Self-Launched Galápagos & Inca Trail Adventure: Quito to Cusco

Land at Mariscal Sucre (UIO) and take an authorised airport taxi or the Aeropuerto–Río Coca bus + Trole to your hostel in La Mariscal or the Old Town (~£5-8). Spend the evening acclimatising at 2,850m with a walk through Plaza Grande and a cheap set lunch (almuerzo) for £3-4. Buy a local SIM (Claro/Movistar, ~£8 for data) and top up cash — Floreana and Isabela are cash-only for most things.

🚌Airport taxi ~£7, or bus ~£1.50

🛏Hostel dorm in La Mariscal or Old Town, £10-14/night

• →Old Town orientation walk
• →Plaza Grande & La Ronda evening stroll

Book a morning Avianca/LATAM flight Quito–Baltra (GPS) yourself — around £180-220 return if booked 2-3 months ahead, plus the mandatory $20 Transit Control Card (TCT) and $200 Galápagos National Park entry, both payable in cash on arrival. From Baltra take the free airport shuttle to the Itabaca Channel, the public ferry (£1) across, then a colectivo or bus (£2) into Puerto Ayora. In the afternoon take a local taxi-tour into the highlands (£15-20 shared) to see wild giant tortoises at El Chato and walk through the lava tunnels.

🚌Flight Quito–Baltra ~£200 return (booked ahead); ferry+colectivo ~£4

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Puerto Ayora, £14-18/night

• →Galápagos highlands tortoise reserve (El Chato or Rancho Primicias)
• →Lava tunnels walk
• →TCT card & park fee admin

Walk the 2.5km paved trail from town to Tortuga Bay (free, register at the kiosk at 6-7am) for white sand, marine iguanas and a self-arranged kayak hire on the lagoon (~£20/hour for a double). Snorkel from the beach, then return to town for lunch. In the afternoon visit the Charles Darwin Research Station (free entry, donation appreciated) to see the tortoise breeding programme and Lonesome George's enclosure.

🚌Walking; local taxi back to town ~£1

🛏Hostel in Puerto Ayora, £14-18/night

• →Tortuga Bay walk & kayak hire
• →Snorkelling in Tortuga Bay lagoon
• →Charles Darwin Research Station (free)

Free morning for a coffee on the malecón. Book the public inter-island speedboat Santa Cruz–Floreana direct with the operator at the Puerto Ayora dock (about £65-75 one way, 1.5-2hrs, usually 7am or 2pm departures — confirm the day before). Land at Floreana's tiny Black Beach pier and check into a locally run guesthouse/cabaña (£18-22). Swim or snorkel off Black Beach among sea lions and rays. Eat at a family-run fonda or community restaurant — this is the closest independent equivalent to the operator's community-restaurant programme.

🚌Public inter-island speedboat ~£70

🛏Family-run guesthouse on Floreana, £18-22/night

• →Black Beach swimming & snorkelling
• →Floreana village wander

Walk or take a local pickup truck (~£10) to Lobería, a rocky point with sea lions, turtles and good snorkelling — bring your own mask or hire from a guesthouse. In the afternoon arrange a highland excursion with a local guide (£25-35) to the Asilo de la Paz (historic cave and tortoise area) and the freshwater spring; ask your guesthouse host rather than booking through an agency. Watch for the famous postal barrel at Post Office Bay, a short walk away.

🚌Local pickup truck ~£10

🛏Family-run guesthouse on Floreana, £18-22/night

• →Lobería snorkelling
• →Floreana highlands guided walk
• →Post Office Bay

Take the morning public speedboat Floreana–Isabela (often via Santa Cruz; ~£70-80, book through your guesthouse a day ahead). Settle into Puerto Villamil, then join the afternoon Sierra Negra ranger-led hike (permit ~£10 plus guide £20-25) to the rim of the second-largest crater in the world at 1,124m — book it through the park office or your hostel as permits are limited. Many operators include a downhill bike rental back to town (£15-20).

🚌Public speedboat ~£75

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Villamil, £14-18/night

• →Sierra Negra Volcano hike (ranger permit)
• →Downhill mountain bike rental

Splurge day: the Los Túneles snorkelling tour (40-minute boat ride, ~£110-125 booked direct with a Puerto Villamil operator or via Klook/GetYourGuide) is the highlight of the archipelago — white-tipped reef sharks, seahorses, turtles and lava arches. If you'd rather save money, do the cheaper Tintoreras islet kayak-and-snorkel trip (~£40). Afternoon free for surf lessons (£25-30) or the flamingo lagoon and Tortoise Breeding Centre walk.

🚌Boat tour included in activity

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Villamil, £14-18/night

• →Los Túneles snorkelling tour
• →Tintoreras islet (alternative)
• →Surf lesson option

Visit the Isabela Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre (free-$5) in the morning, then catch the public speedboat back to Santa Cruz (~£35-40, 2hrs). Free afternoon for the fish market (sea lions and pelicans fighting over scraps) and a cheap ceviche lunch. Book your Santa Cruz–Baltra transfer and confirm your onward flight to Lima for the next day.

