Buenos Aires to Rio: Falls & Footy (Self-Launched)

Land at Ezeiza (EZE) and take the Tienda León shuttle bus to the city centre (~ARS 20,000 / £13) rather than a £35 taxi. Check into a hostel in Palermo Soho or San Telmo — both are walkable, sociable and full of cheap parrillas. Spend the evening wandering Plaza Serrano with a beer. If you're travelling solo, hostels here run free walking tours and asados most nights, so it's easy to find people to team up with. Bring USD cash: the informal rate is far better than ATM withdrawals.

🚌Airport shuttle ~£13

🛏Hostel dorm, Palermo or San Telmo (£14–20/night)

• →Tienda León airport shuttle
• →Evening wander around Palermo Soho
• →Hostel asado / meet-and-greet

Join the free BA Free Tour walking circuit in the morning (tip-based, ~£5 tip) covering Plaza de Mayo and the Eva Perón balcony. In the afternoon take local bus 64 or a Cabify (~£4) to La Boca for El Caminito's painted houses — stay on the main streets and go in daylight. Book a tango class + milonga package the night before via GetYourGuide (~£20) or a proper tango dinner show at Café de los Angelitos (~£55). Cheaper option: La Catedral club runs beginner classes around £8.

🚌Local bus / rideshare ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm (£14–20/night)

• →Free walking tour (tip-based)
• →La Boca & El Caminito
• →Tango class + milonga (~£20)
• →Optional tango dinner show (~£55)

Book the Buquebus or Colonia Express fast ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia in advance online (~£35–45 one way, 1hr). Clear Uruguayan immigration at the terminal. Colonia's Barrio Histórico is a UNESCO cobblestoned pocket you can walk end to end in an hour — climb the lighthouse, watch sunset from the pier. Hire a golf cart (~£25 split) if you want to reach the beaches. Cheap eats: chivito sandwiches and local craft beer.

🚌Buquebus / Colonia Express ferry ~£40

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Colonia historic centre (£18–25/night)

• →Barrio Histórico orientation walk
• →Lighthouse climb
• →Sunset at the pier

Take the COT or Turil bus from Colonia to Montevideo (~£10, 2.5hrs) from the terminal by the old town. Drop bags at a hostel in Ciudad Vieja or Pocitos. Afternoon: walk the Rambla, poke around Plaza Independencia and the Mercado del Puerto where parrilla grills run all day — share a mixed grill to keep costs down. Optional: Museo del Carnaval (~£3) or the Estadio Centenario stadium tour (~£6) where the first World Cup was played.

🚌Intercity bus ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, Ciudad Vieja or Pocitos (£16–22/night)

• →Mercado del Puerto
• →Rambla walk
• →Museo del Carnaval (~£3)
• →Estadio Centenario tour (~£6)

Hire a bike (~£15/day) and ride the Rambla coast path out to Carrasco. Or take the COT bus to Punta del Este (~£10 each way, 2hrs) for the day — walk Playa Brava, see La Mano sculpture and the upscale port. Keep it simple: a bus ticket and a sandwich beats any organised tour here. Back in Montevideo, catch a live candombe drum session in Palermo barrio on a Sunday or hit the cheap student bars on Calle Sarandí.

🚌Bike hire or Punta del Este bus ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm (£16–22/night)

• →Rambla bike ride
• →Optional Punta del Este day trip
• →Candombe drumming / nightlife

Take an early bus from Montevideo's Tres Cruces terminal to Mercedes (~£12, 3hrs). From Mercedes, arrange a shared remís (local taxi) or pre-booked pickup to a working cattle estancia. Book direct with small family-run ranches — options include Estancia La Sirena or Estancia El Ceibo — which take individual travellers at roughly £55–70 per night full board including riding. Confirm by email a few weeks ahead; they'll pick you up from Mercedes.

🚌Bus ~£12 + shared taxi ~£10

🛏Estancia multi-share room, full board (£55–70/night)

• →Arrival ride around the property
• →Asado dinner with the family

This is the day the group tour pays good money for, and you get it direct. Morning horseback ride through the pastures, help make empanadas in the kitchen, walk the farmland, swim in the river or pool. Evening asado under the stars with the gauchos. All meals are included in the estancia rate — nothing extra to pay here.

🚌On foot / horseback

🛏Estancia multi-share room, full board

• →Horseback riding
• →Empanada-making class
• →Farm walk
• →Asado dinner

Get a lift back to Mercedes, then bus to Fray Bentos on the border and cross into Gualeguaychú, Argentina (shuttle + immigration, ~£8). From Gualeguaychú take an evening bus toward Puerto Iguazú — book a cama (reclining) seat with Crucero del Norte or Vía Bariloche (~£45–60, 12–14hrs overnight). This is exactly what the group tour does on Day 8, just without the group.

