Incredible Patagonia: Self-Launched Buenos Aires to Santiago

Land at Ezeiza (EZE) and make your way into the city. Budget option: take the Tienda León or Manuel Tienda León shared shuttle (~£10) or the public bus 8 (~£0.50 but slow). Stay in San Telmo, Palermo or Recoleta — San Telmo is best for backpacker hostels and tango atmosphere. Spend the afternoon walking Av. de Mayo, grab a cheap choripán and scope out milonga schedules for later in the trip.

🚌Shared airport shuttle from EZE ~£10; public bus ~£0.50

🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo/Palermo (~£12-18/night) or budget guesthouse double (~£30)

• →Airport transfer to city
• →Orientation walk in San Telmo or Palermo
• →Cheap dinner: empanadas or choripán

Self-launch the same route as the guided 4-hour tour: join a free (tip-based) walking tour of the historic centre covering Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and the Cathedral, then continue on foot or by SUBE-card bus to La Boca and Caminito (go in daylight, stay on the main tourist streets), San Telmo, and the Recoleta cemetery. In the evening, book a tango show via GetYourGuide (~£25-45 for dinner+show) or, for a budget option, attend a local milonga in San Telmo (~£8 entry).

🚌Public transport with SUBE card (~£0.30-0.60 per ride)

🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo/Palermo (~£12-18/night)

• →Free walking tour of Plaza de Mayo and historic centre (tip ~£5)
• →La Boca & Caminito
• →San Telmo market
• →Optional: Colón Theatre interior tour (~£10)
• →Optional: tango show or milonga (~£8-45)

Book a day trip to a working estancia independently through GetYourGuide or directly with operations like Estancia El Ombú or Estancia La Bamba de Areco (~£90-130 including transfer, asado lunch, horseback riding and folklore/gaucho demonstrations). Alternatively, take a public bus to San Antonio de Areco (~£4, 2 hrs) and arrange a local estancia visit there for less. Return to Buenos Aires in the evening.

🚌Shared minibus day trip (usually included in tour price) or public bus ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Buenos Aires (~£12-18/night)

• →Estancia visit with asado criollo lunch
• →Horseback riding in the Pampas
• →Gaucho horse demonstrations (carreras de sortijas)
• →Folklore show

Fly from Buenos Aires (AEP or EZE) to Ushuaia — book early with Aerolíneas Argentinas or Flybondi for ~£90-160 one way. On arrival, check into a hostel near the centre. The afternoon is free: walk the waterfront, visit the 'End of the World' sign, and stock up on supplies. Ushuaia is the base for the next two days of national park and channel activities.

🚌Domestic flight ~£90-160 one way; taxi to hostel ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Ushuaia (~£15-22/night)

• →Domestic flight to Ushuaia
• →Waterfront walk and city orientation
• →Optional: Museo Marítimo y del Presidio (former prison museum, ~£10)

Take a shared shuttle or local bus to Tierra del Fuego National Park (~£15 return + park entrance ~£15). Walk the coastal and forest trails to Verde Lake and Lapataia Bay, and stop at Lake Roca (Acigami). In the afternoon or next morning, join a Beagle Channel catamaran cruise to see Sea Lions Island, Birds Island and Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse (~£35-55). Optional: ride the Tren del Fin del Mundo (End of the World Train, ~£25).

🚌Shared shuttle to park ~£15 return; boat cruise independently booked

🛏Hostel dorm in Ushuaia (~£15-22/night)

• →Tierra del Fuego National Park trails and Lapataia Bay
• →Lake Roca (Acigami) stop
• →Beagle Channel catamaran cruise
• →Optional: End of the World Train (~£25)

Pick an independent day activity: a full-day tour to Fagnano and Escondido Lakes (~£45), the Esmeralda Lagoon trek (~£40, moderate hiking), the 4x4 Lakes Off Road trip, or a Gable Island and penguin colony adventure (~£100+). Book through GetYourGuide or local agencies on the ground in Ushuaia's main street (Av. San Martín). Budget travellers can do the Esmeralda Lagoon trek independently by taking a shared taxi to the trailhead.

🚌Tour transport included in activity price; shared taxi for DIY trek ~£8-12

🛏Hostel dorm in Ushuaia (~£15-22/night)

• →Optional: Fagnano & Escondido Lakes tour (~£45)
• →Optional: Laguna Esmeralda trek (~£40)
• →Optional: Gable Island & penguin colony (~£100+)
• →Optional: Ushuaia & prison museum city tour (~£20)

Fly Ushuaia to El Calafate (~£70-130, ~1.5 hrs) — book well in advance as seats sell out. Alternatively, a long-distance bus takes 14+ hrs via Río Gallegos (~£40). Check into a hostel in El Calafate, a relaxed lakeside town. Spend the afternoon at the Glaciarium museum or wander the main street, then prepare for tomorrow's glacier day.

🚌Domestic flight ~£70-130 or bus ~£40

🛏Hostel dorm in El Calafate (~£14-20/night)

• →Domestic flight or bus to El Calafate
• →Afternoon orientation walk
• →Optional: Glaciarium museum (~£10)

Take a shared minibus from El Calafate to the Perito Moreno Glacier boardwalks (~£20 return + park entrance ~£20). Walk the multiple panoramic viewing points and watch huge ice chunks calve into Lago Argentino. Optional add-ons booked on-site: the Mini Trekking ice walk (~£110) or the Nautical Safari boat (~£25). Return to El Calafate in the evening.

