Bolivia to Brazil: Highlands & Coastlines — Self-Launched

Land at El Alto (4,060m) and take a shared taxi or airport minibus down into the bowl of La Paz (~BOB 15-40). Spend the day moving slowly — altitude is no joke. Wander the Witches' Market (Mercado de las Brujas) in the afternoon, sip coca tea and pick up a SIM card from Entel or Tigo. Ask your hostel to help you buy a night-bus ticket to Sucre for tomorrow evening.

🚌Airport minibus/shared taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in central La Paz (~£12/night)

• →Witches' Market wander
• →Cable car (Mi Teleférico) ride for city views

A full free day: join a cheap self-booked city walking tour (many are tip-based, ~£5-10 tip), ride the red cable car up to El Alto to see the Aymara market and city panorama, then eat at a market comedor for lunch (~£3). Optional: the Death Road mountain bike ride (~£45-60 with Full Throttle or Barracuda, book direct) if you're feeling acclimatised. Take an overnight bus to Sucre with Trans Titicaca or Autobuses Jumilla — a cama seat is worth it (~£12-18, 12-13 hours).

🚌Night bus La Paz–Sucre ~£12-18

🛏Overnight bus (reclining seat)

• →Tip-based city walking tour
• →Mi Teleférico El Alto line
• →Optional Death Road bike ride

Arrive early morning and check into a hostel around the Plaza 25 de Mayo. Sleep off the bus, then spend the afternoon exploring the whitewashed colonial centre, the Casa de la Libertad and the Recoleta monastery viewpoint. Book tomorrow's activities and a shared van to Potosí for day 5.

🚌Local taxis ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Sucre (~£10/night)

• →Plaza 25 de Mayo
• →Casa de la Libertad
• →Recoleta viewpoint

Choose your adventure: shared local bus out to Cal Orck'o to see the world-famous vertical dinosaur track wall (~£4 including entry), or a day hike/mountain bike ride into the surrounding valleys booked direct with a local agency (~£25-35). Visit the ASUR indigenous textile museum in the afternoon.

🚌Local bus to Cal Orck'o ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Sucre (~£10/night)

• →Cal Orck'o dinosaur tracks
• →ASUR textile museum
• →Optional valley hike or mountain bike

Take a shared minivan from Sucre's bus terminal to Potosí (~3 hours, ~£5-7). At 4,090m this is the highest city of its size in the world — go gently. Check into a guesthouse, visit the Casa de la Moneda (national mint museum, ~£3), and arrange a miners' co-op mine tour for tomorrow.

🚌Shared minivan Sucre–Potosí ~£6

🛏Budget guesthouse, private room shared between two (~£12/night per person)

• →Casa de la Moneda
• →Plaza 10 de Noviembre
• →Local market

Take a tour led by former miners into the cooperative silver mines of Cerro Rico (~£15-25 including gear and a gift of coca/candles for the miners). It's confronting but unforgettable — be clear about the ethics before you book. Afternoon rest, then buy your Uyuni bus ticket for tomorrow.

🚌Walking / local taxi

🛏Budget guesthouse (~£12/night per person)

• →Cooperative mine tour with ex-miners
• →Santa Teresa convent roof visit

Bus or shared minivan south to Uyuni (~4-5 hours, ~£8-10 on the local bus). Spend the afternoon in this one-street frontier town booking your 3-day salt flat and Altiplano 4x4 tour for tomorrow — prices are broadly similar across agencies (~£90-130 per person for the standard 3-day/2-night shared tour including driver, fuel, food and simple accommodation). Stay in a basic hostel tonight.

🚌Local bus Potosí–Uyuni ~£9

🛏Hostel in Uyuni (~£10/night)

• →Salt flat tour booking
• →Train cemetery at sunset (free)

Start a 3-day shared 4x4 excursion. Day one covers the train cemetery, the salt-processing village of Colchani, the salt hotel and the endless white expanse of the Salar with all the forced-perspective photo stops. On G Adventures' route tonight is spent in a salt-brick community lodge near Santiago de Agencha — many independent operators also stay in community-run salt hostels around here. Multi-share rooms, very cold at night, so hire a sleeping bag (~£6-8/day).

