Peru & Bolivia Self-Launched: Machu Picchu to the Salt Flats
16 days · Peru & Bolivia
G Adventures charges £3,200
No-markup version: ~£865 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of G Adventures' 16-day Lima-to-La Paz National Geographic Journeys trip, hitting the same beats — Amazon rainforest, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Bolivia's Sucre, Potosí countryside and Salar de Uyuni — but booked independently. You'll use hostel/guesthouse and budget-hotel stays, locally booked lodges and guides, public and shared transport, and official Inca Trail permits arranged direct through the Peruvian government portal (or an authorised local agency). Budget travellers do this route comfortably for roughly £1,900-2,300 per person excluding international flights, versus several thousand on the guided version. Costs are approximate and vary with season, permit timing and exchange rates.
Day-by-day
Arrive Lima
Lima
Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take an official taxi or the Airport Express Lima bus (about £6-8) to a hostel in Miraflores or Barranco. Spend the afternoon acclimatising with a wander along the Malecón clifftop walk and a cheap ceviche lunch at a local market stall. Book your onward Tambopata flight tonight if you haven't already — LATAM and Sky fly Lima to Puerto Maldonado daily.
🚌Airport Express Lima bus ~£6-8
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Miraflores/Barranco (dorm £10-14, private £25-35)
- →Malecón clifftop walk
- →Miraflores/Barranco orientation
- →Optional Lima city tour (£15-20 via GetYourGuide)
Lima to the Amazon — Tambopata
Tambopata
Fly Lima to Puerto Maldonado (~1h45, £55-85 one-way booked ahead). At the airport or town office, arrange a transfer and motorised canoe up the Tambopata River to a budget ecolodge near the Tambopata National Reserve — lodges like those around Infierno and the reserve buffer zone offer 3-day packages including meals, guides and canoe transport for around £180-250 per person. After dinner, join a naturalist-guided night walk to spot owls, frogs, tarantulas and snakes.
🚌Domestic flight ~£70 + canoe transfer included in lodge package
🛏Budget Amazon ecolodge, multi-day package with meals and guide
- →Flight to Puerto Maldonado
- →Motorised canoe transfer to lodge
- →Guided night walk
Tambopata rainforest day
Tambopata
Full day with your lodge's naturalist guide exploring oxbow lakes by canoe — look for river otters, turtles and hoatzins — and walk trails learning about medicinal plants and forest ecology. Toucans, macaws and howler monkeys are common in the canopy. After dark, take a motorised canoe cruise along the riverbanks to spot caimans with headtorches.
🚌Canoe and walking with lodge guides
🛏Budget Amazon ecolodge (included in package)
- →Oxbow lake canoe trip
- →Rainforest trail walk with naturalist guide
- →Night caiman-spotting cruise
Tambopata to Cusco
Cusco
Boat out of the jungle and fly Puerto Maldonado to Cusco (~1h, £45-70). Check into a hostel in San Blas and take it easy — you're at 3,400m, so drink coca tea, walk slowly and skip anything strenuous today. In the evening, book a Cusco Planetarium visit (about £12-15, bookable direct or via GetYourGuide) for a guided session on southern-hemisphere constellations and Inca astronomy through their telescopes.
🚌Canoe + flight ~£55 + airport taxi ~£3
🛏Hostel in Cusco San Blas (dorm £9-13, private £25-35)
- →Flight to Cusco
- →Cusco Planetarium evening visit (~£13)
- →San Blas wander
Sacred Valley — Pisac, Potato Park, Ollantaytambo
Urubamba / Ollantaytambo
Take a shared colectivo or public bus from Cusco to Pisac (£2-3, ~1h) and explore the Inca ruins above town plus the famous market. Continue to the Parque de la Papa near Pisac — a community-run conservation project with hundreds of native potato varieties — booking a community visit and lunch directly through the park or a local agency (around £15-25). Then on to Ollantaytambo by colectivo (£1-2) to see the fortress terraces. Eat at a community farm-to-table spot such as Parwa-style restaurants near Lamay. Overnight in Ollantaytambo to shorten tomorrow's trail start.
