Atlantic to the Andes: Self-Launched Rio to La Paz

Land at Galeão (GIG) and get to Copacabana or Botafogo. The Real airport bus (~£8) drops along the main routes; an official yellow taxi is ~£22-25. Check into a hostel dorm in Botafogo or Copacabana, buy a RioCard for metro/bus, and spend the evening on Copacabana beach with an acarajé from a beach vendor. Sort your Brazilian SIM (Claro/Vivo at the airport or a shopping centre) and withdraw reais — many small places are cash-only.

🚌Real airport bus ~£8 or taxi ~£23

🛏Hostel dorm, Botafogo/Copacabana (£12-18)

• →Copacabana beach sunset
• →Buy RioCard and local SIM

Skip the group 'G for Good' tour and book a community-run favela visit directly — several Rio operators (e.g. Favela Tour / local resident guides on GetYourGuide) run 3-hour walks in Rocinha or Vidigal for ~£20-25, often with drumming and Capoeira demos. Afternoon free: ride the Sugarloaf cable car (~£18) or do the Selarón Steps and Lapa arches for free. Evening: live samba in Lapa, entry £5-10.

🚌Metro/Uber around town ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Botafogo/Copacabana (£12-18)

• →Community favela walk with local guide (~£22)
• →Sugarloaf cable car (optional ~£18)
• →Lapa samba night

Take the metro/Uber to Novo Rio bus station and book a Costa Verde bus to Conceição de Jacareí (~3 hrs, £8-10), then the public ferry or a shared speedboat across to Vila do Abraão (~£3-6, 30-90 min). No cars on the island — everything is on foot or by boat. Settle into a pousada or hostel and walk to Abraão or Preta beach for sunset.

🚌Bus Rio–Conceição de Jacareí ~£9 + ferry ~£5

🛏Hostel/pousada dorm, Vila do Abraão (£15-20)

• →Public ferry crossing to Ilha Grande
• →Beach walk to Praia Preta

Self-guided day: hike the well-marked trail to Lopes Mendes beach (2-3 hrs each way, or take a shared boat-taxi back for ~£10) — regularly rated one of Brazil's best beaches. Alternatively do the shorter Cachoeira da Feiticeira waterfall and Poço do Aquiles swimming hole loop. Boat-taxi excursions around the island run ~£15-20 if you'd rather hop beaches. Beach bars and seafood in the evening.

🚌On foot; optional boat-taxi ~£10

🛏Hostel/pousada dorm, Vila do Abraão (£15-20)

• →Lopes Mendes beach hike
• →Feiticeira waterfall and swimming hole
• →Optional shared boat-taxi island tour

Ferry back to Conceição de Jacareí and pick up a Costa Verde bus south to Paraty (~1.5 hrs, ~£4). Paraty's colonial centre is a UNESCO-listed maze of whitewashed buildings and cobbles — check into a hostel just outside the historic centre (cheaper) and walk in. Evening: eat at a local kilo restaurant and try a caipirinha made with Paraty cachaça.

🚌Ferry ~£5 + bus ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Paraty (£12-18)

• →Ferry back to mainland
• →Wander Paraty historic centre

Book the classic Paraty schooner boat trip (book locally at the port or via GetYourGuide, ~£20-24 for 5 hrs with snorkel stops and lunch) — same trip the group tours use. Afternoon alternative: rent a kayak in the bay (~£12) or join a 2-hour walking tour with cachaça tasting (~£20). Cheap seafood dinner at one of the harbour-side spots.

🚌On foot

🛏Hostel dorm, Paraty (£12-18)

• →Schooner boat trip with snorkel stops (~£22)
• →Optional kayak rental (~£12)
• →Paraty walking tour with cachaça tasting

Take the local bus to Trindade (~40 min, £1-2) for natural rock pools, jungle-backed surf beaches and the Caixa d'Aço pool. Bring cash for beach kiosks. Back in Paraty late afternoon — rest up before the long travel day tomorrow.

🚌Local bus return ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, Paraty (£12-18)

• →Local bus to Trindade
• →Natural pools and surf beaches

Bus back to Rio (or direct Paraty–Rio transfer, ~£10) and fly Rio/São Paulo to Foz do Iguaçu — book a GOL/Azul/LATAM low-cost fare 6-8 weeks out for £70-110, which turns a 19-hour bus ride into 2 hours. Check into a hostel in Foz, then take the local bus (#120, ~£1) to Iguaçu National Park for the Brazilian side: the panoramic trail along the canyon rim is the best overview and takes 2-3 hrs. Entry ~£14. Evening: Iguassu bird park near the gate (~£12) if time allows.

