Ultimate South America: Rio, Iguazu, Buenos Aires, Lima, Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca (Self-Launched)

Fly into Galeão (GIG) or Santos Dumont (SDU). Take the Frescão/airport bus or a 99/Uber to a hostel or budget pousada in Botafogo, Laranjeiras or Copacabana. Spend the afternoon acclimatising: sunset at Aterro do Flamengo or a first stroll along Copacabana beach. Buy a Rio Card (Bilhete Único) for buses and the metro.

🚌Airport bus or rideshare from GIG (~£3-5)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget pousada, Botafogo/Copacabana (£15-22)

• →Airport transfer by bus or rideshare
• →Copacabana beach walk
• →Sunset at Aterro do Flamengo

Book a Corcovado cog railway ticket plus entry online in advance (Trem do Corcovado, ~£28-32; or the van+entry combo from Paineiras for less). Go at the earliest slot to beat crowds and cloud. Afterwards take the metro to Ipanema and walk the Leblon-Ipanema-Copacabana beach arc. Optional: Sugarloaf cable car in the late afternoon (~£18).

🚌Metro and local buses (£3-5)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget pousada (£15-22)

• →Corcovado cog railway to Christ the Redeemer
• →Ipanema and Leblon beach walk
• →Optional Sugarloaf cable car

Self-launch the optional Petrópolis excursion independently: bus from Rodoviária Novo Rio to Petrópolis (~£5 each way, 1h15) and visit the Imperial Museum and Santos Dumont's house. Alternatively stay in Rio: Santa Teresa tram, Selarón Steps, Lapa and the Museum of Tomorrow. Book the evening flight to Foz do Iguaçu for tomorrow morning.

🚌Intercity bus to Petrópolis ~£10 return, or metro/tram (£4)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget pousada (£15-22)

• →Petrópolis Imperial Museum day trip by public bus
• →Or Santa Teresa, Lapa and Selarón Steps
• →Escadaria Selarón

Morning flight Rio (GIG/SDU) to Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) on GOL, LATAM or Azul — book 6-10 weeks ahead for ~£80-120. Use the local 120 bus from the terminal to Parque Nacional do Iguaçu (~£2) and pay the park entry (~£15-18). The Brazilian side gives the panoramic view of the 275 falls and the Devil's Throat catwalk. Stay in a hostel in central Foz.

🚌Domestic flight ~£100 + park bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in central Foz do Iguaçu (£12-18)

• →Flight to Foz do Iguaçu
• →Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls
• →Devil's Throat catwalk

Cross the border independently: local bus 120 or a shared taxi from Foz to Puerto Iguazú (allow 1-1.5h with immigration). Take the park bus from Puerto Iguazú to Parque Nacional Iguazú and pay Argentine entry (~£18-22). Ride the ecological jungle train to Devil's Throat station, walk the upper and lower circuits and the San Martín island trail if open. Optional: Güira Oga or the Bird Park (~£10-12). Sleep in Puerto Iguazú.

🚌Local bus or shared taxi across border (~£5-8) + park bus (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Puerto Iguazú (£12-18)

• →Argentine side of Iguassu Falls
• →Ecological Jungle Train to Devil's Throat
• →Upper and Lower Circuits
• →Optional Bird Park / Güira Oga

Fly from Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) or Puerto Iguazú (IGR) to Buenos Aires (AEP) — JetSMART, Flybondi or Aerolíneas Argentinas, ~£70-110 if booked early. Take the Manuel Tienda León airport bus or the 8 bus to the city (~£2-6) and check into a hostel in San Telmo, Palermo or Monserrat. Evening: cheap parrilla dinner and a walk around Plaza de Mayo lit up.

🚌Domestic flight ~£90 + airport bus ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo or Palermo (£15-22)

• →Flight to Buenos Aires
• →Airport bus into the city
• →Evening walk around Plaza de Mayo

Do it yourself in walkable clusters: Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, the Metropolitan Cathedral and San Telmo's Sunday antiques market (if a Sunday). Book a Teatro Colón guided tour directly (~£12-15, English slots most days). Take the 152 bus to La Boca for El Caminito (daylight only), then bus to Recoleta Cemetery (free entry, ~£0-3 for guided maps). Optional evening tango show in a milonga or La Catedral club (~£12-20) instead of a tourist dinner show.

🚌Subte card and buses (£3-5)

🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo or Palermo (£15-22)

• →Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada and Metropolitan Cathedral
• →Teatro Colón guided tour (direct booking)
• →La Boca's El Caminito
• →San Telmo and Recoleta Cemetery
• →Optional milonga tango night

Book an estancia day trip (Fiesta Gaucha-style) directly with operators like Estancia Santa Susana or Don Silvano, or via GetYourGuide (~£70-90 including asado lunch and transfers) — often cheaper than the tour's optional add-on. Alternatively take a public train to Tigre and explore the Delta on a commuter launch (~£8-10).

🚌Included in estancia day trip, or Tren de la Costa (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo or Palermo (£15-22)

• →Estancia gaucho day with barbecue lunch
• →Or Tigre Delta by commuter boat

Fly Buenos Aires (EZE/AEP) to Lima (LIM) — LATAM, Sky or JetSMART, ~£130-180. Take the Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores (~£5) or a shared taxi. Stay in Miraflores or Barranco. Evening: walk the Malecón clifftop and eat at a cheap menú del día spot.

🚌International-region flight ~£150 + airport bus ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Miraflores/Barranco (£10-16)

• →Flight to Lima
• →Malecón sunset walk
• →Barranco street art stroll

Join a free/pay-what-you-want walking tour of the Centro Histórico (tips ~£5-8) covering Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace exterior and the Cathedral (~£2 entry). Visit the San Francisco Monastery and catacombs directly (~£3-4, guided slot). Afternoon: Museo Larco (~£8) or the free Museo del Banco Central. Dinner at a local restaurant — try causa, lomo saltado and chicha morada (~£6-9).