🚌Border crossing ~£8 + overnight long-distance bus ~£50

🛏Overnight bus (reclining seat)

• →Border crossing at Fray Bentos
• →Overnight bus

Arrive in Puerto Iguazú in the morning and check into a hostel. Visit the Jasy Porá Guaraní community or the nearby Fortín Mbororé village — arrange through your hostel or a community tourism association for around £15–20, rather than through a big operator. In the afternoon take the local bus across the border to Foz do Iguaçu (~£3) and the public bus to the Brazilian side of the falls (~£2). The Brazilian park entrance is ~£17. Panoramic views, then back for a cheap dinner and a caipirinha.

🚌Local buses to both sides ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Puerto Iguazú (£12–16/night)

• →Guaraní community visit (~£18)
• →Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls (~£17 entry)

Take the public bus to the Argentine park entrance (~£5 return) and pay entry (~£20). Walk the Upper and Lower Circuits and the Devil's Throat train. The boat ride to the base of the falls (Gran Aventura, ~£30) is worth it if your budget allows. Bring lunch and a water bottle — park food is expensive.

🚌Public bus to park ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, Puerto Iguazú (£12–16/night)

• →Argentine side circuits & Devil's Throat (~£20 entry)
• →Optional Gran Aventura boat (~£30)

Fly Foz do Iguaçu to São Paulo (GRU/CGH) — book early with LATAM or GOL, roughly £45–75 one way for the 1h20 hop. From GRU, take the airport bus to Tietê or Barra Funda terminal, then a Costa Verde or Reunidas bus to Paraty (~£18–22, 4.5–5hrs). Arrive in the evening, check into a pousada or hostel in the cobblestoned centro histórico and eat at a cheap por-kilo buffet.

🚌Domestic flight ~£60 + airport bus ~£5 + bus to Paraty ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm, Paraty centro (£14–18/night)

• →Flight to São Paulo
• →Bus down the Costa Verde

Schooner boat trips leave the pier daily (~£25–30 with lunch, book on the quay or via GetYourGuide) — swim at Ilha Grande-adjacent coves and Lula beach. Alternative: take the local bus to Trindade (~£3) for wild beaches and natural pools. Evening: cachaça tasting in the old town (many shops offer it free with a purchase) and a night out on the cobbled streets.

🚌On foot / local bus ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, Paraty centro (£14–18/night)

• →Schooner island boat trip (~£28)
• →Optional Trindade beaches
• →Cachaça tasting

Bus or shared transfer from Paraty to Angra dos Reis (~£5–8, 1.5hrs), pay the mandatory Taxa de Turismo Sustentável (~£8) online on the Viva Angra site or by QR at the port, then catch the public ferry or fast boat across to Vila do Abraão (~£4–6). Check into a hostel, no cars on the island so it's all walking. Afternoon swim at Abraão beach and sunset at the pier.

🚌Bus ~£7 + ferry ~£5 + tourism tax ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm, Vila do Abraão (£16–22/night)

• →Angra dos Reis ferry crossing
• →Abraão beach swim

Hike the well-marked trail from Abraão to Lopes Mendes (2.5hrs each way) or take a shared water taxi (~£10 each way) and walk back. Lopes Mendes is one of Brazil's best beaches — fine white sand, surf, no development. Bring water, snacks and cash. Alternatively join a shared boat excursion around the island's snorkelling spots (~£25).

🚌Water taxi ~£10 (optional)

🛏Hostel dorm, Vila do Abraão (£16–22/night)

• →Lopes Mendes hike
• →Optional island snorkelling boat tour (~£25)

Morning ferry back to Angra dos Reis, then the Costa Verde bus to Rio's Novo Rio terminal (~£15, 3hrs). Take the metro to Copacabana or a metro + bus combo to a hostel a couple of blocks back from the beach (~£18–25/night) — cheaper than beachfront and still 5 minutes' walk. Evening: Ipanema sunset and a beer from a beach kiosk.

🚌Ferry ~£5 + bus ~£15 + metro ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Copacabana/Ipanema (£18–25/night)

• →Ipanema sunset
• →Beach kiosk beers

Book Corcovado tickets online in advance (~£28 including the van up, or hike Parque Lage if you're fit). Spend the afternoon in Santa Teresa — take the tram from Largo da Carioca (~£3) and browse the Selarón Steps. For a community experience, book a responsibly run favela tour through a local guide (e.g. Favela Santa Marta or an artist-led walk, ~£20–25) rather than a large coach operation — check the operator supports residents. Night out in Lapa under the arches.

🚌Metro + tram ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Copacabana/Ipanema (£18–25/night)

• →Christ the Redeemer / Corcovado (~£28)
• →Santa Teresa & Selarón Steps
• →Community-led favela walk (~£22)
• →Lapa nightlife

Last morning: sunrise walk along Copacabana, a cheap açaí bowl, and a final swim at Ipanema's Posto 9. If you've got a late flight, store bags at the hostel and use the metro to the airport (Linha 4 to Jardim Oceânico + BRT, ~£3) or a rideshare (~£15). Trip ends.

🚌Metro/BRT to airport ~£3

🛏—

• →Copacabana sunrise walk
• →Ipanema swim
• →Açaí breakfast