Peru Family Experience — Self-Launched
9 days · Peru
G Adventures charges £1,890
No-markup version: ~£1,620 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of G Adventures' 9-day "Peru Family Experience": Lima, two nights in an Amazon jungle lodge near Puerto Maldonado, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, and Cusco. Instead of private vans and a group CEO you book your own jungle lodge with naturalist excursions, take the local LATAM/Sky flights booked direct, use colectivos and the PeruRail Vistadome/Expedition train, ride local buses to Ollantaytambo, and pre-book a small-group Machu Picchu guided entry via GetYourGuide. Same highlights, roughly a third of the price. Costs are approximate per person, based on budget family-friendly guesthouses and local transport. Note: a child traveller is assumed; adults-only groups will find hotel prices slightly lower.
Day-by-day
Arrive Lima — Miraflores & Barranco
Lima
Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take an authorised taxi or airport bus (Airport Express Lima, ~£5-8) to a guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco. Check in, then walk the Malecón clifftop promenade at sunset and eat at a local menú del día spot or a casual ceviche counter in Barranco. Keep it light — you fly to the jungle early tomorrow.
🚌Authorised airport taxi or Airport Express bus (~£5-8 per person)
🛏Family-friendly guesthouse or budget hotel in Miraflores/Barranco (triple or family room, ~£35-45/night for the room)
- →Malecón sunset walk
- →Barranco street art and Puente de los Suspiros
- →Casual ceviche dinner
Fly to Puerto Maldonado & into the Amazon
Puerto Maldonado / Tambopata
Fly Lima–Puerto Maldonado (LATAM or Sky, ~£60-90 one way if booked 4-8 weeks ahead). At the airport, lodges meet guests; book a Tambopata lodge directly (e.g. Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas, Wasai Maldonado, or a mid-range eco-lodge) with transfer included. A motorised canoe ride up the Río Tambopata takes you to the lodge, followed by an afternoon nature walk with a resident naturalist and a night walk or caiman-spotting trip on the river.
🚌Domestic flight (~£60-90) plus lodge-included canoe transfer
🛏Amazon eco-lodge near Tambopata (2 nights, ~£45-70/night including meals and guides)
- →Domestic flight to Puerto Maldonado
- →Motorised canoe transfer up the Tambopata
- →Afternoon nature walk with lodge naturalist
- →Night walk / caiman spotting
Oxbow lakes, clay licks and canopy towers
Tambopata
Full day of lodge-run excursions: an early-morning boat trip to an oxbow lake for giant river otters and hoatzins, a visit to a small clay lick for parrots and macaws, and the canopy tower for treetop views. Learn about medicinal plants and forest uses from your naturalist guide. Most lodges include three meals and two guided excursions per day in the nightly rate — confirm this when booking. Rubber boots are provided free.
🚌Lodge boats and walking (included)
🛏Amazon eco-lodge near Tambopata
- →Oxbow lake boat excursion
- →Clay lick parrot/macaw viewing
- →Canopy tower climb
- →Medicinal plant walk
Fly to Cusco — acclimatise
Cusco
Canoe back to Puerto Maldonado for a late-morning flight to Cusco (~£55-85). From Cusco airport take a taxi to your guesthouse in San Blas (~£2-4). Take it easy at 3,400m: gentle wander around Plaza de Armas, a coca tea, and an early dinner. Book Machu Picchu entry and train tickets today if you haven't already — circuits sell out in high season.
🚌Domestic flight (~£55-85), airport taxi (~£3)
🛏Family guesthouse or budget hotel in Cusco San Blas/Centro (~£40-55/night family room)
- →Flight to Cusco
- →Plaza de Armas and San Blas wander
- →Coca tea and early night for altitude
Sacred Valley & train to Aguas Calientes
Ollantaytambo / Aguas Calientes
Take a colectivo or minibus from Cusco to Chinchero/Ccaccaccollo (~£2) to visit the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op, where you can buy directly from the weavers and watch a demonstration — this is a Planeterra-supported community project open to independent visitors. Continue by local bus to Ollantaytambo (~£1-2), explore the terraces, then catch the PeruRail or Inca Rail train to Aguas Calientes (~£45-70 return with the Expedition/Vistadome class). Settle into a hostel or guesthouse and eat along the river.
🚌Colectivo Cusco–Chinchero (~£2), bus to Ollantaytambo (~£1.50), PeruRail/Inca Rail train (~£45-70 return)
🛏Guesthouse in Aguas Calientes (~£40-60/night family room, book early)
- →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op visit
- →Ollantaytambo Inca terraces
- →Scenic train to Aguas Calientes
Machu Picchu with a small-group guide
Machu Picchu / Cusco
Take the early Consettur bus up to the ruins (~£10 return) or walk the steps. Enter on your pre-booked circuit (buy Circuit 1 or 2 on the official machupicchu.gob.pe site as soon as your dates open, ~£38 adult / cheaper for children) with a licensed guide hired at the gate or pre-booked via GetYourGuide (~£25-35 per group or small group). Allow 2-3 hours on site, then bus down, lunch, and take an afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo, connecting by local bus or shared van to Cusco (~£2-3).
🚌Consettur bus (~£10 return), train (~included in return ticket), shared van Ollantaytambo–Cusco (~£3)
🛏Family guesthouse in Cusco
- →Machu Picchu guided tour (Circuit 1/2)
- →Consettur bus up to the ruins
- →Afternoon train and bus back to Cusco
Cusco chocolate workshop & Sacsayhuamán
Cusco
Morning at the ChocoMuseo or Museo del Cacao for a bean-to-bar workshop (~£18-25 per person, book direct by email/WhatsApp) — make your own truffles and hot chocolate. Free afternoon: walk up to Sacsayhuamán (~£8 combined Boleto Turístico), or the San Pedro market for souvenirs. Optional: a kid-friendly horseback ride or the Planetarium. Dinner at a picantería for local Andean dishes.
🚌Walking and short taxis (~£4)
🛏Family guesthouse in Cusco
- →Chocolate-making workshop
- →Sacsayhuamán and Q'enqo ruins
- →San Pedro Market
Cusco morning, fly to Lima
Cusco / Lima
Morning free for last shopping in San Blas or a slow breakfast. Afternoon flight Cusco–Lima (~£55-85). Transfer to Miraflores, then a farewell dinner — try a family-friendly criollo restaurant or a pisco sour for the adults. Optional Lima cooking class (GetYourGuide, ~£60) can be swapped into the morning if you take an evening flight.
🚌Domestic flight (~£55-85), airport taxi (~£5-8)
🛏Family-friendly guesthouse or budget hotel in Miraflores (~£35-45/night
- →San Blas shopping
- →Flight to Lima
- →Farewell dinner in Miraflores
Depart Lima
Lima
Breakfast, then airport transfer for your international flight. If your flight leaves late, squeeze in a morning at the Larco Museum (~£8) or the Parque de la Reserva fountains.
🚌Airport taxi or Airport Express bus (~£5-8)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Optional Larco Museum
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,620 | £1,890 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £270 per person (14%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,620
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 Family Experience — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,620 per person for 9 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 £1,890 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,620 — a saving of roughly £270 (14%) per person.
How long is the Peru trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 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?
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