Peru & the Galápagos Islands: Self-Launched Andes to Equator Adventure

Land at Jorge Chávez Airport and take an authorised taxi or airport bus into Miraflores or Barranco (≈£8-12, roughly 45-60 min). Skip the paid arrival transfer — the airport taxi desk or an Uber works fine. Settle in, then walk the Malecón clifftop at sunset and eat your first ceviche and lomo saltado at a casual local spot. Do not plan anything strenuous — you're at sea level here, but altitude comes tomorrow.

🚌Airport taxi or bus to Miraflores ≈£10

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Miraflores/Barranco, private room ≈£22-30/night

• →Malecón sunset walk
• →Ceviche dinner in Barranco

Early flight Lima–Cusco (≈1h20, LATAM or SKY, book 6-8 weeks ahead for ≈£60-90 one way). Rather than sleep in Cusco, go straight down to the Sacred Valley (2,800m) to acclimatise — take a colectivo or shared van from Cusco's Puente Grau/Grifería area to Urubamba or Ollantaytambo (≈£2-4, 1.5-2h). In the afternoon, hire a taxi driver for the Maras salt pans and the Moray agricultural terraces (≈£25-35 for a half day, split with other travellers from your guesthouse). Dinner in Urubamba — try the local pachamanca-style set menus, or book a private pachamanca lunch/dinner with a valley family via GetYourGuide.

🚌Lima–Cusco flight ≈£75; airport-to-valley colectivo ≈£3; taxi to Maras & Moray ≈£30 split

🛏Guesthouse in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo ≈£20-28/night

• →Maras salt pans (entry ≈£3)
• →Moray Inca terraces (entry ≈£3)
• →Pachamanca-style dinner

Do the G-Adventures highlight independently. The Parque de la Papa (Potato Park) near Pisac is community-run and open to independent visitors — arrange a guided community walk through a Pisac tour office or your guesthouse (≈£15-20, includes a weaving and cultivation walk with a local guide). Then take a colectivo to Ollantaytambo and climb the terraces of the fortress (entry on the Boleto Turístico, ≈£15 for the multi-site pass covering Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray and more). Lunch at one of the community-run farm-to-table restaurants in Lamay or Huchuy Qosqo — Parwa-style community restaurants can be booked direct or simply turn up at lunch.

🚌Colectivos between Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo ≈£4 total

🛏Guesthouse in Urubamba/Ollantaytambo ≈£20-28/night

• →Parque de la Papa community visit ≈£18
• →Ollantaytambo fortress (Boleto Turístico ≈£15)
• →Pisac ruins
• →Community restaurant lunch ≈£7

Book PeruRail's Expedition or Vistadome service from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes yourself online (≈£55-75 one way, 1.5h) — reserve 4-6 weeks ahead, it sells out. Drop your bag at your guesthouse and spend the afternoon on options: the Baños Termales hot springs (≈£4), the Mandor waterfall gardens (≈£5 entry, 1.5h walk along the train tracks), or the butterfly house. Buy your Machu Picchu bus ticket (Consettur, ≈£10 return) tonight for an early start, and double-check your timed Machu Picchu entry slot (book at machupicchu.gob.pe or via a reseller weeks ahead; circuits are first-come-first-served — Circuit 2 is the classic route).

🚌PeruRail Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes ≈£65

🛏Guesthouse in Aguas Calientes ≈£25-35/night

• →Hot springs (≈£4)
• →Mandor gardens walk (≈£5)

First buses up from about 5:30am; be at the gate for your entry slot to catch the citadel in soft morning light. A licensed on-site guide can be hired at the entrance for ≈£20-25 per group (split with other travellers) or pre-book a small-group 2h tour on GetYourGuide for ≈£25-35 per person. After the circuit, take the Consettur bus back down, collect your bag and take the afternoon PeruRail train to Poroy/Ollantaytambo, then a colectivo or taxi to Cusco (≈1h). Evening free in Cusco's San Blas.

🚌Consettur bus ≈£10 return; PeruRail to Poroy ≈£60; taxi/colectivo to Cusco ≈£4

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Cusco historic centre ≈£20-30/night

• →Machu Picchu entry ≈£40
• →Guided tour ≈£30

Self-guided day: Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha, the Inka Museum (≈£2.50) and the Sacsayhuamán fortress on the Boleto Turístico, or a 4h city walking tour on GetYourGuide (≈£10-15). Keep it slow — you're at 3,400m. In the evening book the Cusco Planetarium directly (Planetario Cusco, in the Llaullipata reserve above town, ≈£15-20 per person, book 1-2 days ahead or by phone/WhatsApp) for a guided southern-sky session with telescopes — the same experience the group tour includes.

🚌Walking; taxi to planetarium ≈£4

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Cusco ≈£20-30/night

• →Cusco walking tour ≈£12
• →Sacsayhuamán (Boleto Turístico)
• →Cusco Planetarium ≈£18

Morning flight Cusco–Lima (≈£60-85). Stay in the historic centre or Miraflores. Afternoon: San Francisco Monastery and its catacombs (≈£5) and a wander across Plaza Mayor, then a pisco sour and Peruvian tapas crawl in Barranco. If you want a proper food experience, book a Lima cooking class or a Barranco food tour on GetYourGuide/Klook (≈£35-55).