🚌Bus to Rio airport ~£10 + domestic flight ~£90 + local bus ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm, Foz do Iguaçu (£12-18)

• →Brazilian side of Iguaçu Falls trail (entry ~£14)
• →Optional Bird Park (~£12)

Cross the border to Puerto Iguazú by public bus (~£5, passport in hand) and spend the day on the Argentine side — the upper and lower circuits plus the Devil's Throat catwalk get you up close and take a full day. Park entry ~£16. The optional Nautical Adventure boat ride to the base of the falls is ~£30 booked direct at the park. Take the bus back to Foz or stay the night in Puerto Iguazú (cheaper, nicer food scene).

🚌Cross-border public bus ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, Puerto Iguazú or Foz (£12-18)

• →Argentine side circuits and Devil's Throat (~£16)
• →Optional boat ride to the falls base (~£30)

This is the slog day the group tour also does. Best route: bus Puerto Iguazú/Foz to Dourados (~5 hrs, £12), then onward bus to Bonito (~3.5 hrs, £8), or check a Campo Grande routing depending on timetables. Arrive evening, check into a hostel and book tomorrow's river snorkel now — Bonito's attractions are quota-limited and do sell out in high season.

🚌Two long-distance buses ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm, Bonito (£14-20)

• →Overland bus travel
• →Book Bonito snorkel tours

Bonito's headline act is floating/snorkelling the impossibly clear Rio da Prata or Rio Sucuri (~£28-35 including transport and gear, booked via a local agency or Klook) — schools of fish, no current, jungle all round. Afternoon alternatives: Gruta do Lago Azul (~£12) or the Municipal Balneário (~£7) for a lazy float. Eat at a churrascaria — Bonito is surprisingly foodie.

🚌Tour transfers included; local buses ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, Bonito (£14-20)

• →Rio da Prata or Rio Sucuri snorkel float (~£32)
• →Optional Gruta do Lago Azul (~£12)

Travel to Campo Grande (bus ~4 hrs, £9) and join a 2-night/3-day Pantanal wildlife package booked directly with a local pousada/lodge (~£180-220 all-in with transport, meals, guide, boat and night safaris). The group tour's 2-day excursion is the same product. Afternoon transfer into the wetlands, settle into a hammock-strung room, then an evening boat safari and caiman spotting.

🚌Bus to Campo Grande ~£9 + lodge 4x4 transfer (included)

🛏Pantanal lodge, hammock/room share (included in package)

• →Transfer into the Pantanal
• →Evening boat safari
• →Caiman and birdwatching

Sunrise hike with a local guide, piranha fishing, horse riding through flooded fields, and an afternoon boat trip looking for capybara, giant otters, howler monkeys and jabiru storks. Night safari by truck for tapir and nocturnal wildlife. All meals included at the lodge — no extra spend today beyond drinks and tips.

🚌Included in package

🛏Pantanal lodge (included)

• →Sunrise wildlife hike
• →Piranha fishing
• →Horse riding
• →Night safari

Morning activity then transfer out of the Pantanal to Campo Grande. Overnight in a hostel near the bus station and buy your onward ticket tonight. Two options for Bolivia: the long overland route (Campo Grande–Corumbá–Quijarro–Santa Cruz, 20+ hrs) or the cheap local flight Campo Grande–Santa Cruz (~£90-130 with Boliviana/GOL) — the flight costs roughly what the group tour's internal flight allocation does and saves two days.

🚌Lodge transfer included; local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Campo Grande (£12-16)

• →Morning Pantanal activity
• →Buy onward transport to Bolivia

Fly Campo Grande to Santa Cruz (Viru Viru) and clear Bolivian immigration — UK passports get 30 days visa-free on arrival, but bring a yellow fever certificate. Then either fly Santa Cruz–Sucre (~£40-60, 45 mins) or take the overnight bus (~£12, 12 hrs). If busing, board in the evening and sleep the trip away.

🚌Flight to Santa Cruz ~£110 + bus or short flight to Sucre ~£45

🛏Overnight bus or hostel dorm in Sucre (£8-12)

• →Border formalities
• →Optionally visit Santa Cruz's main plaza

Sucre is the cheapest, sunniest colonial city in the Andes — a 2,800 m altitude warm-up before Uyuni. Free-walk the Plaza 25 de Mayo, the Recoleta convent viewpoint and the Mercado Central for a £2 almuerzo. Optional: Casa de la Libertad (~£3), the dinosaur track park outside town, or a Spanish course if you're staying longer. Book your Potosí and Uyuni tour legs at any local agency tonight.

🚌On foot

🛏Hostel dorm, Sucre (£7-11)

• →Recoleta viewpoint
• →Mercado Central almuerzo
• →Optional Casa de la Libertad (~£3)

Bus to Potosí (~3 hrs, £3). Spend the day in the world's highest city: the Casa de la Moneda museum (~£4, excellent) and, if you're up for it, a miners' cooperative mine tour (~£18 with a former miner guide, includes gear and gifts for the miners — genuinely eye-opening, not for everyone). Night bus to Uyuni (7 hrs, ~£8) or sleep in Potosí.

