The Scenic Route: Lima to Buenos Aires — Self-Launched

Land at Jorge Chávez and take a Green Taxi or airport bus (~£8–12) to a hostel in Miraflores or Barranco. Walk the Malecón clifftop path, watch surfers at the Costa Verde and eat ceviche and anticuchos in Barranco's market stalls for under £8. Book tomorrow's Cusco flight or bus tonight.

🚌Airport taxi ~£10 (shared/shuttle cheaper)

🛏Hostel in Miraflores/Barranco, dorm or private (~£12)

• →Malecón clifftop walk
• →Barranco street food crawl
• →Optional Lima cooking class (~£22 via GetYourGuide)

Fly Lima–Cusco with Sky, JetSmart or LATAM for ~£45–65 booked a few weeks out (bus is 21+ hours — not worth it on this route). Take it easy on arrival: Cusco sits at 3,400m. Check into a hostel in San Blas, drink coca tea, and take an easy sunset stroll around Plaza de Armas. Buy your Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain tickets online before arriving.

🚌Domestic flight ~£55

🛏Hostel in San Blas, dorm or private (~£12)

• →Acclimatisation walk in San Blas
• →Optional Cusco cooking class (~£20)

Book a Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) day tour the night before for ~£25–30 shared minibus, including breakfast and lunch — leave at 4:30am and be back by 5pm. Or if you'd rather acclimatise slowly, do the free walking tour, Qorikancha and San Pedro market instead. Cheap set lunch (menú) in a local comedor ~£3.

🚌Shared minibus included in tour

🛏Hostel in San Blas (~£12)

• →Rainbow Mountain day trip (~£28)
• →Free walking tour of Cusco
• →San Pedro Market

Take a shared colectivo or public bus from Cusco to Pisac (~£1.50), browse the ruins and market, then continue to Ollantaytambo (~£2). Visit the Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op independently — several co-ops welcome walk-in visitors and sell direct. Climb the Ollantaytambo fortress terraces in the afternoon, then settle into a family guesthouse. Buy your Machu Picchu entry (Circuit 2, ~£38) and PeruRail/Inca Rail ticket online today.

🚌Colectivos Cusco–Pisac–Ollantaytambo ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (~£16)

• →Pisac ruins and market
• →Ccaccaccollo weaving co-op visit
• →Ollantaytambo fortress ruins hike
• →Optional chicheria visit

Book the PeruRail Expedition or Inca Rail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (~£50–60 return, book 2–3 weeks ahead as it sells out). Store bags at your hostel and spend the afternoon at the Mandor waterfall gardens (~£2 entry, 2-hour walk) or the Baños Termales hot springs (~£5). Buy your bus ticket up to Machu Picchu (~£11 each way) the same evening.

🚌PeruRail train ~£50 return

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Aguas Calientes (~£18)

• →Mandor waterfall hike
• →Aguas Calientes hot springs
• →Butterfly house

Take the 5:30am shuttle bus up and be at the gate for opening with a timed Circuit 2 entry. Wander the citadel at your own pace (3–4 hours), with an optional guided add-on at the gate or booked via GetYourGuide (~£25). Bus down, afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo, then a colectivo or van to Cusco — arrive by evening.

🚌Shuttle bus ~£22 return, train ~£50, colectivo to Cusco ~£7

🛏Hostel in Cusco (~£12)

• →Machu Picchu Circuit 2 self-entry
• →Optional guide (~£25)
• →Huayna Picchu if pre-booked

A proper rest day at altitude. Coffee in San Blas, the Museo Inka or Museo de Arte Precolombino, a massage in the market (~£8) and laundry before the long travel days. Sort your Peru–Bolivia bus and Uyuni tour bookings online.

🚌Walking / local taxis ~£3

🛏Hostel in Cusco (~£12)

• →Markets and museums
• →Optional Sacsayhuamán ruins walk
• →Laundry and trip admin

Take a tourist bus (Cruz del Sur, Transzela or similar) from Cusco to Puno, 6–7 hours, ~£18–25, departing early morning. The route over La Raya pass (4,300m) is spectacular. Arrive Puno by mid-afternoon, check into a guesthouse near the plaza and eat trucha (grilled trout) from Lake Titicaca for ~£4.

