Peru: Lima, the Inca Trail & the Amazon — Self-Launched
16 days · Peru
G Adventures charges £4,360
No-markup version: ~£1,005 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 16-day self-launched version of G Adventures' Geluxe "Peru: Lima, the Inca Trail & the Amazon" trip — Lima's coastal barrios by bike, the Sacred Valley and Pisac, the classic 4-day Inca Trail trek into Machu Picchu via the Sun Gate, then a boat-and-boot journey into the Amazon rainforest near Puerto Maldonado. You book the trek through a licensed Cusco operator (porters, cook, permits — this part can't be DIY'd), take domestic flights and colectivos like a local, sleep in hostels and family guesthouses, and eat at markets and community restaurants. Roughly a quarter of the tour price, with all the same headline moments.
Day-by-day
Lima: Appetite for Adventure
Lima (Miraflores)
Land at Jorge Chávez Airport and take an official taxi or the Airport Express Lima bus (£4–5) to Miraflores — the clifftop district where the malecón boardwalk overlooks the Pacific surf. Settle into a hostel or budget hotel near Parque Kennedy, then walk the cliff path at sunset and eat your first ceviche at a local cevichería (£6–9). Book your Lima bike tour for tomorrow online tonight.
🚌Airport Express bus or official taxi from LIM, ~£4–5
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Miraflores (£12–20/night)
- →Cliffside malecón walk at sunset
- →Ceviche dinner in Miraflores
Lima: Cycle Miraflores and Barranco
Lima (Miraflores & Barranco)
Join a self-bookable bike tour through Miraflores and Barranco (GetYourGuide or a local outfitter, ~£20–25) — coastal cycle paths, the Bohemian Barranco streets, Puente de los Suspiros and street art. Afternoon: the Museo Larco for pre-Columbian gold and ceramics (£10), or free-time exploring the art galleries and cafés. Dinner in Barranco's mercado or a picantería (£8).
🚌Walking and bike (included in tour)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Miraflores (£12–20/night)
- →Guided bike tour of Miraflores & Barranco (~£22)
- →Museo Larco entry (~£10)
- →Barranco street food and bars
Cusco: The Land of the Incas
Cusco
Morning flight Lima–Cusco (~£55–80 on Sky or LATAM if booked ahead) — or the epic 20-hour overnight Cruz del Sur bus (~£30) if you're on a tighter budget and want the scenic Andes route. Take it slow at 3,400m: coca tea, gentle wander of the Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha and San Blas cobbles. Buy the Boleto Turístico (£26) today if you plan on museum/ruin hopping tomorrow. Confirm your Inca Trail briefing with your trek operator this evening.
🚌Domestic flight Lima–Cusco ~£55–80, or overnight bus ~£30
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Cusco centre (£12–20/night)
- →Cusco orientation walk: Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha exterior, San Blas
- →Boleto Turístico (optional, ~£26)
- →Inca Trail briefing with trek operator
The Sacred Valley: Pisac Ruins and Community Lunch
Pisac & Ollantaytambo
Take a shared colectivo or local bus from Cusco to Pisac (~£1.50, 1hr). Wander the famous Sunday-or-not Pisac market, then hike or taxi up to the massive Pisac ruins perched above the town (entry with Boleto Turístico). Lunch at a community-run farm-to-table restaurant in the valley (£7–10) — the same style of Parwa/community kitchen model G Adventures uses, bookable direct or via a local agency. Continue by colectivo to Ollantaytambo (~£2) to sleep at lower altitude before the trek.
🚌Colectivo Cusco–Pisac ~£1.50; Pisac–Ollantaytambo ~£2
🛏Family guesthouse, Ollantaytambo (£15–25/night)
- →Pisac market and ruins
- →Community farm-to-table lunch
- →Colectivo ride to Ollantaytambo
The Sacred Valley: Acclimatisation Day
Ollantaytambo / Valle Sagrado
Acclimatise with a self-guided hike to the Perolniyoc waterfall above Soqma village (3–4hrs round trip, free — take a colectivo to the trailhead) or book a via ferrata half-day near Urubamba (£35–45 via GetYourGuide). Alternatively explore Ollantaytambo's terraces and Inca town-planning (£10 with Boleto Turístico) and drink coca tea in the plaza. Pack and weigh your duffel tonight — you're allowed ~6kg carried by porters.
