Self-Launched: Highlights & Hidden Gems of Argentina & Brazil (Buenos Aires to Salvador, 22 Days)

Arrive at Ezeiza (EZE) airport and take the official taxi or remise to a hostel in Palermo Soho or San Telmo (approx ARS 20,000 / £18–25 shared or ARS 40,000 / £30–38 for a private remise). Settle in, get cash from an ATM, and wander your neighbourhood at dusk. Evening: pick up an empanada and a Quilmes, and orientate yourself around Plaza de Mayo on foot tomorrow.

🚌Airport remise or taxi (approx £25)

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in Palermo Soho / San Telmo (approx £18–28)

• →Neighbourhood orientation walk
• →Supermarket and cash run

Use the excellent public buses and Subte (day pass/SUBE card ~ARS 2,000 / £2). Morning at Recoleta Cemetery (free entry), then a free walking tour (Buenos Aires has several, tip-based) covering Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada. Afternoon: La Boca's Caminito (don't wander far beyond it after dark). Evening: do the classic Argentine asado at a parrilla in San Telmo — budget £12–18 for a steak with sides. Optional tango class in a San Telmo milonga (approx £8–12).

🚌SUBE card + local bus/Subte (approx £3)

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in Palermo Soho / San Telmo (approx £18–28)

• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →Tip-based free walking tour
• →Caminito, La Boca
• →Optional tango class

Morning domestic flight from Buenos Aires (AEP) to Puerto Iguazú (IGR) — book direct with Aerolíneas Argentinas, Flybondi or JetSmart well in advance, approx £70–110 one-way. Take the local bus or a shared transfer from the airport into town (~ARS 3,000 / £3). Afternoon free: the Hito Tres Fronteras viewpoint is free and faces both Brazil and Paraguay. Evening: buy your Puerto Iguazú park ticket online in advance to skip queues tomorrow.

🚌Domestic flight BA–Iguazú approx £90 + airport bus £3

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Puerto Iguazú (approx £18–28)

• →Hito Tres Fronteras museum and viewpoint
• →Güira Oga wildlife refuge (optional, approx £8)

Full day in Parque Nacional Iguazú (entry approx ARS 45,000 / £32, book online). Take the park shuttle from Pto. Iguazú town or the arena bus. Walk the Upper and Lower Circuit trails and the Devil's Throat catwalk. Optional Gran Aventura boat into the falls (approx £55 — book at the park entrance or via GetYourGuide). Pack your own lunch and 2–3 L of water; park food is pricey.

🚌Arena bus to park entrance (approx £3 return)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Puerto Iguazú (approx £18–28)

• →Lower and Upper Circuits
• →Devil's Throat catwalk
• →Optional Gran Aventura boat ride (approx £55)

Cross the border by local bus via the Tancredo Neves bridge (or pre-book a shared Border Transfer, approx £10) into Brazil. Check in, swap our Argentine park ticket for the Brazilian side (Parque Nacional do Iguaçu entry approx R$100 / £16, buses included). The Brazilian side gives the panoramic view of the Devil's Throat. Evening: relax and prep for tomorrow's flight.

🚌Border-crossing local bus / shared transfer approx £10

🛏Budget pousada or hostel in Foz do Iguaçu (approx £16–26)

• →Brazilian-side falls trail and catwalk

Morning flight Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) to São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), approx £50–85. From GRU take a São Paulo domestic bus to the Central do Brasil / Tietê terminal (R$30 / £5), then a long-distance bus from Rodoviária do Tietê to Paraty (4–5 hrs, approx R$100 / £16, several daily). Check into a pousada in the cobbled historic centre. Evening: cachaça, bar snacks and the waterfront.

🚌Flight approx £70 + GRU-to-terminal bus £5 + long-distance bus £16

🛏Pousada or hostel in Paraty historic centre (approx £22–32)

• →Colonial centre evening walk

Join a shared schooner boat tour of Paraty Bay's islands and beaches (approx R$100–150 / £16–24, bookable on the pier or via GetYourGuide/Klook; includes snorkel stops). Swap for a walking tour of the colonial centre with a cachaça tasting (approx R$160 / £26). For the DIY version, walk yourself to the cachaça stills in Paraty-Mirim or the more atmospheric Fazenda Murycana, 20 mins by shared taxi. Evening: eat at a cheap per-kilo buffet.

