Quito to Rio: The Self-Launched South America Grand Tour (65 Days)

Land at Mariscal Sucre Airport and take the Aeroservicios bus ($8) or an official taxi ($25) into the Centro Histórico. Check into a hostel in the old town (Secret Garden or similar, £10–14 dorm). Take it easy: Quito sits at 2,850m. Evening walk around Plaza Grande and a cheap set lunch (almuerzo) for £3.

🚌Airport bus ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Centro Histórico (£10–14)

• →Old town orientation walk
• →Plaza Grande & Basilica exterior

Bus from Quito's Terminal Quitumbe to Tena, roughly 5–6 hrs (£7). Pre-arrange a Quichua community stay near Pimpilala directly by phone/WhatsApp through one of the local family lodges (Cabañas Shangrila, Rios Ecuador contacts, or ask your hostel to arrange the pickup-truck transfer, ~£4). Expect rustic wooden huts, riverside, no wi-fi.

🚌Public bus Quito–Tena ~£7 + shared pickup ~£4

🛏Community jungle lodge, Pimpilala (£12, meals usually included)

• →Overland to the Napo river valley
• →Arrival at Quichua family lodge

Half- or full-day guided nature walk with a local Quichua guide (£15–20), learning medicinal plants and forest lore. Optional afternoon visit to the Amazoonico animal rescue centre (taxi + $5 entry, ~£10). Swim in the Rio Anzu. Most family lodges include three meals — budget £5 for extras.

🚌Walking / short taxi

🛏Community jungle lodge (£12)

• →Guided rainforest nature walk
• →Amazoonico animal rescue centre (optional)
• →River swim

Rent a mountain bike (£8) and ride the riverside track to Shandia community, or take a local bus then walk. Book a cacao/chocolate demonstration with the Shandia community tourism project directly (£10) — you make your own bar from bean to finished product. Return to your lodge for dinner.

🚌Bike rental ~£8

🛏Community jungle lodge (£12)

• →Shandia community bike ride
• →Cacao & chocolate-making demonstration

Bus Tena–Baños via Puyo, 4 hrs (£5). Baños is stuffed with hostels (£9–12). Book a canyoning trip direct with a local operator for the afternoon or next morning (£25–30). Evening: thermal baths at El Salado (£2) and a £3 almuerzo.

🚌Public bus ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, Baños (£9–12)

• →Canyoning Cascadas de Chamana (optional, £25)
• →El Salado hot springs

Walk or take a £1 local bus to Casa del Árbol for the famous 'swing at the end of the world' (entry ~£1). Hire a bike (£5) for the Ruta de las Cascadas past waterfalls and ziplines (£15 optional). Or raft the Pastaza (£25). Cheap food everywhere.

🚌Local bus & bike hire ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Baños (£9–12)

• →Casa del Árbol swing
• →Ruta de las Cascadas bike ride
• →Optional rafting/zipline

Bus Baños–Cuenca via Riobamba or Alausí, 7–8 hrs (£10). Alternatively break the journey at Alausí for the Nariz del Diablo train. Arrive in the evening; hostels in the centre £10–13. Wander the red-roofed streets around Parque Calderón.

🚌Public bus ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, Cuenca (£10–13)

• →Scenic Andes bus ride
• →Evening old-town walk

Morning at the Museo Pumapungo (free) and the flower market. Afternoon at Ingapirca, Ecuador's main Inca ruin, via local bus (£6 return + £2 entry). Evening overnight international bus Cuenca–Máncora via Huaquillas border, 12–14 hrs (£18–22, book with Rutas Orenses/Cruz del Sur). Border formalities are handled at the terminal.

🚌Bus + Ingapirca local bus ~£26

🛏Overnight bus (cama seat)

• →Ingapirca Inca ruins
• →Cuenca markets

Wake up by the sea. Hostels and beach huts from £8–12. Breakfast of tamales on the beach for £2. Afternoon swim and sunset. Book a surf lesson for tomorrow (£12).

🚌Walking

🛏Beach hostel, Máncora (£8–12)

• →Beach time
• →Sunset at Punta Sal lookout

Two-hour surf lesson with a local school (£12), or a yoga class (£6). Afternoon ceviche lunch (£4). Long, lazy beach day.

