Self-Launched: Santiago to Quito — Patagonia, Iguazu, Rio, Machu Picchu & the Galápagos

Fly into Santiago (SCL). Skip the private arrival transfer — the Turbus/Centropuerto airport bus drops you downtown for about £2.50, or an official taxi is £25-30. Base yourself in Bellavista or Barrio Lastarria, where hostels and small guesthouses cluster within walking distance of the metro. Pick up a Bip! card at any metro station (about £1.30 plus top-up) and spend the evening wandering around Lastarria and the Parque Forestal.

🚌Airport bus Turbus/Centropuerto ~£2.50

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room in Bellavista/Lastarria (~£15-20)

• →Evening walk in Barrio Lastarria
• →Set up Bip! transit card

Do the historic centre on a free walking tour (Strawberry Tours or Free Walking Tour Santiago run daily from Plaza de Armas — tip £5-10). You'll cover the Plaza de Armas, Metropolitan Cathedral, La Moneda and the Bellavista murals. In the afternoon take metro Line 4 to Puente Alto, then a local bus or the Maipo Valley suburban train toward Buin/Paine, where boutique vineyards such as Viña Tierras de Chile or the small family bodegas run self-bookable tastings. Tours by Locals/GetYourGuide also sell half-day Maipo small-group wine tours for £35-50 including transport.

🚌Metro + suburban train/local bus ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room in Bellavista/Lastarria (~£18)

• →Free walking tour of Santiago centre (£7 tip)
• →Boutique winery tasting in Maipo Valley (~£30)
• →Metropolitan Cathedral & Plaza de Armas

Fly Santiago to Punta Arenas with Sky Airline or JetSMART (booked 2-3 months ahead, £90-150 one way), then take the Bus Sur or Buses Fernández coach up to Puerto Natales (about 3 hours, £12-15). Puerto Natales is a low-key fjord town with hostels strung along the waterfront. Do your own orientation walk to the Plaza de Armas and the Costanera, and sort your Torres del Paine park entry and bus ticket for tomorrow at the CONAF desk or online (pases parque nacional).

🚌Flight SCL-PUQ ~£120 + bus Punta Arenas-Puerto Natales ~£13

🛏Hostel dorm in Puerto Natales (~£15)

• →Waterfront orientation walk
• →Buy Torres del Paine park pass & bus ticket

Book a shared full-day Torres del Paine tour through any Puerto Natales agency (£40-55) or in advance on GetYourGuide. The day follows the same route as the group tour: Grey Lake and Glacier viewpoint, the Pehoé Lake lookout, the Cuernos del Paine viewpoint, Salto Grande waterfall and the guanaco-filled steppe near Sarmiento Lake and Laguna Azul. Bring your own picnic lunch (supermarket the night before, £6). Cheaper alternative: the regular public bus to the park plus a short self-guided walk, but you'll see far less in one day.

🚌Shared tour minibus (included in tour price)

🛏Hostel dorm in Puerto Natales (~£15)

• →Grey Glacier & Grey Lake viewpoint
• →Cuernos del Paine lookout
• →Salto Grande waterfall
• →Laguna Azul & Sarmiento Lake

Take the daily cross-border bus from Puerto Natales to El Calafate — Cootravi or Buses Pacheco-style services run most mornings, roughly 5-6 hours including the Chilean/Argentine border formalities at Cerro Castillo (about £25-35). The steppe drive itself is the scenery. In El Calafate, check in at a hostel near Libertador, then visit the Glaciarium museum on the town's edge (shuttle + entry £12) for context on the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

🚌Cross-border bus Puerto Natales-El Calafate ~£30

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in El Calafate (~£18)

• →Glaciarium ice museum (~£12)
• →Evening walk along Lago Argentino

Book a shared day tour to Perito Moreno (£40-50 with GetYourGuide or a local agency; park entry about £25 extra, paid in pesos). You get the full boardwalk circuit plus the optional boat along the north face (£25-30). Alternatively, the cheaper CalTur public bus from El Calafate to the glacier costs £18 return and lets you walk the boardwalks independently, adding the boat direct at the jetty. Listen for the calving ice — it sounds like thunder.

🚌Shared tour bus or public CalTur bus ~£30

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in El Calafate (~£18)

• →Perito Moreno boardwalks
• →Boat trip to the north face (~£27)
• →Los Glaciares National Park entry (~£25)

Fly El Calafate to Buenos Aires (Aeroparque or Ezeiza) with Aerolíneas Argentinas or JetSMART — book early, £70-120 one way with a 15kg checked bag. From the airport, take the Tienda León bus or use Uber/Cabify into Palermo or San Telmo (£8-12). Spend the afternoon settling in; evening options include a proper tango dinner show at La Ventana or Esquina Carlos Gardel in San Telmo (£45-70 booked direct rather than through an agency), or a free milonga if you're brave.

