Treasures of Peru & Bolivia — Self-Launched Edition

Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take an official taxi or the Airport Express Lima bus (£4–£8) to Miraflores or Barranco. Check into a hostel dorm or private single in Miraflores (Pariwana, Flying Dog or similar). Spend the evening acclimatising at sea level: walk the Malecón clifftop, grab a cheap menu del día (£3–£4) and stock up on altitude supplies at a Wong or Metro supermarket.

🚌Airport Express Lima bus or taxi from LIM airport (~£4–£8)

🛏Hostel in Miraflores or Barranco (dorm £8–£12 / private £20–£28)

• →Malecón clifftop walk
• →Miraflores supermarket shop for altitude essentials

Take an early budget flight Lima–Cusco (LATAM/Sky/JetSMART, £45–£70 booked ahead). Skip staying in Cusco on day one — dropping straight to Urubamba (2,870m) is far gentler on acclimatisation. Shared colectivo or minivan from Cusco's Puputi terminal to Urubamba is £2–£3 (about 1h15m). In the afternoon, hire a local driver for a half-day loop to the Maras salt pans and the Moray agricultural terraces (£12–£18 per person shared, or £25 solo). Dinner of local trout or pachamanca at a family-run spot in Urubamba (£5–£7).

🚌Lima–Cusco flight (~£45–£70) + minivan Cusco–Urubamba (~£3) + shared local driver for Maras/Moray (~£15)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Urubamba (dorm £8–£12 / private £18–£26)

• →Maras salt pans (Salineras de Maras) entry £2
• →Moray Inca terraces entry £4
• →Sacred Valley scenic drive

Book the Parque de la Papa community visit directly (the communities at Sacaca, Pampallacta and Chawaytiri run their own tours, ~£15–£25 including a weaving demo and potato tasting) — this is the same community-tourism project the group tours use, just without the markup. Continue to Ollantaytambo to climb the terraces (£3 entry) and then to Pisac for the hillside ruins (£3). If you're in town for the Sunday market, stay for it. Lunch at a community-run restaurant in Lamay or Calca (£4–£6). Note: Boleto Turístico Parcial covers some Sacred Valley sites (~£15).

🚌Local combis and colectivos between Pisac, Calca and Ollantaytambo (£1–£2 per leg)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Urubamba

• →Parque de la Papa community visit
• →Ollantaytambo ruins
• →Pisac ruins and market
• →Boleto Turístico for Sacred Valley sites

Take a colectivo to Ollantaytambo station and board the PeruRail or Inca Rail Vistadome/Expedition service to Aguas Calientes (£45–£70 one-way booked directly; book 3–6 weeks ahead as it sells out). The ride through the Urubamba gorge is spectacular. Drop bags at your guesthouse, then pick from the town's cheap options: the Baños Termales hot springs (£2), the butterfly house (£3), or Mandor Gardens (£3). Buy your Machu Picchu bus ticket (£9 one-way) or plan to walk up. Eat early and sleep — tomorrow starts before dawn.

🚌Colectivo to Ollantaytambo (~£2) + train to Aguas Calientes (~£45–£70)

🛏Guesthouse in Aguas Calientes (private room £20–£30; dorms are limited and pricey)

• →Scenic Urubamba gorge train ride
• →Aguas Calientes hot springs
• →Mandor Gardens or butterfly house

Catch the first buses up (5:30am) for sunrise over the citadel. Your entry ticket must be bought in advance via the official MINCUL/tuboleto site (£40–£48 depending on circuit) — book early, circuits sell out. Hire a licensed guide at the gate for a shared 2-hour tour (£15–£20 per person) — this is exactly what the group tour's guided visit is, just split among strangers on the spot. After coming down, take the afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo and a shared van on to Cusco (£3).

