Self-Launched Inca Journey: Machu Picchu by Train & the Amazon

Land at Alejandro Velasco Astete airport (CUZ) and take an official taxi into the centre (~S/20–30, £4–6). Check into a hostel in San Blas or the historic centre and do absolutely nothing strenuous: Cusco sits at 3,400m and a gentle first day dramatically cuts altitude-sickness risk. Drink coca tea, buy a SIM/eSIM on arrival, and pick up your Boleto Turístico (S/130, ~£28) from the COSITUC office if you plan to visit museums and ruins. In the evening join a free walking tour of the Plaza de Armas and San Blas if you feel fine, and eat lightly — quinoa soup, not a steak.

🚌Airport taxi ~£5; walk everything else

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in Cusco (e.g. San Blas or Plaza de Armas area), £10–16 pp

• →Free walking tour of Cusco centre and San Blas
• →Buy Boleto Turístico (S/130)
• →Coca tea and acclimatisation

Take a colectivo or shared van from Cusco's Puputi/Arcopata street to Pisac (S/10–15, ~£2–3, 1hr) and wander the famous market. Continue by shared taxi or minibus toward Calca/Lamay and arrange a short taxi (S/30–40) to the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op above Lamay, where you can buy textiles direct and see spinning and backstrap loom work — the co-op runs its own community centre and is open to independent visitors. Lunch at the Parwa Community Restaurant in Huchuy Qosco (weekdays, book by WhatsApp ahead; ~S/50–70, £11–15 for a farm-to-table set menu) — this locally run project is the standout meal of the trip. In the afternoon catch a minibus on to Ollantaytambo (S/5–8), check into a guesthouse, and optionally hike the storehouse ruins or have a chicha at a village chichería before an early night.

🚌Colectivo Cusco–Pisac ~£2–3; shared taxi to Lamay/Ccaccaccollo ~£2–3; minibus Lamay–Ollantaytambo ~£1; total ~£7–10

🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo, £12–18 pp

• →Pisac market
• →Ccaccaccollo Women's Weaving Co-op visit (small donation/buy direct)
• →Parwa Community Restaurant lunch
• →Ollantaytambo storehouse hike (free)
• →Chichería stop

Spend the morning at the Ollantaytambo archaeological site (entry on the Boleto Turístico, or S/70 standalone) — the terraces and Temple of the Sun are among the best pre-Inca-adjacent sites in the valley and far quieter than Machu Picchu. Grab lunch from the market, then board an afternoon PeruRail Expedition or Inca Rail train from Ollantaytambo station to Aguas Calientes (book online in advance, roughly £45–60 one way for the Vistadome-lite Expedition class; the cheaper 'local' service sells out first). Arrive in the riverside town, buy your Machu Picchu bus ticket (round trip ~S/90–100, £19–21) for the morning, then relax in the hot springs (S/20) or browse the craft market. Meet your pre-booked local guide for a briefing, and get an early night — buses leave from about 5:30am.

🚌Train Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes ~£45–60; Machu Picchu bus ticket ~£20

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Aguas Calientes, £14–22 pp

• →Ollantaytambo ruins
• →Scenic train ride
• →Aguas Calientes hot springs (S/20)
• →Craft market

Take one of the first buses up (25 min) to arrive near opening at 6am — the light and lack of crowds are worth the alarm. You must have a timed entry ticket bought in advance at machupicchu.gob.pe or via GetYourGuide (Circuit 2 is the classic postcard route, ~S/152/£33 plus bus). Book a 2–2.5hr licensed guide shared with other travellers (GetYourGuide from ~£20–30 pp) or split a private guide (£40–50 total) — the site is far richer with someone explaining the Intihuatana and the temple complex. If you have the energy, add the Huayna Picchu or Montana Machu Picchu climb (separate ticket, sold out months ahead). Bus down mid-afternoon, collect bags, and take the evening train to Ollantaytambo or Poroy, then a shared van or bus back to Cusco (S/10).