🚌Shared 4x4 tour vehicle (included)

🛏Basic salt-brick hostel, multi-share (included in tour price)

• →4x4 across the Salar de Uyuni
• →Colchani salt village
• →Salt hostel stay

Day two heads south through the remote altiplano: Laguna Hedionda with its wild flamingos, the red Laguna Colorada, the Siloli Desert and the Árbol de Piedra rock formation. Bring layers (it can drop below -5C), plenty of water and cash for park entry fees (~BOB 150 total, roughly £16, usually paid locally).

🚌Shared 4x4 tour vehicle (included)

🛏Basic refuge, multi-share (included in tour price)

• →Laguna Colorada
• →Siloli Desert
• →Árbol de Piedra
• →Flamingo spotting

An early start for the geyser field at Sol de Mañana and a dawn soak in the Termas de Polques hot springs, then Laguna Verde with Volcán Licancabur behind it. Your 4x4 drops you at the Hito Cajón border, where you switch to a shared minibus/transfer down to San Pedro de Atacama (~1 hour, ~£12-18, sometimes included in the tour). Check into a hostel in this dusty oasis town.

🚌4x4 + border transfer ~£15

🛏Hostel in San Pedro de Atacama (~£14/night)

• →Sol de Mañana geysers
• →Termas de Polques hot springs
• →Laguna Verde
• →Hito Cajón border crossing

A free day in the desert. Book direct for the Valle de la Luna sunset tour (~CLP 35,000, ~£28, book on GetYourGuide or at any agency on the main street), go sandboarding on the dunes, or soak in the Puritama hot springs. An astronomy tour in the evening is superb — Atacama has some of the darkest skies on earth (~£35).

🚌Walking / tour transfers

🛏Hostel in San Pedro de Atacama (~£14/night)

• →Valle de la Luna sunset tour
• →Optional sandboarding or hot springs
• →Optional observatory tour

Take the daily bus over the Paso de Jama to Salta (~11-12 hours, ~£25-35 with Andesmar or Geminis; book a couple of days ahead at the San Pedro terminal). Pack snacks and your passport — the border at 4,800m is brisk. Arrive in Salta late evening, taxi to a hostel near the Plaza 9 de Julio, and start planning empanadas.

🚌Bus San Pedro de Atacama–Salta ~£30

🛏Hostel in Salta (~£12/night)

• →Paso de Jama border crossing
• →Salta Plaza 9 de Julio by night

Explore the pink Cathedral, the MAAM high-altitude archaeology museum (with its famous Llullaillaco mummy, ~£3 entry) and the cable car up Cerro San Bernardo. In the evening head to a peña folklórica for live music, red wine and dancing (~£8-12 entry). Book a Cafayate wine-valley day tour for tomorrow if you want one (~£30-45).

🚌Local buses ~£3

🛏Hostel in Salta (~£12/night)

• →MAAM museum
• →Cerro San Bernardo cable car
• →Peña folklórica evening

Book a domestic flight Salta–Buenos Aires with Aerolíneas Argentinas, JetSMART or Flybondi well in advance (~£60-110, 15kg bag allowance — pack light or pay for extra). Check into a hostel in San Telmo or Palermo and spend the evening walking Puerto Madero and eating a proper bife de chorizo (~£12).

🚌Domestic flight ~£85 + airport transfers ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Buenos Aires (~£14/night)

• →Puerto Madero walk
• →Parrilla dinner

Morning tip-based free walking tour of the city centre, then Recoleta Cemetery, the Floralis Genérica and the MALBA museum. In the afternoon browse the San Telmo Sunday antiques market if it lines up, or take a bike tour of the city with BA Bikes (~£30). In the evening book a tango dinner show direct — the big houses (Señor Tango, El Viejo Almacén) run ~£45-80 for show plus dinner, or go to a milonga to watch for the price of a drink.

