Lake Titicaca & Machu Picchu — Self-Launched Adventure
8 days · Peru
G Adventures charges £1,799
No-markup version: ~£815 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An 8-day self-launched version of G Adventures' "Lake Titicaca & Machu Picchu Independent Adventure" (Lima to Cusco), rebuilt for independent travellers. You'll fly to Juliaca and overnight in Puno on the world's highest navigable lake, take a shared boat to the Uros floating islands and Taquile, bus the Altiplano to Cusco, ride the Sacred Valley by colectivo and train to Aguas Calientes, and visit Machu Picchu with a locally booked guide. Every element is bookable yourself through hostels, PeruRail, GetYourGuide/Klook or on the ground — expect to pay roughly a third of the packaged price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Lima — Miraflores & Barranco on foot
Lima
Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport and skip the £22 private transfer: the Airport Express Lima bus runs to Miraflores roughly every 30 minutes for about £7 (or an official airport taxi is ~£16). Check into a Miraflores or Barranco hostel dorm, then spend the afternoon walking the Malecón clifftop path down to Barranco's street art and the Bridge of Sighs. Book a cheap ceviche dinner in a local huarique (menu del día ~£4-6). Optional extras if you want them: Lima city walking tour (~£25 via GetYourGuide), bike tour of Miraflores/Barranco (~£25), or an evening cooking class (~£30).
🚌Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores ~£7; walking + local combi
🛏Hostel dorm in Miraflores or Barranco (~£14)
- →Malecón coastal walk
- →Barranco street art & Bridge of Sighs
- →Optional: GetYourGuide Lima walking tour (~£25)
- →Optional: bike tour Miraflores–Barranco (~£25)
Fly Lima to Juliaca, transfer to Puno
Puno
Book a morning LATAM or Sky Peru domestic flight Lima–Juliaca yourself (roughly £55-75 one way if booked a few weeks out; hand luggage only is cheapest). From Juliaca airport, shared taxis/vans to Puno take about 45-60 minutes and cost £4-6 per person — no private van needed. Settle into a guesthouse near the Plaza de Armas in Puno (3,830 m), drink plenty of coca tea, and take it easy on day one of altitude. Evening stroll to the cathedral and a simple alpaca or trout dinner.
🚌Domestic flight Lima–Juliaca ~£65; shared taxi Juliaca–Puno ~£5
🛏Guesthouse private room or dorm in central Puno (~£14)
- →Plaza de Armas & Puno cathedral
- →Acclimatisation walk along the lakefront
Uros floating islands & Taquile Island by shared boat
Lake Titicaca (Uros & Taquile)
Instead of a private excursion, book a shared full-day boat tour from Puno's muelle (pier) — agencies along Jr. Lima sell it for about £18-22 including entry fees and a simple lunch on Taquile. Boats leave around 7:30am for the Uros floating reed islands, then continue two hours across the lake to Taquile, where you walk the terraced trails and eat quinoa soup with a Quechua family. Community-run textile stalls on Taquile are the real thing, and you can buy directly. Back in Puno by early evening; book your bus to Cusco for tomorrow while you're at it.
🚌Shared tour boat from Puno pier (included in activity price)
🛏Guesthouse in Puno (~£14)
- →Uros floating islands visit
- →Taquile Island hike and community lunch
- →Optional: kayak on the lake (~£12 via local operators)
Altiplano bus Puno to Cusco
Cusco
Take a daytime tourist-class bus with Cruz del Sur, Transzela or Tour Peru — the direct service takes about 6.5 hours and costs £12-18, stopping at La Raya pass (4,335 m) and Pukará. Buy tickets online or at the Puno terminal the day before. The route across the Altiplano is the scenery G Adventures charges for; sit on the right side for the best views. Arrive Cusco (3,400 m) by late afternoon, check into a hostel in San Blas and keep the evening gentle — soup and coca tea, no big night out at altitude. Pick up your Machu Picchu entry ticket and PeruRail confirmation at an autorizado agency if not already bought online.
