Self-Launched Machu Picchu & Galapagos: Cusco to Quito in 15 Days

Land at Alejandro Velasco Astete airport and take a taxi or colectivo to a hostel in the historic centre (San Blas or around Plaza de Armas). Take it very easy — Cusco sits at 3,400m. Drink coca tea, walk slowly, and do a short sunset loop of Plaza de Armas. Grab an early dinner of lomo saltado or menú del día at a local picantería (£4–6).

🚌Airport taxi to centre ~S/25–30 (£5–6)

🛏Hostel private room or 4-bed dorm, San Blas (e.g. Wild Rover, Kokopelli or similar), £12–20

• →Plaza de Armas sunset walk
• →Coca tea and altitude acclimatisation
• →Local menú del día dinner

Do the classic city walk yourself: Qoricancha (Sun Temple, ~S/20), then climb the hill to Sacsayhuaman fortress (~S/70 combined ticket with Q'enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay). Wander back down through San Cristobal and the San Blas artisan lanes, and finish at Mercado de Wanchaq or San Pedro market for a cheap lunch. Optionally add a free walking tour (tip-based) from Plaza de Armas for orientation and history.

🚌All on foot; local combi if tired ~£1

🛏Same hostel, Cusco, £12–20

• →Qoricancha entry
• →Sacsayhuaman + combined archaeological ticket
• →San Blas artisan neighbourhood
• →San Pedro or Wanchaq market lunch
• →Optional tip-based free walking tour

Book a shared Sacred Valley day tour or a local colectivo circuit out of Cusco (~£18–25 for a shared tour covering Chinchero, Moray and the Maras salt pans, with photo stops at the Urubamba valley). Explore the Moray agricultural terraces and view the Maras salt pans (~S/10 entry). Get dropped at Ollantaytambo and take the afternoon Inca Rail or PeruRail Expedition train to Aguas Calientes (~£35–45 one way) — book ahead at peak season. Evening soak in the hot springs by the river if you have energy.

🚌Shared minibus tour Cusco–Sacred Valley, train Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes

🛏Guesthouse in Aguas Calientes, £18–28

• →Moray ruins & terraces
• →Maras salt pans
• →Ollantaytambo village stop
• →Optional Aguas Calientes hot springs

Buy your Machu Picchu entry (Circuit 1 or 2, ~£40–50 booked weeks in advance on the official Ministerio de Cultura site) and take the 5:30am Consettur bus up the switchbacks (~£10 return) for the first light over the ruins. Wander with a self-booked small-group guide (GetYourGuide, ~£15) or use an audio guide. Bus back down, then take the afternoon train to Ollantaytambo and a shared van/bus back to Cusco (~£5).

🚌Consettur bus, train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo, shared van to Cusco

🛏Hostel private room or dorm, Cusco, £12–20

• →Sunrise at Machu Picchu
• →Self-booked guide or audio guide
• →Circuito Machu Picchu walk
• →Optional Huayna Picchu or Montana hike (extra ticket)

A relaxed day: museums (Museo Inka or Museo de Arte Precolombino, ~S/20 each), last market shopping in San Pedro, and a slow afternoon in a café planning the Ecuador leg. Confirm your Cusco–Lima–Quito and Quito–Galapagos flights and note the Galapagos TCT (transit control card) requirements. Optional evening cooking class (~£20).

🚌On foot

🛏Same hostel, Cusco, £12–20

• →Museo Inka or MAP Cusco
• →San Pedro market
• →Optional Peruvian cooking class
• →Confirm onward flights & Galapagos entry paperwork

Fly Cusco to Lima (~1h15) and connect Lima to Quito (~2h15). Book these as separate low-cost tickets well in advance (LATAM, JetSmart, Avianca) — this is where you save most versus the tour's bundled internal flights. Arrive Quito (2,850m) and take an authorised taxi or the airport bus to a hostel in La Mariscal or Centro Histórico. Light dinner and early night.

🚌Cusco–Lima–Quito flights (~£150–220 if booked early), airport taxi ~$8–10

🛏Hostel in La Mariscal or Centro Histórico, Quito, £14–22

• →Arrive Quito
• →Evening stroll in La Mariscal

Ride the free/discounted hop-on bus or a local bus up to El Panecillo for the Virgen de Quito viewpoint over the city (or Itchimbia Hill if traffic is bad). Walk down into the UNESCO Centro Histórico: La Compañía de Jesús (gold-leaf interior, $5), the Church of San Francisco, and the Plaza Grande. Optional climb of the Basílica del Voto Nacional towers ($3). Evening food crawl in La Ronda — empanadas de viento and jugo de naranjilla.