🚌Bus up/down to Machu Picchu (£18 return) + train to Ollantaytambo (~£45–£70) + shared van to Cusco (~£3)

🛏Hostel in Cusco historic centre (dorm £8–£12 / private £20–£30)

• →Machu Picchu sunrise entry (Circuit 1 or 2)
• →Licensed shared guide on site
• →Afternoon train back to the Sacred Valley

Slow day in Cusco: Plaza de Armas, the Qorikancha (£3), the Inka Museum (£2), and the San Pedro market for lunch (£3). Walk up to Sacsayhuamán (£3, or covered by the tourist ticket). In the evening book direct with the Cusco Planetarium (£8–£10, includes transport from town) for telescopes and an Inca astronomy talk — the same highlight moment the group tour includes, self-booked. Altitude note: day 6 is a normal time to feel the 3,400m, so keep the day light.

🚌Walking; taxi to the planetarium (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Cusco historic centre

• →Sacsayhuamán
• →Qorikancha and Inka Museum
• →San Pedro market
• →Cusco Planetarium evening session

Morning flight Cusco–Lima (£45–£65). Check into a Miraflores or Barranco hostel, then walk the UNESCO-listed historic centre: Plaza Mayor, the San Francisco Monastery and catacombs (£3). Round off with a pisco sour and Peruvian tapas in Barranco (£10–£15). If you have energy, the Larco Museum by night is worth the £6 entry (skip the £70 private version).

🚌Cusco–Lima flight (~£45–£65) + airport bus (~£4)

🛏Hostel in Miraflores or Barranco

• →Plaza Mayor and historic centre walk
• →San Francisco Monastery and catacombs
• →Barranco pisco tasting

Fly Lima–Juliaca (£40–£60, cheap with Sky or JetSMART). From Juliaca take a colectivo or shared taxi to Yunguyo on the border (£3–£5), walk through immigration (UK passports: visa-free 90 days for tourism), then a short shared taxi to Copacabana (£1–£2). Book a lakeside hostel or guesthouse (£8–£14 dorm). Optional: a home lunch in a rural community near Yunguyo on the Peruvian side can be arranged locally (£8–£12) — or simply do the same thing with a Copacabana family through your hostel. Sunset walk along the lake and a trout dinner (£5).

🚌Lima–Juliaca flight (~£50) + colectivo to Yunguyo (~£4) + shared taxi to Copacabana (~£2)

🛏Lakeside hostel or guesthouse in Copacabana (dorm £8–£14 / private £18–£25)

• →Bolivia border crossing at Yunguyo/Kasani
• →Lake Titicaca sunset walk
• →Optional community home lunch

Book a morning boat from Copacabana's beach to Isla del Sol (£6–£10 return; the southern sector with the Pilcocaina ruins and Inca steps is the easiest half-day, ruins entry £3). Independent travellers can also stay overnight on the island in a community guesthouse for about £8 if you'd rather slow down. Return to Copacabana and take the afternoon tourist bus Copacabana–La Paz (£6–£8 including the Tiquina Strait crossing) arriving around 6–8pm. Check into a hostel in Sopocachi or the historic centre (£7–£12 dorm).

🚌Boat to Isla del Sol (~£8) + Copacabana–La Paz bus (~£7)

🛏Hostel in Sopocachi or central La Paz (dorm £7–£12 / private £18–£26)

• →Isla del Sol southern sector and Pilcocaina ruins
• →Tiquina Strait crossing
• →La Paz evening arrival

Morning flight La Paz–Sucre (£55–£80 on BoA; the night bus via Potosí is £12–£15 and takes 12–14h if you'd rather save). Sucre is the cheapest and most pleasant city in Bolivia. Do your own orientation walk of Plaza 25 de Mayo, the cathedral and the Recoleta viewpoint. Free walking tours run daily from the plaza (tip-based, £3–£5). Rooftop café terraces are the local specialty — take a coffee and a salteña (£2).

