Self-Launched Patagonia: Buenos Aires to Santiago via Ushuaia, El Calafate & Torres del Paine

Land at Ezeiza (international) and take the local Tienda León shared shuttle or the public bus 8 (cheapest, ~£1, but slow and only for the brave with luggage) into the city. Check into a hostel in Palermo, San Telmo or Recoleta. Spend the afternoon wandering the neighbourhood, then eat at a parrilla — go for the menu del día or a shared steak to keep costs low. If arriving very early, most hostels will hold bags for free before check-in.

🚌Ezeiza airport shared shuttle ~£10–12 or public bus ~£1

🛏Hostel private room or 4-bed dorm, Palermo/San Telmo (~£18–28)

• →Self-guided walk Palermo Soho & Bosques de Palermo
• →Evening in San Telmo plaza & market area
• →Parrilla dinner (shared steak + wine)

Morning domestic flight Buenos Aires (AEP) to Ushuaia (USH) — book on Aerolíneas Argentinas or JetSMART 4–8 weeks ahead for the best fares (~£80–130 one-way in shoulder season, more in peak Jan–Feb). From Ushuaia airport take a remis or the local bus into town (~£3–5). Afternoon free to walk the waterfront, visit the old prison museum (Museo Marítimo, ~£14) or just acclimatise. Book your Beagle Channel and Tierra del Fuego tours today at any agency on San Martín street if you haven't already — prices are similar everywhere and departures are daily.

🚌Domestic flight Buenos Aires–Ushuaia ~£80–130; airport-to-town remis ~£4

🛏Hostel private room or dorm, central Ushuaia (~£20–30)

• →Waterfront walk & 'Ushuaia' sign photo
• →Optional: Museo Marítimo ex-prison ~£14
• →Book local excursions for days 3–4

Do a shared half-day minibus tour into Tierra del Fuego National Park with a local operator (~£30–40 including park entry and guide) — covers Bahía Lapataia, Lago Roca and the end-of-the-road postbox. Alternatively take the public shuttle from town to the park entrance and walk the coastal Sendero Costero trail yourself, then come back by a later shuttle. In the afternoon join a Beagle Channel catamaran (~£28–40) past Bird Island, Sea Lion Island and Les Eclaireurs lighthouse. Note: the Martillo Island penguin walk is a separate, pricier tour (~£75–95) and usually departs only once a day in the early afternoon — if penguins are a must, slot it in on day 4 instead of the lake trip.

🚌Shared minibus tour to the park (included in tour price); catamaran from the tourist pier

🛏Hostel private room or dorm, central Ushuaia (~£20–30)

• →Tierra del Fuego National Park shared tour (Bahía Lapataia, Lago Roca)
• →Beagle Channel catamaran to Les Eclaireurs lighthouse
• →Optional penguin walk on Martillo Island ~£75–95

Swap the operator's private Land Rover Defender trip for a shared 4x4 / minibus lake-and-forest tour with a local Ushuaia agency (~£45–60 including a simple lunch), which covers Escondido and Fagnano lakes, a short forest hike and viewpoints over the Andes. Cheaper alternative: hire a bike in town (~£18/day) and ride the paved road out towards Valle Carbajal and the Garibaldi pass viewpoint at your own pace. Evening back in town — try centolla (king crab) if budget allows, or cook in the hostel.

🚌Shared 4x4/minibus tour transfer (included); or rented bike ~£18

🛏Hostel private room or dorm, central Ushuaia (~£20–30)

• →Escondido & Fagnano lakes shared day tour
• →Short Coihue forest hike
• →Hostel dinner / local seafood market

Morning flight Ushuaia to El Calafate (~£80–120 one-way; there is no practical bus for this leg — it's 900km of mostly Ruta 40 and takes 2 days). Afternoon in town: walk the main street, sort out your Perito Moreno ice-trek booking, and stock up at the supermarket — El Calafate is expensive. Optional evening at the Glaciarium or the Laguna Nimez reserve (small entry, good birdlife).