🚌Shared minibus transfer to glacier ~£20 return

🛏Hostel dorm in El Calafate (~£14-20/night)

• →Perito Moreno Glacier boardwalks and viewpoints
• →Optional: Mini Trekking on the ice (~£110)
• →Optional: Nautical Safari boat (~£25)

Choose an independent excursion: a full-day boat navigation to Estancia Cristina or the Todo Glaciares boat trip (~£100-140), a day trip to El Chaltén for views of Fitz Roy (~£35 by bus, free hiking on arrival), a day trip to Torres del Paine (though you'll pass through shortly), or kayaking near the glacier (~£70). Alternatively, take the public bus to El Chaltén (~£12) and hike to Mirador de los Cóndores for free.

🚌Public bus to El Chaltén ~£12 return day trip; tour transport if booked

🛏Hostel dorm in El Calafate (~£14-20/night)

• →Optional: El Chaltén day trip and Fitz Roy hikes
• →Optional: Estancia Cristina boat excursion (~£100+)
• →Optional: Todo Glaciares boat navigation (~£80)
• →Optional: glacier kayaking (~£70)

Take the early morning public bus across the border to Puerto Natales (~£25, 5-6 hrs, operated by Bus Sur or Tur Bus). Bring your passport and some Argentine/Chilean pesos for the crossing. Arrive around midday and check into a hostel. Spend the afternoon along the waterfront of the Última Esperanza Sound and sort out your Torres del Paine trip for tomorrow.

🚌Public bus El Calafate–Puerto Natales ~£25 (5-6 hrs)

🛏Hostel dorm in Puerto Natales (~£15-22/night)

• →Cross-border bus to Puerto Natales
• →Waterfront walk along Última Esperanza Sound
• →Book Torres del Paine day tour for tomorrow

Join a full-day small-group tour into Torres del Paine National Park (~£45-70 including park entrance). Stop at the Milodón Cave, then drive through the park: view the Paine towers and horns, Lake Pehoé, Lake Nordenskjold, Sarmiento Lake lookout, the Salto Grande waterfall (short 15-min walk), and Grey Lake for iceberg views. Book through local agencies in Puerto Natales or GetYourGuide.

🚌Full-day tour minibus (booked locally, ~£45-70 all-in)

🛏Hostel dorm in Puerto Natales (~£15-22/night)

• →Milodón's Cave visit
• →Torres del Paine viewpoints
• →Salto Grande waterfall walk
• →Grey Lake and iceberg viewing
• →Lunch stop included in most tours

Pick your independent adventure: the classic full-day trek to the Base of the Towers (Base las Torres) if you're fit and want a big hiking day (guided ~£90, or self-guided with a park shuttle ~£15), or a full-day boat navigation to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers in Bernardo O'Higgins National Park (~£70). Alternatively, relax and explore Puerto Natales' cafés and craft beer scene.

🚌Shuttle to park trailhead ~£15 (self-guided); tour transport if booked

🛏Hostel dorm in Puerto Natales (~£15-22/night)

• →Optional: Base las Torres trek (guided ~£90 / self-guided ~£15)
• →Optional: Balmaceda & Serrano glacier boat trip (~£70)
• →Optional: relaxed cafés and town exploration

Travel from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas (~£10 bus, 3 hrs), then fly to Santiago (~£90-160, 3.5 hrs, book with LATAM or Sky Airlines). Alternatively, an epic but long bus ride north takes 2+ days — flights are the practical self-launch option. Arrive in Santiago and check into a hostel in Barrio Bellavista or Barrio Lastarria.

🚌Bus ~£10 + domestic flight ~£90-160

🛏Hostel dorm in Santiago (~£15-25/night)

• →Bus Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas (~£10)
• →Domestic flight to Santiago
• →Evening walk in Bellavista or Lastarria

Join a free (tip-based) walking tour of Santiago's historic centre: Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the former Post Office, and Palacio de La Moneda. Then take the metro or walk to Cerro Santa Lucía for panoramic city views. In the afternoon, explore Barrio Lastarria or ride the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal (~£3). End with a cheap dinner and pisco sour in Bellavista.

🚌Metro/bus with Bip! card (~£1 per ride)

🛏Hostel dorm in Santiago (~£15-25/night)

• →Free walking tour of historic centre
• →Plaza de Armas and Cathedral
• →Palacio de La Moneda
• →Cerro Santa Lucía viewpoints
• →Optional: Cerro San Cristóbal funicular (~£3)

Take a public bus (Turbus or Pullman) from Santiago to Valparaíso (~£6, 1.5 hrs). Wander the UNESCO-listed old quarter, ride a historic ascensor (funicular, ~£0.50), visit Plaza Sotomayor and Muelle Prat, and stop at La Sebastiana (Pablo Neruda's house-museum, ~£5). Continue by metro to Viña del Mar (~£1) to see the Flower Clock and Castle Hill before returning to Santiago by evening bus (~£6).

🚌Bus Santiago–Valparaíso ~£6 each way; metro to Viña del Mar ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm in Santiago (~£15-25/night)

• →Valparaíso old quarter and street art
• →La Sebastiana (Pablo Neruda house-museum)
• →Plaza Sotomayor and Muelle Prat dock
• →Paseo 21 de Mayo viewpoint
• →Viña del Mar Flower Clock

Final morning in Santiago — a last coffee in Lastarria or a wander through the Central Market. Take the metro or an airport bus (Centropuerto/Turbus, ~£4) to Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport for your onward or international flight.

🚌Airport bus ~£4 or taxi ~£20

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Final morning exploring Santiago
• →Airport transfer