Peru Self-Launched: Machu Picchu to the Amazon
10 days · Peru
G Adventures charges £2,760
No-markup version: ~£1,050 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 10-day version of G Adventures' family Peru journey — Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco and a Tambopata rainforest lodge — rebuilt for independent travellers using local buses, PeruRail, domestic flights and directly-booked guided day tours. You book the same highlights (weaving co-op, Pisac market, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu with a licensed guide, Cusco Planetarium, Amazon night walk and caiman cruise) yourself via GetYourGuide, Klook or direct with providers, for roughly a third of the package price. Costs are approximate per-person estimates for double/twin shared accommodation and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Lima — Miraflores & welcome ceviche
Lima
Land at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take an official taxi or airport bus (Airport Express Lima, ~S/20-30 / £5-7) to a hostel or guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco — both are walkable, safe and well linked by the Metropolitano bus. Spend the afternoon on the Malecón clifftop walk, then eat ceviche and causa at a local menú del día spot. Optional evening: book a Lima cooking class via GetYourGuide (~£30-45) or a Barranco street-food walk (~£20). Check your Machu Picchu and train tickets are printed/offline-saved tonight.
🚌Airport taxi/bus ~£6; walking and Metropolitano card (~£1 per ride)
🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Miraflores/Barranco (private twin room, ~£20-30/night)
- →Malecón clifftop walk
- →Ceviche dinner in Miraflores
- →Optional: Lima cooking class or Barranco food walk
Fly to Cusco, transfer to Piuray Lake and the Sacred Valley
Sacred Valley (Urubamba)
Take an early morning domestic flight Lima–Cusco (book Lima–CUZ on LATAM or Sky, ~£45-70 one way; the same route G Adventures includes). At Cusco airport take a shared or private taxi direct to Urubamba (~1h15, ~£15-25 per car / £5-8 per person shared) rather than going into Cusco city first. Stop at Laguna Piuray for a lakeside lunch — you can arrange a simple picnic lunch or day-pass at one of the lakeside restaurants without a tour. Settle into a family guesthouse in Urubamba. Take it gently on arrival day: coca tea, early night, no alcohol — you're at ~2,800m.
🚌Domestic flight Lima–Cusco ~£50-70; airport taxi to Urubamba ~£20
🛏Guesthouse/hostal in Urubamba with private twin room (~£20-30/night)
- →Lima–Cusco flight
- →Piuray Lake lakeside lunch and mountain views
- →Altitude acclimatisation walk
Weaving co-op, Pisac market, Parwa community lunch, Maras & Moray
Sacred Valley
Book a Sacred Valley day tour through GetYourGuide or Klook (~£25-40) that covers the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-operative (the same Planeterra-supported co-op the tour visits — you can buy directly from the weavers), the Pisac handicraft market (bring small soles for bargaining) and the Inca terraces of Ollantaytambo, with a farm-to-table lunch at the community-run Parwa restaurant in Lamay (included in most tours, or ~£10-12 standalone). In the afternoon either relax or hire a taxi from Urubamba for the Maras salt pans and Moray amphitheatre loop (~£15-20 per car, entry ~S/10-20 each).
🚌Shared guided shuttle for the day (included in tour) or local colectivo ~£2-3 per leg
🛏Guesthouse in Urubamba
- →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-operative visit
- →Pisac market
- →Parwa community restaurant lunch
- →Optional: Maras salt pans & Moray ruins by taxi
Ollantaytambo fortress, train to Aguas Calientes
Aguas Calientes
Visit the Ollantaytambo archaeological site in the morning (entry with the Boleto Turístico, ~S/70 / £15, or the partial ticket ~S/40). Then board the PeruRail or Inca Rail Vistadome/Expedition train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (~1.5h, book 4-8 weeks ahead; ~£45-65 return is typical off-peak). In Aguas Calientes, drop bags at your guesthouse and walk to the butterfly house (Mariposario, ~S/15) or soak in the hot springs (~S/20 / £4-5). Buy your Machu Picchu bus ticket and confirm your circuit time tonight.