🚌Colectivo to trailhead ~£1–2
🛏Family guesthouse, Ollantaytambo (£15–25/night)
- →Self-guided Perolniyoc waterfall hike (free)
- →Or via ferrata half-day (~£40)
- →Ollantaytambo ruins (~£10)
Inca Trail Day 1: Setting Off
Piscacucho (KM82) → Wayllabamba
Your licensed trek operator collects you early from Ollantaytambo and drives to KM82 trailhead (£0, included in the trek package). Cross the Urubamba on the footbridge and start at a gentle pace — the classic first day is ~12km of undulating valley trail past Patallacta ruins to Wayllabamba camp (3,000m). Porters carry the heavy kit, the cook makes lunch and dinner, and you sleep in a tent with a rented sleeping bag and poles. Trek package: £420–550 per person including permits, guide, porters, cook, all meals, camp gear, and the return train.
🚌Operator transfer to KM82 (included); hiking
🛏Inca Trail campsite (included in trek package)
- →Inca Trail day 1 hiking (12km)
- →Patallacta ruins
- →Camp at Wayllabamba
Inca Trail Day 2: Ascent to Dead Woman's Pass
Wayllabamba → Pacaymayo
The hardest day: ~12km with a 1,200m climb over Warmiwañusca — Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215m — then a knee-testing descent to Pacaymayo camp. Start early, walk slowly, and let the porters do the heavy lifting. Tea and hot water arrive at your tent, lunch is served trailside, and the cook produces a full dinner at camp. Bring layers — nights at 3,600m are cold.
🚌Hiking
🛏Inca Trail campsite (included)
- →Inca Trail day 2 hiking (12km)
- →Summit Dead Woman's Pass (4,215m)
- →Camp at Pacaymayo
Inca Trail Day 3: Runkurakay, Sayacmarca and Cloud Forest
Pacaymayo → Wiñay Wayna
The most beautiful day: over the second pass at Runkurakay, down through cloud forest past Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca, then a long stone staircase descent to Wiñay Wayna camp. ~16km, but the views over the Urubamba gorge and jungle-clad peaks are the reward. Sleep early — tomorrow's alarm is before dawn.
🚌Hiking
🛏Inca Trail campsite (included)
- →Inca Trail day 3 hiking (~16km)
- →Runkurakay and Sayacmarca ruins
- →Phuyupatamarca viewpoint
Inca Trail Day 4: The Sun Gate and Machu Picchu
Wiñay Wayna → Machu Picchu → Aguas Calientes
Up at 4am for the checkpoint, then a 2-hour walk through the cloud forest to Inti Punku — the Sun Gate — for your first view of Machu Picchu spread out below. Descend into the citadel and take a 2-hour guided tour with your trek guide (Circuit 3/5 as allocated). Then bus or walk down to Aguas Calientes (bus ~£10) and sleep in a guesthouse, celebrating over a well-earned dinner (£10).
🚌Hiking; Machu Picchu shuttle bus ~£10
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Aguas Calientes (£15–25/night)
- →Sun Gate sunrise arrival
- →Guided Machu Picchu tour (included in trek)
- →Bus down to Aguas Calientes (~£10)
Cusco: Rediscover Machu Picchu and Return
Aguas Calientes → Cusco
Optionally re-enter Machu Picchu at opening time for a second look (Huayna Picchu or Montaña tickets ~£18, book months ahead) before catching the afternoon PeruRail or Inca Rail train back along the gorge to Ollantaytambo (~£55–75, or included in your trek package). Bus/colectivo on to Cusco (~£3). Evening in San Blas — pisco sour and a cheap set menu (£8).
