Self-Launched Wonderland of Peru: Coast, Andes, Sacred Valley & Amazon (19 Days)

Land in Lima, take the airport bus (Airport Express Lima, ~£7) or a shared taxi (~£12) to Miraflores or Barranco and check into a hostel. In the afternoon do the historic centre independently: Plaza San Martín, down Jirón de la Unión to Plaza de Armas, and the San Francisco Monastery with its catacombs (S/15 entry). Free walking tours of the centre run twice daily from Plaza de Armas if you want a guide. Eat cheap at a menú del día spot (~£3) or a cevichería in Barranco.

🚌Airport Express bus ~£7; city walking + Metropolitano bus ~£1

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

• →Free walking tour of Lima historic centre
• →San Francisco Monastery and catacombs (S/15)
• →Plaza San Martín & Plaza de Armas
• →Barranco evening stroll

Take an early Cruz del Sur or Peru Hop bus from Lima to Paracas (~3.5 hrs, £10-14). Book the 8am / 10am Ballestas Islands boat tour at the Paracas pier or a local agency (S/50-60, ~£12) — you'll see sea lions, Humboldt penguins, seabirds and the Candelabro geoglyph. Continue by local bus to Ica (~1 hr, ~£3), then a short colectivo or tuk-tuk to Huacachina oasis. In the late afternoon do the dune buggy and sandboarding run (~£15-18, bookable at any Huacachina agency). Optional: pisco tasting at a winery on the road to Ica (~£6).

🚌Lima–Paracas bus ~£12; Paracas–Ica local bus ~£3; taxi to Huacachina ~£2

🛏Hostel in Huacachina (dorm ~£11)

• →Ballestas Islands boat tour (~£12)
• →Candelabro geoglyph viewing
• →Huacachina dune buggy + sandboarding (~£16)
• →Optional pisco winery tasting (~£6)

Take a morning bus Ica–Nazca (~2.5 hrs, ~£5). Head to Nazca's small aerodrome and book a 30-35 minute light-aircraft flight over the Lines (~£75-90 depending on seats filled; book the day before through your hostel to secure a slot and morning light). In the afternoon take a local taxi tour to the Chauchilla Cemetery (mummies in open tombs, S/10 entry) and the Cantayoc aqueducts / Paredones ruins — negotiate a 3-hour taxi loop (~£15 shared). Evening bus onward to Arequipa is possible but brutal; better to sleep in Nazca and take a morning bus.

🚌Ica–Nazca bus ~£5; shared taxi tour ~£8

🛏Budget guesthouse in Nazca (~£12)

• →Nazca Lines scenic flight (~£80)
• →Chauchilla Cemetery (S/10)
• →Cantayoc aqueducts and Paredones ruins
• →Nazca viewpoints (Mirador) free

Morning bus Nazca–Arequipa (~7-8 hrs, ~£14-18 on Cruz del Sur/Oltursa; a night bus is also an option if you prefer to save a day). Arrive in the White City, check in near the centre and stretch your legs around Plaza de Armas and the Yanahuara viewpoint (free). Rest and acclimatise — you're now at 2,300m.

🚌Nazca–Arequipa bus ~£16

🛏Hostel dorm near the centre (~£10)

• →Plaza de Armas and Cathedral exterior
• →Yanahuara mirador
• →Mundo Alpaca (free)

Walk the city independently: the Cathedral, La Compañía church, and the huge Santa Catalina Convent (S/45, ~£10 — the highlight). Pick one of the two mummy museums: Museo Santuarios Andinos (Juanita, S/25) or the newer Museo Andenes. Lunch at a picantería for rocoto relleno (~£4). In the afternoon pop into a local agency to book tomorrow's Colca Canyon two-day trip (shared, ~£30-35 including transport, guide and a basic night in Chivay) or the one-day version if you're short on time.

🚌Walking; occasional taxi ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm near the centre (~£10)

• →Santa Catalina Convent (S/45)
• →Museo Santuarios Andinos – Juanita mummy (S/25)
• →La Compañía church
• →Book Colca Canyon tour locally (~£32)

Early 3am-4am shared minibus pickup for the Colca Canyon tour. Stop at Cruz del Condor mid-morning to watch Andean condors riding thermals over the 1,200m-deep canyon, plus the Mirador de los Andes and villages en route. The one/two-day shared tour includes the Yanque hot springs stop (S/15 entry) and a lunch stop in Chivay (extra, ~£5, or bring snacks). If doing the two-day version you stay in Chivay tonight; the one-day version returns to Arequipa around 5-6pm.