🚌Colectivos Cusco-Pisac-Ollantaytambo ~£5 total
🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (private £18-25)
- →Pisac ruins and market
- →Parque de la Papa community visit
- →Ollantaytambo ruins
- →Community restaurant lunch
Inca Trail day 1 — Km 82 to Wayllabamba
Inca Trail
Inca Trail permits must be booked months ahead through the official MINCUL/Dirección de Cultura Cusco portal or an authorised agency — permits are around £55 plus a licensed guide (legally required), and most independent trekkers join a small group trek of £350-500 including guide, cook, porters, meals and campsites. Day one starts at Km 82 with a van transfer, then a gentle 12km hike along the Cusichaca valley past Llactapata ruins to camp near Wayllabamba (3,000m).
🚌Shared van to trailhead, hiking
🛏Inca Trail camp (organised small-group trek)
- →Van transfer to Km 82 trailhead
- →12km Inca Trail hike
- →Llactapata ruins
Inca Trail day 2 — Dead Woman's Pass
Inca Trail
The hardest day: a long, steep climb to Warmiwañusca (Dead Woman's Pass) at 4,198m, the trail's high point, then a descent to camp at Pacaymayo. Take it slowly, use poles (rentable on the trail for around £3-4), and carry plenty of water and snacks. Reach camp by early afternoon and rest.
🚌Hiking
🛏Inca Trail camp
- →Ascent of Dead Woman's Pass (4,198m)
- →Descent to Pacaymayo camp
Inca Trail day 3 — two passes and cloud forest
Inca Trail
Cross Runquraqay pass (3,950m) with views of the snowy Cordillera Vilcabamba, then climb gently through cloud forest to the second pass and the misty ruins of Phuyupatamarca ('the city above the clouds') at 3,650m. Descend through terraces to camp near Wiñay Wayna (2,650m).
🚌Hiking
🛏Inca Trail camp near Wiñay Wayna
- →Runquraqay pass
- →Phuyupatamarca ruins
- →Wiñay Wayna terraces
Sun Gate, Machu Picchu and back to Cusco
Machu Picchu / Cusco
Start before dawn to reach Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) for sunrise over Machu Picchu. Descend into the citadel for a self-guided explore or a 2-hour licensed guide you can hire at the gate for around £25-40 shared. Take the Consettur bus down to Aguas Calientes (£10 return) for lunch, then the PeruRail or Inca Rail train to Ollantaytambo (£35-55) and a colectivo or bus back to Cusco (£3-5).
🚌Bus ~£10 + train ~£45 + colectivo ~£4
🛏Hostel in Cusco (dorm £9-13, private £25-35)
- →Sun Gate sunrise
- →Machu Picchu citadel
- →Bus down to Aguas Calientes
- →Scenic train to Ollantaytambo
Cusco to La Paz
La Paz
Fly Cusco to La Paz (~1h15, £70-110; note the route may connect via Lima depending on airline). Check into a hostel in Sopocachi or the historic centre, then explore the city by Mi Teleférico cable car (£0.40 per ride) and on foot — Plaza Murillo, the Witches' Market and the San Francisco church. In the evening, join a La Paz street-food or market food tour via GetYourGuide (£25-35) if you want the culinary angle covered with a local guide.
🚌Flight ~£85 + airport taxi ~£5 + cable car ~£2
🛏Hostel in La Paz (dorm £8-12, private £22-30)
- →Flight to La Paz
- →Mi Teleférico cable car circuit
- →Witches' Market and Plaza Murillo
- →Optional food tour (~£30)
La Paz to Sucre
Sucre
Fly La Paz to Sucre (~1h, £45-75) or take the overnight bus (£15-20, 12-14h) if you want to save cash. Sucre is low, sunny and relaxed — wander the whitewashed Plaza 25 de Mayo, visit the Casa de la Libertad, and drink coffee on a rooftop terrace. Optional guided colonial history tour around £15.