🚌Tourist bus Cusco–Puno ~£22

🛏Guesthouse in Puno (~£13)

• →Andean altiplano bus journey
• →Puno Plaza de Armas evening wander

Book a shared boat tour from Puno port to the Uros floating islands and Taquile the evening before at any agency on Calle Lima (~£18–25, includes lunch). Alternatively take the local public boat to Uros (~£3) and stay on Amantaní island with a local family for a night. Return to Puno by early evening.

🚌Shared boat tour ~£22

🛏Guesthouse in Puno (~£13)

• →Uros floating islands
• →Taquile Island walk and lunch
• →Optional homestay on Amantaní

Take an early direct bus Puno–La Paz (Bolivia Hop or Trans Omar, 5–6 hours, ~£12–15) which handles the Peru–Bolivia border crossing at Desaguadero or Kasani for you. If you'd like the Copacabana add-on, take a morning bus to Copacabana (~£4), see the cathedral and Isla del Sol viewpoint, then continue to La Paz (~£5). Check into a hostel in the Sopocachi or Miraflores area.

🚌International bus ~£14

🛏Hostel in La Paz (~£10)

• →Peru–Bolivia border crossing
• →Optional Copacabana stop-off

Ride the Mi Teleférico cable car network (~£0.50 per ride) across the city for the best views. Wander the Witches' Market (Mercado de Hechicería), the Iglesia de San Francisco and the Mercado Rodríguez. In the afternoon take a shared minibus to Valle de la Luna (~£3). If you're after adrenaline, Death Road mountain biking can be booked locally or on GetYourGuide for ~£45–60, leaving at 7:30am the next day.

🚌Cable car and minibuses ~£5

🛏Hostel in La Paz (~£10)

• →Mi Teleférico cable car loop
• →Witches' Market and San Francisco church
• →Valle de la Luna
• →Optional Death Road biking (~£50)

Spend the day exploring more of La Paz then take an evening bus to Sucre — a 13-hour overnight run, ~£18–22 for a semi-cama seat (Trans del Sur or similar). The bus saves a night's accommodation; bring snacks and earplugs. Alternatively fly (~£45) if you want the day back.

🚌Overnight bus La Paz–Sucre ~£20

🛏Overnight bus (~£20)

• →La Paz free day
• →Optional El Alto market

Wake up in Sucre, the country's gorgeous colonial capital at 2,800m — much warmer than La Paz. Eat breakfast on the Plaza 25 de Mayo, then visit the Casa de la Libertad and Convento de San Felipe de Neri (rooftop views). In the afternoon hike to La Recoleta viewpoint or take a shared taxi to the Cal Orcko dinosaur footprint wall (~£4 entry).

🚌Local buses and taxis ~£5

🛏Hostel in Sucre (~£10)

• →Historic centre walk
• →Cal Orcko dinosaur footprints
• →La Recoleta viewpoint

Take the 3-hour bus to Potosí (~£4), the world's highest city at 4,090m. Spend the afternoon at the Casa de la Moneda (mint museum, ~£5) and walk the steep colonial streets. If you want a mine tour of Cerro Rico (a serious, sobering experience), book it for tomorrow morning with a cooperative-run agency (~£20, includes gear).

🚌Bus Sucre–Potosí ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Potosí (~£11)

• →Casa de la Moneda
• →Colonial streets of Potosí
• →Optional Cerro Rico mine tour (~£20)

Morning bus or shared van to Uyuni (~£5–7, 4 hours). Spend the afternoon comparing 3-day salt flats tour agencies along Calle Ferroviaria — expect ~£85–110 per person for a shared 4x4 tour including food, accommodation and transfers to San Pedro de Atacama. Visit the Cementerio de Trenes (train graveyard) by shared taxi for sunset. Book the tour for tomorrow morning.

