Latin America Highlights — Self-Launched: Quito to Rio in 23 Days

Land at Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport (UIO) and take the Aeroservicios bus or an airport taxi (~£15) into the city, then head straight north. From Quito's Carcelén terminal, local buses to Otavalo run roughly hourly and take about 2 hours for around £2. Check into a hostel in Otavalo, acclimatise gently at 2,500m and eat an early dinner of locro de papa soup.

🚌Airport bus + local bus Quito–Otavalo (~£5 total)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Otavalo centro (~£12/night)

• →Otavalo town wander
• →Andean soup dinner

Get to Plaza de Ponchos early (7–9am) for the indigenous textile market before the tour groups arrive. Mid-morning, bus back toward Quito and hop off at La Mitad del Mundo for the equator monument and Intiñan solar museum (~£4 entry each). Finish with a welcome dinner of ceviche and seco de chivo in Quito's La Mariscal neighbourhood (~£8).

🚌Local buses Otavalo–Quito and to Mitad del Mundo (~£5)

🛏Hostel in Quito La Mariscal (~£13/night)

• →Otavalo Plaza de Ponchos market
• →Mitad del Mundo equator monument
• →Intiñan museum
• →Welcome dinner in Quito

Do a free (tip-based) walking tour of the UNESCO-listed Centro Histórico — Basílica del Voto Nacional, Plaza Grande, La Compañía church — or join a GetYourGuide small-group city tour (~£15). Climb the Basílica towers (~£2) for volcano views. In the afternoon, take a taxi to Teleférico de Quito (~£7 return) and hike the short Rucu Pichincha trail for high-altitude acclimatisation.

🚌Trolleybus/taxi around Quito (~£4)

🛏Hostel in Quito La Mariscal (~£13/night)

• →Free walking tour of Quito Old Town
• →Basílica tower climb
• →Teleférico de Quito + highland hike

Book a small-group Cotopaxi day tour via GetYourGuide or any Quito agency (~£40–50 including park entry) — it includes transport, a guide, the Limpiopungo lagoon walk and, conditions permitting, the hike up to the José Rivas refuge at 4,800m. Lunch is often a typical Andean meal at a hacienda; budget ~£5 extra. Back in Quito by evening — rest and pack for the flight north.

🚌Included in day tour

🛏Hostel in Quito La Mariscal (~£13/night)

• →Cotopaxi National Park
• →Limpiopungo lagoon walk
• →José Rivas refuge hike
• →Hacienda Andean lunch

Fly Quito to Cusco via Lima (book ~4–6 weeks ahead; one-way budget fares from ~£110). Cusco sits at 3,400m — take it very easy on arrival. Take a taxi to your hostel in San Blas (~£4), drink coca tea, and only stroll the nearby streets. Optional evening pisco sour tasting at a San Blas bar (~£6). Buy a Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico, ~£18) online for the next day's ruins.

🚌Flight Quito–Lima–Cusco (~£110–140)

🛏Hostel in Cusco San Blas (~£11/night)

• →San Blas neighbourhood stroll
• →Optional pisco sour tasting

Join a free walking tour of Cusco's Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha and colonial churches, then walk uphill through San Blas to Sacsayhuamán and Q'enqo ruins (included with the Boleto Turístico). Alternatively join a guided half-day ruins tour (~£18). Evening: pick up your Machu Picchu train tickets and confirm your Sacred Valley minivan pickup for tomorrow.

🚌Walking + collectivo to ruins (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Cusco San Blas (~£11/night)

• →Cusco Old Town walking tour
• →Sacsayhuamán ruins
• →Q'enqo ruins

Take an early minivan/collectivo to Pisac (~£3) for the hilltop ruins and colourful market, then continue by collectivo to Urubamba and Ollantaytambo (~£4). Explore Ollantaytambo's fortress and Temple of the Sun (~£6 entry with Boleto). In the late afternoon board the PeruRail or Inca Rail Vistadome/Expedition train to Aguas Calientes (~£50–65 one-way, book ahead). Overnight in Aguas Calientes.

🚌Collectivos ~£7 + train Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes ~£55

🛏Guesthouse in Aguas Calientes (~£16/night)

• →Pisac ruins and market
• →Ollantaytambo fortress and Temple of the Sun
• →Andean train ride

Catch one of the first Consettur buses up to Machu Picchu (~£10 each way) or hike the Puente Ruinas trail. Enter with your pre-booked timed ticket (~£38; buy at machupicchu.gob.pe weeks in advance — Huayna Picchu or Montaña add-ons sell out fast). Allow 3–4 hours in the citadel, then bus down and take the afternoon train to Ollantaytambo (~£55) and a connecting bus/collectivo back to Cusco (~£6).

