Discover Patagonia: Buenos Aires to Ushuaia (Self-Launched)

Land at Ezeiza (EZE), take the Tienda León shared shuttle or the public bus 8 into the centre (~£6-10, 45-60 min) rather than a £25 taxi. Check into a hostel in San Telmo or Montserrat. Spend the late afternoon walking Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada and the Sunday-market streets of San Telmo if your dates align, then eat a cheap choripán and a bife at a neighbourhood parrilla. Pick up a SUBE card at a kiosco for city transport (~£1 card + top-up).

🚌Airport shared shuttle ~£8; SUBE card + top-up ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo or Montserrat (e.g. Milhouse or similar), £14-18

• →Self-guided Plaza de Mayo & Casa Rosada walk
• →San Telmo street wander
• →Parrilla dinner in San Telmo

Fly Aerolíneas Argentinas or JetSMART Buenos Aires–Bariloche (~1h50, book 2-3 months ahead for £80-130 one-way; long-distance bus is 20+ hours, so the flight is worth it here). From BRC airport take the local bus 72 into town (~£1). Settle into a hostel near the Civic Centre, then in the afternoon take local bus 20 to the Circuito Chico loop — Cerro Campanario chairlift (~£12) for the classic Nahuel Huapi and Llao Llao views, Bahía López and the Llao Llao hotel viewpoint. Return by bus before dark.

🚌Domestic flight ~£105; local buses ~£4

🛏Hostel in Bariloche centre (e.g. penthouse/hostel near Centro Cívico), £15-20

• →Circuito Chico by local bus 20
• →Cerro Campanario chairlift (£12)
• →Bahía López & Llao Llao viewpoints

Self-launch the day your own way: take local bus 55 to Cerro Catedral for a free forest-and-lake hike up to Refugio Frey or a shorter ridge walk (no lift needed in summer). Alternatively join a day tour to the Cantaros waterfall via Villa La Angostura (~£45-60 booked locally through your hostel) or rent a bike to pedal the Circuito Chico. Back in town, do the chocolate-shop crawl along Mitre and grab a craft beer on the lakefront.

🚌Local buses ~£4; optional bike hire ~£10

🛏Hostel in Bariloche centre, £15-20

• →Cerro Catedral / Refugio Frey hike
• →Optional Cantaros waterfall day tour
• →Bariloche chocolate & craft beer crawl

Do the classic Cruce de los Lagos independently: book the full-day crossing (Naviera Cruz del Sur / Cruce Andino operator, ~£110-140 including bus legs, three boats and the Argentine-to-Chile border formalities) from Puerto Pañuelo on Nahuel Huapi, over Lake Frías and Lake Todos los Santos, through Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park to Petrohué Falls, then bus to Puerto Varas. Keep fruit and dairy out of your bag for the Chilean border. Dump your pack at a guesthouse near the plaza and eat a completo and a pisco sour.

🚌Cruce de los Lagos full-day crossing ~£125 (includes all boats and buses)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Varas, £16-22

• →Cruce de los Lagos boat-and-bus crossing
• →Todos los Santos Lake & Petrohué Falls stop
• →Argentina–Chile border crossing

Pick one self-bookable adventure: a day tour to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park with the Todos los Santos lake and Osorno Volcano viewpoints (~£55-70 through local agencies or GetYourGuide), a guided Osorno volcano hike (~£70), or a full-day trip to Chiloé island for the palafito villages of Castro, the UNESCO churches and the Puñihuil penguin colony (~£70-90). In the evening return for the German-influenced kuchen cafés and a seafood stew in town.

🚌Local buses and tour pickups ~£8

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Puerto Varas, £16-22

• →Vicente Pérez Rosales / Osorno Volcano day tour
• →or Chiloé island & Puñihuil penguins day trip
• →Puerto Varas lakefront & café wander

This is the big transfer day the group does by plane. Take a local bus Puerto Varas–Puerto Montt, then fly Puerto Montt–Punta Arenas (~2h, £90-140 if booked early), then the public bus from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales (~3h, £10-14). If flights are expensive or full, the overland route is Puerto Varas → Puerto Montt → Punta Arenas on a 30-hour+ long-distance bus (~£45) with a night on the road. Overnight in Puerto Natales and stock up on snacks and cash — ATMs are unreliable further south.

🚌Local bus to Puerto Montt ~£4; domestic flight ~£115; bus Punta Arenas–Puerto Natales ~£12

🛏Hostel in Puerto Natales (e.g. Erratic Rock area), £14-18

• →Travel day
• →Puerto Natales evening & trip prep

Take the early public bus from Puerto Natales to Laguna Amarga park entrance (~2h, ~£12 return with the regular bus company, plus ~£28 park entry). Do the classic Base of the Towers hike from Hotel Las Torres — 19 km return, 7-9 hours, with the final hour a steep moraine scramble to the blue-green lake under the three granite towers. This replaces the group's guided excursion days with the same landscapes on your own two feet. Bring layers, gloves, 2L water and food; the weather turns fast. Alternative if you want it easier: book a catamaran across Lago Pehoé to Refugio Grey for iceberg and glacier views (~£60).

