Self-Launched Inca Journey: Lima to Cusco Independently

Land at Jorge Chávez International (LIM) and get to Miraflores the local way: official Airport Express Lima bus direct to Miraflores (~S/25-30, roughly £5-6, 45-60 min) or a registered taxi via the airport desk (~S/60-80). Skip the operator's private 3-5 star hotels and check into a well-reviewed hostel or guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco (dorm £10-15, private room £22-30). Settle in, walk the Malecón clifftop path at sunset, then in the evening visit the Circuito Mágico del Agua (fountain park, entry ~S/4) — go with hostel-mates or a small-group tour if you want company, and eat at a menú-del-día spot or the Mercado de Surquillo food stalls (£4-6).

🚌Airport Express Lima bus or registered airport taxi to Miraflores

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco (dorm or budget private)

• →Malecón sunset walk
• →Circuito Mágico del Agua fountain park

Do Lima's historic centre independently: take the Metropolitano bus rapid transit to the Centro (~S/2.50) and walk the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral (entry ~S/10-15) and the Casa Aliaga colonial mansion (entry ~S/15-20, book or turn up early). Lunch in the centre at a cheap menú spot. In the afternoon ride the Metropolitano or a taxi (~£3-4) to the Museo Larco in Pueblo Libre (entry ~S/35) — its pre-Columbian ceramics and gold collection are the best context-setting you can get before Cusco. Prefer a guide for the centre? A half-day GetYourGuide walking tour in English runs roughly £20-30 and can replace the operator's private guide.

🚌Metropolitano bus rapid transit and short taxi rides

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Miraflores or Barranco

• →Plaza Mayor and Cathedral tour
• →Casa Aliaga
• →Museo Larco

Take an early domestic flight Lima–Cusco (booked direct on Sky, Latam or JetSmart, realistically £55-90 one way; a 21-hour bus exists via Arequipa but costs you a day). Check into a San Blas or Centro guesthouse (dorm £9-14, private £20-30) and go slow on the altitude — coca tea, water, no rushing. In the afternoon do the city-side Inca sites: Qorikancha/Santo Domingo Convent (entry ~S/15), Cusco Cathedral (~S/25) and then the Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay circuit. Buy the Boleto Turístico parcial (~S/70) that covers Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and several museums, and reach the sites by colectivo from Plaza de Armas (~S/2-3) or a taxi. Rest early.

🚌Domestic flight LIM–CUZ plus colectivo/taxi to the Inca circuit

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Cusco Centro or San Blas

• →Qorikancha / Santo Domingo Convent
• →Cusco Cathedral
• →Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara
• →Boleto Turístico purchase

Make your own Sacred Valley day via shared taxis: from Cusco take a colectivo/taxi to Chinchero or Urubamba, then a shared taxi to Maras village and onwards to the Salineras de Maras (salt pans entry ~S/10-20, plus the Maras community fee). Walk down to the salt terraces, then take a shared taxi to the Moray terraces (entry covered by the Boleto Turístico). Alternatively, a GetYourGuide/Klook small-group Maras–Moray day tour including transport runs roughly £25-40 and saves you the logistics. Return to Cusco in the afternoon and spend the evening sorting tomorrow's Machu Picchu logistics and light dinner in San Blas.

🚌Colectivos and shared taxis to Maras/Moray and back

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Cusco

• →Salineras de Maras salt pans
• →Moray agricultural terraces

Buy your Machu Picchu entrance ticket in advance on the official Ministerio de Cultura site (roughly £35-45, and note buses/train are separate) and your PeruRail or Inca Rail ticket from Ollantaytambo (or Poroy/Cusco) in advance — the Expedition/Voyager class is roughly £45-70 return depending on season and booking window. Take a colectivo from Cusco to Ollantaytambo (~S/10-15, 1.5-2 hrs), then the Vistadome-free/shared train (1.5 hrs) to Aguas Calientes. Store your bag at the guesthouse, take the Consettur bus up to Machu Picchu (round trip ~£20-24) for your timed entry, and join a small-group or shared English guide at the gate (~£15-25) or book ahead on GetYourGuide. Lunch at a cheap local set-menu place instead of Café Inkaterra. Optional evening soak in the Baños Termales (~S/20).

🚌Colectivo Cusco–Ollantaytambo, train to Aguas Calientes, Consettur shuttle bus

🛏Guesthouse in Aguas Calientes (dorm or budget private)

• →Machu Picchu guided small-group visit
• →Ollantaytambo transfer
• →Optional Aguas Calientes hot springs

If you scored an early entry slot and Huayna Picchu or Inti Punku permits (both limited, released with the main ticket — book months ahead), head up on the first buses around 5:30am for sunrise. Otherwise take a gentle morning walk along the river, coffee in the plaza, and the train back to Ollantaytambo, then a colectivo or budget bus to Cusco (£6-10). Overnight in Cusco; if you have energy, wander San Pedro market for cheap eats (£4-6) and pick up last-minute souvenirs on Avenida El Sol.

🚌Return train Aguas Calientes–Ollantaytambo plus colectivo to Cusco

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Cusco

• →Optional second Machu Picchu entry / Huayna Picchu
• →San Pedro Market food stalls

Last breakfast in the plaza, then a registered taxi or airport bus to Alejandro Velasco Astete International (CUZ) — taxis within Cusco run roughly S/20-35 (£4-7). If your onward flight is later in the day, use the morning for the Museo de Arte Precolombino or a final San Blas coffee before heading to the airport.

🚌Taxi or airport bus to Cusco airport

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional MAP museum visit