🚌Consettur bus ~£20 + train ~£55 + bus ~£6

🛏Hostel in Cusco San Blas (~£11/night)

• →Machu Picchu citadel visit
• →Optional Huayna Picchu climb

Take a tourist bus or local bus Cusco to Puno (~£15–20, 6–7 hours) and stop at the Sillustani chullpa burial towers en route (entry ~£3). Arrive in Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca at 3,800m — keep the afternoon quiet. Book your Bolivia hop and next day's Island of the Sun crossing at a Puno travel agency (~£18 bus to Copacabana).

🚌Bus Cusco–Puno with Sillustani stop (~£20)

🛏Hostel in Puno centre (~£10/night)

• →Sillustani burial towers
• →Lake Titicaca lakeshore walk

Cross the border into Bolivia by bus/tourist shuttle (~£8, about 3.5 hours including border formalities) to Copacabana. Climb the Cerro Calvario for lake views and visit the pilgrimage church. In the afternoon take a boat to Isla del Sol (~£8 return) and hike the ridge path between Yumani and the Pilkokaina Inca steps — overnight on the island or return to Copacabana.

🚌Bus Puno–Copacabana ~£8 + boat to Isla del Sol ~£8

🛏Simple guesthouse on Isla del Sol or Copacabana (~£12/night)

• →Copacabana Cerro Calvario
• →Isla del Sol boat trip and hike
• →Inca steps at Yumani

Bus Copacabana to La Paz (~£4, 3.5 hours). Check in around the historic centre, then take the Mi Teleférico cable cars (10 Bs per ride, ~£1) across the city — the Red Line to El Alto gives the best panorama. Join a free walking tour of the Witches' Market, Plaza Murillo and San Pedro prison viewpoints, and finish with a salteña and api at a local stall.

🚌Bus Copacabana–La Paz ~£4 + teleférico ~£2

🛏Hostel in La Paz historic centre (~£10/night)

• →Mi Teleférico cable car rides
• →La Paz Old Town walking tour
• →Witches' Market

Either take the overnight/early bus La Paz to Uyuni (~£12–18, 10 hours) or fly if you can find a fare (~£60). Join a 3-day 4x4 Salar de Uyuni tour (shared, ~£120–150 including accommodation, food and park fees). Day one covers the salt flats, the Incahuasi cactus island, and a sunset over the endless white — stay in a basic salt hotel that night.

🚌Bus La Paz–Uyuni ~£15

🛏Salt hotel near Uyuni (included in tour)

• →Salar de Uyuni 4x4 crossing
• →Incahuasi cactus island
• →Salt flat sunset

Second day of the 4x4 tour: drive through the high-altitude altiplano past Ollagüe volcano, stopping at the Laguna Cañapa and Hedionda lagoons where flamingos feed. Continue into the Siloli Desert to see the Arbol de Piedra stone tree, then overnight in a very basic highland guesthouse (~4,300m) — expect no heating and limited hot water, so bring thermals and a sleeping bag liner.

🚌4x4 tour vehicle (included)

🛏Basic highland refuge (included in tour)

• →Flamingo lagoons Cañapa and Hedionda
• →Siloli Desert and Arbol de Piedra
• →Ollagüe volcano views

Sunrise at the red Laguna Colorada with its flamingo colonies, then the steaming Sol de Mañana geyser field and the Termas de Polques hot springs. Cross the border into Chile at Hito Cajón and get dropped in San Pedro de Atacama. In the afternoon take a shared tour or van to Valle de la Luna (~£20 with entry) for sunset over the dunes, salt caves and the amphitheatre ridge.

🚌4x4 to border (included) + shared van to Valle de la Luna ~£20

🛏Hostel in San Pedro de Atacama (~£18/night)

• →Laguna Colorada
• →Sol de Mañana geysers
• →Valle de la Luna sunset

Optional early start (4am) for the El Tatio geyser sunrise tour (~£28, book locally). Later, take the bus to Calama (~£6) and fly to Santiago de Chile (~£60–90 one-way). Arrive in Santiago and settle into a hostel in Bellavista or Barrio Lastarria for dinner and a wander.

