Brazil, Argentina & Chile Unveiled with Brazil's Amazon & Easter Island — Self-Launched

Fly into Manaus (Eduardo Gomes International) and settle into a hostel or simple hotel in the Centro or Ponta Negra area. Spend the afternoon acclimatising to the heat: walk to the pink Teatro Amazonas (Opera House) square, browse the Mercado Adolpho Lisboa riverside market for Amazonian fruit and fish, and pick up cash (Brazilian Real) — jungle lodges are cash-only for extras. Pre-book your jungle lodge pickup for tomorrow morning.

🚌Arrival transfer by Uber/taxi (~£6-8) or local bus

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Manaus Centro (£15-25, dorm or private room)

• →Teatro Amazonas exterior and square
• →Mercado Adolpho Lisboa market
• →Riverside walk at Ponta Negra

Morning pickup from your Manaus hotel by your jungle lodge (most Rio Negro lodges include road + boat transfer). En route, stop at the Meeting of the Waters where the black Rio Negro and sandy Rio Solimões run side by side — best seen on a small boat tour, which you can also book separately via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£25-35) if you're not on a lodge package. Continue by speedboat up the Rio Negro to your lodge. Afternoon jungle island walk with a resident naturalist guide looking for flora, birds and monkeys. Full board is standard at lodges.

🚌Lodge pickup van + speedboat from Manaus (~2-3 hrs)

🛏Jungle lodge on the Rio Negro (mid-range, shared or private cabana — most lodges include all meals)

• →Meeting of the Waters boat stop
• →Rio Negro boat transfer
• →Guided jungle island walk

Full day with the lodge's naturalist guides. Morning: a longer guided rainforest walk (rubber trees, medicinal plants, canopy birdlife). Midday: visit a Caboclo riverside community to see cassava flour production and local crafts — most lodges run this as a standard inclusion. Afternoon: seasonal Monkey Jungle / wildlife reserve visit or piranha fishing. After dark: night canoe excursion by torchlight listening for caimans, frogs and night birds. All of this comes as standard in a 2-night lodge package booked directly.

🚌Canoe and on-foot within lodge reserve

🛏Jungle lodge on the Rio Negro (full board)

• →Guided rainforest walk
• →Caboclo community visit
• →Wildlife reserve / piranha fishing
• →Night canoe excursion

Morning boat back to Manaus. Drop bags at your hostel and do the included-style Manaus sights on your own: guided tour inside Teatro Amazonas (tours run most days, ~£5-8 entry), then the Mercado Adolpho Lisboa for lunch. Evening free. Book your Rio flight for tomorrow if not already done (LATAM/GOL/Azul, ~£130-200 one-way).

🚌Lodge boat + van back to Manaus (included in lodge package)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Manaus Centro (£15-25)

• →Teatro Amazonas interior tour
• →Mercado Adolpho Lisboa
• →Manaus riverfront evening

Fly Manaus → Rio (Galeão or Santos Dumont, ~4 hrs with a possible connection in Brasília). Check into a hostel in Botafogo, Catete or Santa Teresa — all well connected by metro and cheaper than Copacabana. Afternoon: walk Flamengo Park and catch sunset from the Selarón Steps area of Lapa, then a cheap boteco dinner.

🚌Domestic flight Manaus → Rio (~£130-200); metro from airport (~£1)

🛏Hostel in Botafogo/Catete/Santa Teresa (£15-25 dorm, £30-45 private)

• →Flamengo Park walk
• →Lapa / Escadaria Selarón
• →Boteco dinner

Book a Corcovado/Christ the Redeemer ticket with cog train online in advance (official Parque Nacional da Tijuca site or GetYourGuide, ~£25-30 including the Trem do Corcovado cog railway). Go early (first slots) to beat clouds and crowds. Afternoon: walk Leblon and Ipanema beaches, stop at a juice bar, and watch sunset from Arpoador rock — the classic Rio postcard. Optional evening: an all-you-can-eat churrascaria in Botafogo (~£18-25).

🚌Metro + local bus to Cosme Velho (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Botafogo/Catete/Santa Teresa

• →Trem do Corcovado cog train
• →Christ the Redeemer
• →Leblon & Ipanema beaches
• →Arpoador sunset

Free day. Option A: day trip to Petrópolis to see the Imperial Palace of Emperor Pedro II — bus from Rodoviária Novo Rio (~£8 return, 1h15) plus palace entry (~£5). Option B: stay local — Santa Teresa tram, Lapa steps, Museu do Amanhã on the waterfront (~£4), and Sugarloaf Mountain cable car if skies are clear (~£22). Either way, keep it cheap with a self-catered or kilo-restaurant lunch.