🚌Shared tour minibus included; hot springs entry S/15

🛏Guesthouse in Chivay (~£12) or back in Arequipa hostel (~£10)

• →Cruz del Condor condor viewpoint
• →Yanque hot springs
• →Colca villages and miradors
• →Optional Maca souvenir stop

Book a tourist bus Arequipa–Puno (~6 hrs, £12-18) which breaks at the Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve and the Lagunillas lagoons for flamingos and vicuñas — far better value than a plain bus. Arrive in Puno (3,800m) in the afternoon: go slow, drink coca tea, and buy your Lake Titicaca boat tour for tomorrow from a pier-side agency (~£15-18 for the full-day Uros + Taquile trip). Cheap dinner of trucha (trout) by the lake (~£4).

🚌Arequipa–Puno tourist bus ~£15

🛏Hostel in Puno (~£9)

• →Lagunillas flamingo lagoons stop
• →Puno lakeside and Plaza de Armas
• →Book Titicaca boat tour (~£16)

Full-day shared motorboat: first to the Uros floating reed islands (demonstration of reed-weaving, optional reed-boat ride S/10), then a 2-hour cruise to Taquile Island for a community visit, ruins and a trout lunch with a local family (typically included, ~£5 if not). Boats leave around 7-8am and return 4-5pm. Optional evening: Sillustani chullpa towers at sunset with a shared taxi (~£8).

🚌Shared motorboat included in tour

🛏Hostel in Puno (~£9)

• →Uros floating islands
• →Taquile Island community and ruins
• →Optional reed boat ride S/10
• →Optional sunset at Sillustani (~£8)

Take the tourist bus or the daily Inka Express-style service Puno–Cusco (~10 hrs, £20-30) stopping at Pucará (bull ceramics museum), Raqchi (temple of Wiracocha), La Raya pass, and the painted church of Andahuaylillas. Cheaper option: regular bus (~£8) then local colectivos to the sites, but it's fiddly. Arrive Cusco in the evening (3,400m) and check into a hostel in San Blas.

🚌Puno–Cusco tourist bus with stops ~£25

🛏Hostel dorm in San Blas (~£10)

• →Pucará museum
• →Raqchi – Temple of Wiracocha
• →Andahuaylillas church
• →La Raya pass viewpoint

Buy the partial Boleto Turístico (S/70, ~£16) covering Qoricancha-area sites, Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. Do the four Inca sites in the afternoon on foot/bus above the city, and Qoricancha (combined ticket or S/15) in the morning. This is also the day to lock in logistics: book the Salkantay trek at a San Blas agency (4-day group, ~£180-230 including transport, meals, guide, cook, horseman and Machu Picchu entry; entry ticket alone is S/152) and your Tambopata lodge for later, or ask the agency to arrange a bus Cusco–Puerto Maldonado.

🚌Local bus to Sacsayhuamán ~£1; walking

🛏Hostel dorm in San Blas (~£10)

• →Qoricancha / Convent of Santo Domingo
• →Sacsayhuamán
• →Q'enqo, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay
• →Book Salkantay trek locally

Do the Sacred Valley by colectivo instead of a tour: bus/colectivo to Pisac (~£2) for the market and hilltop ruins (Boleto Turístico), then colectivo to Urubamba (~£2), then Ollantaytambo (~£2) for the terraces and fortress. If time allows, a return colectivo to Chinchero (~£3) for the colonial church and weaving cooperatives. Local set lunch in Urubamba (~£4). Sleep in Ollantaytambo or back in Cusco depending on your trek start.

🚌Colectivos and local buses ~£9 total

🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (~£11)

• →Pisac ruins and market
• →Ollantaytambo fortress and town
• →Urubamba local lunch
• →Chinchero church and weaving co-op

Book a shared Rainbow Mountain day trip in Cusco (~£25-30 including transport, breakfast and lunch; entry S/30 extra). Pickup ~3:30am, arrive at the trailhead around 8am, hike 1.5 hrs up (5,036m — take it slow, coca tea, no alcohol the night before) and 1 hr at the viewpoint, then back to Cusco around 5-6pm. If altitude worries you, hire a horse at the trailhead (~S/60) or swap for the easier Palccoyo alternative.