🚌Walkable; optional shared taxi approx £4

🛏Pousada or hostel in Paraty historic centre (approx £22–32)

• →Shared schooner bay tour
• →Colonial centre walking tour + cachaça tasting
• →Optional kayaking (~£15)

Shared shuttle van from Paraty to Conceição de Jacareí or Angra dos Reis (approx 2.5 hrs, £10–14 — book via your pousada or a shared-transfer company like Paraty Tours), then the ferry or fast boat to Ilha Grande's Vila do Abraão (approx R$40 / £6; ferry runs several times daily). You'll land in a car-free island with no ATMs — bring cash. Afternoon: swim at Abraão beach and walk the short trail to Abraãozinho.

🚌Shared van approx £12 + ferry approx £6

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Vila do Abraão, Ilha Grande (approx £20–30)

• →Vila do Abraão orientation
• →Abraãozinho beach trail

Self-guided hike to Lopes Mendes beach (2.5–3 hrs each way, or take a shared water taxi one way for R$60 / £10 and hike back) — a white-sand stunner. Alternatively, join a local guide for the Pico do Papagaio summit (≈ R$150 / £24, or find a group on-site). Afternoon: snorkel or just eat seafood at a beach shack. Pack 3 L of water; there is little to buy en route.

🚌Walk or shared water taxi approx £10

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Vila do Abraão, Ilha Grande (approx £20–30)

• →Lopes Mendes hike
• →Optional Pico do Papagaio guided hike
• →Optional boat snorkel tour

Ferry back to the mainland and pick up the frequent Costa Verde bus from Conceição de Jacareí (or Angra) to Rio's Novo Rio terminal (approx R$60–80 / £10–13, 2.5–3 hrs). Taxi or metro to a hostel in Botafogo, Santa Teresa or Ipanema. Mid-afternoon free, so head up Sugarloaf late afternoon via the cable car (approx R$170 / £27 — buy online to save time) for golden-hour views, then dinner in Botafogo.

🚌Ferry approx £6 + bus approx £12 + taxi/metro £3

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in Botafogo / Santa Teresa / Ipanema (approx £22–35)

• →Sugarloaf Mountain cable car (optional)
• →Botafogo evening

Book a timed Corcovado ticket online (train via Cosme Velho, approx R$110 / £18) — go early to beat crowds and clouds. Come down for a free walking tour of Lapa and the Selarón Steps (tip-based). Afternoon at Ipanema or Copacabana, with a caipirinha at the Arpoador sunset point. Evening: live samba in a Lapa bar (free–£5 entry plus drinks).

🚌Metro/bus day of local transport approx £4

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in Botafogo / Santa Teresa / Ipanema (approx £22–35)

• →Corcovado / Christ the Redeemer
• →Lapa + Selarón Steps walking tour
• →Ipanema beach
• →Lapa samba night

Morning flight Rio (GIG/SDU) to Manaus (MAO), approx £110–170 — book early, this is the priciest domestic leg. The Amazon lodge's transfer meets you at the airport and takes you to the river port; a motorised canoe then runs 1–2 hrs upriver to the lodge (lodge package usually includes all transfers, meals and guides: ~£75–110 per person per night dorms/basic rooms). Keep checked-baggage light for the canoe (7 kg allowance) and store the rest in Manaus. Evening: night-boat caiman spotting on the igarapés.

🚌Domestic flight approx £140 + lodge canoe transfer (included)

🛏Amazon jungle lodge, multi-share with hammocks or basic rooms (all-inclusive, approx £80–100)

• →Canoe transfer into the flooded forest
• →Night caiman-spotting excursion

Two guided hikes (the lodge's guides come included in your package) through terra firme forest, learning about medicinal plants, Brazil nuts and wildlife spotting — macaws, monkeys, pink river dolphins downstream. Midday visit to a riverside caboclo community for lunch and a conversation about the local way of life. Evening: fishing for piranhas off the canoe.

🚌Canoe movements (included in lodge package)

🛏Amazon jungle lodge, multi-share with hammocks or basic rooms (all-inclusive, approx £80–100)

• →Guided forest hikes (x2)
• →Community visit with lunch
• →Piranha fishing

Dawn canoe excursion for birdsong and the still river, then boat back to Manaus. Store luggage and take a late-afternoon flight Manaus–Fortaleza (FOR), approx £95–150 (often routed via Brasília/Recife — check Azul and LATAM). Check into a Fortaleza hostel near Iracema beach; eat a cheap tapioca/cariri dinner.

🚌Canoe return (included) + flight approx £120 + local Uber/taxi £4

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Praia de Iracema, Fortaleza (approx £18–28)

• →Sunrise canoe excursion
• →Iracema beach evening

The most fun route: a shared 4x4 transfer from Fortaleza to Jericoacoara (approx R$200 / £32, 4–5 hrs — book via GetYourGuide or your pousada; the last stretch is over sand dunes). Cheaper alternative: bus to Jijoca then a shared 4x4 from there (~£20 total). Jericoacoara has no major roads — everything is on foot or by 4x4. Afternoon: Duna do Pôr do Sol for the classic free sunset, then capoeira on the beach.