🚌Walking

🛏Beach hostel (£8–12)

• →Surf lesson
• →Yoga class
• →Ceviche lunch

Morning beach time. Late afternoon bus Máncora–Trujillo with Cruz del Sur or Oltursa, 9–10 hrs, cama seat £15. Board around 8pm and sleep on the road.

🚌Cruz del Sur/Oltursa ~£15

🛏Overnight bus

• →Beach morning
• →Overnight coastal bus

Hostel near the Plaza de Armas (£9). Take a local 'combi' to Chan Chan, the vast Chimú adobe city (£1 each way + £3 entry). Afternoon in Huanchaco for the reed fishing boats and a beach stroll (£1 bus).

🚌Local combis ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Trujillo (£9)

• →Chan Chan archaeological site
• →Huanchaco beach & caballitos de totora

Explore the colonial centre, the Casa Urquiaga museum and the Mercado Central for fruit. Evening bus to Lima, 8–9 hrs, £12–15.

🚌Bus ~£13

🛏Overnight bus

• →Trujillo colonial centre
• →Mercado Central

Arrive early, check into a hostel in Miraflores or Barranco (£10–13). Wander Barranco's murals and Puente de los Suspiros, walk the Malecón clifftop, and eat at a cheap menú del día (£4). A pisco sour on a Barranco terrace (£5). Book a free walking tour for tomorrow or a market-and-cooking class (£30 direct).

🚌Local bus/Metro ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Barranco (£10–13)

• →Barranco street art walk
• →Malecón sunset
• →Pisco sour

Morning free walking tour of the Centro Histórico (tip-based, £5). Afternoon: Museo Larco (£9) or the Mercado de Surquillo for exotic fruit. Optional Peruvian cooking class booked direct (£30–35) — cheaper than through an operator.

🚌Local transport ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Barranco (£10–13)

• →Centro Histórico walking tour
• →Museo Larco or cooking class

Bus Lima–Ica with Cruz del Sur, 4.5 hrs (£10), then a £1 taxi to the oasis. Book a dune buggy + sandboarding sunset tour directly at the oasis (£15). Hostels around the lagoon £8–11.

🚌Bus + taxi ~£11

🛏Hostel, Huacachina (£8–11)

• →Dune buggy & sandboarding at sunset

Early boat to the Ballestas Islands from Paracas (£18 incl. transport & park fee) for sea lions and seabirds. Return, then bus to Nazca (£6), pausing at a pisco winery for a tasting (£3) — the Bodegas near Ica are easily visited by local taxi. Cheap hostel in Nazca (£8).

🚌Boat + buses + taxi ~£27

🛏Hostel, Nazca (£8)

• →Ballestas Islands boat trip
• →Pisco winery tasting

Book a 30-minute Nazca Lines overflight direct at the airstrip (£70–80, plus S/47 airport tax). Cheaper alternative: the Mirador tower (£2) or a desert cemetery tour (£8). Lunch: a pachamanca cooked in an underground oven, bookable through a local family restaurant (£8). Night bus to Arequipa, 10 hrs (£13).

🚌Bus ~£13

🛏Overnight bus

• →Nazca Lines flight or mirador
• →Pachamanca lunch

Arrive in the morning; hostel in the centre £9–12. Visit the Santa Catalina Monastery (£9) and the Museo Santuarios Andinos (£6). Lunch at a picantería — rocoto relleno and alpaca (£5). Book tomorrow's Colca Canyon trek or the 2-day bus tour direct with a local agency (£25).

🚌Walking/local bus

🛏Hostel dorm, Arequipa (£9–12)

• →Santa Catalina Monastery
• →Picantería lunch
• →Book Colca tour

Early minibus tour towards Chivay with viewpoint stops and vicuña sightings (£25 incl. transport, guide and basic accommodation in Chivay). Optional hot springs at La Calera (£3). Dinner in Chivay (£5).

🚌Tour minibus (included)

🛏Basic guesthouse, Chivay (included in tour)

• →Colca Valley viewpoints
• →La Calera hot springs
• →Vicuña & alpaca spotting

Pre-dawn start to Cruz del Cóndor to watch Andean condors ride the thermals. Stop at traditional villages on the way back. Return to Arequipa by early evening; drinks on Calle Zela (£6).

🚌Tour minibus (included)

🛏Hostel dorm, Arequipa (£9–12)

• →Cruz del Cóndor condor viewpoint
• →Village stops

Free day: Mundo Alpaca (free), the Yanahuara viewpoint, or a £5 city walking tour. Evening bus to Cusco, 10 hrs, £14 (Cruz del Sur/Oltursa) — or the cheaper local buses via Juliaca.

