Classic Peru: Self-Launched Lima to Cusco (Lake Titicaca, Sacred Valley & 4-Day Inca Trail)

Land at Jorge Chávez (LIM) and take an Airport Express Lima coach or Airport Taxi Green to Miraflores (~£5-8). Check into a Miraflores hostel dorm (Pariwana, Kokopelli or similar). Spend the afternoon acclimatising gently: walk the Malecón clifftop path to Parque del Amor, then bus or walk to Barranco for sunset over the Puente de los Suspiros. Grab a cheap menu del día (~£4-5) or ceviche at a market stall. No altitude yet — Lima is sea level, so use this day to sleep and adjust to the time zone.

🚌Airport Express Lima coach to Miraflores (~£5) or shared taxi (~£8)

🛏Miraflores hostel dorm (~£10-14)

• →Malecón clifftop walk
• →Barranco & Puente de los Suspiros
• →Ceviche and menu del día dinner

Book a morning self-guided city walk: Plaza de Armas, the catacombs under San Francisco Church (~£2) and the Museo Larco if you want the pre-Columbian gold collection (~£9). Skip the £30+ guided city tour — a walking map plus a food market lunch gets you the same for under a fiver. In the evening head to the Cruz del Sur terminal for the direct Lima-Puno service (departs ~16:00-18:00, arrives Puno mid-morning next day, ~£28-38 for a reclining semi-cama seat). Bring layers — it gets cold crossing the Altiplano.

🚌Cruz del Sur overnight bus Lima → Puno (~£30, 20-22 hours)

🛏Overnight reclining bus seat

• →Plaza de Armas & San Francisco catacombs
• →Museo Larco (optional)
• →Mercado Central lunch

Arrive Puno mid-morning and check into a budget guesthouse near the centre (Qelqatani or Hostal Utasa). Do almost nothing today: Puno sits at 3,800m and this day is your acclimatisation buffer, mirroring how the group tour paces it. Walk slowly to the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, drink coca tea, and eat a light dinner. Buy your Lake Titicaca boat tour ticket for tomorrow from a local agency on Jr. Lima (~£22-28 for the full-day Taquile + Uros trip) — no need to pre-book online.

🚌Walking

🛏Puno budget guesthouse double/private (~£14-18)

• →Plaza de Armas & Puno cathedral
• →Coca tea and acclimatisation rest
• →Book Lake Titicaca boat tour locally

Take the shared tourist boat (08:00 departure) to Taquile Island — a steep, slow 45-minute climb to the village, rewarded with lake views and the famous textile cooperative. Optional set lunch of trucha (trout) with a local family (~£4-6). Continue to the Uros floating reed islands on the way back, where you can take a short reed-boat ride (~£2). Return to Puno for the evening. If you'd rather overnight on an island, book a Taquile or Amantaní family homestay instead (~£15 incl. dinner and breakfast) — that's the authentic equivalent of the tour's Luquina homestay.

🚌Shared tourist boat Taquile + Uros (~£22-28)

🛏Puno budget guesthouse (~£14-18) or island homestay (~£15 incl. meals)

• →Taquile Island walk & textile co-op
• →Uros floating reed islands
• →Optional island family homestay

Morning side trip to the Sillustani burial towers (chullpas) on the shores of Lake Umayo — day tours from Puno cost ~£10-15 including entry (or ~£14 entrance if you get there independently). Back in Puno by early afternoon, then take the tourist-class bus to Cusco (Cruz del Sur or Transzela, ~09:30 or ~14:00 services, 6-7 hours, ~£12-18). The route climbs to the La Raya pass at 4,335m with Altiplano views the whole way. Arrive Cusco and check into a San Blas hostel.

🚌Sillustani half-day minibus (~£12) + bus Puno → Cusco (~£15, 7 hrs)

🛏Cusco hostel dorm or private in San Blas (~£10-16)

• →Sillustani burial towers
• →La Raya pass viewpoint
• →Evening wander in San Blas

Take a local collectivo from Puputi street to Pisac (~£1.50, 45 mins) for the famous Sunday-style market and the hilltop ruins (entry via the Boleto Turístico ~£28, or ~£8 partial ticket). Then collectivo to Urubamba (~£1.50) and on to Ollantaytambo (~£1.50). If you want the weaving co-op and pottery demonstration element of the group tour, book that direct: the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op (Amaru/Munay association) takes visitors for a small fee (~£8-12) or via a half-day Sacred Valley community tour on GetYourGuide (~£25-35). Overnight in Ollantaytambo and hike up to the Inca storehouses (Pinkuylluna) for sunset over the ruins — free.