🚌SUBE card on local buses/subte ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Buenos Aires (~£14/night)

• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →Free walking tour
• →Optional tango dinner show

Take the local bus to La Boca for the colourful facades of El Caminito (daytime only — don't wander far past Caminito). Optional Teatro Colón guided tour (~£20) or a second tango show in the evening. Top up your SUBE card and change any remaining USD — Argentina's blue-rate exchange through cuevas or Western Union is far better than official ATM rates.

🚌Local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Buenos Aires (~£14/night)

• →El Caminito, La Boca
• →Optional Teatro Colón tour
• →Optional bike tour

Take the fast ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia with Buquebus or Colonia Express (~£30-45, 1 hour, book online). Spend the day in the cobbled UNESCO-listed Barrio Histórico, climb the lighthouse and hire a golf cart or bicycle if you want to roam further. Eat at a chivito joint (~£7).

🚌Ferry Buenos Aires–Colonia ~£38

🛏Guesthouse in Colonia (~£18/night)

• →Barrio Histórico
• →Lighthouse
• →Optional bike or golf cart

Local bus along the coast to Montevideo (~2.5 hours, ~£8-10 with COT or Turil). Explore the Ciudad Vieja, the Mercado del Puerto for grilled meat at lunch (~£10) and the rambla seafront at sunset. In the evening catch candombe drumming in Barrio Sur on the right night of the week.

🚌Regional bus ~£9

🛏Hostel in Montevideo (~£15/night)

• →Ciudad Vieja
• →Mercado del Puerto
• →Rambla sunset walk

G Adventures stays on a working ranch for two nights; independently you can book a stay at a rural estancia or farmstay (Estancia del Silencio, Estancia Vik's budget equivalents or smaller tourism-estancia options) reachable by local bus from Montevideo (~£10). Expect riding, milking and asado — around £55-75 per night full board per person. Book direct by email well ahead.

🚌Local bus from Montevideo ~£10

🛏Working estancia, multi-share or twin (~£65/night incl. meals)

• →Estancia horse riding
• →Asado dinner
• →Farm chores and gaucho life

A full day on the ranch: ride out in the morning, help with the animals or fish in the reservoir in the afternoon, and eat a very long dinner. Nothing to book — just enjoy it.

🚌None

🛏Working estancia (~£65/night incl. meals)

• →Morning horseback ride
• →Fishing or walking the estancia
• →Asado

Return to Montevideo by local bus, then catch an overnight bus north to Puerto Iguazú (~14-16 hours, ~£45-60 with TTL or EGA; reclining cama seats). This saves a night's accommodation and replaces the group's internal flight leg comfortably.

🚌Local bus ~£10 + night bus ~£52

🛏Overnight bus

• →Montevideo rambla farewell walk

Arrive midday and check into a hostel in this relaxed border town. Swim, sort out your Brazilian visa/entry paperwork if needed, and buy your Iguazú park ticket online in advance (~ARS 45,000, roughly £30-35 for foreigners). Book a Guaraní community visit or a boat trip to the falls for later in the week.

🚌Local bus from terminal ~£1

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (~£13/night)

• →Hostel pool time
• →Town wander
• →Trip planning

A full day in Iguazú National Park on the Argentine side: the Devil's Throat upper walkway, the Upper and Lower Circuit trails and the free ecological train. Take the local Rio Uruguay bus from the terminal (~£3 return) rather than an organised tour. Optional: the Nautical Adventure boat into the falls (~£35). Book a Guaraní community experience through a local operator in the evening if you want the G-for-Good equivalent (~£25).