🚌Return bus to park entrance ~£12; park entry ~£28

🛏Hostel in Puerto Natales, £14-18

• →Base of the Towers (Mirador Las Torres) hike
• →Optional Lago Pehoé catamaran to Grey Glacier

Second park day with a different angle: join a shared small-group or self-arranged excursion to Grey Lake for the beach walk to the viewpoints over Grey Glacier (~£50-65 for the day transport plus catamaran, bookable in Puerto Natales), and stop at Lake Sarmiento and Laguna Azul for guanaco, rhea and condor spotting. If you'd rather sleep inside the park, book a refugio bunk at Refugio Grey or Camping Pehoé (~£30-45) and take the morning catamaran — just build the extra logistics into your transport day.

🚌Shared park shuttle ~£18

🛏Hostel in Puerto Natales, £14-18

• →Grey Lake & Grey Glacier viewpoints
• →Lake Sarmiento and Laguna Azul wildlife spotting
• →Optional refugio stay inside the park

Cross back into Argentina on the regular bus Puerto Natales–El Calafate (~5-6h, ~£28-35, companies run daily from the terminal; bring your passport for the Chilean exit and Argentine entry). Arrive mid-afternoon, check into a hostel near the main street, and use the rest of the day to book your Perito Moreno excursion for tomorrow and visit the Glaciarium or the Laguna Nimez reserve for flamingos and waterbirds (~£8).

🚌International long-distance bus ~£32

🛏Hostel in El Calafate, £14-18

• →Puerto Natales–El Calafate bus crossing
• →Laguna Nimez bird reserve
• →Booking Perito Moreno trip

Book a shared minibus day trip to Los Glaciares National Park (~£25-35 with operators like Caltur or your hostel, plus ~£22 park entry). Spend 3-4 hours at the boardwalks watching ice calve into Lake Argentino. Add the one-hour boat approach to the glacier face (~£25-30 on the spot) if the budget allows. Skip the overpriced group 'Glacier Talk' and use the free park interpretation boards, or do a self-guided stop at the Glaciarium on the way back.

🚌Shared minibus day trip ~£30

🛏Hostel in El Calafate, £14-18

• →Perito Moreno Glacier boardwalks
• →Optional boat approach to glacier face (~£28)
• →Los Glaciares National Park

Fly El Calafate–Ushuaia (~1h30, £90-130 booked early) — the overland bus alternative is 20+ hours via Río Gallegos and not worth it unless flights are sold out. From the airport, a local taxi or shared shuttle into town is ~£5-8. Settle into a hostel on Maipú, then walk the waterfront and the old prison (Museo Marítimo, ~£12) and the End of the World sign. Evening: king crab or a bowl of locro in a cosy local restaurant.

🚌Domestic flight ~£110; airport transfer ~£7

🛏Hostel in Ushuaia, £16-22

• →Old prison / Museo Marítimo
• →Ushuaia waterfront walk
• →Local seafood dinner

Book direct with a local operator (Pira Tour, Rumbo Sur or Canoero) for the Beagle Channel boat trip to the Martillo Island penguin rookery — Magellanic and gentoo penguins plus sea lions and cormorants, ~£80-100 for a 4-5 hour trip. Or do the afternoon in Tierra del Fuego National Park by local bus (~£12 plus ~£15 park entry) with the End of the World train optional. Either way it's the same experience the tour charges a premium for — just booked the night before on the waterfront.

🚌Local bus/tour pickups ~£6

🛏Hostel in Ushuaia, £16-22

• →Beagle Channel & Martillo Island penguin boat trip
• →or Tierra del Fuego National Park by local bus
• →Sea lion and seabird spotting

Morning flight Ushuaia–Buenos Aires (via Ezeiza or Aeroparque, ~3h30, £110-150). Check into your San Telmo hostel and then do the tango thing on a budget: a group tango class at a milonga or a hostel-run lesson (~£12-18) rather than a £70 dinner show, then watch the milonga dancers for free with a beer. If you want the show, the cheaper tanguerías on Avenida de Mayo run ~£35-50 including a drink.

🚌Domestic flight ~£130; city bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in San Telmo or Montserrat, £14-18

• →Group tango lesson (~£15)
• →Milonga visit
• →Optional budget tanguería show

Do the city self-launched: free walking tour of Plaza de Mayo and the centre (tip ~£8), then bus 29 or a 20-minute walk to La Boca for Caminito's painted houses, and Recoleta Cemetery (free) with the Evita tomb. Teatro Colón guided tour is ~£20 booked direct. Grab a final medialuna and coffee, then take the Tienda León shuttle to Ezeiza for your flight home.

🚌City buses ~£3; airport shuttle ~£8

🛏None — onward travel

• →Free walking tour of central Buenos Aires
• →La Boca / Caminito
• →Recoleta Cemetery
• →Optional Teatro Colón tour (~£20)