🚌Shared tour van included in tour price

🛏Hostel dorm in San Blas (~£10)

• →Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain hike (~1.5 hrs up)
• →Ausangate views
• →Horse hire option at trailhead

Your 4-day group Salkantay trek starts: van from Cusco to Mollepata (~3 hrs) for breakfast, then walk to Soraypampa (3,850m) where the horsemen take the duffels. Afternoon side-hike up to Humantay Lake (4,200m) — an hour of switchbacks with a jewel-green lake under the glacier — then back down to camp for tea and dinner. Most agencies provide sleeping bags; confirm when booking or rent one (~£8).

🚌Van Cusco–Mollepata–trailhead (included in trek)

🛏Trek camp / domes at Salkantaypampa (included in trek price)

• →Humantay Lake hike (4,200m)
• →Soraypampa camp
• →Salkantay valley views

The toughest day: a 4-5 hour climb from camp to the Salkantay Pass at 4,600m (start early, coca tea, steady breathing), then a long descent into high-jungle cloud forest to the second campsite. Watch for orchids, hummingbirds and waterfalls as the scenery flips from glacier to subtropical. Meals and camp included in the trek price.

🚌On foot with guide and horsemen

🛏Second trek camp (included)

• →Salkantay Pass crossing (4,600m)
• →Cloud forest descent
• →High jungle wildlife spotting

A gentler day of cloud forest walking (~3 hrs) through coffee and fruit farms, then a climb to the Llactapata ruins campsite, where — weather allowing — you get your first distant view of Machu Picchu from across the valley. Evening camp with dinner included.

🚌On foot

🛏Llactapata campsite (included)

• →Cloud forest farm trails
• →Llactapata Inca ruins
• →Machu Picchu viewpoint

Descend to the Hydroelectric Station for lunch (included), then walk ~3 hrs along the flat railway line into Aguas Calientes (2,000m). Alternatively take the train Hydroelectric–Aguas Calientes (~£15) if you're done walking. Check into a hostel, buy tomorrow's Machu Picchu bus ticket (or plan to walk up) and get an early night. Note: the Machu Picchu entry ticket is included in the trek package.

🚌On foot, or optional train ~£15

🛏Budget hostel in Aguas Calientes (~£15)

• →Hydroelectric Station
• →Railway valley walk to Aguas Calientes
• →Hot springs in town optional (S/20)

Walk up (1-1.5 hrs) or take the first buses (S/24 each way) to catch sunrise over Machu Picchu; the tour with your trek guide is included, and you can add the hike to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you booked it in advance (S/76-150, sells out weeks ahead). Descend to Aguas Calientes, take the Expedition train to Ollantaytambo (~1h45, ~£50-60 one-way; book at PeruRail/Inca Rail in advance), then a colectivo/bus to Cusco (~£3). Take a night bus to Puerto Maldonado (~10 hrs, £15-20) or fly the next morning if you'd rather not bus.

🚌Train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo ~£55; colectivo to Cusco ~£3; night bus to Puerto Maldonado ~£18

🛏Overnight bus (or hostel in Cusco ~£10 if flying next day)

• →Machu Picchu sunrise entry and guided tour
• →Optional Huayna Picchu climb
• →Expedition train ride

If you took the night bus, arrive in Puerto Maldonado in the morning and head straight to your lodge pickup. If you fly from Cusco, do the morning San Pedro market tour and a half-day Peruvian cooking class (ceviche and ají de gallina, ~£25-30 via GetYourGuide or a San Blas cooking school), then the afternoon flight (LATAM/Sky, ~£45-70 booked ahead). Meet your Tambopata lodge transfer at Puerto Maldonado airport or office.

🚌Night bus ~£18 or domestic flight ~£55; lodge transfer included

🛏Tambopata eco-lodge (dorm/standard room ~£30, often bundled with tours)

• →San Pedro market walk
• →Peruvian cooking class (~£28)
• →Rainforest lodge transfer and jungle night walk

A classic Tambopata lodge package (usually 3 days/2 nights, £120-160 all-in with transfers, meals and guides — book direct with a local lodge or via GetYourGuide). Early boat upriver to the Chuncho macaw clay lick at dawn for hundreds of macaws and parrots; breakfast on site; return with wildlife spotting (capybaras, monkeys, tapirs). Afternoon ethnobotanical walk with a local guide and a nighttime boat search for caimans. Then return to Puerto Maldonado and fly or bus back to Lima to finish the loop.

🚌Lodge boat transfers included; Puerto Maldonado–Lima flight ~£50-70

🛏Return to Lima or onward travel (hostel ~£12 if needed)

• →El Chuncho macaw clay lick at dawn
• →Tambopata River wildlife cruise
• →Ethnobotanical jungle walk
• →Night caiman-spotting boat trip