🚌La Paz–Sucre flight (~£55–£80) or overnight bus (~£13)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Sucre (dorm £6–£10 / private £16–£24)

• →Plaza 25 de Mayo and cathedral
• →Recoleta viewpoint
• →Tip-based free walking tour

Book a rural hacienda stay directly in the Potosí highlands (farm-stays around Tarabuco, Cinti or Yotala run £20–£35 per person half-board and welcome independent guests; ask your Sucre hostel — they all know the family places). Spend the afternoon helping with the animals, walking the fields and eating an excellent farm-to-table dinner. This is the closest self-launched equivalent to the group tour's hacienda night, and much better value. Alternatively, base in Sucre and take a Saturday Tarabuco market day trip (£8).

🚌Local bus or shared taxi Sucre to the hacienda area (~£4–£8)

🛏Family-run rural hacienda / farmstay (£20–£35 half-board)

• →Working farm stay
• →Farm-to-table dinner
• →Optional Tarabuco Sunday market

Travel to Potosí (£4–£6 by bus) and visit the Casa Nacional de la Moneda, the old silver mint — entry £3 and the guided tour is included. In the afternoon take the bus or shared minivan down to Uyuni (£6–£10, 4h). Walk across the approach to the world's largest salt flat at sunset if your tour starts early, or book tomorrow's 4x4 now with a reputable operator (Red Planet, Brisa Tours or a hostel recommendation; a 3-day salt-flat tour is £80–£120, a 1-day tour £25–£40). Dinner is cheap and hearty in the town (£4).

🚌Bus to Potosí (~£5) + bus/minivan to Uyuni (~£8)

🛏Hostel in Uyuni (dorm £6–£10 / private £15–£22)

• →Casa Nacional de la Moneda guided tour
• →Uyuni town and tour-operator booking

Take a full 4x4 day trip across the salt flat with a local operator (join-in price £28–£40, includes lunch). You'll do the classic stops: the train cemetery, the salt mountains and Dakar monument, Isla Incahuasi (cactus island, £3 entry), and the mirror-flat photo spots. If you're continuing on a 3-day tour, you'll overnight in a basic salt-hotel tonight instead; otherwise return to Uyuni for the night.

🚌Shared 4x4 tour vehicle (included in trip price)

🛏Hostel in Uyuni (or salt hotel if on a 3-day tour)

• →Salar de Uyuni 4x4 tour
• →Isla Incahuasi cactus island
• →Train cemetery
• →Salt-flat mirror photography

Return to La Paz. The daytime bus Uyuni–La Paz takes 10–12h and costs £12–£18 (Trans Omar or Todo Turismo are the comfortable semi-cama options); overnight bus saves a hotel night. If you'd rather fly, BoA and Amaszonas fly Uyuni–La Paz for £60–£90. Arrive, do laundry, and rest. Note the altitude — La Paz sits at 3,650m.

🚌Uyuni–La Paz daytime/overnight bus (~£15) or flight (~£70)

🛏Hostel in Sopocachi or central La Paz (dorm £7–£12 / private £18–£26)

• →Long-distance bus across the altiplano

Do La Paz properly on foot: the San Francisco church, the Witches' Market, and the incredible Mercado Rodríguez for a three-course lunch at £2–£3. Ride the Mi Teleférico cable cars (£0.40 a ride) for the best views in the city, and walk through the Museo de la Coca (£2) or the Museo Nacional de Etnografía (£1.50). In the evening, book a small-group Andean tasting or cooking experience directly (£15–£25) — the same culinary moment the group tour includes, at a fraction of the price. Optional: Valle de la Luna half-day (£8 with transport).

🚌Walking + Mi Teleférico (~£1–£2)

🛏Hostel in Sopocachi or central La Paz

• →San Francisco church and Witches' Market
• →Mercado Rodríguez
• →Mi Teleférico cable cars
• →Optional Valle de la Luna

Breakfast, last souvenir run at the Mercado 16 de Julio or a llama-wool shop, then an official taxi or the airport minibus to El Alto International (£4–£6). El Alto sits at 4,000m so give yourself plenty of time for the 45-minute ride and a slow walk through the terminal.

🚌Taxi or minibus to El Alto airport (~£5)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last-minute souvenir shopping