🚌Bus ~£14

🛏Overnight bus

• →Yanahuara viewpoint
• →Mundo Alpaca

Arrive early and check into a hostel in San Blas (£8–11). Sort logistics: confirm your Inca Trail permit (booked months ahead — see day 26), buy a Boleto Turístico (£18 for multiple sites) and acclimatise. Easy afternoon: Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha (£5), San Pedro market for a £3 lunch.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm, Cusco (£8–11)

• →San Blas & Plaza de Armas
• →Qorikancha
• →San Pedro market

If acclimatised, book a Rainbow Mountain day trip direct (£20–25, includes transport and breakfast — cheaper than the tour operator rate of ~£40). Otherwise: Inka Museum (£4), Sacsayhuamán (£8 or on the Boleto Turístico), coffee in San Blas. Buy trek supplies and rent any gear you need (£8).

🚌Tour van or local bus

🛏Hostel dorm, Cusco (£8–11)

• →Rainbow Mountain day trip (optional)
• →Inka Museum
• →Trek gear prep

Collectivo buses through the Sacred Valley (£6 total). Stop at the Ccaccaccollo women's weaving co-op (visits arranged direct or via your hostel, £8 incl. demonstration). Optional craft-beer stop in Urubamba (£4). Sleep in Ollantaytambo (£9–12) to be close to the Km 82 trailhead.

🚌Collectivos ~£6

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Ollantaytambo (£9–12)

• →Ccaccaccollo weaving demonstration
• →Ollantaytambo ruins

Take the early van to Km 82 (arranged with your trek operator) and start walking. You MUST book a 4-day Inca Trail permit through an authorised Cusco agency months in advance — official permits are ~£160 plus operator costs, total £300–400 pp for a guided group trek with porters and cook. Days 26–29 all sit inside this cost. Gentle first day past Llactapata ruins to camp.

🚌Van to trailhead (included)

🛏Trek camp (included in permit/trek cost)

• →Inca Trail hiking
• →Llactapata ruins

Steep climb to Warmiwañusca at 4,198m — the high point of the trek. Take it slow, drink water, and enjoy the descent to the Pacaymayo camp. Everything (meals, porters, camp) is included in your trek fee.

🚌On foot

🛏Trek camp (included)

• →Dead Woman's Pass 4,198m
• →Andean cloud forest

Cross Runkurakay pass (3,950m) and descend through cloud forest past the ruins of Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca, the 'town above the clouds'. Camp near Wiñay Wayna for the final early start.

🚌On foot

🛏Trek camp (included)

• →Runkurakay pass
• →Sayacmarca & Phuyupatamarca ruins

Up at 03:30 for the checkpoint and the walk to Inti Punku (Sun Gate) for first light over Machu Picchu. Guided tour of the citadel (included with your trek, Circuit 3 for trekkers). Bus down to Aguas Calientes (£9) and the afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo (£55–70, book online in advance) then bus to Cusco (£3). Night out in Cusco (£10).

🚌Bus £9 + train ~£60 + bus £3

🛏Hostel dorm, Cusco (£8–11)

• →Sun Gate sunrise
• →Guided Machu Picchu tour
• →Cusco night out

Sleep in. Coffee and brunch in San Blas, a massage (£8), and an easy wander around the artisan markets. Pick up laundry (£3). Optional museum or chocolate workshop (£10).

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm, Cusco (£8–11)

• →San Blas cafés
• →Artisan markets
• →Optional massage

Bus Cusco–Puno, 6–7 hrs (£12). The tourist buses (Inka Express, ~£30) include stops at Andahuaylillas and Raqchi — worth the upgrade if you like ruins. Basic hostels in Puno £8–10. Cold at 3,800m: bring layers.

🚌Bus ~£12

🛏Hostel, Puno (£8–10)

• →Altiplano crossing
• →Optional Raqchi ruins stop

Book a 2-day island trip direct at Puno port (£25–30 incl. boat, homestay, dinner and breakfast) or arrange an independent homestay on Amantaní through your hostel. Boat to Taquile for weaving co-ops and lunch, then on to your host family for a night with a Quechua-speaking household.

