Andes, Iguassu & Beyond — Self-Launched

Land at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez airport and make your own way in — the CentroPuerto or Turbus airport bus runs to the city centre for around CLP 2,000-3,000 (roughly £2-3), or a shared taxi/transfer is about £8-10. Check into a hostel in Bellavista, Lastarria or Providencia. Spend the afternoon easing in: walk the tree-lined streets of Lastarria, grab an empanada and a Completo, and get your bearings. Pick up a Bip! card for the metro (rides around CLP 800, ~£0.70). Evening: settle in with a pisco sour and plan the days ahead.

🚌Airport bus ~£2-3

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria (dorm £10-16, private £25-40)

• →Airport transfer to hostel
• →Neighbourhood wander in Lastarria/Bellavista
• →Get Bip! metro card

Join a free (tip-based) walking tour of downtown to cover the Plaza de Armas, the cathedral and the historic core — tip around £5-8. In the afternoon visit the Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Museo de la Memoria, free entry, small donation welcome). Ride the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal for panoramic city-and-Andes views (around CLP 3,000, ~£2.50), then return via the bohemian Bellavista barrio. Optional: Cerro Santa Lucía viewpoint, also free.

🚌Metro and walking (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria

• →Free downtown walking tour
• →Museum of Memory and Human Rights
• →Cerro San Cristóbal funicular

Catch a Turbus or Pullman bus from Santiago to Valparaíso (about 1.5 hours, ~CLP 4,000, £3-4) and spend the morning exploring the city's rainbow hills — ride the historic Ascensores (funiculars), wander Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, and look for street art on every corner. In the afternoon, take a local bus out to the Casablanca Valley and book a wine tasting at one of the boutique wineries directly (tastings from ~CLP 12,000, £10-12; Casas del Bosque and Veramonte are reachable by cab or the local bus from Casablanca town). Return to Santiago in the evening.

🚌Public bus Santiago-Valparaíso ~£4; local bus to Casablanca

🛏Hostel in Santiago

• →Valparaíso hill neighbourhoods and Ascensores
• →Casablanca Valley winery tasting
• →Street art walk

Fly or bus south to the Chilean Lake District. The easy option is a flight Santiago-Temuco (from around £35-55 if booked early), then a 1.5-hour bus to Pucón (~CLP 4,500). A budget overland alternative is an overnight or day-long Pullman bus Santiago-Pucón (13-15 hours, ~CLP 20,000-30,000, £18-27). Either way, land in Pucón, a lakeside volcano town that's the adventure capital of Chile. Settle into a hostel, eat lomo a lo pobre, and watch Volcán Villarrica smoke across the lake.

🚌Flight ~£35-55 or overnight bus ~£18-27; local bus to Pucón ~£4

🛏Hostel in Pucón (dorm £10-18)

• →Travel south
• →Lakefront sunset at Villarrica

Book a guided ascent of Volcán Villarrica directly through an agency in town (around CLP 100,000, £70-80 — one of the top experiences here). It's a big but achievable day: crampons and ice axe provided, a few hours of walking up snow and scree, and a rewarding look into the smoking crater. Alternatives if you'd rather not summit: hike in Huerquehue or Villarrica National Park, soak in the natural termas (thermal hot springs) at Los Pozones, or rent a kayak on Lago Villarrica. Evening: trail beers in town.

🚌Walking / shared van to trailhead

🛏Hostel in Pucón

• →Volcán Villarrica guided summit (~£75)
• →Optional hot springs or lake kayak

Use a second day for your pick of Pucón's adventures: white-water rafting the Trancura River (around CLP 25,000, £18-22), canyoning, hydrospeed, or a gentler Huerquehue National Park hike among monkey-puzzle trees and lakes. Book directly with operators in town the day before. If you're heading overland toward Argentina next, use this afternoon to sort buses and sort your cash — bring USD for the Argentine side, as it's far easier than ATMs.

🚌Local/shared vans to activity sites

🛏Hostel in Pucón

• →White-water rafting or canyoning
• →Huerquehue National Park hike

Begin the spectacular Andean crossing toward Argentina. Bus and Lake Crossing route via the Cardenal Samoré pass links Pucón and Osorno through the lakes and mountains to San Martín de los Andes or Bariloche (book through local operators in town; bus portions around £20-35). This is one of South America's great scenic border crossings — snow-capped peaks, alpine lakes and forests. Overnight in San Martín de los Andes or press on to Bariloche depending on timings.

🚌Bus and lake crossing over the Andes ~£25

🛏Hostel in San Martín de los Andes or Bariloche (£12-20)

• →Cardenal Samoré border crossing
• →Andean lake scenery

Arrive in Bariloche, Argentina's chocolate-box lakeside town. Do the Circuito Chico — a classic half-day lake-and-viewpoint drive/hike reachable by local bus from town (~£2-4) — and take in Lago Nahuel Huapi and the Andes panorama. Allow your legs a rest day or hike part of the Nahuel Huapi trails. Stock up on chocolate from the town's famous shops and enjoy a lamb asado or a parrilla dinner in the evening.

🚌Local bus Circuito Chico ~£2-4

🛏Hostel in Bariloche

• →Circuito Chico
• →Nahuel Huapi lakeside hike
• →Chocolate shop crawl

Swap the mountains for the pampas. The cheapest route is an overnight cama bus Bariloche-Buenos Aires (around 20 hours, ~ARS equivalent of £35-50 depending on class) — the semi-cama/cama seats recline and include meals, so this both saves a night's accommodation and is genuinely comfortable. Alternatively a budget flight from Bariloche (from ~£45-70 booked ahead) saves a day. Either way, arrive in Buenos Aires.