🚌Return Machu Picchu bus ~£20 (included in ticket bought day 3); train Aguas Calientes–Poroy ~£50–65; shared van Poroy–Cusco ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Cusco, £10–16 pp

• →Sunrise entry to Machu Picchu
• →Guided tour of the citadel
• →Optional Huayna Picchu hike (pre-book)

A flexible day. Cheap and excellent: San Pedro market for juice and almuerzo (S/10–15), the Inka Museum (S/10) and Qorikancha (S/15). If you're acclimatised and want the big day out, book a Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) day trip via GetYourGuide or any San Blas agency for ~£25–35 including transport, breakfast and lunch — leaving around 4am and back by 5pm. Alternative: a half-day Cusco cooking class (£20–30) or mountain biking in the Sacred Valley. In the evening, buy your onward flight to Puerto Maldonado for tomorrow if not already booked (LATAM/Sky, ~£55–80 one way).

🚌Walking; tour transport if doing Rainbow Mountain

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Cusco, £10–16 pp

• →San Pedro market
• →Inka Museum (S/10)
• →Qorikancha (S/15)
• →Optional Rainbow Mountain day trip (~£30)
• →Optional Cusco cooking class

Early flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado (~45 min, £55–80 one way; book well ahead for the best fares). At the airport, independent jungle lodges — e.g. Posada Amazonas (community-owned), Refugio Amazonas, or a small Tambopata riverside lodge — pick up guests and take you by motorised canoe down the Madre de Dios and Tambopata rivers (1.5–3hrs). Book a 3-day/2-night package direct with the lodge or via GetYourGuide, typically £150–250 pp including transfers, meals, boots and naturalist guides. Afternoon: settle into your screened cabaña, watch macaws from the canopy tower, then after dinner head out on a flashlight night walk with the lodge naturalist to look for tarantulas, tree frogs, owls and snakes.

🚌Flight ~£55–80; lodge river transfer included

🛏Tambopata jungle lodge, shared cabaña, included in lodge package, £75–125 pp/night incl. meals

• →Motorised canoe to the lodge
• →Canopy tower wildlife watching
• →Naturalist-guided night walk

Full day with the lodge's naturalists. Sunrise boat trip or a walk to an oxbow lake (Cocha) to look for giant river otters, hoatzins and caimans — many lodges offer the option of a paddle-canoe crossing. If your lodge runs the Tres Chimbadas or Chuncho clay-lick trips, take it: hundreds of macaws and parakeets descend mid-morning, one of the Amazon's great spectacles (day trips to Chuncho are worth the extra ~£25–40). Afternoon is hammock time, a swim in a safe jungle stream, and a medicinal-plant walk. After dinner, head out by motorised canoe with a spotlight to spot white caiman eyes glowing on the riverbanks.

🚌Lodge boats and guided walks included

🛏Tambopata jungle lodge, shared cabaña, £75–125 pp/night incl. meals

• →Oxbow lake excursion
• →Clay lick / macaw watching
• →Medicinal plant walk
• →Night caiman-spotting cruise

Early breakfast and a dawn canoe back to Puerto Maldonado — keep an eye out for capybara and river turtles on the bank. Shower and change at the lodge's day room or the airport, then fly to Lima (~1h45, £50–80). In Lima, check into a hostel in Miraflores or Barranco (£12–20 pp) and head out for the evening: ceviche and a pisco sour at a Barranco bar, sunset walk along the Malecón, or a street-food crawl through Surquillo market. Book your Lima airport transfer for tomorrow (~£10–15 via taxi app).

🚌Lodge transfer included; flight Puerto Maldonado–Lima ~£50–80; airport taxi ~£12

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco, £12–20 pp

• →Dawn river cruise
• →Barranco evening
• →Malecón sunset walk
• →Ceviche and pisco sour

Depending on your flight time: a morning in Miraflores — breakfast at a café, the Parque del Amor and cliff-top walk, or a surf lesson at Punta Roquitas if you have a late flight. If you have more hours, a GetYourGuide half-day Lima city tour or the Museo Larco (£8) are easy options. Take a taxi or airport bus (Airport Express Lima, ~£6) to Jorge Chávez International Airport for departure. Note: the airport is about 45–75 minutes from Miraflores in traffic — leave generous margin.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£6 or taxi ~£12–15

🛏None (departure day)

• →Miraflores cliff walk
• →Museo Larco (optional, £8)
• →Surf lesson at Punta Roquitas (optional)