🚌Boat (included)

🛏Family homestay, Amantaní (included in boat package)

• →Taquile Island weaving co-ops
• →Island homestay

Return by boat with a stop at the Uros floating reed islands. Optionally detour to the Sillustani chullpas (funerary towers) by local bus (£4 + £3 entry). Kayak hire in the afternoon (£10). Back in Puno for the night.

🚌Boat + local bus ~£6

🛏Hostel, Puno (£8–10)

• →Uros floating islands
• →Sillustani chullpas
• →Optional kayaking

Full-day bus around Lake Titicaca to Copacabana, then on to La Paz (£15 total, or direct tourist bus ~£20). Border crossing at Kasani is straightforward — UK passports get 90 days free on arrival. Check into a Sopocachi or Centro hostel (£8–12). Evening drinks in Sopocachi (£6).

🚌Buses ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm, La Paz (£8–12)

• →Lake Titicaca lakeside crossing
• →Sopocachi night out

Book Death Road mountain biking direct with a reputable operator (Gravity, Barracuda — £55–70 incl. gear, lunch and transport; the group tour charges £150). Alternatively ride the Mi Teleférico cable cars all day (£4) and visit the Witches' Market and Valle de la Luna (£3).

🚌Cable car/local transport ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, La Paz (£8–12)

• →Death Road biking (optional)
• →Mi Teleférico cable cars
• →Witches' Market

Free morning at the Mercado Rodríguez for a £1.50 api breakfast and fresh juice, plus the San Francisco church. Evening overnight bus to Sucre, 13 hrs, £14 (Flota/Trans Azul — book a cama seat).

🚌Bus ~£14

🛏Overnight bus

• →Mercado Rodríguez
• →San Francisco church

Arrive and check into a hostel in the centre (£7–10). Wander the whitewashed colonial streets, Plaza 25 de Mayo and the Recoleta viewpoint. Afternoon hike up to the mirador above the city (free).

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm, Sucre (£7–10)

• →Colonial centre walk
• →Recoleta viewpoint

Visit the Cal Orck'o dinosaur track wall at the cement factory (£3, the largest known collection of footprints). Optional mountain biking or a hike to the Seven Waterfalls (£8 with a local guide). Or the ASUR textile museum (£4).

🚌Local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Sucre (£7–10)

• →Cal Orck'o dinosaur tracks
• →Seven Waterfalls hike (optional)

Bus Sucre–Potosí, 3 hrs, £4. Check in to a hostel (£7–10) — at 4,090m it's the highest city of its size in the world. Afternoon stroll and a look at the Casa de la Moneda exterior.

🚌Bus ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Potosí (£7–10)

• →Arrival walk in Potosí

Book a Cerro Rico mine tour led by former miners directly (£15–18, including protective gear — bring a bandana and buy a gift of coca leaves and juice for the miners, £2). Sobering and unforgettable. Afternoon: Casa de la Moneda museum (£4).

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm, Potosí (£7–10)

• →Cerro Rico mine tour with former miners
• →Casa de la Moneda

Bus Potosí–Uyuni, 4–5 hrs, £5. Book your 3-day Salar de Uyuni tour with a reputable local agency today (expect to pay £90–110 direct instead of the tour-operator-inflated rate; check reviews, ensure it includes park fees and the border drop at San Pedro). Basic hostel in Uyuni £6–8.

🚌Bus ~£5

🛏Hostel, Uyuni (£6–8)

• →Arrive Uyuni
• →Book salt flats tour

Day one of the 3-day 4x4 tour (£90–110 covers everything: transport, guide, food, basic lodging). Stop at the Train Cemetery, the salt processing village of Colchani, and the endless white expanse for the famous perspective photos. Sleep in a community salt-brick lodge near the flats — salt floors and salt furniture. Pack warm clothes, it's freezing at night.

🚌4x4 (included)

🛏Salt-brick community lodge (included)

• →Train Cemetery
• →Salar de Uyuni
• →Perspective photography

Cross the desert past Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde, rock formations like the Árbol de Piedra, and keep watch for herds of wild llamas, alpacas and flamingos. All transport, meals and lodging included in your tour fee.

🚌4x4 (included)

🛏Basic refuge (included)

• →Laguna Colorada
• →Árbol de Piedra
• →Flamingo & llama spotting

Early start past geysers and hot springs (optional dip, £3), then drop at the Hito Cajón border where your tour ends. Change money and take a shared van/bus down to San Pedro de Atacama (£10, 1.5 hrs). Hostels in San Pedro £12–16 dorm. Everything else (transport, food) is within your 4x4 tour fee.