🚌Overnight bus ~£35-50 or flight ~£45-70

🛏Overnight bus (bunk-style cama seat) or hostel in Buenos Aires

• →Overland pampas crossing

Full day in Buenos Aires. Morning: join a free (tip-based) walking tour of the city centre and Plaza de Mayo, where Eva Perón's famous balcony overlooks the square. Afternoon: head to La Boca to see the brightly coloured buildings and El Caminito — a cobblestone street lined with artist studios, and the spot to catch an impromptu tango. Book a Buenos Aires Bike Tour if you'd rather roll through Palermo and Recoleta (~£25-35). Remember to bring USD cash for Argentina — exchange at an official or trusted cueva rate is far better than card. Evening: a steak dinner in Palermo and a wander.

🚌Metro / SUBE card and walking (~£2)

🛏Hostel in San Telmo or Palermo (£12-22)

• →Free centre + Plaza de Mayo walking tour
• →La Boca & El Caminito
• →Optional guided bike tour
• →Palermo evening

A second day to dig into BA. Explore San Telmo's Sunday antiques if the timing works, visit the Recoleta Cemetery and its cafe culture, browse the Palermo street markets, or take a day trip to the Tigre Delta. In the evening, book a Tango Dinner Show directly (from around £60-80, or grittier and cheaper: go to a milonga in San Telmo and watch the locals dance for the price of a drink). This lets you experience the passion of tango on your own terms and budget.

🚌Metro and walking

🛏Hostel in San Telmo or Palermo

• →Recoleta Cemetery & Palermo markets
• →Optional Tigre Delta day trip
• →Tango dinner show or San Telmo milonga

Fly from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú (from ~£45-75 if booked ahead — budget airlines serve the route) — the overland bus is 18+ hours, so most travellers fly. Check into a hostel in Puerto Iguazú, the relaxed Argentine town at the falls. Afternoon: visit the Hito Tres Fronteras viewpoint where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet, and sort your park tickets and Brazil entry logistics for the next days.

🚌Domestic flight ~£45-75

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (£12-20)

• →Hito Tres Fronteras viewpoint
• →Plan falls logistics

Cross into Brazil (check visa/entry requirements in advance) and visit the Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls to get the wide panoramic view of the whole 275-fall, 3km curtain of water — this is the postcard angle. Park entry is around R$100 (~£14); the Cataratas Trail and the walkway over Devil's Throat deliver the best photos. Buses link Puerto Iguazú to Foz do Iguaçu and to the Brazilian park entrance (~£3-6). Optional splurge: an Iguassu helicopter flight over the cascades from around £100-140. Return to Puerto Iguazú or stay in Foz.

🚌Cross-border bus to Brazilian park ~£4-6

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú or Foz do Iguaçu

• →Brazil-side Iguassu Falls guided viewpoint/trail
• →Optional helicopter flight (~£120)
• →Devil's Throat walkway

Today is the Argentine side, and it's the immersive one — you walk on catwalks right over and among the falls. Park entry around ARS 45,000 (~£30-35). Do the Upper Circuit, Lower Circuit and take the little train to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat) boardwalk for the full sensory hit: spray, roar and rainbows. Wear quick-dry clothes or bring a poncho. Public buses run from Puerto Iguazú town to the park entrance (~£2-3). This is the day you'll remember forever.

🚌Local bus to Argentine park entrance ~£2-3

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú

• →Argentina-side Iguassu Falls
• →Garganta del Diablo boardwalk
• →Upper and Lower Circuits

Fly from Foz do Iguaçu (the Brazilian airport, a short bus from Puerto Iguazú) to Rio de Janeiro (from ~£70-110 booked ahead). Land in Rio, check into a hostel in Copacabana, Ipanema or the more budget-friendly Lapa/Botafogo area, and get your first flavour of the cidade maravilhosa. Evening: walk the beach at sunset — Copacabana or Ipanema — and dinner at a boteco.

🚌Flight Foz do Iguaçu-Rio ~£70-110

🛏Hostel in Copacabana/Ipanema/Botafogo (£12-25)

• →Cross-border transfer to Foz airport
• →Ipanema sunset

Earn the big views. Head up Corcovado to Christ the Redeemer early to beat crowds (take the train from Cosme Velho, ~R$100/£14, or a shared van). Midday, ride the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar, ~R$160/£23) for the classic panorama over the bay. In between, explore Santa Teresa's bohemian hills and the Selarón Steps. You can book a half-day Corcovado-and-Sugarloaf tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (from ~£50-70) if you'd rather have logistics handled.

🚌Metro and vans (~£3)

🛏Hostel in Rio

• →Christ the Redeemer / Corcovado train
• →Sugarloaf cable car
• →Santa Teresa & Selarón Steps

A free day to shape your way. Beach-hop from Copacabana to Ipanema to Leblon, take a favela cultural tour (responsible operators only), or day-trip out to Ilha Grande for swimming and a kayak — the island's 'Canoe with Purpose' eco-experience runs from around £30-40 if you base yourself there overnight. If staying in Rio, catch a sunset at Arpoador rock and an evening of live samba in Lapa. Save a few reals for a farewell caipirinha.

🚌Metro / ferry to Ilha Grande (~£5-8)

🛏Hostel in Rio

• →Beach hopping Copacabana-Ipanema
• →Optional Ilha Grande kayak
• →Lapa samba night

Final morning in Rio — a last beach walk or a strong coffee and pão de queijo before heading to Galeão (GIG) airport. Take the Premium/executivo bus from Copacabana/Ipanema to the airport (~R$25/£4) or use an app-taxi (~£15-20). Trip complete: Santiago to Rio, the Andes to the Atlantic, done your own way.

🚌Airport bus ~£4 or taxi ~£15-20

🛏—

• →Beach farewell
• →Transfer to GIG airport