🚌Bus/tram/metro locally (~£5-8)

🛏Hostel in Botafogo/Catete/Santa Teresa

• →Petrópolis Imperial Palace day trip (optional)
• →Santa Teresa & Lapa
• →Museu do Amanhã (optional)
• →Sugarloaf cable car (optional)

Morning flight Rio → Foz do Iguaçu (~2 hrs, ~£80-130). Check into a hostel in Foz do Iguaçu town and take the local bus to the Brazilian side of the park (~£1). Walk the panoramic trail to the Devil's Throat canyon viewpoint — you get the wide postcard view of the falls from here. Park entry ~£15. Evening: cheap dinner in town.

🚌Domestic flight Rio → Foz do Iguaçu (~£80-130); local park bus (~£1)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Foz do Iguaçu (£15-25)

• →Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls
• →Devil's Throat panoramic trail

Cross into Argentina by public bus from Foz do Iguaçu terminal to Puerto Iguazú (~£3-4, with border stamp stop). From Puerto Iguazú, the local bus to the Argentine park entrance (~£2). Buy the park ticket (~£20), then ride the free open-air Ecological Jungle Train to the Devil's Throat station and walk the catwalks above the Garganta del Diablo. Also do the Upper and Lower Circuits. Optional: Parque das Aves bird park back on the Brazilian side (~£12). Overnight in Puerto Iguazú (cheaper than staying on the Brazilian side twice over).

🚌Public bus Foz do Iguaçu → Puerto Iguazú (~£4) + park bus (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (£12-20)

• →Ecological Jungle Train
• →Garganta del Diablo catwalks
• →Upper & Lower Circuits
• →Parque das Aves (optional)

Fly Puerto Iguazú (IGR) → Buenos Aires Aeroparque (~1h50, ~£60-110) or take a night bus to Buenos Aires (~£35-45, 17 hrs) if you want to save money. Check into a hostel in San Telmo, Palermo or Recoleta. Evening: walk Plaza de Mayo by night and eat at a cheap parrilla or empanada spot — budget roughly £15/day for food in Buenos Aires.

🚌Domestic flight (~£60-110) or long-distance bus (~£40)

🛏Hostel in San Telmo/Palermo/Recoleta (£15-25 dorm, £30-45 private)

• →Plaza de Mayo at night
• →Parrilla dinner

Do the classic BA circuit on foot and by Subte. Morning: guided tour of Teatro Colón (~£10-14, book online — the interior is spectacular). Then walk Plaza de Mayo past the Casa Rosada and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Afternoon: bus/Subte to La Boca for the colourful Caminito street (daytime only), then San Telmo market/plaza, finishing at Recoleta Cemetery (~£9 entry, Evita's grave). Evening option: a tango show in San Telmo from ~£25-40 (book via GetYourGuide) or a free milonga if you're brave.

🚌Subte and buses (~£3-5 all day)

🛏Hostel in San Telmo/Palermo/Recoleta

• →Teatro Colón tour
• →Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada & Cathedral
• →La Boca / Caminito
• →San Telmo
• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →Tango show (optional)

Free day. Option A: full-day estancia trip with gaucho demonstrations, folklore dancing and an asado lunch — bookable via GetYourGuide/Viator for ~£70-95 including transport, or look for a smaller local operator through your hostel. Option B: stay in the city — Palermo's parks and street art, MALBA art museum (~£7), a proper long lunch, and a Sunday San Telmo market if the day lines up.

🚌Local buses/Subte (~£4) or estancia transfer (included)

🛏Hostel in San Telmo/Palermo/Recoleta

• →Estancia day with gaucho show & asado (optional)
• →Palermo parks & street art
• →MALBA museum (optional)

Fly Buenos Aires → Santiago (~2h15, ~£80-140). With a window seat you'll cross the Andes — a highlight in itself. Land, take the airport bus (Centropuerto/Turbus, ~£2) or shared transfer into the city, and check into a hostel in Bellavista, Lastarria or Providencia. Evening: wander Lastarria's bar street, grab a completo (Chilean hot dog) and a cheap local beer.

