Southern Explorer: Santiago to Rio de Janeiro (Self-Launched)

Land at Arturo Merino Benítez airport and take the TurBus or Centropuerto shuttle into the city (~£5) instead of a private transfer. Base yourself in Barrio Bellavista or Bellas Artes, where hostels and budget guesthouses cluster near the metro. Spend the afternoon wandering the Plaza de Armas and Cerro San Cristóbal for city views, and stock up on a BIP metro card.

🚌Airport shuttle ~£5; metro ~£0.80 per ride

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Bellavista (dorm ~£14, private ~£30)

• →Cerro San Cristóbal funicular
• →Plaza de Armas and Bellavista wander

DIY the winery tour G Adventures runs: book a half-day Maipo Valley wine tour via GetYourGuide or Viator (~£45-60 including tastings and transport from Santiago), visiting estates such as Concha y Toro or Viña Santa Rita. Alternatively take the metro to Las Mercedes and local bus to Puente Alto, then arrange a taxi between two smaller boutique wineries for around £25 total. Back in Santiago by evening for dinner in Patio Bellavista.

🚌Tour minibus or metro + local bus ~£3

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Bellavista (dorm ~£14, private ~£30)

• →Maipo Valley winery tour with tastings
• →Evening in Patio Bellavista

Book a low-cost Santiago–Puerto Montt flight on Sky Airline or JetSMART in advance (~£55-80), then take the local bus or shared taxi 30 minutes to Puerto Varas (~£2). The Osorno volcano looms over the lake — grab a lakeside café table and walk the waterfront. In the afternoon, self-book a half-day cultural tour or simply explore independently: the Angelmó fish market in Puerto Montt (collectivo ~£2) is the real-life version of the included market visit, and you can try curanto at a market stall for ~£10.

🚌Flight ~£65; local bus/shared taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Varas (dorm ~£15, private ~£32)

• →Puerto Varas waterfront and Osorno views
• →Angelmó fish market and curanto lunch

Free day — take the local option the group tour charges ~£140 for and do it yourself. Bus from Puerto Varas to Pargua (~£4, 1.5 hrs), ferry across the Chacao Channel with the bus included in the fare, then continue to Ancud or Castro. See the UNESCO wooden churches and palafitos (stilt houses), eat curanto al hoyo and milcao. Buses run back until early evening; check the last return times at the terminal.

🚌Return bus + ferry to Chiloé ~£9

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Varas (dorm ~£15, private ~£32)

• →Chiloé wooden churches
• →Palafitos in Castro
• →Local curanto lunch

This is the trip's scenic centrepiece and it's fully bookable independently. Book the Cruce Andino / Cruce de los Lagos one-day crossing through a local agency in Puerto Varas (~£120-150 including bus, three lake ferries and lunch stop) — it runs Puerto Varas → Petrohué Falls → Peulla → Puerto Frías → Bariloche. Alternatively, do the budget version: public bus to Petrohué (~£2, falls entry ~£4), then if you'd rather skip the lake boats, take a direct Andes bus Puerto Varas–Bariloche (~£28, 8-9 hrs). Arrive Bariloche and settle into a hostel near Centro Cívico.

🚌Cruce de los Lagos ~£130, or direct bus ~£30

🛏Hostel in Bariloche (dorm ~£13, private ~£28)

• →Petrohué Falls
• →Lake crossing through the Andes
• →Bariloche Centro Cívico

Choose your own adventure in Nahuel Huapi national park. Hikers can take local bus 20 to Cerro Catedral (~£2) and ride the cable car (~£18) or walk the Refugio Frey trail. Or book the Puerto Blest and Cantaros waterfall boat navigation direct with Turisur (~£70-80), which the group tour offers as an optional extra. Cheapest option: Circuito Chico by local bus (~£4) with viewpoints over Llao Llao and the lake, plus a chocolate stop on Mitre street.

🚌Local buses ~£5

🛏Hostel in Bariloche (dorm ~£13, private ~£28)

• →Cerro Catedral or Refugio Frey hike
• →Circuito Chico viewpoints
• →Optional Puerto Blest boat trip

Fly Bariloche–Buenos Aires on JetSMART or Aerolíneas Argentinas (~£65-90, book early — 15kg baggage limits apply). Take the Tienda León airport bus into the city (~£8) or the cheaper local bus 8 (~£0.50, slow). Stay in San Telmo or Palermo for atmosphere. In the evening, book a tango dinner show direct with a smaller venue in San Telmo (~£50-70) or, for the full backpacker experience, go to a milonga like La Viruta and take a group beginner class for ~£8.