🚌Bus Sucre–Potosí ~£3 + night bus to Uyuni ~£8

🛏Overnight bus or basic hostel, Potosí (£6-9)

• →Casa de la Moneda (~£4)
• →Cooperative silver mine tour (~£18)

Arrive early into Uyuni (3,700 m). Sort your 3-day salt flats tour today with a reputable local operator — several Uyuni agencies run the same Salar + Altiplano circuit that G Adventures uses, for around £120-160 per person including 4x4, guide, basic accommodation, most meals and the drop-off to San Pedro de Atacama or return to Uyuni. Check whether your route ends in Chile or loops back. Afternoon: walk to the train cemetery and eat at a pizza place on Av. Ferroviaria. Sleep early and drink water.

🚌On foot

🛏Hostel dorm, Uyuni (£7-11)

• →Book 3-day Salar de Uyuni 4x4 tour
• →Train cemetery walk

Depart ~10:30 in a shared 4x4 (six passengers). Visit the train cemetery, Colchani salt-processing village, the salt mounds and the famous Dakar monument, then the Incahuasi island of giant cacti (~£4 extra) and a sunset over the endless white. Sleep in a basic salt hotel (multi-share, no hot water — bring a sleeping bag liner and thermals). Tour cost folded into the package booked yesterday.

🚌4x4 (included in tour)

🛏Basic salt hotel, multi-share (included in tour)

• →Salt flats crossing
• →Incahuasi cactus island
• →Sunset on the salar

Second day of the circuit: climb to 4,000 m+ for Laguna Hedionda with its flamingos, the Siloli desert and the Arbol de Piedra rock formation, plus red and green lagoons depending on your operator's route. Bring cash for park entrance fees (~£15-20 total across the tour), sunblock and layers — nights drop below freezing. Lodging is basic shared rooms at ~4,300 m.

🚌4x4 (included in tour)

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

• →Laguna Hedionda flamingos
• →Siloli desert and Árbol de Piedra
• →Altiplano viewpoints

Pre-dawn start for the Sol de Mañana geysers and a dip in the Polques hot springs, then the Salvador Dalí desert and Laguna Verde beneath Licancabur volcano if your tour continues into Chile. If your tour returns to Uyuni, you'll be back in town by evening; if it drops at the Chilean border, you're heading to San Pedro de Atacama instead — in that case rearrange the next days accordingly. Overnight bus Uyuni–Oruro (~7 hrs, £7) or night train to Oruro if running.

🚌4x4 included + overnight bus ~£7

🛏Overnight bus or hostel, Uyuni (£7-10)

• →Sol de Mañana geysers
• →Polques hot springs
• →Dalí desert and Laguna Verde

Bus Oruro–La Paz (~3.5 hrs, £4) into El Alto, then the Teleférico cable car down into the city bowl (~£0.35 a line — ride the red and yellow lines for the view alone). Check into a hostel in Sopocachi or the historic centre. Afternoon wander the Witches' Market on Calle Linares, the San Francisco church and Plaza Murillo. Eat a salteña and a plate of silpancho for under £4.

🚌Bus ~£4 + cable car ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm, La Paz (£8-13)

• →Teleférico cable car ride
• →Witches' Market
• →Plaza Murillo and San Francisco

Pick one: the Valley of the Moon half-day tour (~£12 with transport and guide, surreal eroded formations 10 km from town), or the full-day Death Road mountain-bike descent with a reputable operator (~£45-60 including bike, gear, guide, lunch — check reviews carefully). Either way you're back in La Paz by evening. Optional: Chacaltaya for a 5,300 m viewpoint if altitude hasn't hit you yet.

🚌Tour transport included

🛏Hostel dorm, La Paz (£8-13)

• →Valley of the Moon (~£12) or Death Road biking (~£50)
• →Optional Chacaltaya visit

Book a pay-what-you-want walking tour (tip ~£5) or do it yourself: the Mercado Rodríguez for juice and groceries, the Museo de la Coca, and the El Alto Sunday market if your timing aligns. Afternoon trip to the Valle de las Ánimas hike if you want more altitude. Buy your airport transfer for tomorrow — the airport is up in El Alto, so a taxi is ~£10 and takes 40 mins.

🚌Local minibuses/taxis ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, La Paz (£8-13)

• →Walking tour or self-guided markets
• →Museo de la Coca
• →Optional Valle de las Ánimas hike

Fly out of El Alto (LPB) — international flights to Lima, Bogotá or São Paulo for onward connections, or extend south into Peru. Note the group tour's stated departure tax (~£20) is now normally rolled into your ticket. Allow 2+ hours for the altitude and El Alto traffic.

🚌Taxi to El Alto airport ~£10

🛏—

• →Airport transfer and departure