🚌Bus to Calama ~£6 + flight Calama–Santiago ~£75

🛏Hostel in Santiago Bellavista (~£18/night)

• →Optional El Tatio geyser field
• →Santiago evening stroll

Join a day trip to the UNESCO port of Valparaíso — take the Turbus or a shared tour to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar (~£20–30 including funicular rides), wandering the Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción street art. On the way back, a Casablanca Valley winery stop (Tours4Tips-style day tour ~£35 with tasting). Evening back in Santiago at Mercado Central for seafood.

🚌Bus/shared tour Santiago–Valparaíso ~£25

🛏Hostel in Santiago Bellavista (~£18/night)

• →Valparaíso hillside street art
• →Viña del Mar coast
• →Optional Casablanca Valley winery

Morning at Cerro Santa Lucía and the artists' quarter, then a last look at Mercado Central. Fly Santiago to Buenos Aires (~£90–120 one-way, 2 hours). In BA, check into a hostel in San Telmo or Palermo, take the Subte, and ease in with an empanada dinner and a stroll down Avenida de Mayo.

🚌Flight Santiago–Buenos Aires ~£105 + Subte ~£2

🛏Hostel in Buenos Aires San Telmo (~£16/night)

• →Cerro Santa Lucía
• →Mercado Central
• →Avenida de Mayo evening walk

Do a free (tip-based) walking tour of Plaza de Mayo — Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and the Metropolitan Cathedral — then continue to Recoleta Cemetery on your own. In the evening book a tango show in San Telmo or a La Catedral tango lesson (~£15–25 for a lesson; full dinner shows £50+). Alternatively catch a Sunday vibe at a local milonga.

🚌Subte and walking (~£3)

🛏Hostel in Buenos Aires San Telmo (~£16/night)

• →Plaza de Mayo and La Casa Rosada
• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →Tango lesson or milonga

Fly Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú (~£70–90, 1h50). Drop your bag at a hostel and head into Parque Nacional Iguazú (~£20 entry) — walk the Upper and Lower Circuit trails and take the train to the Garganta del Diablo walkway for the thunderous Devil's Throat. Expect to get soaked — bring a dry bag.

🚌Flight BA–Puerto Iguazú ~£80 + local bus to park ~£3

🛏Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (~£14/night)

• →Iguazú Falls Argentine side
• →Garganta del Diablo walkway
• →Upper and Lower circuits

Cross the border to Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil (bus ~£2) and visit the Brazilian side of the falls (~£17 entry) for the classic panoramic view and the Devil's Throat catwalk. Optional 10-minute helicopter flight (~£100). Late afternoon, fly Foz do Iguaçu to Rio de Janeiro (~£80–110) and check into a hostel in Botafogo or Ipanema.

🚌Border bus ~£2 + flight Foz–Rio ~£95

🛏Hostel in Rio de Janeiro (~£18/night)

• →Iguazú Falls Brazilian side
• →Devil's Throat viewpoint
• →Optional helicopter flight

Take the cable car up Pão de Açúcar (~£22) before the queues build, or hike the Pão de Açúcar trail if you're confident. In the afternoon join a free walking tour of Rio's colonial old town — Cinelândia, Lapa's Selarón Steps and the Metropolitan Cathedral. End with sunset at Copacabana or Ipanema.

🚌Metrô and walking (~£4)

🛏Hostel in Rio de Janeiro (~£18/night)

• →Sugarloaf Mountain cable car
• →Rio old town walking tour
• →Selarón Steps and Lapa
• →Copacabana/Ipanema sunset

Book the Corcovado cogwheel train plus entry online in advance (~£30) and go early — the 8am slots are quieter. After the statue, wander Santa Teresa's lanes and the Escadaria Selarón, then a long lunch in Botafogo. Optional sunset helicopter flight over the bay (~£150).

🚌Metrô to Cosme Velho + Corcovado train ~£30

🛏Hostel in Rio de Janeiro (~£18/night)

• →Christ the Redeemer
• →Corcovado cogwheel train
• →Santa Teresa
• →Optional helicopter tour

Final morning for a beach walk or last-minute açaí, then take the Metrô plus the dedicated bus or a taxi to Galeão (GIG) airport (~£5–15). If you're continuing on, buses and flights onward to São Paulo, the Pantanal or the coast are easily booked locally.

🚌Airport bus or taxi ~£8

🛏None (departure day)

• →Ipanema beach walk
• →Local market souvenirs