Patagonia Overland: Ushuaia to Puerto Varas — Self-Launched

Land at Ushuaia's Malvinas Argentinas airport (flights from Buenos Aires via El Calafate or direct, ~£130-190 one way booked ahead). Take a remis (shared taxi, ~£4) into town and check into a hostel dorm near the San Martín waterfront. Spend the afternoon acclimatising: walk the harbour front, see the 'End of the World' sign and stock up on groceries for the days ahead. Note Argentina's currency situation — bring clean USD cash and change it at a cueva or use a card with good rates; ATM fees are steep.

🚌Airport remis ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, central Ushuaia (~£15)

• →Waterfront walk
• →Grocery stock-up
• →Harbour photo stops

Free day. The cheapest option is a shared shuttle to the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego entrance (~£10 return) plus the ~£14 park entry, then hike the coastal Senda Costera trail at your own pace — no guide needed, trails are well marked. Alternatively, book a Beagle Channel boat trip to Isla Martillo (penguin colony) direct with a local operator at the harbour (~£70-95, cheaper booked in town than online). In the evening, the Maritime and Prison Museum (~£25) is worth a couple of hours.

🚌Shared shuttle ~£10 return

🛏Hostel dorm, Ushuaia (~£15)

• →Tierra del Fuego National Park hike (self-guided)
• →Beagle Channel cruise to Isla Martillo (optional)
• →Maritime & Prison Museum (optional)

Long travel day, done by public bus instead of overland truck. Take the early Bus Sur or Buses Fernández service from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas (~10-12 hrs including the ferry crossing of the Strait of Magellan at Primera Angostura); tickets ~£35-45 booked online or at the Ushuaia bus terminal the day before. You'll clear Chilean immigration at San Sebastián. Keep the PDI entry slip immigration gives you — you need it to leave Chile. Arrive Punta Arenas in the evening, check into a hostel dorm and eat at a cheap picada near the Plaza de Armas.

🚌Public bus Ushuaia–Punta Arenas incl. ferry ~£40

🛏Hostel dorm, Punta Arenas (~£16)

• →Strait of Magellan ferry crossing
• →Punta Arenas Plaza de Armas stroll

Morning bus to Puerto Natales (~3 hrs, ~£10-14 with Bus Sur or Buses Jordan). Spend the afternoon in Puerto Natales: rent any camping gear you still need (sleeping bag, mat; ~£8-12/day), buy park tickets, and stock up on food at Unimarc for the days inside Torres del Paine. Book your park shuttle and catamaran crossing for tomorrow at the bus terminal or your hostel — seats fill in high season.

🚌Bus Punta Arenas–Puerto Natales ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm, Puerto Natales (~£14)

• →Gear rental
• →Supermarket stock-up
• →Book park transport

Take the 7am bus from Puerto Natales to the park entrance (~2 hrs, ~£14 return; park entry ~£27 for foreigners). Catch the shuttle to Laguna Amarga and start the day hike to the Base of the Torres (~19 km return, 8-9 hrs, strenuous but unguided and well signed). Stay at Camping Central or Chileno if you booked ahead, or return by the last shuttle and stay at a campground near the entrance. Camping pitches ~£8-12 per person; refugio dorms ~£30+ if you want a bed.

🚌Park bus + shuttle ~£16

🛏Campsite pitch in Torres del Paine (~£10)

• →Base of the Towers (Mirador Las Torres) hike
• →Guanaco spotting

Second full day in the park. Options without the truck: the shuttle to Lago Grey for the boardwalk viewpoints and (if budget allows) the Grey Glacier boat (~£60 booked direct), or the shorter Mirador Cuernos / Salto Grande walk near Pudeto (~2 hrs, easy, spectacular). Wildlife is best at dawn and dusk on the eastern steppe — guanacos, rheas, condors and if you're lucky a puma. Camp or take a late bus back to Puerto Natales for the night depending on your schedule.

🚌In-park shuttles ~£10

🛏Campsite or Puerto Natales hostel (~£12)

• →Lago Grey boardwalk
• →Mirador Cuernos & Salto Grande walk
• →Wildlife watching

Bus from Puerto Natales to El Calafate (~5-6 hrs, ~£25-30, several daily departures with Bus Sur or Chalten Travel). Cross back into Argentina at Cerro Castillo — have your passport and any receipts handy. Arrive El Calafate, check into a hostel dorm, and book your Perito Moreno shuttle and Los Glaciares park ticket for tomorrow. El Calafate is pricey by Argentine standards; cook at the hostel.

🚌Bus Puerto Natales–El Calafate ~£27

🛏Hostel dorm, El Calafate (~£18)

• →Border crossing
• →Hostel check-in

Take a shared shuttle from El Calafate to the Perito Moreno boardwalks (~1.5 hrs each way, ~£20-25 return booked direct with a local operator or at your hostel). Park entry ~£25. You get 3-4 hours at the viewing balconies watching ice calve into Lago Argentino — no guide required. Optional extras booked on site: the boat trip close to the glacier face (~£60-80) or a minitrekking ice walk (~£150+, book weeks ahead). Cheapest and best value is simply the boardwalks.

🚌Shared shuttle ~£22

🛏Hostel dorm, El Calafate (~£18)

• →Perito Moreno Glacier boardwalks
• →Optional glacier boat trip

Morning bus El Calafate to El Chaltén (~3 hrs, ~£18-22 with Caltur or Chalten Travel), rolling along the edge of Lago Viedma with Fitz Roy appearing on the horizon. Arrive, check into a hostel or the free/cheap municipal campsite, and buy groceries — El Chaltén is small and expensive, so bring what you can from El Calafate. Afternoon wander to the Mirador de los Cóndores and Mirador del Cóndor for sunset light on Fitz Roy.

