Peruvian Highlights: Self-Launched Lima to Cusco (Amazon & Inca Trail Trek)

Fly into Jorge Chávez (Jorge Chávez → Miraflores is ~60–90 min on the Airport Express Lima bus, ~£7 one way; an authorised taxi is ~£15). Check into a Miraflores hostel or budget hotel — the Contiki version uses Selina Miraflores / Ibis Budget, both of which you can book yourself, or pick a private room in a Miraflores hostel for ~£18. Spend the afternoon walking the Malecón clifftop path to sunset over the Pacific, then wander into Barranco: the Bridge of Sighs, murals, and a cheap menu del día dinner. Optional: catch the 6pm free walking tour of the historic centre and the Catacumbas under San Francisco church (entry ~£2.50). Eat ceviche early — the good spots sell out by mid-afternoon.

🚌Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores ~£7; walking and local combis in the city

🛏Miraflores hostel private room or budget hotel, e.g. a Selina/Ibis Budget-equivalent (~£18–25)

• →Malecón clifftop walk and Pacific sunset
• →Barranco district and Bridge of Sighs
• →Free walking tour of Lima's historic centre
• →Catacombs of San Francisco (optional)

Early flight Lima–Puerto Maldonado (~1h40, LATAM/Sky/JetSmart; book a few weeks out, ~£70–90 one way with hand luggage). Pre-book a two-night Tambopata lodge package (Corto Maltes Amazonia or a comparable ecolodge, roughly £130–180 pp all-in with meals, boat transfers and guided walks) — it covers exactly what the Contiki trip includes. After landing, the lodge boat takes you ~45 min upriver on a traditional wooden launch (keep your camera out for macaws, capybaras and caiman on the banks). Afternoon canopy tower climb — the ~30m/100ft metal staircase gives you the treetop view. After dinner, head out by flashlight for caiman spotting on the riverbank.

🚌Lima–Puerto Maldonado flight ~£75; lodge boat transfer included in the package

🛏Tambopata rainforest ecolodge, shared or private cabin (package rate covers bed, meals and guides)

• →Lodge boat journey upriver into Tambopata Reserve
• →Canopy tower climb for treetop views
• →Night caiman-spotting walk/boat

Use the full lodge day the way the tour does: a dawn boat trip to an oxbow lake (Lake Sandoval or similar) to watch for giant river otters and hoatzins, a jungle trail walk with a local naturalist looking for squirrel monkeys, capuchins and toucans, and a look at bromeliads and medicinal plants. Late afternoon is for hammocks. The package covers all meals and guided excursions, so your only spend is tips and a beer. If a guide isn't included in your lodge rate, budget ~£15–20 pp for the shared boat and guiding.

🚌Lodge boats and walking trails; no extra transport cost

🛏Tambopata rainforest ecolodge (second night)

• →Oxbow lake boat trip — giant otters and birds
• →Jungle trail walk with naturalist guide
• →Wildlife spotting: monkeys, macaws, bromeliads

Morning boat back to Puerto Maldonado and an early-afternoon flight to Cusco (~1h; ~£60–80 one way with cabin bag). Cusco is at 3,400m, so take this day slowly — the tour's pace here is deliberately light. Check into a San Blas or Plaza de Armas budget hotel/hostel (Mamasara or Selina Saphi equivalents, ~£22–30 private). Walk the Plaza de Armas, peek at the Cathedral and Coricancha (combined entry ~£8), and browse San Blas craft stalls. Optional chocolate museum (ChocoMuseo, free entry, workshops ~£12). Fight the altitude with coca tea, water and an early night — no big meals or alcohol tonight.