🚌Train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo; colectivo to Cusco ~£3
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Cusco centre (£12–20/night)
- →Optional Huayna Picchu climb (~£18)
- →Scenic Vistadome/Expedition train back (~£55–75)
- →San Blas evening
Cusco: Capital of the Incas
Cusco
Free day to explore at your own pace: Sacsayhuamán and the Q'enqo ruins on foot from town (Boleto Turístico), the Museo Inka (£2), San Pedro market for a 10-sol lunch, and a coffee crawl through San Blas. Or book a Rainbow Mountain day trip (£25–35 including transport and guide) if you want another high-altitude highlight.
🚌Walking; local taxi for ruins ~£2
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Cusco centre (£12–20/night)
- →Sacsayhuamán and Q'enqo ruins
- →Museo Inka
- →San Pedro market lunch
- →Optional Rainbow Mountain day trip (~£30)
Cusco: Your Own Day — Hike or Cook
Cusco
Pick your own adventure: either the Templo de la Luna hike above Sacsayhuamán (free, 3hrs, best done with a map from your hostel) or a Peruvian cooking class (£30–40) — market tour, causa, lomo saltado and pisco sour. Evening: cheap eats at a menu-del-día spot (£5) and early night before tomorrow's jungle flight.
🚌Walking / local taxi ~£2
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Cusco centre (£12–20/night)
- →Templo de la Luna self-guided hike
- →Or Peruvian cooking class (~£35)
- →San Pedro market tour
Into the Amazon: Puerto Maldonado to the Lodge
Puerto Maldonado / Tambopata
Short flight Cusco–Puerto Maldonado (~£50–70 with LATAM/Sky). A jungle lodge transfer meets you at the airport, then a 1-hour motorised canoe ride down the Madre de Dios and its tributaries to your ecolodge. Afternoon walk with a naturalist guide, dinner, and then a night-time caiman-spotting canoe trip with a torch — a genuine G Adventures moment for around £0 extra. Two nights in a simple lodge with mosquito nets, boots provided: £110–150 per person including transfers, all meals and guided excursions.
🚌Domestic flight ~£50–70; lodge canoe transfer included
🛏Amazon ecolodge, Tambopata (included in lodge package)
- →Cusco–Puerto Maldonado flight
- →Motorised canoe to jungle lodge
- →Night caiman-spotting cruise
Jungle Excursions: Oxbow Lakes and Canopy
Tambopata
Full day of jungle excursions with your lodge's naturalist guide: an early boat to an oxbow lake to watch giant river otters and hoatzins, a canopy tower or hanging-bridge walk for monkeys and macaws, and a medicinal-plants walk with explanations of forest pharmacopoeia. Rubber boots provided. Bring binoculars and long sleeves. Lunch and dinner at the lodge (all included).
🚌Lodge boats and walking
🛏Amazon ecolodge, Tambopata (included)
- →Oxbow lake boat trip
- →Canopy tower / hanging bridge walk
- →Medicinal plant walk with naturalist guide
Amazon to Lima
Tambopata → Puerto Maldonado → Lima
Dawn bird walk, then canoe back to Puerto Maldonado and fly to Lima (~£60–85). Check into a Miraflores hostel and spend the late afternoon on the malecón. Farewell dinner next to the Huaca Pucllana adobe pyramid — the same restaurant G Adventures uses, where a main course runs £15–20 — or a cheaper ceviche joint in Surquillo market (£6).
🚌Lodge canoe back to town; flight Puerto Maldonado–Lima ~£60–85
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Miraflores (£12–20/night)
- →Dawn birdwatching walk
- →Flight back to Lima
- →Farewell dinner by Huaca Pucllana
Depart Lima
Lima
Last morning for coffee and a mercado breakfast, then an official taxi or Airport Express bus back to Jorge Chávez for your flight home. If you're extending, buses south to Paracas and Huacachina are an easy add-on.
🚌Airport Express bus or official taxi to LIM ~£4–5
🛏—
- →Final breakfast in Miraflores
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,005 | £4,360 |
| Duration | 16 days | 16 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £3,355 per person (77%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,005
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Peru: Lima, the Inca Trail & the Amazon — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,005 per person for 16 days in Peru. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £4,360 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,005 — a saving of roughly £3,355 (77%) per person.
How long is the Peru trip?+
This itinerary runs 16 days, covering 16 day-by-day stops through Peru.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, hiking, culture trip through Peru, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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