🚌Bus El Calafate–El Chaltén ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm or campsite, El Chaltén (~£12)

• →Bus along Ruta 40
• →Mirador de los Cóndores sunset walk

The big one: the unguided 20 km return hike to Laguna de los Tres at the base of Fitz Roy (8-10 hrs, 1,000 m of ascent, the final hour is steep scree). Start by 7am. No park fee, no guide needed — the trail is obvious and busy. Alternative for tired legs: Laguna Capri (shorter, 4 hrs) or the Chorillo del Salto waterfall. Bring layers, gloves and plenty of water; Patagonian weather turns fast.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm or campsite, El Chaltén (~£12)

• →Laguna de los Tres / Fitz Roy hike
• →Alternative Laguna Capri hike

A hard travel day on the mythic Ruta 40. The direct bus El Chaltén–Los Antiguos (~7-8 hrs, ~£30-35) doesn't run daily — check schedules a week ahead at the El Chaltén bus terminal or with Taqsa/Marga. Some travellers break it at Perito Moreno town. Arrive Los Antiguos, a fruit-and-poplar oasis on Lago Buenos Aires, and camp or take a cheap hospedaje (~£15).

🚌Bus El Chaltén–Los Antiguos ~£32

🛏Campsite or hospedaje, Los Antiguos (~£12)

• →Ruta 40 overland bus
• →Lago Buenos Aires shoreline

Take a morning tour or shared transfer to the Cueva de las Manos UNESCO site (~£35-45 including entry, ~2 hrs each way down a rough gravel road) to see 9,000-year-old painted handprints in the Río Pinturas canyon. Alternatively hire a car share in town. Afterwards cross the border on the short ferry/shuttle from Los Antiguos to Chile Chico (~£5-8 combined) and stay in Chile Chico, gateway to the Carretera Austral.

🚌Shared transfer ~£40

🛏Hostal/hospedaje, Chile Chico (~£18)

• →Cueva de las Manos UNESCO site
• →Border crossing to Chile Chico

Bus along the northern Carretera Austral from Chile Chico to Coyhaique (~5-6 hrs, ~£15-20, with a short ferry or gravel sections depending on route). This is Chile's showpiece scenic highway — fjords, hanging glaciers and beech forest in every direction. Arrive Coyhaique, the region's main town, and check into a hostel. The bus route is run by local companies — buy tickets at the terminal the day before.

🚌Bus Chile Chico–Coyhaique ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm, Coyhaique (~£16)

• →Carretera Austral scenic bus
• →Coyhaique plaza and market

Free day. The headline optional is the Capillas de Mármol (Marble Caves) on Lago General Carrera — book a day trip direct with a local Coyhaique operator (~£70-90 including the boat, ~12 hrs round trip). Cheaper alternatives: hike the Cerro McKay or Piedra del Indio trails above town, or rent a bike for the Río Simpson valley. Eat at the feria artesanal for cheap, good seafood and lamb.

🚌Local buses/tour pickup ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm, Coyhaique (~£16)

• →Marble Caves excursion (optional)
• →Cerro McKay hike
• →Río Simpson bike ride

Bus from Coyhaique to Futaleufú (~6-7 hrs via Villa Santa Lucía, ~£18-22) on the southern continuation of the Carretera Austral. Futaleufú sits in a remote valley at the confluence of the Espolón and Futaleufú rivers — world-class whitewater country. Check into a hostel or campground and book any rafting/kayaking for tomorrow direct with a local outfitter.

🚌Bus Coyhaique–Futaleufú ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm or campsite, Futaleufú (~£14)

• →Carretera Austral bus
• →Valley walk

Free day in the Futaleufú valley. The classic is Class IV-V whitewater rafting on the Futaleufú (~£70-95 with a local operator like Bio Bio or Expediciones Chile — book direct, often cheaper than aggregators), but there's easier Class III on the Espolón, plus horseback riding (~£40), canyoning and mountain biking. Or just hike to the Piedra del Aguila viewpoint above town for free. Evenings are for asados and campfires.

🚌Walking / local transfers ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or campsite, Futaleufú (~£14)

• →Futaleufú river rafting (optional)
• →Horseback riding (optional)
• →Piedra del Aguila hike

Cross back into Argentina at Futaleufú–Trevelin (shared taxi across the border ~£10, formalities are quick), then take a bus from Esquel to Osorno or directly onward toward Puerto Varas. The simplest route: Esquel → Osorno (~7 hrs) then Osorno → Puerto Varas (~1.5 hrs), roughly £25-35 total. Alternatively the scenic lake-crossing route via Bariloche and the Cruce Andino is beautiful but ~£200+ and needs a full day or two. Arrive Puerto Varas, on the shore of Lago Llanquihue with Volcán Osorno looming behind, and check into a hostel.

🚌Shared taxi + buses ~£35

🛏Hostel dorm, Puerto Varas (~£18)

• →Border crossing at Futaleufú–Trevelin
• →Bus to the Lake District

Morning at leisure in the Lake District — walk the lakefront, hit the German-influenced cafés and Mercado Artesanal, or take a local bus to Frutillar (30 min, ~£2) for the Teatro del Lago and lakeside promenade. Fly out of Puerto Montt's El Tepual airport (20 min by bus, ~£2) or continue south to Chiloé. Trip ends here.

🚌Local bus to Puerto Montt airport ~£2

🛏Departure day — no overnight included

• →Lakeside walk
• →Frutillar day trip (optional)
• →Café culture