🚌Shared 4x4 transfer approx £32

🛏Pousada or hostel in Jericoacoara (approx £25–35)

• →Duna do Pôr do Sol sunset
• →Beach walk to Pedra Furada

Take a shared or private dune-buggy tour to Lagoa do Paraíso and Lagoa Azul (buggy per 4 people approx R$400 / £65, split ~£16 each; lock in with 2–3 other travellers at your pousada). Afternoon: sandboarding down the dunes (rent a board ~£5), a kitesurf lesson (approx R$550 / £88) or simply float in a hammock in the lagoon. Evening: forró bar on Beco do Forró.

🚌Buggy share approx £16

🛏Pousada or hostel in Jericoacoara (approx £25–35)

• →Lagoa do Paraíso and Lagoa Azul buggy tour
• →Sandboarding
• →Optional kitesurf lesson

This is the trip's big transfer day. Shared 4x4 back to Fortaleza, then fly Fortaleza–Salvador (approx £70–110), then a long-distance bus Salvador–Lençóis (6–7 hrs, approx R$150 / £24, nightly departures) — or split it with a night in Salvador. Longer but cheaper alternative: direct bus Jericoacoara–Lençóis via Feira de Santana (~20 hrs, £35–45). Arrive in Lençóis, the cobbled gateway town to the park. Arrange your guide for tomorrow with a licensed local agency on Rua das Pedras (~£20–35 for a group day trip).

🚌4x4 back to Fortaleza approx £32 + flight approx £90 + bus approx £24

🛏Guesthouse in Lençóis (approx £18–28)

• →Travel day
• →Book local Chapada guide

Day tour (shared 4x4 with a local guide, approx R$300–450 / £48–72 including park fees, split across the group) to the western highlights: Poço Encantado's astonishing blue cave pool, Pratinha for snorkelling, and Gruta da Torrinha or Lapa Doce caves. Bring cash for entry fees (rarely accept cards), sunscreen and a swimsuit.

🚌Shared 4x4 with local guide (approx £30 each)

🛏Guesthouse in Lençóis (approx £18–28)

• →Poço Encantado
• →Pratinha snorkel
• →Lapa Doce show cave

Move base to the alternative village of Vale do Capão (shared pick-up, approx £8). Hike to the top of Cachoeira da Fumaça (Fumaca Falls, 340 m drop, 3–4 hrs return, or the easier lower viewpoint from Capão). Evening back in Capão: vegetarian restaurants, mountain air and quiet. Second night here or return to Lençóis by shared van (~£8).

🚌Shared van transfers approx £16

🛏Guesthouse or camping in Vale do Capão / Lençóis (approx £16–26)

• →Cachoeira da Fumaça hike
• →Vale do Capão village time

Morning: a quick swim at Poço do Diabo or Rio Preto waterfall near Lençóis (or just coffee in a Capão bakery), then the bus Lençóis–Salvador (6–7 hrs, approx R$150 / £24). Check into a hostel in Pelourinho, the UNESCO-listed colonial heart. Evening: acarajé from a street vendor (£2–3) and drums drifting from Olodum's rehearsal house (free to listen from outside).

🚌Bus approx £24 + local taxi £4

🛏Hostel or pousada in Pelourinho, Salvador (approx £18–28)

• →Pelourinho evening walk
• →Acarajé and street samba

Walk the Pelourinho yourself or join a tip-based free walking tour (or a cheap local guide for R$45 / £7). Visit the São Francisco church (gold-leaf interior, small entry), then catch a capoeira performance (approx R$80 / £13) or a Candomblé-inspired music session. Lunch: moqueca at a Pelourinho restaurant (~£10–14). Afternoon sunset at Farol da Barra fort (local bus or Uber ~£3).

🚌Local bus/Uber approx £5

🛏Hostel or pousada in Pelourinho, Salvador (approx £18–28)

• →Pelourinho free walking tour
• →São Francisco church
• →Capoeira performance
• →Farol da Barra sunset

Last morning for a coffee and pão de queijo, then an Uber or local bus to Salvador's Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães airport (SSA) for your international flight out — most routes connect via São Paulo, Rio or Recife. Check in early and keep your Brazil exit stamp handy.

🚌Uber to airport approx £5

🛏None — departure day

• →Final Pelourinho breakfast