Southern Discovery: Santiago to Buenos Aires, Self-Launched
8 days · Chile & Argentina
G Adventures charges £2,400
No-markup version: ~£1,265 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent 8-day version of G Adventures' "Southern Discovery": Santiago's Maipo Valley wineries, the volcano-and-lake scenery of Chile's Lake District, the classic Cruce de los Lagos ferry-bus crossing into Argentine Patagonia at Bariloche, and a finish in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires. You do the same route using local buses, shared transfers, public ferries and self-booked day tours, staying in well-located hostels and budget guesthouses. Costs are approximate backpacker/budget-traveller estimates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Land at Arturo Merino Benítez airport and take the Turbus/Centropuerto or the official Airport Bus (around CLP 2,000–3,500, ~£3) or a shared taxi transfer into the centre — no need for the operator's private arrival transfer. Settle into a hostel in Bellavista or Barrio Lastarria and spend the evening wandering Cerro San Cristóbal's lower slopes or Plaza de Armas. Note: some nationalities pay a reciprocity/arrival fee on entry — check before you fly.
🚌Airport bus or shared transfer (~£3)
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Bellavista / Lastarria (dorm ~£12, private ~£30)
- →Self-guided walk of Bellavista and Lastarria
- →Plaza de Armas and Mercado Central
Maipo Valley Wine Day
Maipo Valley / Santiago
Book a small-group Maipo Valley wine tour on GetYourGuide or Viator (roughly £45–70 per person including transport and tastings), or do it DIY: take the Metro to Las Mercedes and a local bus/taxi to Concha y Toro (tour ~CLP 18,000) or Santa Rita in Buin. Three or four tastings across two wineries is easily achievable. Back in Santiago by evening for dinner in Barrio Italia.
🚌Metro + local bus/taxi, or tour pickup (~£5)
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Santiago
- →Maipo Valley winery tour with tastings (GetYourGuide/local booking)
- →Optional Concha y Toro or Santa Rita cellar tour
Fly to the Lake District — Puerto Varas
Puerto Varas, Chile
Take a morning domestic flight Santiago–Puerto Montt (LATAM/Sky/JetSMART, booked early ~£45–80 one-way) and a 30-minute local bus or shared taxi to Puerto Varas. Spend the afternoon doing your own lakefront walk with views of the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes, then eat curanto (the slow-cooked seafood-and-meat stew from Chiloé) at a local fuente de soda in Angelmó market in Puerto Montt or a traditional restaurant — no group lunch needed.
🚌Domestic flight (~£60) + local bus Puerto Montt–Puerto Varas (~£2)
🛏Hostel or hospedaje in Puerto Varas (~£15–22)
- →Lakefront walk with Osorno Volcano views
- →Curanto lunch at Angelmó fish market
Chiloé Island or Osorno Volcano
Puerto Varas / Chiloé
Free day — pick your own excursion. A full-day Chiloé Island trip (UNESCO churches of Castro and Dalcahue, palafitos, curanto) booked locally or via GetYourGuide runs about £35–50; the operator charges the equivalent of ~£140, so DIY is a big saving. Alternatively take the local bus to Petrohué/Osorno Volcano for hiking (~£10 transport plus park entry).
🚌Local bus or shared tour minibus (~£8)
🛏Hostel or hospedaje in Puerto Varas
- →Full-day Chiloé Island excursion (local operator)
- →Or Osorno Volcano / Petrohué hiking day
Cruce de los Lagos to Bariloche
Puerto Varas → Bariloche, Argentina
Do the classic lake crossing independently. Book the Cruce Andino ferry-bus route (Puerto Varas–Petrohué Falls–Peulla–Puerto Frías–Bariloche) directly online or at the Puerto Varas office, roughly £90–130 one-way including the Petrohué Falls stop; or do the cheaper DIY version — local bus to Petrohué Falls (park entry ~CLP 4,000), then the public ferry/bus chain via Peulla and Puerto Frías. In poor weather the route runs by bus only via Osorno. Arrive Bariloche in the evening.
🚌Cruce Andino ferry + bus (~£100)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Bariloche centre (~£16–25)
- →Petrohué Falls
- →Scenic lake crossing through the Andes
Bariloche Free Day
San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
Spend the day exploring Patagonian lakes and trails. Take local bus 20 to Cerro Catedral for hiking, or the bus to Villa La Angostura/Arrayanes, or book the Puerto Blest and Cascada de los Cántaros boat trip yourself at the lakeside ticket office (~£35–45 rather than the ~£70 optional add-on). In the evening, hit a chocolate shop on Mitre and a parrilla for Patagonian lamb.
🚌Local bus (~£2 per ride)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Bariloche
- →Puerto Blest boat excursion (self-booked)
- →Hiking at Cerro Catedral or Circuito Chico by local bus
Fly to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Fly Bariloche–Buenos Aires (Aerolíneas Argentinas/JetSMART/Flybondi, ~£50–90 one-way booked in advance; watch the 15kg luggage limit). Check into a hostel in San Telmo or Palermo and explore on foot — Recoleta Cemetery, the Obelisco, Plaza de Mayo. In the evening book a tango dinner show directly or in a San Telmo milonga (from ~£35 for a show-plus-dinner package, or free to watch at a neighbourhood milonga).
🚌Domestic flight (~£70) + airport bus (~£1)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in San Telmo / Palermo (~£18–28)
- →Self-guided city walk: Recoleta, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo
- →Tango dinner show (self-booked) or free milonga
Buenos Aires and Departure
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Morning free for a San Telmo market browse or a coffee-and-medialunas breakfast, then head to Ezeiza or Aeroparque by the Manuel Tienda León bus (~£8) or local bus for your onward flight. If you have time, join a free walking tour (tip-based) of the centre before departing.
🚌Airport bus (~£8)
🛏—
- →Free walking tour (tip-based)
- →San Telmo market
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,265 | £2,400 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,135 per person (47%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,265
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Southern Discovery: Santiago to Buenos Aires, Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,265 per person for 8 days in Chile & Argentina. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,400 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,265 — a saving of roughly £1,135 (47%) per person.
How long is the Chile & Argentina trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Chile & Argentina.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Chile & Argentina, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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