🚌Puerto Maldonado–Cusco flight ~£70; taxis into Cusco centre ~£3

🛏Cusco budget hotel in central/San Blas area (~£22–30 private double, dorms from £8)

• →Cusco Plaza de Armas and Cathedral
• →Coricancha sun temple (optional)
• →San Blas artisan neighbourhood
• →ChocoMuseo (optional)

Do the Sacred Valley independently: a colectivo from Cusco to Pisac (~1h, ~£1.50) for the hillside ruins and the famous market, then another colectivo Pisac–Ollantaytambo (~1h, ~£2). Buy the Boleto Turístico partial ticket (~£20) covering Pisac, Ollantaytambo and other valley sites, or pay single entries. Either book a GetYourGuide half-day Pisac/Ollantaytambo guided tour if you want the archaeology explained (~£35), or download a self-paced audio guide. In Ollantaytambo, have lunch at a local comedor, try chicha de jora at a village door, and browse the artisan shops. Sleep in Ollantaytambo (Tunupa Lodge-equivalent guesthouse, ~£20–28) so you're close to the train tomorrow — this also cuts down on altitude hassle.

🚌Colectivo Cusco–Pisac ~£1.50, Pisac–Ollantaytambo ~£2

🛏Ollantaytambo guesthouse/lodge, e.g. a Tunupa Lodge-equivalent (~£20–28)

• →Pisac ruins and market
• →Ollantaytambo fortress ruins
• →Chicha de jora tasting and artisan shops
• →Optional guided Sacred Valley tour via GetYourGuide

This is the day to lock in well in advance: the KM104 one-day Inca Trail permit is capped and sells out months ahead. Book a licensed operator's KM104 package (roughly £150–200 pp including permit, guide, packed lunch, train to KM104 and return train to Ollantaytambo) or assemble it yourself by buying the permit through a licensed agency and the Expedition train Ollantaytambo→KM104 (~£45–55). You hike ~13km in about 3.5–4 hours past Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna, arriving at the Sun Gate for the classic first view of Machu Picchu — then bus or walk down to Aguas Calientes. Non-trekkers take the Vistadome/Expedition train straight to Aguas Calientes and can do the Mandor waterfall walk. Stay in Aguas Calientes (~£25–35) and buy Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu circuit tickets online in advance if you want the peak (Huayna Picchu is ~£15–20 extra and has timed slots).

🚌Expedition train Ollantaytambo–KM104 and Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo ~£90–110 return; or included in a KM104 operator package

🛏Aguas Calientes budget hotel/guesthouse (Flower's House-equivalent, ~£25–35)

• →One-day Inca Trail hike via Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna
• →Sun Gate arrival above Machu Picchu
• →Mandor waterfall walk (non-trekkers)
• →Soak in Aguas Calientes hot springs (~£3)

Take the first Consettur buses up (~£10 return, ~25 min) for a 6am gate slot — the site is far better before the day-trippers arrive. Entry tickets must be bought in advance on the official Machu Picchu site (Circuit 2 or 3, ~£40–45; add Huayna Picchu if you're fit and booked a slot). Walk the Temple of the Three Windows and the classic postcard viewpoint with a GetYourGuide/on-site licensed guide if you want the history (~£25–35 joined group), or explore self-paced. Come down midday, eat in Aguas Calientes, then take the afternoon Expedition or Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo (~£55–70) and a shared van or bus onward to Cusco (~£4, ~1.5–2h). Back at altitude in Cusco, keep the evening gentle — a cheap pisco sour and market food.

🚌Consettur bus up/down ~£10; train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo ~£55–70; shared van to Cusco ~£4

🛏Cusco budget hotel, central/San Blas (~£22–30)

• →Sunrise entry to Machu Picchu
• →Temple of the Three Windows and classic viewpoint
• →Optional Huayna Picchu climb
• →Cusco market food crawl in the evening

Contiki leaves day 8 mostly optional, and you can too. If you want Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca, 5,000m), book a shared day tour via GetYourGuide or a Cusco agency the night before (~£35–45 including transport, breakfast and entry) — it's a 3:30am start, so only do it if you've acclimatised well. Alternatives: white-water rafting on the Urubamba (~£30–40), a massage in San Blas (~£12), or simply explore San Pedro market, Qorikancha and the San Blas cafés. Catch an evening flight to Lima (~£60–75) or stay another night if your international flight is the next day.

🚌Optional Rainbow Mountain tour transport included ~£40; taxi to airport ~£3

🛏Cusco budget hotel, or overnight flight onward

• →Rainbow Mountain day trip (optional)
• →Urubamba white-water rafting (optional)
• →San Pedro Market and San Blas cafés
• →Optional massage and slow city day