🚌Flight FTE-AEP ~£95 + airport transfer ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in San Telmo/Palermo (~£20)

• →Optional tango dinner show (~£55)
• →Walk Palermo Soho's plazas and bars

Free day. Work the city on foot and by Subte (SUBE card, ~£0.40 a ride): San Telmo's Sunday antiques market (if the day lines up), the Recoleta Cemetery (free, donate), the colourful facades of La Boca's Caminito, and a long café stop with medialunas at Café Tortoni or a local bar notable. Change USD cash in a cueva or at a Western Union for a much better rate than the official one — bring clean, low-denomination notes.

🚌Subte and walking ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in San Telmo/Palermo (~£20)

• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →Caminito, La Boca
• →Café Tortoni or a bar notable

Book a small-group street art tour through GetYourGuide or a local operator (£30-45) that covers Plaza de Mayo, the Teatro Colón facade, La Boca and crosses the 1914 Avellaneda Bridge into Isla Maciel to meet community muralists — the same socially-minded stop the group tour makes, but you're booking the neighbourhood guides direct. Alternatively, the free BA street art walking tours in Barracas and Colegiales (tip-based) are excellent.

🚌Bus/Subte and walking ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in San Telmo/Palermo (~£20)

• →Plaza de Mayo & Casa Rosada
• →La Boca / Caminito street museum
• →Isla Maciel community street art (~£35)

Fly Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú / Foz do Iguaçu (JetSMART or Flybondi, £70-110 if booked ahead). Base in Foz do Iguaçu on the Brazilian side for convenience — hostels run £12-16 a night and everything is walkable or a cheap bus away. Afternoon: the Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls. Take the park's 120 bus from the terminal (£1) to the visitor centre, pay entry (£18) and follow the panoramic trail out over the river — over 275 falls across 3km. Sunset is the best light.

🚌Flight AEP-IGR ~£90 + local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Foz do Iguaçu (~£14)

• →Iguassu Falls Brazilian side panoramic trail (entry ~£18)

Cross back into Argentina on the local bus (line 120 to the border, then a Puerto Iguazú bus — about £4 total plus border stamps). The Argentine side is the bigger park: ride the Ecológico train to the Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo) upper circuit, then the Upper and Lower Circuits for close-up spray. Park entry about £22. Optional: the boat into the falls from the Argentine side (£25-30) or the Great Adventure boat from the Brazilian side (£60) — book at the gate.

🚌Local buses across the border ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm in Foz do Iguaçu (~£14)

• →Garganta del Diablo boardwalk
• →Upper & Lower Circuits
• →Optional boat into the falls (~£28)

Fly Foz do Iguaçu to Rio (GOL or LATAM, £75-120 booked early). Take the BRT or Uber from Galeão to Botafogo or Santa Teresa (£6-10). Afternoon: ride the cable car up Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) — book online at bondinho.com.br for about £20 and go 1-2 hours before sunset for the best light over Guanabara Bay. Then walk the Botafogo and Flamengo waterfronts; Copacabana and Ipanema come tomorrow.

🚌Flight IGU-GIG ~£95 + airport transfer ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Botafogo or Santa Teresa (~£16)

• →Sugarloaf Mountain cable car (~£20)

Book a half-day guided tour of Rio's 'Little Africa' (the Port of Valongo and Pedra do Sal area) plus Lapa and Christ the Redeemer through GetYourGuide (£35-50 including transport and Corcovado entry). Pedra do Sal's Monday night samba is free and genuinely great. Alternative DIY: metro to Largo do Machado, then the van or Corcovado train up to Cristo Redentor (book the train at tremdocorcovado.com.br, about £22). Combine with the Selarón Steps in Lapa.

🚌Metro, van and walking ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm in Botafogo or Santa Teresa (~£16)

• →Port of Valongo & Pedra do Sal
• →Christ the Redeemer / Corcovado
• →Selarón Steps, Lapa

Ride the historic Santa Teresa tram (£3) up the hill, wander the cobblestones and the ruins of the Ladeira mansion area, then walk down to the Jardim Botânico (entry about £5) for the palm avenue and the orchid house. Grab an açaí or a plate of feijoada for lunch. Evening: Ipanema sunset and a cheap dinner at a boteco in Leblon.