🚌Bus Potosí–Uyuni ~£6

🛏Hostel in Uyuni (~£12)

• →Train cemetery
• →Book 3-day Uyuni tour
• →Uyuni town wander

Set off at 10:30am in a shared 4x4 (6 people per vehicle) onto the Salar de Uyuni — the vast white expanse, the Dakar monument, the cactus-covered Isla Incahuasi (~£2 entry) and endless perspective photos. Overnight at a community-run salt hotel on the edge of the flats with a simple dinner included.

🚌Shared 4x4 (included in ~£95 tour)

🛏Community salt lodge, shared room (included in tour)

• →Salar de Uyuni 4x4 crossing
• →Isla Incahuasi cactus hike
• →Sunset on the salt flats

Drive south across the high desert past the train of Andean lagoons — Cañapa, Hedionda, Honda — where flamingos feed. Photograph the Árbol de Piedra rock formations and sleep at a basic refuge near Laguna Colorada (4,300m, red water, more flamingos). Bring a warm sleeping bag and plenty of water; nights are bitterly cold.

🚌Shared 4x4 (included)

🛏Basic refuge at Laguna Colorada (included)

• →Laguna Cañapa and flamingos
• →Árbol de Piedra
• →Laguna Colorada sunset

A 4:30am start for the Sol de Mañana geysers and a dip in the Polques hot springs as the sun rises, then the green-white Laguna Verde with Volcán Licancabur behind it. The 4x4 drops you at the Bolivian border; a shuttle covers the last stretch to San Pedro de Atacama where you clear Chilean immigration. Check into a hostel and treat yourself to dinner.

🚌4x4 + border shuttle (included in tour)

🛏Hostel in San Pedro de Atacama (~£15)

• →Sol de Mañana geysers
• →Polques hot springs
• →Laguna Verde
• →Bolivia–Chile border crossing

Book a shared Valley of the Moon tour at any agency on Caracoles street (~£15–20) for the afternoon so you catch sunset over the dunes and salt caves. In the morning, cycle to Pukará de Quitor ruins (~£4 entry, bike hire ~£6) or try sandboarding on the dunes. Nights here are cold even in summer.

🚌Bike hire and tour bus ~£22

🛏Hostel in San Pedro de Atacama (~£15)

• →Valle de la Luna sunset tour (~£18)
• →Pukará de Quitor bike ride
• →Optional sandboarding (~£15)

Take a morning bus from San Pedro to Calama (~£5, 1.5 hours), then fly Calama–Santiago with LATAM or Sky (~£35–55 if booked ahead), or take the 22-hour overnight bus (~£25) to save money. Arrive Santiago, check into a hostel in Bellavista or Barrio Lastarria, and take the funicular up San Cristóbal Hill for sunset (~£3).

🚌Bus to Calama ~£5 + flight ~£45

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria (~£16)

• →San Cristóbal Hill funicular
• →Bellavista evening stroll

Do the free walking tour from Plaza de Armas (tip-based, ~£5), then explore the Mercado Central and La Vega food markets for lunch. In the afternoon take the metro to a bodega in the Maipo Valley or join a half-day Concha y Toro winery tour (~£25 via GetYourGuide). Dinner in Lastarria.

🚌Metro ~£4

🛏Hostel in Bellavista/Lastarria (~£16)

• →Free walking tour
• →Mercado Central lunch
• →Optional winery half-day (~£25)

Take the metro to Pajaritos and a Turbus or Pullman bus to Valparaíso (~£3, 1.5 hours), then ride the historic ascensores and wander the Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción street art. On the way back stop in the Casablanca Valley for a winery tasting (~£15, book direct or via GetYourGuide) and take an evening bus back to Santiago. Museum of Memory is free and worth a morning slot if you have time.