🚌Local collectivos Cusco → Pisac → Urubamba → Ollantaytambo (~£4.50 total)

🛏Ollantaytambo guesthouse (~£12-18)

• →Pisac market & ruins
• →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op visit (direct booking)
• →Pinkuylluna storehouse hike
• →Chicheria corn beer stop

Your Inca Trail permit must be booked months ahead through a licensed operator holding trail allocation — permits sell out for May-September and are tied to a passport number and exact date. The typical price is £330-420 including guide, cook, porters, meals, campsite fees, Machu Picchu entry and the return train. Day 1: transfer to KM82 (~£5-8 in the operator's bus, usually included), cross the Urubamba at Q'ente and walk gently to Llactapata ruins, then on to Wayllabamba camp (3,000m, 12km, ~6 hours). Porters carry the group kit; you carry a daypack.

🚌Operator transfer Ollantaytambo → KM82 (included)

🛏Tented camp at Wayllabamba (included in permit package)

• →Inca Trail hike Day 1
• →Llactapata ruins
• →Wayllabamba camp

The hardest day: a steady climb to Warmiwañusca (Dead Woman's Pass) at 4,215m, then a long descent to Pacaymayo camp (3,600m). Roughly 11km, 7-8 hours. Start early, walk at your own pace, and let the guide manage the group. Coca leaves, plenty of water and slow breathing get you over the pass. All meals are cooked by the trail cook — this is the one place on the trip where full board is genuinely bundled.

🚌On foot

🛏Tented camp at Pacaymayo (included)

• →Warmiwañusca (Dead Woman's Pass) 4,215m
• →Runkuraqay descent
• →Trail-side archaeology

The most beautiful day: over Runkuraqay pass, down through cloud forest past Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca, with the Urubamba valley opening up below. ~16km, 8 hours, ending at Wiñay Wayna camp (2,650m) — the terraced site right beside the campsite is superb at dusk. Early night; the final morning start is around 04:00.

🚌On foot

🛏Tented camp at Wiñay Wayna (included)

• →Runkuraqay & Sayacmarca ruins
• →Phuyupatamarca
• →Wiñay Wayna terraces

Pre-dawn start to reach Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) as the light comes over Machu Picchu — the payoff for the trek. Descend into the citadel for a 2-hour guided tour included in your permit, then explore Circuit 2 (the recommended circuit, ~2-3 hours). Bus down to Aguas Calientes (~£10 one way) and take the afternoon or early-evening PeruRail/Inca Rail service back to Ollantaytambo (~£45-70) or the direct Poroy/Cusco service. Collectivo or taxi from Ollantaytambo to Cusco (~£5-8). Back in a San Blas hostel for a real shower.

🚌Machu Picchu shuttle bus (~£10) + train Aguas Calientes → Ollantaytambo/Cusco (~£55) + collectivo to Cusco (~£6)

🛏Cusco hostel dorm or private (~£10-16)

• →Sun Gate sunrise
• →Machu Picchu guided tour & Circuit 2
• →Train through the Urubamba gorge

Recovery day. Do the things the group tour leaves optional: the Inka Museum (~£2), Qorikancha (~£4), San Pedro market for a £3 lunch, and a wander up to San Blas. If you have legs left, book a Rainbow Mountain day trip direct from any Cusco agency for ~£20-30 (or £35-45 on GetYourGuide with breakfast and lunch) — departures are 04:00 and you're back by 17:00. Alternatively a Cusco cooking class (~£25) or a Cusco Tourist Ticket (~£28) covering Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley sites.

🚌Walking / local taxi (~£3)

🛏Cusco hostel dorm or private (~£10-16)

• →Inka Museum & Qorikancha
• →San Pedro market
• →Optional Rainbow Mountain day trip or cooking class

Breakfast, last wander through San Blas, and onward travel. If you're flying out, book a taxi to Alejandro Velasco Astete airport (~£3-4). If you're continuing independently, the bus to Puno (~£15) or Arequipa (~£18, 10 hours) is the natural next leg — and if you've got time, the Colca Canyon trek from Arequipa is a cheap two-day add-on (~£30 with a local agency).

🚌Airport taxi (~£4) or onward bus

🛏—

• →San Blas morning
• →Onward travel