🚌Flight ~£60 or bus ~£18
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Sucre (dorm £8-12, private £22-30)
- →Flight or overnight bus to Sucre
- →Plaza 25 de Mayo orientation walk
- →Optional colonial architecture tour
Sucre to Potosí countryside hacienda
Potosí countryside
Free morning in Sucre, then take a shared taxi or local bus to Potosí (£4-6, ~2.5-3h). From Potosí, arrange a countryside stay at a working farm or rural guesthouse in the southern highlands (book through Booking.com or locally, around £20-30 per night including meals if you help out). Spend the afternoon on a farm tour — dairy, fields, chapel and family history — and share a farm-to-table dinner with the resident family.
🚌Shared taxi/bus ~£5
🛏Rural hacienda or farm guesthouse (private £25-35 inc. meals)
- →Shared taxi/bus to Potosí
- →Rural hacienda/farm stay
- →Farm-to-table dinner with local family
Potosí to Uyuni
Uyuni
Explore Potosí's colonial centre and the Casa de la Moneda in the morning (entry ~£5), then take a bus or shared taxi to Uyuni (£8-12, 4-5h). Overnight in Uyuni town and book a 3-day Salar de Uyuni 4x4 tour for tomorrow — reliable operators charge £100-140 per person including transport, driver-guide, food, accommodation and park fees.
🚌Bus/shared taxi ~£10
🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Uyuni (private £18-25)
- →Casa de la Moneda
- →Bus to Uyuni
- →Book 3-day salt flats tour
Salar de Uyuni — day 1
Salar de Uyuni
Set off in a shared 4x4 with your driver-guide. Visit the train cemetery, then head onto the endless white salt flats for the classic perspective photos, the Dakar monument and Incahuasi island with its giant cacti. Watch sunset over the salt and stay at a basic salt-hotel in Tahua or San Juan (included in tour).
🚌Shared 4x4 (included in tour)
🛏Basic salt hotel/guesthouse (included in 4x4 tour)
- →Train cemetery
- →Salar de Uyuni photo stops
- →Incahuasi island
- →Salt flats sunset
Salar de Uyuni — day 2: volcanoes, lagoons and geysers
Eduardo Avaroa Reserve
Cross the high desert of the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna Reserve — Laguna Colorada with its pink flamingos, rock formations at Árbol de Piedra, and the steaming Sol de Mañana geysers. Overnight in a basic refuge in Huayllajara (included). Bring warm layers: nights here drop well below freezing.
🚌Shared 4x4 (included)
🛏Refuge at Huayllajara (included)
- →Laguna Colorada flamingos
- →Árbol de Piedra
- →Sol de Mañana geysers
Termas de Polques, Laguna Verde and return to Uyuni or La Paz
Uyuni / La Paz
Sunrise swim in the Termas de Polques hot springs, then Laguna Verde beneath Volcán Licancabur. Your tour ends either back in Uyuni or continuing overland to La Paz — take the 12-hour overnight bus back to La Paz (£12-18) or fly from Uyuni (£60-90) depending on your onward plans. Most travellers finish with a night bus into La Paz to connect to onward flights.
🚌Return leg included in tour + bus/flight ~£15-70
🛏Overnight bus or hostel in La Paz
- →Termas de Polques hot springs
- →Laguna Verde
- →Return to Uyuni or La Paz
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£865 | £3,200 |
| Duration | 16 days | 16 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,335 per person (73%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£865
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Peru & Bolivia Self-Launched: Machu Picchu to the Salt Flats cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £865 per person for 16 days in Peru & Bolivia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £3,200 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £865 — a saving of roughly £2,335 (73%) per person.
How long is the Peru & Bolivia trip?+
This itinerary runs 16 days, covering 16 day-by-day stops through Peru & Bolivia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, hiking, culture trip through Peru & Bolivia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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