🚌Flight ~£75; airport bus ~£8

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in San Telmo/Palermo (dorm ~£12, private ~£30)

• →Tango milonga or dinner show
• →San Telmo evening stroll

Sunday is San Telmo market day — antiques, street art and buskers along Defensa. Otherwise pick Recoleta cemetery and the MALBA or Museo Evita, or take the free walking tour (tip-based, ~£5) that covers Plaza de Mayo and the Eva Perón balcony. Cross into La Boca to see Caminito in daylight. Eat a bife de chorizo for ~£10-14 and an ice cream at Cadore.

🚌Subte and buses ~£3

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in San Telmo/Palermo (dorm ~£12, private ~£30)

• →San Telmo market
• →Recoleta cemetery
• →Tip-based free walking tour

Do the guided city tour as a self-bookable excursion — a half-day Buenos Aires city tour via GetYourGuide or Civitatis costs ~£20-30 and covers Plaza de Mayo, La Boca, San Telmo and Recoleta. Afternoon free for the Eva Perón museum or a Tigre Delta day trip by Mitre line train (~£2 return) if you've already ticketed the tour for another day.

🚌Public transport ~£4

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in San Telmo/Palermo (dorm ~£12, private ~£30)

• →Half-day guided city tour
• →Eva Perón museum or Tigre Delta option

Fly Buenos Aires–Foz do Iguaçu via São Paulo or direct on Flybondi/GOL (~£90-120). Use the local public bus 120 from the airport/terminal to the Brazilian falls entrance (~£1). Entry to Parque Nacional do Iguaçu is ~£16 and the panoramic walkway plus the Devil's Throat catwalk takes 3-4 hours. Stay in a hostel in Foz do Iguaçu town centre; hostels run shuttles to both sides of the falls.

🚌Flight ~£100; local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel in Foz do Iguaçu (dorm ~£12, private ~£26)

• →Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls
• →Devil's Throat catwalk

Cross to the Argentine side by local bus (~£3 from Foz, or grab a shared taxi) — Argentine park entry is ~£20. Walk the Upper and Lower circuits and take the Ecological Train to Garganta del Diablo. Optional add-ons bookable on the spot: the Gran Aventura boat into the falls (~£45) or a 10-minute helicopter flight (~£90) — both much cheaper bought direct at the park than as tour add-ons. Return to Foz for the night.

🚌Cross-border local buses ~£5

🛏Hostel in Foz do Iguaçu (dorm ~£12, private ~£26)

• →Argentine falls trails and Garganta del Diablo
• →Optional boat or helicopter ride

Fly Foz do Iguaçu–São Paulo (~£60-80), then take the bus from São Paulo's Tietê terminal to Paraty with Costa Verde or Reunidas (~£18, 6 hrs) — the coastal road is spectacular. Arrive Paraty and check into a pousada or hostel in the colonial centre. Evening stroll on the cobbles and a caipirinha by the river.

🚌Flight ~£70; bus ~£18

🛏Hostel or pousada in Paraty historic centre (dorm ~£13, private ~£30)

• →Paraty colonial centre evening stroll

The group tour's included highlight is a visit to a quilombola (Afro-Brazilian) community near Paraty. Book this independently via a local community tourism operator or a Paraty guesthouse-arranged visit (~£30-45 including lunch), or join a small-group quilombo tour on GetYourGuide. Afternoon: cachaça distillery tasting (~£6 entry with samples) and a walk through the UNESCO historic centre.

🚌Local van transfer included in community tour

🛏Hostel or pousada in Paraty historic centre (dorm ~£13, private ~£30)

• →Quilombola community visit with local lunch
• →Cachaça distillery tasting

Morning boat trip around Paraty bay — a shared schooner tour with snorkel stops on the islands costs ~£18-25 booked at the pier. Then take the afternoon Costa Verde bus Paraty–Rio (~£12, 4.5 hrs) along the coast. Arrive Rio and check into a hostel in Botafogo, Santa Teresa or Ipanema.

🚌Boat tour ~£20; bus to Rio ~£12

🛏Hostel in Botafogo or Santa Teresa (dorm ~£15, private ~£35)

• →Paraty bay schooner trip
• →Island snorkel stops

Last day: sunrise on Copacabana or Ipanema, up Sugarloaf by cable car (~£18) or the free Pão de Açúcar trail if you're energetic, and Christ the Redeemer by Corcovado train (~£16) — book tickets online in advance to skip queues. If there's time, a favela community tour or a samba rehearsal in Lapa. Take the metro to the airport for departure (~£1.50).

🚌Metro and local transport ~£4

🛏—

• →Sugarloaf cable car
• →Christ the Redeemer
• →Copacabana/Ipanema beach