🚌Taxi Urubamba–Ollantaytambo ~£6; PeruRail/Inca Rail train ~£25-35 one way
🛏Small guesthouse in Aguas Calientes (~£25-35/night)
- →Ollantaytambo fortress and terraces
- →Scenic Urubamba Valley train ride
- →Butterfly house or Aguas Calientes hot springs
Machu Picchu at dawn, then back to Cusco
Machu Picchu / Cusco
Take the first Consettur bus up (~£8 one way, or walk the stairs in ~1.5h) and enter Machu Picchu with a pre-booked timed ticket on your chosen circuit (circuit 2 or 3 classic routes, ~S/152 / £32) plus a licensed guide arranged at the gate or pre-booked (~£20-30 per person in a small group). Regulations require a fixed circuit — buy the ticket weeks ahead on the official Ministerio de Cultura site or via GetYourGuide as tickets sell out. Come down by bus, collect bags, and take the afternoon train to Ollantaytambo, then a shared van/colectivo to Cusco (~1.5h, ~£5-8) or a private transfer (~£25).
🚌Consettur bus return ~£16; train ~£30; van Ollantaytambo–Cusco ~£7
🛏Hostal/guesthouse in Cusco historic centre (~£20-30/night)
- →Machu Picchu guided circuit at early entry
- →Optional: climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain (extra ticket)
Cusco markets, museum and the Planetarium
Cusco
Free day on foot in Cusco: San Pedro Market for tamales, juice stalls and pickled-snake souvenirs; the Machu Picchu Museum (Museo Machu Picchu / Casa Concha, ~S/20-30) with its Inca artefacts excavated by Hiram Bingham. Optional Cusco city tour with Sacsayhuamán (~£20-30 via GetYourGuide) or a chocolate-making workshop (~£12-15). In the evening book the Cusco Planetarium directly (~S/40-60 / £10-14) — a small van collects you from the centre — for telescopes and the Inca astronomy talk. Dress in layers: nights are cold at 3,400m.
🚌Walking; taxi to planetarium pickup ~£2
🛏Hostal in Cusco historic centre
- →San Pedro Market
- →Machu Picchu Museum
- →Cusco Planetarium
- →Optional: Sacsayhuamán city tour or chocolate workshop
Fly to Puerto Maldonado, canoe to the Amazon lodge
Tambopata National Reserve
Early flight Cusco–Puerto Maldonado (~£45-70; LATAM/Sky, ~45 min). Most rainforest lodges in Tambopata include the motorised-canoe transfer from Puerto Maldonado plus all meals, guided walks and excursions — book the 2-night package directly with a lodge such as a mid-range eco-lodge (roughly £90-140 per night per person all-inclusive, or ~£70-100 for basic options). Cruise ~45 min to 3h up the Tambopata/Madre de Dios river looking for macaws and capybara, unpack in a thatched cabaña, then take an afternoon jungle walk with a naturalist guide and a night walk with head torches for frogs, tarantulas and owls.
🚌Domestic flight ~£55; lodge boat transfer included
🛏Rainforest eco-lodge, Tambopata (2 nights, meals and guides included)
- →Flight to Puerto Maldonado
- →Motorised canoe upriver
- →Afternoon naturalist jungle walk
- →Night walk for frogs, insects and owls
Oxbow lake, canopy wildlife and caiman cruise
Tambopata National Reserve
Full day in the reserve. Morning canoe trip to an oxbow lake with dugout canoes to look for giant river otters, turtles and hoatzins, plus a canopy walk or clay-lick visit (some lodges run parrot clay licks). Afternoon siesta, then an early-evening motorised-canoe excursion to spot caimans on the river bank — bring a torch. All guiding and boat trips are included in the lodge package; tips for guides are extra (~£5-10 per person).
🚌Lodge boats and walking (included)
🛏Rainforest eco-lodge, Tambopata
- →Oxbow lake and dugout canoe paddle
- →Canopy walkway / clay lick
- →Evening caiman-spotting cruise
Return to Lima and farewell dinner
Lima
Breakfast at the lodge, then the included boat back to Puerto Maldonado for the afternoon flight to Lima (~£55-80). Check into a Miraflores or Barranco guesthouse and celebrate the trip over a farewell dinner — anticuchos, lomo saltado and a pisco sour in Barranco (~£15-20).
🚌Lodge boat (included); flight Puerto Maldonado–Lima ~£65; airport transfer ~£6
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco (~£20-30/night)
- →Morning river transfer
- →Flight to Lima
- →Farewell dinner in Barranco
Depart Lima
Lima
Check out and take an airport bus or taxi for your international flight. If your flight is late, add a morning surf lesson in Miraflores (~£20) or a wander through Barranco's murals.
🚌Airport bus/taxi ~£6
🛏—
- →Departure transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,050 | £2,760 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,710 per person (62%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,050
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 Self-Launched: Machu Picchu to the Amazon cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,050 per person for 10 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 £2,760 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,050 — a saving of roughly £1,710 (62%) per person.
How long is the Peru trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 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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