Across the Andes: Lima to Santiago Self-Launched

Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take an official Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores (~£6, or ~£12 in a taxi via app). Check into a budget hostel or guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco. Spend the afternoon walking the Malecón clifftop promenade and Parque Kennedy, then eat ceviche and anticuchos at a local market stall or menú del día restaurant. Note: Lima sits at sea level — use today to acclimatise gently before heading high.

🚌Airport Express Lima bus from airport (~£6)

🛏Budget hostel/guesthouse, Miraflores or Barranco (~£14-18/night)

• →Malecón coastal walk
• →Barranco street art and Puente de los Suspiros
• →Optional: Lima cooking class (~£35-45, book via GetYourGuide)
• →Optional: Lima city walking tour (~£30)

Take an early domestic flight Lima–Cusco (~£50-70 one-way with Sky Airline or LATAM if booked ahead). From Cusco airport, hop a shared colectivo or local bus toward Urubamba (~£2-4, 1.5-2 hrs) rather than a private transfer. Settle into a guesthouse in Urubamba, then in the afternoon take a local taxi or colectivo to Maras to see the pre-Inca salt pans (~£3-5 round trip plus ~£2 entry) and, if time allows, the Moray agricultural terraces (~£4 entry). Eat an evening menú at a family-run restaurant in Urubamba.

🚌Domestic flight Lima–Cusco (~£60); colectivo Cusco–Urubamba (~£3); local taxi to Maras/Moray (~£8 shared)

🛏Guesthouse in Urubamba (~£15-20/night)

• →Maras salt pans (~£2 entry)
• →Moray Inca terraces (~£4 entry)
• →Evening wander in Urubamba town

Do a full Sacred Valley day. Easiest independent option: a shared Sacred Valley day tour booked via GetYourGuide or with your guesthouse (~£25-35) covering Pisac ruins and market, Ollantaytambo fortress and lunch. To visit the Potato Park independently, take a colectivo to Pisac (~£1.50) and arrange a community visit with the Parque de la Papa association directly (~£10-15 per person, book ahead by email or through a Pisac tour office). Buy the partial Boleto Turístico (~£30) if you plan to hit several Cusco-area sites. Sleep back in Urubamba or move to Ollantaytambo for an early train.

🚌Colectivos and shared taxis around the valley (~£6 total)

🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo or Urubamba (~£15-20/night)

• →Pisac ruins and Sunday market (~£4 entry or Boleto Turístico)
• →Ollantaytambo fortress (~£4 entry or Boleto Turístico)
• →Optional: Parque de la Papa community visit (~£12)
• →Sacred Valley shared day tour ~£30

Book your PeruRail or Inca Rail expedition-class ticket from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes in advance through their own websites (~£45-60 one-way). The morning train follows the Urubamba river gorge with views of ruins and cloud forest. Drop bags at a budget hostal in Aguas Calientes (~£18-25). Afternoon options: soak in the Baños Termales hot springs (~£3 entry plus ~£1 towel), visit the Mariposario butterfly house (~£5), or browse the craft market. Buy your Machu Picchu bus ticket and Machu Picchu entry ticket online in advance — circuits sell out in peak season (adult entry ~£40).

🚌PeruRail/Inca Rail Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes (~£50)

🛏Budget hostal, Aguas Calientes (~£20/night)

• →Scenic train through the Urubamba valley
• →Aguas Calientes hot springs (~£3)
• →Optional butterfly house or Mandor Gardens (~£5 each)

Catch the first Consettur buses up to the gate (~£9 each way) for an early, quieter entry. Join a small-group guided tour of the citadel — official guides wait at the entrance and charge ~£15-25 per person for a 2-hr tour, or pre-book a GYG/Klook small-group tour (~£25-40 including entry). Walk Huayna Picchu or Montana if you secured a permit. Descend by bus, then take the afternoon PeruRail/Inca Rail train to Ollantaytambo (~£50) and a colectivo or shared van back to Cusco (~£4). Check into a hostel in San Blas.