🚌Inter-island speedboat ~£38

🛏Hostel in Puerto Ayora, £14-18/night

• →Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre
• →Puerto Ayora fish market

Colectivo across Santa Cruz to the Itabaca Channel, ferry and free airport shuttle to Baltra, then fly back to Quito (~£100 one way on the return leg). Evening in Quito — a cheap almuerzo and an early night ahead of the two-flight day tomorrow. Alternatively, price a direct Baltra–Lima routing (via Guayaquil) to save a day if it's cheaper when you book.

🚌Colectivo+ferry ~£4; Baltra–Quito flight (part of return ticket)

🛏Hostel in Quito, £10-14/night

• →Quito Old Town evening walk

Book a morning Quito–Lima flight with Avianca, LATAM or JetSMART (~£110-140 one way, often cheaper via Guayaquil). Land at Jorge Chávez, take the Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores (~£6) or an authorised taxi (~£14). Spend the afternoon eating your way through a mercado — ceviche, lomo saltado, anticuchos — for under £8 and walk the Malecón at sunset.

🚌Flight ~£125; airport bus ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm in Miraflores or Barranco, £12-16/night

• →Mercado food crawl
• →Miraflores Malecón sunset walk

Fly Lima–Cusco early (~£55-80 with SKY or JetSMART). Cusco sits at 3,400m — take it slow, drink coca tea, no heavy exertion today. Book your Inca Trail permit situation first: if you haven't already secured a spot through a licensed operator months in advance, you'll need a Lares Trek or train alternative. Do a cheap self-guided walk of Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha (10 soles) and San Blas artisan streets; the Cusco Cooking Class (~£36) can be booked on GetYourGuide for the evening.

🚌Flight ~£70; airport taxi ~£4

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Cusco historic centre, £12-16/night

• →Self-guided Old Town & Qorikancha
• →San Blas wander
• →Optional Cusco cooking class

Take a shared colectivo or local bus from Cusco to Pisac (~£1.50, 45 mins) and on to Lamay/Calca. Visit the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op independently (entrance by donation, textiles for sale) and a pottery workshop in the valley — arrange a local taxi for the day (~£25 shared) or join a Sacred Valley day tour on GetYourGuide (~£25-35) that covers Pisac, Maras and Ollantaytambo. Eat at Parwa Community Restaurant in Lamay (farm-to-table, ~£8). Overnight in Ollantaytambo at 2,800m to prep for the trail.

🚌Colectivos ~£5; optional local taxi day ~£25

🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo, £12-16/night

• →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op
• →Pottery demonstration
• →Parwa community lunch
• →Ollantaytambo ruins & storehouses walk

Critical: the 4-day Inca Trail sells out months ahead and can only be booked through a licensed Peruvian operator — budget ~£380-450 each, which includes permit, guide, cook, porters, camp gear and meals (rent a sleeping bag and mat for ~50 soles each at the briefing). Start at Km 82 (2,600m) and walk a gentle 12km past Llactapata to the Wayllabamba campsite (3,000m). Your duffel is limited to 6kg carried by porters; carry the rest.

🚌Operator minibus from Ollantaytambo to Km 82

🛏Camping on trail (2-person tent)

• →Inca Trail hike Day 1
• →Llactapata ruins

The hardest day: a steep 1,200m climb to Warmiwañusca / Dead Woman's Pass at 4,198m, then a long descent to Pacaymayo (3,600m). Start early, walk at your own pace, and keep hydrated. Total ~11km, 6-8 hours. This is why spending Day 11 acclimatising in Cusco matters.

🚌Hiking

🛏Camping at Pacaymayo

• →Dead Woman's Pass summit
• →Runkurakay ruins

The most scenic day: over Runkurakay pass (3,950m), down through cloud forest, past Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca ruins to the terraced site of Wiñay Wayna. ~10km, 5-6 hours. Early dinner and bed — tomorrow starts at 5am to reach the Sun Gate before sunrise.

🚌Hiking

🛏Camping at Wiñay Wayna

• →Sayacmarca & Phuyupatamarca ruins
• →Wiñay Wayna terraces

Walk the final 6km to Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) for the first panoramic view of Machu Picchu as the sun rises. Descend to the citadel for your 2-hour guided tour on the assigned circuit ticket (included in your trek package; Circuit 3 or 5 for trekkers). Take the bus down to Aguas Calientes (£12) or walk, then soak in the hot springs (£4) and eat a celebratory dinner. Stay the night in Aguas Calientes — dorms from £12.

🚌Shuttle bus Machu Picchu–Aguas Calientes ~£12

🛏Hostel in Aguas Calientes, £14-18/night

• →Sun Gate sunrise
• →Machu Picchu guided tour
• →Aguas Calientes hot springs

Ride the Perurail or Inca Rail train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (~£45-60 for the expedition class, book on their own websites), then a colectivo or taxi to Cusco (~£3). Or walk the last stretch of the valley. Final afternoon for last souvenirs at San Pedro market and a proper Cusco dinner before onward flights — the Cusco airport is a 10-minute taxi from the centre.

🚌Train ~£50; colectivo to Cusco ~£3

🛏Hostel in Cusco, £12-16/night

• →Train journey through the Sacred Valley
• →San Pedro market
• →Farewell dinner