🚌Cusco–Lima flight ≈£75; airport transfer ≈£8

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lima ≈£22-30/night

• →San Francisco Monastery ≈£5
• →Barranco food/tapas walk
• →Optional cooking class ≈£45

Lima–Quito flight (≈2h15, LATAM/Avianca/JetSMART, ≈£120-180 one way — book early). Arrive and take a taxi or airport bus to the Mariscal or Centro Histórico (≈£6-8). Late afternoon is for acclimatising gently (Quito sits at 2,850m): coffee, a viewpoint, and an early night. Note that you'll need the Galápagos prep checked off soon: transit control card (INGALA, ≈£16/$20, can be pre-registered online but paid in cash) and the national park entry (≈£160/$200, paid in cash at Baltra).

🚌Lima–Quito flight ≈£150; airport taxi ≈£7

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Quito ≈£20-28/night

• →Old town evening stroll
• →Café and viewpoint

Do a free or low-cost walking tour of the Centro Histórico (free-tour tip ≈£8-10) from Plaza Grande to La Compañía de Jesús (entry ≈£4) and San Francisco Plaza. Book a cacao/chocolate tasting at a local shop such as Chez Tiff or a chocolate workshop on GetYourGuide (≈£20-30). In the afternoon take a taxi or the Mitad del Mundo bus to the Intiñan Museum on the equator line (entry ≈£4-5, experiments included) — independent visitors are welcome. Evening: rooftop terrace or street food in La Ronda.

🚌Local taxi/bus ≈£6

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Quito ≈£20-28/night

• →Walking tour tip ≈£10
• →La Compañía entry ≈£4
• →Chocolate tasting ≈£25
• →Intiñan Museum ≈£5

Morning flight Quito–Baltra (≈2h, ≈£220-320 return booked as a round trip in advance; add the £160 park fee in cash and the £16 transit card). Cross from Baltra to Santa Cruz by the free airline bus plus the public ferry/lancha at Itabaca Channel (≈£4) and a bus or taxi to Puerto Ayora (≈£2-8). In the afternoon do the highlands independently: taxi to the El Chato giant tortoise reserve (entry ≈£5-6, tortoises in the wild) and an organic farm such as the one on the Santa Cruz highlands circuit — many farms welcome walk-in visitors for lunch and a farm tour for ≈£15-25; ask your host to arrange it and plant a Scalesia sapling if the farm offers it.

🚌Quito–Baltra flight ≈£270 return (allocated across days); Baltra transfer ≈£10

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Ayora ≈£25-40/night

• →El Chato giant tortoise reserve ≈£6
• →Organic farm visit and lunch ≈£20

Book a full-day boat excursion yourself in Puerto Ayora, ideally 1-2 days ahead at the tour agencies along Avenida Charles Darwin — prices are negotiable and comparable (≈£120-170 per person for a full day including naturalist guide, lunch, snorkel gear and park fees). Choose Bartolomé (iconic Pinnacle Rock), North Seymour (frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies) or South Plaza. Morning walk on wild trails, lunch on board, then snorkelling with sea turtles, rays, tropical fish and reef sharks. Boats leave around 7am and return late afternoon.

🚌Included in day-boat price

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Ayora ≈£25-40/night

• →Full-day island boat excursion with snorkelling ≈£145

Walk the 2.5km trail to Tortuga Bay early (free, no guide needed; register at the entrance) — marine iguanas on white sand and a calm mangrove lagoon. Back to town for lunch, then walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station and Fausto Llerena breeding centre (entry included in your park fee, free to enter) to see giant tortoises and the Lonesome George exhibit. Afternoon free: kayak in the bay, or book a snorkel at Las Grietas (free walk-in, or ≈£20 boat).

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Ayora ≈£25-40/night

• →Tortuga Bay walk (free)
• →Charles Darwin Research Station (free with park fee)

Take the public inter-island speedboat from Santa Cruz to San Cristóbal (≈2-2.5h, ≈£35-45 one way, book a day ahead; motion-sickness tablets advised). Afternoon: the Gianny Arismendi Interpretation Centre (free) on the history and volcanic origins of the islands, then hike up to the Las Tijeretas lookout for frigatebirds and a snorkel in the cove. Sunset and sea lions at the malecón.

🚌Inter-island speedboat ≈£40

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno ≈£25-40/night

• →Interpretation Centre (free)
• →Las Tijeretas hike and snorkel

Morning at leisure — optional independently-booked excursion to Kicker Rock (León Dormido) for snorkelling with sharks and turtles (≈£110-140), or Playa Mann and the town's sea lions for free. Midday flight San Cristóbal–Quito via Guayaquil (≈2.5-3h, SCY–UIO; book as part of your open-jaw Galápagos ticket or a separate one-way ≈£120-180). Check into a Quito hotel near the airport or in the centre.

🚌San Cristóbal–Quito flight ≈£150

🛏Budget hotel near Quito airport or centre ≈£25-35/night

• →Optional Kicker Rock snorkel ≈£125
• →Beach and sea lions

Departure day. With an onwards flight from 20:00 or later, there's time for a final morning in Quito: the Mercado Central for a cheap almuerzo, last-minute chocolate shopping, or the TelefériQo cable car (≈£7) if you have a full day. Airport bus or taxi to Mariscal Sucre (≈£7).

🚌Airport taxi ≈£7

🛏—

• →Mercado Central
• →Optional TelefériQo ≈£7