🚌Consettur bus up/down (~£18 return); train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo (~£50); colectivo to Cusco (~£4)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in San Blas, Cusco (~£15-20/night)

• →Machu Picchu entry (~£40, book online in advance)
• →2-hr guided tour at entrance (~£20)
• →Optional Huayna Picchu permit (~£25, book well ahead)

Explore Cusco on foot: Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha (~£5), the Inka Museum (~£2), and San Pedro market for a cheap lunch. In the afternoon take a local taxi up to Sacsayhuamán (~£4 entry with Boleto Turístico) and walk back down through San Blas. In the evening book the Cusco Planetarium session directly or via GYG (~£12-15) for telescope views and a talk on Inca astronomy. Alternative: a quirky Cusco cooking class (~£30-40).

🚌Walking; local taxi to Sacsayhuamán (~£3)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in San Blas, Cusco (~£15-20/night)

• →Cusco Planetarium (~£14, book direct)
• →Sacsayhuamán (~£4 with Boleto Turístico)
• →San Pedro market food crawl
• →Optional Cusco cooking class (~£35)

Fly Cusco to La Paz El Alto (~£70-110 one-way; book ahead — the route is operated and sells out). You arrive at 4,000 m so take it easy: take a shared taxi or Bolivia Hop-style shuttle from El Alto into the city centre (~£3-7), check into a hostel in the historic centre or Sopocachi, and do a slow orientation walk. Sip coca tea, visit the Witches' Market, and keep exertion light. Note: many nationalities need a Bolivian visa on arrival (~£65-75 for UK/US citizens, payable in USD cash) — check your nationality's rules in advance.

🚌Flight Cusco–La Paz (~£90); shared taxi/shuttle from El Alto into the city (~£5)

🛏Hostel, central La Paz or Sopocachi (~£12-18/night)

• →Orientation walk in the historic centre
• →Mercado de las Brujas (Witches' Market)
• →Coca tea and rest for altitude

Take a local minibus or taxi 40 minutes out to Valle de la Luna — it's easy to reach independently. Entry is ~£3; walk the marked trails through the eroded clay spires and craters (1-2 hrs). Return to the city for a cheap almuerzo (set lunch, ~£3), then browse the Sopocachi galleries, the Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore (~£2) or just drink coffee at altitude. Sunset from a mirador terrace or a ride on the Mi Teleférico cable car (~£0.35 per line) is the perfect evening.

🚌Local minibus/taxi to Valle de la Luna (~£3); Mi Teleférico rides (~£2 total)

🛏Hostel, central La Paz or Sopocachi (~£12-18/night)

• →Valle de la Luna walk (~£3 entry)
• →Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore (~£2)
• →Mi Teleférico cable car loop (~£2)

DIY the city tour: start at Plaza Murillo, walk the historic streets, ride the Red and Yellow cable car lines up to El Alto for the rooftop views and the famous El Alto market (~£1 total in fares). Lunch in a local mercado. In the afternoon, book a market-tour-plus-cooking-class directly with a La Paz operator or via Airbnb Experiences/GYG (~£25-35) to cook contemporary Bolivian dishes using quinoa and other altiplano ingredients. Eat out somewhere cheap in the evening.

🚌Cable cars and walking (~£2)

🛏Hostel, central La Paz or Sopocachi (~£12-18/night)

• →Plaza Murillo and historic centre walk
• →Cable car to El Alto market
• →Bolivian cooking class (~£30, book via GYG or Airbnb Experiences)

Take an early flight La Paz–Uyuni (~£70-90 one-way, book BoA/Amaszonas ahead) or the overnight bus (~£15, 10-12 hrs) if budget is tight. From Uyuni town, join a shared half-day salt flat tour (~£20-30) that runs out to the Salar, the salt harvest, and finishes with a picnic on the flats — most operators include lunch. Or book a combined 3-day Salar + altiplano tour that starts tomorrow (see Day 11). Stay in a cheap hostel or guesthouse in Uyuni town or at a salt hotel on the flats (~£20-30).

