Santiago to Buenos Aires: Volcanos, Valleys & the Lake District (Self-Launched)

Land at SCL and take the Turbus/Centropuerto airport bus to the city (~3,000 CLP / £2.50) or a shared transfer (~£6). Check into a hostel in Bellavista or Barrio Lastarria. Spend the afternoon wandering Cerro San Cristóbal (funicular ~£2.50) or the Museo de la Memoria (free). Evening: cheap completo hot dog and a terremoto, and sort your bus ticket south for tomorrow night.

🚌Airport bus ~£2.50; walkable city centre

🛏Hostel dorm, Bellavista or Lastarria (~£14/night)

• →Cerro San Cristóbal funicular
• →Barrio Bellavista street art
• →Buy overnight bus ticket to Pucón

Full day free. Options: day trip to Valparaíso by metro + bus (~£8 return, 1h45m) for colourful hills, street art and a funicular; or stay local with the Mercado Central seafood lunch and Parque Forestal. Book your overnight bus in advance — Pullman/JAC run Santiago to Pucón in about 10–11 hours, semi-cama (reclining seat) ~£22–30. Depart around 21:00–22:30.

🚌Santiago–Pucón overnight bus ~£26

🛏Overnight bus (semi-cama seat)

• →Valparaíso day trip (optional)
• →Mercado Central lunch
• →Overnight coach south

Roll in early morning, walk to your hostel and drop bags. Pucón sits on Lake Villarrica under the smoking cone of Volcán Villarrica. Easy first day: walk the lakefront, then spend the afternoon at one of the termas (Termas Los Pozones is the classic ~£12 entry and lovely at dusk) to recover from the bus. Supermarket dinner back at the hostel.

🚌Walk; collective taxi/shuttle to Los Pozones ~£4

🛏Hostel, Pucón centre (~£15/night)

• →Lakefront walk
• →Termas Los Pozones hot springs
• →Volcano viewpoint at dusk

Pick your big day. Guided Villarrica summit hike (crampons, lift, guide) runs ~£65–90 and takes 6–8 hours — book direct with a local operator like Sol y Nieve or Politur. Cheaper thrills: white-water rafting on the Trancura (~£30), kayaking on the lake (~£25), or the free-ish Huerquehue National Park hike (bus ~£3 + ~£6 entry, ~£14 total) with ancient araucaria trees and alpine lakes. Afternoon: craft beer on the main drag.

🚌Local bus to Huerquehue ~£3; tours include pickup

🛏Hostel, Pucón (~£15/night)

• →Villarrica volcano guided summit hike
• →Trancura river rafting
• →Huerquehue National Park self-guided hike
• →Kayaking Lake Villarrica

Buy an afternoon Tur Bus/JAC ticket south — Pucón to Puerto Varas is about 5 hours, ~£12–16. Watch the volcanoes slide past. Arrive late afternoon, check into a hostel near the plaza, and go for a lakeside walk to see Volcán Osorno across Lago Llanquihue. Dinner: a seafood curanto or a slice of kuchen at a German-Chilean café.

🚌Pucón–Puerto Varas bus ~£14

🛏Hostel, Puerto Varas (~£16/night)

• →Lake Llanquihue sunset walk
• →Osorno volcano viewpoint

Take your pick. Easiest: a self-organised day to Chiloé (bus to Pargua ~£4 + ferry crossing, then on to Ancud or Dalcahue for palafitos, UNESCO churches and curanto market lunch) — £25–30 all in. Alternative: local bus toward Petrohué / Vicente Pérez Rosales park for the emerald Todos los Santos lake and Petrohué falls (~£12 all in), or an organised Osorno volcano chairlift trip (~£30). Evening: craft beer at one of the cervecerías artesanales.

🚌Local buses ~£4–12

🛏Hostel, Puerto Varas (~£16/night)

• →Chiloé island day trip
• →Petrohué falls & Todos los Santos lake
• →Osorno volcano chairlift

Today you cross into Argentina. Either book the direct through-bus (Cruce de Lagos is gorgeous but pricey; the plain bus Puerto Varas–Bariloche via Osorno and the Cardenal Antonio Samoré pass runs ~8–9 hours and ~£28–35), or stitch it together cheaper: Puerto Varas to Osorno (~£3), Osorno to Bariloche on Andesmar/Via Bariloche (~£22). Have your passport ready at the border. Arrive evening, check in and get a first Argentinian steak.

🚌Puerto Varas–Bariloche bus ~£30

🛏Hostel, Bariloche centre (~£15/night)

• →Andes border crossing
• →Evening in Bariloche centre

Do the classic half-day: bus #20 to the Circuito Chico (Small Circuit), walk stretches of the lake road, stop at Llao Llao and Bahía López, then ride the chairlift up Cerro Campanario — National Geographic rates the view one of the world's best. Bus + chairlift ≈ £10–12. Afternoon: chocolate shops on Mitre, or hire a bike (~£12) and ride the circuit yourself. Evening: craft beer at a local cervecería.

🚌Local bus #20 / bike hire ~£10

🛏Hostel, Bariloche (~£15/night)

• →Circuito Chico (Small Circuit)
• →Cerro Campanario chairlift
• →Bariloche chocolate shops & breweries

Pick your adventure: hiking in Nahuel Huapi or the Refugio Frey trail (free, bus ~£2), rafting on the Río Manso (~£45), horseback riding or kayaking on Lago Gutiérrez (~£25–35), or a lazy day of cafés and chocolate tasting. Book any activity online or at your hostel reception the day before. Grab picnic supplies for tomorrow's long bus.

🚌Local buses ~£2–4

🛏Hostel, Bariloche (~£15/night)

• →Refugio Frey hike
• →Río Manso rafting
• →Lago Gutiérrez kayaking
• →Horseback riding

Lazy morning by the lake, then restock snacks and download podcasts — Bariloche to Buenos Aires is a 20–24 hour bus (Via Bariloche or Andesmar, semi-cama ~£45–60, cama suite ~£70). Book ahead on the operator site or via Busbud/Plataforma 10. It's long, but Argentine long-distance buses are comfortable and it saves a night's accommodation. Depart early evening.

🚌Bariloche–Buenos Aires overnight bus ~£52

🛏Overnight bus (semi-cama/cama seat)

• →Lakeside morning walk
• →Provision shopping
• →Overnight coach

Arrive early afternoon, check into a hostel in San Telmo or Palermo. Do a free walking tour (tips only) covering Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada and Eva Perón's balcony, then wander La Boca's El Caminito for the colours and street tango. Evening: a tango dinner show at a San Telmo or Abasto milonga (~£35–70 booked direct or on GetYourGuide) — or catch a cheap milonga and just watch.

🚌Metro (Sube card) ~£0.50/ride; taxi from bus terminal ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, San Telmo or Palermo (~£16/night)

• →Free walking tour (Plaza de Mayo)
• →La Boca / El Caminito
• →Tango dinner show or milonga

Optional morning: Recoleta Cemetery (free to walk the neighbourhood), the San Telmo Sunday market if your dates line up, or a bike tour of the south of the city (~£25). Then bus or taxi to Ezeiza for your flight out — or extend a few days and take the Buquebus ferry to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

🚌Bus to Ezeiza ~£2 or taxi ~£25

🛏—

• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →San Telmo market
• →Buenos Aires bike tour (optional)