🚌Local park bus ~£3

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (~£13/night)

• →Devil's Throat
• →Upper & Lower Circuits
• →Optional boat trip
• →Optional Guaraní community visit

Cross the border by local bus (Rio Uruguay bus to the border, then a Brazilian bus to the park, ~£5 total — bring your passport). The Brazilian side gives the panoramic postcard views along a single walkway. Afterwards visit the Parque das Aves bird park (~£20) and the Itaipú Dam. Stay overnight in Foz do Iguaçu so you don't have to rush the border.

🚌Cross-border local buses ~£5

🛏Hostel in Foz do Iguaçu (~£12/night)

• →Brazilian side of the falls
• →Parque das Aves
• →Itaipú Dam viewpoint

Book a cheap domestic flight Foz do Iguaçu–São Paulo (Gol/Azul/LATAM, ~£50-80 if booked ahead), then take the comfortable Costa Verde or Reunidas bus from São Paulo to Paraty (~6 hours, ~£20-25). This is a long travel day — arrive in Paraty in the evening and check into a pousada or hostel in the historic centre.

🚌Flight ~£65 + bus ~£22

🛏Hostel/pousada in Paraty (~£15/night)

• →Travel day

Wander the cobbled UNESCO historic centre (best on foot — the streets flood at high tide). Do a walking tour with cachaça tasting at a local alambique (~£25), or a boat tour of the bay's islands and beaches (~£25 with lunch). Eat at a kilo restaurant for lunch (~£6).

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel/pousada in Paraty (~£15/night)

• →Paraty historic centre
• →Cachaça tasting walking tour
• →Optional bay boat tour

Take a local bus or shared van to Angra dos Reis (~2 hours, ~£6), then the ferry to Vila do Abraão on Ilha Grande (~£8 return, ~90 min). Note the new Angra dos Reis sustainable tourism tax of BRL 55 (~£9) — pay online via Viva Angra before boarding. Check into a pousada on the island; no cars, just beaches and forest.

🚌Bus + ferry ~£16 (+£9 tourist tax)

🛏Pousada/hostel on Ilha Grande (~£16/night)

• →Angra dos Reis ferry crossing
• →Vila do Abraão beach

Hike the 2-3 hour trail to Lopes Mendes beach (or take the cheap water taxi) — one of Brazil's most beautiful stretches of sand. Alternatively book a schooner boat excursion around the island's lagoons and snorkelling spots (~£18-22, book at the pier).

🚌Water taxi ~£4

🛏Pousada/hostel on Ilha Grande (~£16/night)

• →Lopes Mendes hike
• →Optional schooner boat excursion
• →Snorkelling

Ferry back to Angra dos Reis and take the Costa Verde bus along the coast to Rio de Janeiro (~3 hours, ~£12). Check into a hostel in Botafogo, Santa Teresa or Ipanema. Spend the evening on Ipanema beach with a caipirinha from a kiosk (~£3) and watch the sunset off the Two Brothers peaks.

🚌Ferry ~£5 + bus ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm in Rio (~£16/night)

• →Ipanema sunset
• →Caipirinhas at a beach kiosk

Book a community-run favela tour in Vidigal or Santa Marta with a local guide (~£20-25) rather than a big-bus tour — this is the independent equivalent of the G Adventures Favela Experience. In the afternoon ride the cog train up Corcovado to Christ the Redeemer (~£28 with transport) and take the cable car to Sugarloaf for sunset (~£20). Book all three online a day or two ahead.

🚌Metrô and local buses ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm in Rio (~£16/night)

• →Community favela tour
• →Christ the Redeemer
• →Sugarloaf cable car

Final morning: a walk round Lapa's arches and the Selarón Steps, a last açaí bowl, then take the airport bus (Real Auto Ônibus, ~£4) or a taxi from Zona Sul to Galeão for your flight home. Any onward flights can depart any time today.

🚌Airport bus ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Selarón Steps
• →Lapa Arches
• →Airport transfer