🚌Flight La Paz–Uyuni (~£80); shared 4x4 tour vehicle

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Uyuni (~£18-25/night)

• →Salar de Uyuni half-day tour (~£25)
• →Salt harvesting demonstration
• →Sunset on the salt flats

Join one of the standard 3-day/2-night Salar & altiplano tours from Uyuni (~£110-150 per person, shared 4x4 of 6-7 people, including driver, fuel and basic full board) — these finish at the Chilean border and effectively replace the tour's two-day 4x4 crossing. Today you head southwest through San Juan, the Chiguana salt flat, the Ollagüe volcano viewpoints and Laguna Cañapa, spotting vicuñas and flamingos. Overnight in a basic altiplano lodge by Laguna Hedionda (~3,700-4,000 m, so wrap up warm — no heating at night).

🚌Shared 4x4 with local driver (part of ~£130 3-day tour)

🛏Basic altiplano lodge near Laguna Hedionda (included in tour price)

• →Laguna Cañapa flamingos
• →Chiguana salt flat
• →Ollagüe volcano viewpoints
• →High-altitude wildlife spotting

Continue the 4x4 route: Árbol de Piedra and the Valley of the Rocks, then the red waters of Laguna Colorada (~£12 national park entry, payable in bolivianos cash). Pass the Sol de Mañana geysers and hot springs (~£3 entry) and reach Laguna Verde at the foot of Licancabur. Your tour ends at the Bolivian border; pay the exit fee (~£2), cross on foot, and then take the shuttle or shared van down to San Pedro de Atacama (~£5-10, ~1 hr). Check into a hostel — San Pedro is pricey, so book a budget hostal in advance (~£20-30/night).

🚌Shared 4x4 (included); border shuttle to San Pedro (~£8)

🛏Budget hostel, San Pedro de Atacama (~£25/night)

• →Árbol de Piedra and Valley of the Rocks
• →Laguna Colorada (~£12 park entry)
• →Sol de Mañana geysers and hot springs
• →Laguna Verde and Licancabur views

Pick one or two independent desert excursions: the Valley of the Moon sunset tour (~£15-20), an El Tatio geysers early-morning tour (~£25-30, 4am start due to altitude), or the Laguna Cejar floating salt lake (~£25). Bike hire (~£8/day) is a cheap way to reach nearby Quebrada de Catorce and the Pukará de Quitor ruins (~£3). Eat at a menú del día spot, and book your onward bus to Calama for tomorrow.

🚌Bike hire (~£8); tour vans

🛏Budget hostel, San Pedro de Atacama (~£25/night)

• →Valley of the Moon sunset tour (~£18)
• →Optional El Tatio geysers (~£28)
• →Optional Laguna Cejar (~£25)
• →Bike hire to Pukará de Quitor (~£11 total)

Take a local bus or shared transfer from San Pedro to Calama (~£5-8, 1.5 hrs), then either fly Calama–Santiago (~£40-70 one-way with Sky or JetSMART, booked ahead) or do the scenic ~22 hr overnight bus (~£30-40). On arrival in Santiago, take the airport bus or Metro into the centre (~£2-7) and check into a hostel in Bellavista or Lastarria (~£18-25). Evening: walk the Lastarria streets and grab a cheap completo and mote con huesillo.

🚌Bus San Pedro–Calama (~£7); flight Calama–Santiago (~£55); airport bus/Metro (~£5)

🛏Hostel in Bellavista or Lastarria, Santiago (~£22/night)

• →Lastarria and Bellavista evening walk
• →Cerro San Cristóbal if time allows (~£3 funicular)

Spend the morning doing a free walking tour of the historic centre (~£0 plus tip ~£5), visit the Mercado Central for lunch, or pop up Cerro San Cristóbal for city views. If you're flying out today, take the Centropuerto or Turbus airport bus (~£2) or a taxi (~£15). If you have a later flight, the Museo de la Memoria (~£3) or Barrio Italia coffee crawl fills the time nicely.

🚌Airport bus (~£2)

🛏—

• →Free walking tour of Santiago centro (tip ~£5)
• →Mercado Central lunch
• →Cerro San Cristóbal funicular (~£3)