£45-60, 2 hrs) or take the long-distance overnight bus (~20 hrs, ~£25-35) for a cheaper, overland-style finish. Santiago hostels in Bellavista/Barrio Brasil start around £16-22 a night. Sort out a Bip! transport card at the metro on arrival.

🚌Bus to Calama ~£5, flight ~£55

🛏Hostel, Bellavista/Barrio Brasil (~£18)

• →Travel day

Walk the Centro Histórico — Plaza de Armas, Mercado Central (seafood lunch ~£8), Cerro San Cristóbal funicular (~£5) and the Bellavista neighbourhood. Optional day trip to Valparaíso or Isla Negra by bus (~£6-10 return). La Chascona and the Pre-Columbian museum are cheap and excellent.

🚌Metro + funicular ~£6

🛏Hostel, Santiago (~£18)

• →Plaza de Armas
• →Cerro San Cristóbal
• →Optional Valparaíso day trip

Morning free for last-minute shopping at the Mercado Central or La Vega, then transfer to Arturo Merino Benítez International (SCL) by the Turbus airport bus (~£2-3) or a taxi (~£20). International departure tax is usually included in your airfare now.

🚌Airport bus ~£3

🛏—

• →Last-minute wandering