🚌Buses to Valparaíso and Casablanca ~£8

🛏Hostel in Santiago (~£16)

• →Valparaíso street art and funiculars
• →Casablanca Valley winery tasting
• →La Sebastiana or Museum of Memory

Take a night bus from Santiago to Pucón (~£25–30, 10–11 hours, Turbus or Pullman semi-cama) or a daytime bus if you prefer the lake and volcano scenery. Arrive into the Lake District with Volcán Villarrica smoking above town. Check into a lakeside hostel and book your volcano hike for the next clear day.

🚌Overnight bus ~£28

🛏Hostel in Pucón (~£15)

• →Santiago to Lake District journey
• →Lakeside evening walk

Do the Villarrica volcano guided ascent (~£85–100 including gear and lift, book locally or via GetYourGuide) — a 5–6 hour climb to the crater rim with views over the lakes. If the volcano is closed, swap to whitewater rafting on the Trancura River (~£30) or hike in Huerquehue National Park (~£4 entry + bus). End the day in the natural thermal pools (~£12).

🚌Local transfers ~£6

🛏Hostel in Pucón (~£15)

• →Villarrica volcano hike (~£90)
• →Or Trancura river rafting (~£30)
• →Termas hot springs (~£12)

Rent a bike and ride the lake road to Playa Grande, or take a colectivo to Caburgua lake and the Ojos del Caburgua. Grab a cheap menú del día in town for ~£5 and rest before the border crossing tomorrow. Confirm your Pucón–Bariloche bus route and departure time.

🚌Bike and colectivos ~£10

🛏Hostel in Pucón (~£15)

• →Lake beach day
• →Ojos del Caburgua
• →Bike hire (~£8)

There's no direct bus, so take a Pucón–Osorno bus (~£8) and then a second bus over the Cardenal Samoré pass to Bariloche (~£12), or use an Andesmar/Via Bariloche through-ticket (~£20–25). It's a long 8–10 hour day across the border with spectacular lake and volcano views. Arrive Bariloche, check into a hostel and eat Patagonian lamb.

🚌Buses via Osorno ~£22

🛏Hostel in Bariloche (~£16)

• →Chile–Argentina border crossing
• →Andean lake crossing scenery

Book a full-day estancia visit independently — several ranches (Estancia Cerro Negro, Estancia San Ramón) offer horse riding, a barbecue asado lunch and demonstrations for ~£45–60, bookable direct or on GetYourGuide. Back in town, wander the Centro Cívico and grab a craft beer on Mitre street.

🚌Shared van to estancia (included)

🛏Hostel in Bariloche (~£16)

• →Estancia gaucho day with asado (~£55)
• →Horse riding
• →Centro Cívico

Catch the local bus 20 out to Cerro Catedral for a hike or the summer chairlift (~£12), or hire a bike for the Circuito Chico lake loop. In the afternoon work your way down Mitre street's chocolate shops. Bariloche is Argentina's chocolate capital — free samples are the budget traveller's friend.

🚌Local bus ~£3

🛏Hostel in Bariloche (~£16)

• →Circuito Chico or Cerro Catedral hike
• →Chocolate shop crawl
• →Lakeside beaches

Fly Bariloche–Buenos Aires with Aerolíneas Argentinas or JetSmart (~£45–70 booked ahead, 2 hours) — the 20-hour bus is not worth the saving. Land, take the Tienda León shuttle or bus 8 into town, check into a hostel in San Telmo or Palermo, and eat a proper steak dinner in San Telmo for ~£12. Optional tango show in a local milonga (free, or ~£15 for a tourist show).

🚌Domestic flight ~£55 + airport transfer ~£5

🛏Hostel in San Telmo/Palermo (~£15)

• →Flight to Buenos Aires
• →San Telmo evening and milonga

Walk the Caminito in La Boca (take bus 29 or a taxi, don't wander far off the tourist strip), and if you're interested in the history of the Riachuelo's two shores, cross to Isla Maciel with a local guide via GetYourGuide (~£20). Finish with a free walking tour of the Recoleta cemetery and a coffee in Palermo before your flight home.

🚌Local buses and taxis ~£6

🛏Hostel in Buenos Aires (~£15)

• →Caminito and La Boca
• →Free walking tour
• →Recoleta cemetery