🚌Tram, metro and walking ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm in Botafogo or Santa Teresa (~£16)

• →Santa Teresa historic tram
• →Botanical Gardens (~£5)
• →Ipanema beach sunset

Fly Rio to Lima (LATAM or JetSMART, £150-220 one way — the priciest internal hop of the trip; book 2+ months ahead). Base in Miraflores or Barranco, which are walkable, safe and full of hostels (£14-20). Evening in Barranco: the Puente de los Suspiros, the Bajada de Baños, and a pisco sour at a local bar. Lima's ceviche is a must — a mid-range cevichería lunch is £8-10.

🚌Flight GIG-LIM ~£180 + airport transfer ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Miraflores/Barranco (~£16)

• →Barranco & Puente de los Suspiros
• →Pisco sour at a local bar

Fly Lima to Cusco with Sky or LATAM (£55-90; morning flights are smoother). Rather than overnighting in Cusco at 3,400m, take a shared colectivo or the local bus down to Ollantaytambo (about 1.5 hours, £3-5), which sits 700m lower — much easier on altitude. Buy your Boleto Turístico del Cusco (£35, covers Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray and more) at the Ollantaytambo office. Drink coca tea, walk slowly, sleep early.

🚌Flight LIM-CUZ ~£70 + colectivo to Ollantaytambo ~£4

🛏Family guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (~£15)

• →Collectivo through the Sacred Valley
• →Buy Boleto Turístico (~£35)

Take a local combi to Pisac (£1.50) and, with the Boleto Turístico, climb to the Pisac ruins above the town. Then visit the Parque de la Papa (Potato Park) community near Pisac — arrange a community visit through a local Pisac tour office or a responsible-tourism operator (about £25-35 for a half-day with a local guide, including weaving and agricultural demonstrations). Lunch at Parwa Community Restaurant in Lamay, the farm-to-table project G Adventures helped kickstart — it's open to independent walk-ins, three courses about £15. Fittingly, booking direct means more of the money stays with the community.

🚌Combi Pisac-Lamay-Ollantaytambo ~£4

🛏Family guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (~£15)

• →Pisac ruins
• →Parque de la Papa community visit (~£30)
• →Lunch at Parwa Community Restaurant (~£15)

Hire a shared taxi or join a small-group Maras & Moray tour from Ollantaytambo (£18-25): the Inca circular terraces at Moray and the shimmering pre-Inca salt pans at Maras. In the afternoon take the PeruRail or Inca Rail train from Ollantaytambo down to Aguas Calientes (about 1.5 hours, £55-75 booked online in advance — book the day before your Machu Picchu entry). Stay in Aguas Calientes so you can be at the gate at opening.

🚌Shared taxi to Moray/Maras ~£20 + PeruRail train ~£65

🛏Budget guesthouse in Aguas Calientes (~£18)

• →Moray terraces
• →Maras salt pans
• →Optional Pachamanca-style dinner in Aguas Calientes

Machu Picchu entry tickets sell out weeks ahead — book at machupicchu.gob.pe or via a reseller as soon as your dates are fixed (£45-50 for Circuit 2 or 3, plus £15 return for the Consettur bus up the switchbacks, or walk the steps for free in about an hour). Go at 6am for the mist and the quiet. A licensed guide at the gate costs about £15-20 per person for a 2-hour tour. Afterwards, soak in the Baños Termales (£5) and take the afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy, then a bus into Cusco.

🚌Consettur bus ~£15 + return train ~£65 + bus to Cusco ~£5

🛏Hostel in Cusco (~£14)

• →Machu Picchu circuit with local guide (~£65 total entry + guide)
• →Aguas Calientes hot springs (~£5)

Wander San Blas, the Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha and the San Pedro market for a cheap lunch (£3). Book the Cusco Planetarium evening directly (planetariumcusco.com, about £13 including transport) to look at the southern sky through their telescopes and hear the Inca astronomy stories. Optional: a Cusco cooking class (£30-40 booked direct) instead of or before the planetarium.

🚌Walking and local taxis ~£4

🛏Hostel in Cusco (~£14)

• →Qorikancha & San Blas
• →San Pedro market
• →Cusco Planetarium evening (~£13)

Fly Cusco to Lima and on to Quito (LATAM or Avianca, £150-220 total if booked ahead — there's no direct route). Quito sits at 2,850m so take it easy. Stay in the Centro Histórico or La Mariscal (£12-18 dorm). Evening walk around the Plaza Grande and a cheap almuerzo-style dinner (£5).