🚌Cruz del Sur / Transzela bus Puno–Cusco ~£15
🛏Hostel dorm or private in San Blas, Cusco (~£15)
- →La Raya pass photo stop
- →San Blas neighbourhood wander
- →Buy Machu Picchu entry + train tickets if not pre-booked
Sacred Valley by colectivo — Pisac, Ccaccaccollo weaving, Ollantaytambo
Sacred Valley / Urubamba
Do the Sacred Valley independently and cheaply: colectivos from Cusco's Puputi street to Pisac cost about £2, and Pisac's Sunday market and hillside ruins are worth a half-day. From Pisac take a local bus or shared taxi to Calca/Ccaccaccollo (~£2), where the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op welcomes drop-in visitors who buy directly from the weavers — the same community experience, minus the middleman. Continue to Lamay for lunch at the community-run Parwa restaurant (Huchuy Qosco road, ~£6 set menu), then a colectivo to Ollantaytambo (~£2). Overnight in Ollantaytambo rather than pricier Urubamba. Optional late-afternoon climb to the Pinkuylluna storehouses for free sunset views over the ruins, or a chicha stop in the cobbled lanes.
🚌Colectivos Cusco–Pisac–Calca–Ollantaytambo ~£8 total
🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (~£15)
- →Pisac ruins and market
- →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op visit (direct, pay for purchases)
- →Community lunch at Parwa restaurant, Lamay (~£6)
- →Pinkuylluna storehouse hike (free)
Ollantaytambo ruins, train to Aguas Calientes
Ollantaytambo → Aguas Calientes
Morning at the Ollantaytambo fortress ruins (use the boleto turístico if you bought one — ~£15 for the multi-site ticket, otherwise ~£4 single entry). Then board the PeruRail or Inca Rail Vistadome/Expedition service from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes — book online at least 2-3 weeks ahead (roughly £55-70 one way depending on class and season; the Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes leg is shorter and cheaper than from Poroy). The 1.5-hour ride through the Sacred Valley gorge is the highlight in itself. Check into a hostel in Aguas Calientes, buy your Machu Picchu bus ticket (round trip ~£22) or plan to walk up the 1,600 steps for free, and soak in the hot springs (~£5) in the evening.
🚌PeruRail/Inca Rail Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes ~£60
🛏Hostel in Aguas Calientes (~£16)
- →Ollantaytambo fortress ruins
- →Scenic train through the Urubamba gorge
- →Aguas Calientes hot springs (~£5)
Machu Picchu with a local guide, back to Cusco
Machu Picchu → Cusco
Get up early for the first buses (or the pre-dawn walk up) to catch sunrise over the citadel. Entry tickets must be bought in advance at machupicchu.gob.pe in your passport name — roughly £36 for the classic circuit; Huayna Picchu or Montaña add-ons need separate, often sold-out, permits. Rather than paying for an escorted guide across the whole trip, hire an official guide at the gate for about £15-20 per group (2 hours), or pre-book a small-group guided entry via GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£25-30 including entry arrangement help. After the ruins, take the bus down, grab lunch, and take the afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo (~£60) plus a shared van to Cusco (~£4) — or the evening PeruRail service straight to Poroy if available. Last night in Cusco.
🚌Machu Picchu shuttle bus ~£22 round trip; train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo ~£60; shared van to Cusco ~£4
🛏Hostel in San Blas, Cusco (~£15)
- →Machu Picchu sunrise entry (~£36)
- →Official on-site guide (~£18 per group)
- →Optional: Huayna Picchu climb (separate permit)
Cusco city day and departure
Cusco
Spend the morning on Cusco's highlights at your own pace: Qorikancha (~£3), the San Pedro market for breakfast and souvenirs, and the Inka Museum (~£2.50). A cheap local city tour by minibus around Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo and Tambomachay runs ~£10 if you want the archaeology without the walking. Take a shared airport shuttle or taxi to Alejandro Velasco Astete airport (~£4-6 shared, ~£8 private) for your onward or return flight — G Adventures excludes the return flight to Lima, and so does this plan. If you're flying out later, use the remaining hours for a final menu del día and a wander through San Blas.
🚌Shared shuttle/taxi to Cusco airport ~£5
🛏None (departure day)
- →Qorikancha
- →San Pedro market
- →Inka Museum
- →Optional: Sacsayhuamán local minibus tour ~£10
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£815 | £1,799 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £984 per person (55%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£815
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Lake Titicaca & Machu Picchu — Self-Launched Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £815 per person for 8 days in Peru. 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 £1,799 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £815 — a saving of roughly £984 (55%) per person.
How long is the Peru trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Peru.
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, culture, hiking trip through Peru, 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.