🚌Metropolitano bus and taxis (£3-5)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel (£10-16)

• →Centro Histórico walking tour
• →San Francisco Monastery and catacombs
• →Museo Larco
• →Local Peruvian dinner

Early flight Lima to Cusco (~£50-80) — or the cheaper Cruz del Sur overnight bus if you have time. Take a colectivo or shared van from Cusco down to Pisac (~£2-3) rather than staying at altitude. Visit the Pisac ruins and the famous handicraft market, and stop at Awana Kancha or a weaving cooperative on the Cusco-Pisac road for camelids and weaving demos (~£3-5). Stay in Pisac or Urubamba for acclimatisation (lower than Cusco).

🚌Flight ~£65 + colectivo ~£3

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Pisac/Urubamba (£10-16)

• →Flight to Cusco
• →Pisac ruins and market
• →Camelid and weaving demonstration
• →Sacred Valley acclimatisation

Take a colectivo from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo (~£1-2). Buy the Boleto Turístico del Cusco partial ticket (~£12-15) covering Ollantaytambo and other valley sites. Climb the terraces and temple area, then visit a local family home or the Seminario ceramics workshop in Urubamba (~£3-5 donation/entry) and try chicha at a chichería. Overnight in Ollantaytambo to be close to tomorrow's train.

🚌Colectivos (£2-3)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Ollantaytambo (£10-16)

• →Ollantaytambo ruins and terraces
• →Seminario ceramics workshop
• →Chichería visit
• →Valley village walk

Book the PeruRail Vistadome or the cheaper Expedition/Inca Rail service from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes online well in advance (~£55-75 one way). Buy your Machu Picchu entry ticket on the official MINCUL/Joyas de Perú site the moment your date opens (~£40-50, Huayna Picchu or Montaña add ~£15). Take the Consettur bus up (~£10 return) or walk the stairs; a licensed site guide at the gate costs ~£25-35 shared — essential for context. Overnight in Aguas Calientes.

🚌Train ~£65 + Consettur bus ~£10

🛏Budget hostal in Aguas Calientes (£15-25)

• →PeruRail Vistadome to Aguas Calientes
• →Machu Picchu entry and guided tour
• →Optional Huayna Picchu climb

Morning at the Aguas Calientes market and riverside trails, then take the afternoon Vistadome/Expedition train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy (~£55-75) and a colectivo or bus into Cusco (~£2-4). Check into a hostel in San Blas. Take it easy on arrival — coca tea, light dinner, early night to handle the 3,400m altitude.

🚌Return train ~£65 + colectivo ~£3

🛏Hostel in San Blas, Cusco (£10-16)

• →Aguas Calientes market and riverside walk
• →Scenic return train
• →San Blas evening stroll

Free walking tour of the Plaza de Armas, Cathedral (~£6 entry) and Qorikancha/Santo Domingo (~£4). Buy the Boleto Turístico for Sacsayhuamán (~£12-15) and walk up or take a taxi (~£2). Join a community tree-planting or reforestation volunteering morning through a local Cusco NGO if you want the give-back element (often free, book ahead). Evening dinner at a local spot: alpaca steak or menu del día (~£7-10).

🚌Walking and short taxis (£2-4)

🛏Hostel in San Blas, Cusco (£10-16)

• →Cusco free walking tour
• →Qorikancha and Cathedral
• →Sacsayhuamán ruins
• →Optional community tree-planting morning

Take the daily Route of the Sun tourist bus Cusco to Puno (~£30-40, 10h, book via Peru Hop, Wonder Peru or a local agency) which stops at Andahuaylillas' 'Sistine Chapel of America' (~£3 entry), Raqchi's Temple of Wiracocha (~£4) and La Raya pass, with lunch included. Arrive Puno in the evening and check into a hostel near the Plaza de Armas.

🚌Tourist bus ~£35 including entries and lunch

🛏Hostel near Plaza de Armas, Puno (£8-14)

• →Route of the Sun bus
• →Andahuaylillas church
• →Raqchi Temple of Wiracocha
• →La Raya high pass

Book a shared full-day boat tour from Puno port (~£18-25) visiting the Uros floating islands and Taquile Island, with a trout lunch and a weaving demonstration on Taquile. Cheaper than the tour-operator version and bookable the day before at the pier. Bring sun protection and cash for island crafts and the Taquile community fee (~£2). Evening farewell dinner at a local Puno restaurant (~£7-10).

🚌Shared boat tour ~£22

🛏Hostel near Plaza de Armas, Puno (£8-14)

• →Uros floating islands
• →Taquile Island walk and weaving demo
• →Lake Titicaca boat tour
• →Farewell dinner in Puno

Take a shared taxi or colectivo to Sillustani (~£5-8 return, 45 min) to see the chullpa burial towers above Lake Umayo, and stop at a local farmstead on the way back if your driver arranges it. Return to Juliaca (JUL) by shared taxi (~£4) and fly to Lima on LATAM/Sky (~£50-80). Overnight in Miraflores.

🚌Shared taxi to Sillustani ~£7 + flight ~£65

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Miraflores (£10-16)

• →Sillustani chullpa tombs
• →Local farmstead visit
• →Flight Juliaca to Lima

Final morning for a Miraflores market breakfast or a surf-side coffee at Waikiki beach, then take the Airport Express bus to Jorge Chávez International (LIM) for your onward or international flight home.

🚌Airport Express bus (~£5)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Miraflores market breakfast
• →Airport transfer