🚌Flights CUZ-LIM-UIO ~£180 + airport taxi ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Quito (~£14)

• →Plaza Grande at dusk

Do a free walking tour of the Centro Histórico (tip £7) covering the Basilica, Plaza Grande and La Ronda, then book a cacao/chocolate tasting direct at a Quito chocolatier such as Chez Tiff or the Pacari tasting room (£8-12). In the afternoon take the Metrobús Q or a taxi north to the Intiñan Solar Museum on the equator line (£5 entry, plus £6 transport) for the water-drain experiments and the 0°0'0" photo. You can also cross to the real Mitad del Mundo monument (£4).

🚌Metrobús and taxi ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm in Quito (~£14)

• →Free walking tour of Centro Histórico (~£7)
• →Chocolate & cacao tasting (~£10)
• →Intiñan Museum equator line (~£5)

Fly Quito to Baltra via Guayaquil with LATAM or Avianca (£280-400 return — book 2-3 months out). Pre-pay the Galápagos National Park entry (£160) and the TCT transit card (£18) online via the official Galápagos government portal to save queuing. From Baltra take the free airline bus, the water taxi to Santa Cruz (£1) and the public bus or a shared pickup to Puerto Ayora (£2). Afternoon: walk to Tortuga Bay (free, 40 min through cactus forest) for a white-sand beach and marine iguanas.

🚌Flight UIO-GPS return ~£330 + water taxi/bus ~£4

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Puerto Ayora (~£18)

• →Walk to Tortuga Bay
• →Puerto Ayora fish market (pelicans & sea lions)

Rent a bike (£10) or take a shared taxi (£8) into the Santa Cruz highlands: visit an organic farm such as El Trapiche or a small family finca to see coffee and crops and plant a tree, then see giant tortoises in the wild at El Chato reserve (£5 entry). Back in town, the Charles Darwin Research Station and Fausto Llerena Breeding Center are free to enter (donation welcome) — the tortoise-rearing pens and Lonesome George's legacy are worth a couple of hours.

🚌Bike rental or shared taxi ~£10

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Puerto Ayora (~£18)

• →Santa Cruz highlands organic farm (~£8)
• →El Chato giant tortoise reserve (~£5)
• →Charles Darwin Research Station (free)

Book a day boat trip direct with a Puerto Ayora agency or via GetYourGuide one or two days ahead (£90-130 depending on destination). Options include Seymour Norte (frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, land iguanas), Santa Fe (sea lions and reef sharks) or Bartolomé with its Pinnacle Rock. Lunch, snorkel gear and a certified naturalist guide are included — you'll snorkel alongside green turtles, rays and reef sharks. Book early morning departures; seasickness tablets if you need them.

🚌Day boat tour (included)

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Puerto Ayora (~£18)

• →Uninhabited island hike
• →Snorkelling with turtles, rays & sharks
• →Day boat trip (~£110)

Take the public speedboat between Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal (£25, 2 hours, twice daily — book at the Puerto Ayora docks). On arrival, walk to Las Tijeretas lookout for frigatebirds and the bay views, then visit the Gianny Arismendi Interpretation Center (free) to understand the islands' volcanic and human history. In the afternoon, Playa Mann or Playa de Oro for sea lions literally everywhere — keep 2m distance.

🚌Public speedboat Santa Cruz-San Cristóbal ~£25

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (~£16)

• →Las Tijeretas lookout
• →Interpretation Center
• →Playa Mann sea lions

Book a half-day boat trip to Kicker Rock (León Dormido) through a Puerto Baquerizo Moreno dive shop (£70-90) — the channel between the two volcanic towers is one of the best snorkel sites in the Pacific, with hammerhead sharks, eagle rays and turtles if the visibility is good. Alternatively, a cheaper £40 trip to Isla Lobos for sea lion pups and blue-footed boobies. Back by mid-afternoon for a seafood lunch on the malecón.

🚌Half-day boat trip (included)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (~£16)

• →Kicker Rock snorkelling (~£80)
• →Malecón seafood lunch

Morning flight San Cristóbal (SCY) to Quito via Guayaquil (£120-180 — note your Baltra return sector may need adjusting; many travellers fly into Baltra and out of San Cristóbal, which is what we've done here). Back in Quito, spend the afternoon buying last souvenirs at the Mercado Artesanal or the Otavalo-style stalls, and enjoy a final almuerzo and a sunset from the Itchimbía park viewpoint over the old town.

🚌Flight SCY-UIO ~£150 + taxi ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Quito (~£14)

• →Mercado Artesanal
• →Parque Itchimbía viewpoint

No activities planned. Depending on your flight time, catch a final morning coffee in La Mariscal, then take the Aeroservicios airport bus (£2) or a taxi (£8) to Mariscal Sucre Airport for your international departure. Keep at least 3 hours before an international flight.

🚌Airport bus ~£2

🛏None (departure day)

• →Departure