🚌Border transfer ~£10

🛏Hostel, San Pedro de Atacama (£12–16)

• →Geysers & hot springs
• →Border crossing into Chile

Bike hire (£6) to the Valle de la Luna for sunset (£3 entry) — otherworldly salt caves and dunes. Optional sandboarding (£10) or the El Tatio geysers tour at dawn (£20). Star-gazing tour in the evening (£15) — Atacama has some of the clearest skies on earth.

🚌Bike hire ~£6

🛏Hostel, San Pedro (£12–16)

• →Valle de la Luna
• →Stargazing tour
• →Optional sandboarding

Long scenic bus day over the Andes to Salta, 10–11 hrs (Geminis/Andesmar, £20). Use GBP or USD cash in Argentina if possible. Check in to a hostel in the centre (£9–13). Evening: empanadas salteñas (£3) and a folklore peña with live music (£10 incl. wine).

🚌Bus ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm, Salta (£9–13)

• →Andes crossing
• →Empanadas & peña folklore night

Day trip to Cafayate through the Quebrada de las Conchas (local bus £10 return or a shared tour £15) for high-altitude Torrontés wine tastings (£5). Alternatively horseback riding in the valleys (£20). Cheap and excellent steak for dinner (£7).

🚌Bus ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, Salta (£9–13)

• →Cafayate wine tasting
• →Quebrada de las Conchas scenery

Morning flight Salta–Buenos Aires (JetSMART/Aerolíneas — book early for £45–70, cheaper than the 20-hr bus and the same logic as the tour's internal flight). Airport bus into the city (£1). Hostel in San Telmo or Palermo (£12–16). Afternoon: Plaza de Mayo, the Obelisk and pedestrian Florida. Evening: tango at a milonga (£5 entry) instead of a £90 dinner show.

🚌Flight ~£55 + airport bus £1

🛏Hostel dorm, Buenos Aires (£12–16)

• →Plaza de Mayo
• →Obelisk & Florida
• →Milonga tango night

Free city walking tour with a tip (£4). Wander Recoleta Cemetery (free) and the MALBA gallery (£6). Bike tour booked direct with La Bicicleta Naranja (£22, half the operator's £45). Coffee and medialunas on a patio (£4).

🚌Walking/Subte ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Buenos Aires (£12–16)

• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →Bike tour
• →MALBA

Sunday market along Defensa in San Telmo (or the Palermo Soho boutiques any day). Steak dinner at a parrilla (£10). Optional: a group tango lesson (£8). Pick up bus/ferry tickets for Uruguay online today.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm, Buenos Aires (£12–16)

• →San Telmo market
• →Parrilla dinner
• →Tango lesson (optional)

Buquebus or Colonia Express ferry across the Río de la Plata (£25 each way, 1–3 hrs). Wander the cobbled Barrio Histórico, a UNESCO site, and the lighthouse. Hostel in Colonia £10–13. Watch the sunset from the old port.

🚌Ferry ~£25

🛏Hostel, Colonia (£10–13)

• →Barrio Histórico walk
• →Sunset at the old port

Bus Colonia–Montevideo, 2.5 hrs (£5). Check into a hostel in Ciudad Vieja (£10–14). Afternoon: street art in the old town, the Mercado del Puerto for a chivito (£6), and a stroll along the Rambla.

🚌Bus ~£5

🛏Hostel, Montevideo (£10–14)

• →Ciudad Vieja street art
• →Mercado del Puerto
• →Rambla walk

Bike the Rambla coastline (£5 hire), visit the Estadio Centenario (site of the first World Cup, £4) or take a local bus to Punta del Este for the day (£10). Or just chill in the Parque Rodó like a local. Chivitos and mate on the promenade.

🚌Bike hire/bus ~£6

🛏Hostel, Montevideo (£10–14)

• →Rambla cycling
• →Estadio Centenario
• →Optional Punta del Este day trip

Bus Montevideo–Mercedes, 4 hrs (£8), then a local transfer to a working ranch. Look for rural tourism estancias that take individual bookings — expect £30–45 pp per night half-board. Afternoon of horses, dogs and wide open pastures.