🚌Domestic flight over the Andes (~£80-140); airport bus (~£2) + metro

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria/Providencia (£15-25 dorm, £30-45 private)

• →Andes crossing by air
• →Lastarria evening walk

Self-guided Santiago: start at Plaza de Armas and the Metropolitan Cathedral, walk to La Moneda Government Palace (free, ceremonial change of guard every other morning), then ride the funicular/metro cable car up San Cristóbal Hill to the Virgin Mary statue for city and Andes views (~£5 return). Afternoon: Central Market for seafood or a cheap menú del día. Optional evening: Chilean folkloric dinner show (~£30-45) bookable via GetYourGuide.

🚌Metro and funicular (~£5-7)

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria/Providencia

• →Plaza de Armas & Cathedral
• →La Moneda Palace
• →San Cristóbal Hill funicular & Virgin Mary statue
• →Folkloric dinner show (optional)

Day trip to the coast on the cheap: metro to Pajaritos or bus terminal and take a Turbus/Pullman bus to Valparaíso (~£4 each way, 1h40). Ride the historic funiculars, wander Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción's street art and stairs, then take the coastal metro (~£1) to Viña del Mar for the beach. Continue on to Concón or Casablanca wine country only if you have time. Book a small-group Valparaíso tour (~£35-50) if you'd rather have a guide. Back to Santiago for dinner.

🚌Bus Santiago → Valparaíso (~£4 each way) + coastal metro (~£1)

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria/Providencia

• →Valparaíso hills & street art
• →Historic funiculars
• →Viña del Mar beach

Early LATAM flight Santiago → Mataveri (Easter Island), ~5h40, ~£400-550 return if booked 2-3 months ahead — the priciest single item on the route, so lock it in early and stay flexible. On arrival buy the Rapa Nui National Park ticket online in advance (~CLP 80,000 / ~£65, valid for all sites) and register your accommodation. Check into a guesthouse/cabaña in Hanga Roa (many include airport pickup and breakfast). Afternoon: walk the Tahai ceremonial complex for sunset moai — a perfect free-ish introduction.

🚌Flight Santiago → Easter Island (return ~£400-550, half attributed here); airport pickup usually free

🛏Guesthouse/cabaña in Hanga Roa (£30-45, often with breakfast)

• →Tahai ceremonial complex at sunset
• →Hanga Roa harbour & town

Join a small-group full-day tour (book direct with a local operator or via GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£60-90 including park guide, lunch optional) covering the island's greatest hits: Ahu Vaihu and Ahu Akahanga's toppled moai, then the Rano Raraku quarry where the statues were carved (the single most impressive site), Ahu Tongariki's 15 moai platform, Ahu Te Pito Kura (the 'navel of the world' stone), and finish at Anakena beach with its coconut palms and warm water. Alternatively hire a bike (~£10/day) or scooter and self-drive the circuit — cheaper but you'll still need a licensed guide at some sites.

🚌Local tour van or rented bike/scooter (~£10-15)

🛏Guesthouse/cabaña in Hanga Roa

• →Ahu Vaihu & Ahu Akahanga
• →Rano Raraku quarry
• →Ahu Tongariki
• →Ahu Te Pito Kura
• →Anakena beach

Half-day (or full day at a relaxed pace) on the southwest: hike or shuttle to Rano Kau volcano's crater rim for the caldera lake view, then continue to Orongo ceremonial village where the birdman competition was held (included on the park ticket). Walk down or drive to Ana Te Pahu lava tube with its underground gardens, visit Vinapu's precisely fitted ceremonial platform, and finish back at Tahai. Afternoon free for Hanga Roa's small archaeological museum (~£5) and a cheap seafood lunch at the Caleta fishing cove.

🚌Rental bike/scooter or taxi (~£10-15)

🛏Guesthouse/cabaña in Hanga Roa

• →Rano Kau crater & Orongo
• →Ana Te Pahu lava tube
• →Vinapu ceremonial platform
• →Tahai complex
• →Anthropological museum (optional)

Morning free in Hanga Roa — a last swim at Pea beach or a craft market visit — then the flight back to Santiago (~5h40, included in the return fare). Land in the evening, take the airport bus into town and check back into a hostel. Dinner at a casual Lastarria or Bellavista spot.

🚌Return flight Easter Island → Santiago (included in the return fare); airport bus (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria/Providencia

• →Hanga Roa beach & craft market
• →Evening in Santiago

Breakfast, then head to the airport for your international flight home, or extend a couple of days if you want to add the Maipo Valley wine region or a day trip to Cajón del Maipo. Departure airport bus ~£2.

🚌Airport bus (~£2)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Departure
• →Optional Maipo Valley or Cajón del Maipo extension