🚌Local bus/trole to El Panecillo ~$0.35 each way

🛏Same hostel, Quito, £14–22

• →Cerro Panecillo viewpoint
• →La Compañía church
• →Church of San Francisco
• →Basílica tower climb (optional)
• →La Ronda evening food crawl

Early flight Quito (or Guayaquil) to Baltra (GPS), ~£220–300 return booked in advance. Pay the $200 Galapagos National Park entrance and $20 TCT card on arrival. Shared bus + ferry across the Itabaca Channel to Santa Cruz, then a pickup or bus to Puerto Ayora. Hire a local taxi-guide for the highlands loop: Los Gemelos craters and a giant tortoise reserve in the agricultural zone (~$40–50 for half a day, shareable). Evening on the Puerto Ayora waterfront with sea lions and pelicans.

🚌Flight to Baltra, airport bus + ferry + bus to Puerto Ayora (~$10 total)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Puerto Ayora, £20–32

• →Los Gemelos twin craters
• →Highlands giant tortoise reserve
• →Puerto Ayora waterfront wildlife

Buy a morning speedboat ticket Puerto Ayora → Puerto Villamil (~$30–35, 2–2.5h; book a day ahead, and take seasickness tablets). Arrive on sleepy Isabela and walk to the Arnaldo Tupiza giant tortoise breeding centre ($5 donation). Follow the boardwalk through the Tunel del Estero mangroves to the long white beach — flamingos, marine iguanas and rays in the shallows. Free afternoon beach time.

🚌Shared speedboat Santa Cruz–Isabela, ~$32

🛏Hostal in Puerto Villamil, £18–28

• →Arnaldo Tupiza breeding centre
• →Tunel del Estero mangrove boardwalk
• →Puerto Villamil beach

Join a local Sierra Negra tour from Puerto Villamil (~$40–45 including guide and transport) — a 16km round-trip walk to the vast black lava caldera, with Volcán Chico lava fields if conditions allow. Afternoon at Concha y Perla, a sheltered snorkelling lagoon: rent mask and fins locally (~$10) and swim with sea turtles, rays and reef fish. Or take a shared water taxi ($5) to Las Tintoreras for penguins and sharks if you prefer.

🚌Local tour vehicle; walk or bike to Concha y Perla

🛏Same hostal, Puerto Villamil, £18–28

• →Sierra Negra volcano walk
• →Concha y Perla snorkelling
• →Snorkel gear rental
• →Optional Las Tintoreras boat

Morning boat trip to Las Tintoreras islets (~$35–40, 2.5h) — white-tip sharks resting in the lava channels, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and a snorkel stop. Check out and take the afternoon speedboat back to Puerto Ayora (~$32). Evening at the fish market watching pelicans and sea lions beg for scraps.

🚌Tintoreras boat, speedboat Isabela–Santa Cruz

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Puerto Ayora, £20–32

• →Las Tintoreras boat & snorkel
• →Wildlife watching at Puerto Ayora fish market

Walk 2.5km on the paved trail from town to Tortuga Bay (~45 min) for a long white-sand beach and a sheltered mangrove cove for swimming — go early for marine iguanas and no crowds. Afternoon at the Charles Darwin Research Station (free) to see the famous giant tortoise breeding programme including Lonesome George's legacy. Kayak rental at Tortuga Bay if you want (~$15).

🚌On foot to Tortuga Bay and the research station

🛏Same guesthouse, Puerto Ayora, £20–32

• →Tortuga Bay beach & mangrove swim
• →Charles Darwin Research Station
• →Optional kayak rental

Book a full-day bay/island tour from a Puerto Ayora agency the day before (~$110–150 including lunch, guide and snorkel gear) to Seymour Norte (frigatebirds, boobies, land iguanas), Plazas Sur, Santa Fe or Bartolomé. Land wildlife walk plus a snorkel stop with turtles, rays and reef sharks. Cheaper alternative: a half-day Santa Cruz bay tour (~$60) visiting Las Grietas and Playa de los Perros.

🚌Day boat from Puerto Ayora

🛏Same guesthouse, Puerto Ayora, £20–32

• →Full-day island boat tour with snorkelling
• →Land wildlife walk (boobies, iguanas, frigatebirds)

Bus and ferry back to Baltra (or fly out of San Cristóbal if that's how you ticketed it), then fly to Quito. Note the $20 departure-related checks and allow plenty of transfer time. Overnight near the airport or in the city depending on your onward flight — a hotel in Puembo or Tababela keeps it simple for an early departure.

🚌Ferry + airport bus Baltra, flight to Quito ~£100–150 one way (part of return fare)

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse near Quito airport, £20–30

• →Travel day
• →Optional evening in Quito old town

Breakfast, then a taxi or airport shuttle for Mariscal Sucre International. If you have a late flight, drop bags and do a last coffee-and-market morning in the Centro Histórico or visit the Botanical Garden.

🚌Airport taxi ~$8–10 or hostel shuttle

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional last-minute Quito wander
• →Departure