🚌Bus + transfer ~£12

🛏Estancia, shared room, half-board (£40)

• →Ranch arrival
• →Countryside sunset walk

Morning horseback ride with the gauchos across the fields, and a hands-on empanada-making session in the ranch kitchen. Finish with an asado barbecue under the stars. All meals generally included in your estancia rate.

🚌Walking/horses

🛏Estancia, shared room, full board (£42)

• →Horseback riding
• →Empanada making
• →Asado barbecue

Transfer to Gualeguaychú, then board an overnight bus north towards Puerto Iguazú (12 hrs, £25). Pack snacks and water for the ride.

🚌Bus ~£27

🛏Overnight bus

• →Road day across the Uruguayan/Argentine pampas

Arrive in the morning. Hostel in Puerto Iguazú (£10–14). Book a Guaraní community visit direct with a local Mbyá guide or an independent responsible-tourism project (£15), avoiding packaged tours. Afternoon: cross to the Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls (£12 entry + £2 bus) for panoramic views (note: may need a Brazil entry stamp). Optional helicopter flight (£90) or bird park (£20).

🚌Local buses ~£4

🛏Hostel, Puerto Iguazú (£10–14)

• →Guaraní community visit
• →Brazilian side of the falls

Full day in Iguazú National Park (£22 entry) walking the Upper and Lower circuits and the Devil's Throat boardwalk. Add the boat trip to the base of the falls (Nautical Adventure, book at the park, £35). Take the park bus in from town (£2).

🚌Park bus ~£4

🛏Hostel, Puerto Iguazú (£10–14)

• →Devil's Throat & circuits
• →Optional boat ride

Bus to Foz do Iguaçu airport and a cheap flight to São Paulo (£45–65, Gol/LATAM/Azul), then bus from São Paulo's Tietê terminal to Paraty (6 hrs, £18). Hostel in the colonial centre £10–14. Evening caipirinha on the cobbles (£4).

🚌Flight ~£55 + bus £18

🛏Hostel, Paraty (£10–14)

• →Colonial centre arrival
• →Caipirinhas on the square

Join a schooner boat trip to the Costa Verde islands (£15, bought direct at the pier — the tour operator charges £28). Swim, snorkel and stop for lunch. Afternoon back in town for the Tuesday/Saturday street market and a beach at Praia do Jabaquara.

🚌Walking/boat

🛏Hostel, Paraty (£10–14)

• →Schooner island boat trip
• →Snorkelling
• →Paraty street market

Bus to Angra dos Reis (£5) then the ferry to Vila do Abraão on Ilha Grande (£3). Check into a pousada or hostel (£12–18). Afternoon swim at Lopes Mendes end of the beach, or Abraãozinho cove. No cars on the island — it's all trails and boats.

🚌Bus + ferry ~£8

🛏Pousada/hostel, Ilha Grande (£12–18)

• →Ferry crossing
• →Beach swim

Hike the trail to Lopes Mendes beach (2 hrs each way through rainforest — one of Brazil's most beautiful beaches, free). Or a boat tour of the island's lagoons and snorkelling spots (£18). Optional outrigger canoe session with a local youth sailing project (£20).

🚌Walking/boat

🛏Pousada/hostel, Ilha Grande (£12–18)

• →Lopes Mendes hike
• →Snorkel boat tour (optional)
• →Outrigger canoe (optional)

Ferry back to Angra dos Reis, then the Costa Verde bus along the dramatic coastal road to Rio (4 hrs, £12). Hostel in Botafogo, Santa Teresa or Lapa (£12–18). Evening in Lapa for live samba and street caipirinhas (£8).

🚌Ferry + bus ~£15

🛏Hostel, Rio de Janeiro (£12–18)

• →Coastal drive to Rio
• →Lapa samba night

Join a community-run favela tour in Santa Marta or Vidigal led by residents (£15, booked direct with a local cooperative rather than a big operator) — drumming, capoeira and a genuine perspective on the city. Afternoon at Ipanema or Copacabana. Sunset from Arpoador rock (free).

🚌Local transport ~£4

🛏Hostel, Rio de Janeiro (£12–18)

• →Community-led favela tour
• →Ipanema & Arpoador sunset

Optional morning trip up Sugarloaf (cable car £22) or Christ the Redeemer (£20 incl. van) if you haven't already. Then the airport bus (£5) out. Boom — seven countries, 65 days, one very full memory card.

🚌Airport bus ~£5

🛏—

• →Sugarloaf or Christ the Redeemer (optional)
• →Departure