🚌Domestic flight Ushuaia–El Calafate ~£80–120

🛏Hostel private room or shared dorm, El Calafate (~£18–28)

• →Walk town & Laguna Nimez bird reserve ~£4
• →Book Perito Moreno mini-trekking for day 6

Book the classic 'Big Ice' or 'Minitrekking' ice-hike day directly with Hielo y Aventura (the only licensed operator) or through a local El Calafate agency — roughly £130–170 including park entry, bus, the Brazo Rico boat crossing and 2 hours on the ice with crampons. Note the strict age limit (max ~65 for the ice walk); if you're outside it, take the standard bus-and-catwalk trip (~£30) plus the 20-minute boat at Bajo de las Sombras. Return to El Calafate in the evening via a stop at the glacier viewpoint walkways for an hour of photos.

🚌Shared tour bus from El Calafate to the glacier (included in the activity price)

🛏Hostel private room or shared dorm, El Calafate (~£18–28)

• →Perito Moreno Minitrekking ice hike with crampons ~£130–170
• →20-min Brazo Rico boat crossing
• →Glacier walkways & viewpoint stop
• →Magellanic forest return walk

Take the daily public bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales (~£22–30, 5–6 hours, runs morning and afternoon; book with Cootra or Turismo Zaahj a day ahead). Bring cash for the Chilean side and have your onward ticket proof handy. On arrival, walk or taxi to your guesthouse, then spend the evening in Puerto Natales — cosy cafes, a good supermarket and plenty of trekking-gear rental shops. Sort your Torres del Paine day tour or park logistics for day 8 tonight.

🚌Public bus El Calafate–Puerto Natales ~£22–30 (5–6 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse private room or hostel dorm, Puerto Natales (~£16–26)

• →Border crossing at Cerro Castillo
• →Puerto Natales waterfront promenade & shops

Join a shared full-day minibus tour from Puerto Natales (~£30–45 plus ~£23 park entry, which you can pre-pay online at aspticket.cl to skip queues). Stops typically include Milodón Cave, Laguna Amarga entrance with your first view of the Torres, the Cuernos del Paine, Salto Grande waterfall with its Pingo River suspension bridge, a Coihue forest walk and the Grey Lake beach and viewpoint. Independent option: take the public Torres del Paine bus to the park gate and walk sections of the W-trek's eastern end yourself. Bring layers — this is famously windy country.

🚌Shared day-tour minibus to Torres del Paine (included in activity price)

🛏Guesthouse private room or hostel dorm, Puerto Natales (~£16–26)

• →Milodón Cave archaeological site
• →Laguna Amarga / Torres del Paine viewpoint
• →Cuernos del Paine & Salto Grande waterfall
• →Grey Lake beach and iceberg viewing
• →Pingo River suspension bridge & Coihue forest walk

Book the local published boat trip from Puerto Bories dock towards Bernardo O'Higgins National Park (~£80–110 including coffee, a short forest walk at Témpanos Lagoon, Serrano Glacier close-up, an aperitif with glacier ice and Balmaceda Glacier viewpoints). Most versions stop at the old Frigorífico Bories meatworks (a national monument) and end with a Magellanic lamb lunch at an estancia — usually bundled into the ticket; if you don't want the lamb, ask at the ticket counter about the 'sin almuerzo' price. Afternoon back in Puerto Natales to rest and repack.

🚌Boat from Puerto Bories dock (included in activity price); local taxi to the dock ~£3

🛏Guesthouse private room or hostel dorm, Puerto Natales (~£16–26)

• →Boat through Senoret Channel to Bernardo O'Higgins NP
• →Serrano Glacier & Témpanos Lagoon walk
• →Balmaceda Glacier viewpoint
• →Frigorífico Bories historic monument
• →Optional estancia lamb lunch

Fly out of Puerto Natales (PNT) airport — only Sky Airlines and a couple of JetSMART rotations serve it, so book early (~£80–140 one-way via Puerto Montt, or cheaper if you route to Punta Arenas and fly from there). Arrive Santiago in the early afternoon and take the public Turbus/Centropuerto airport bus (~£2) or the official taxi into Bellavista or Barrio Lastarria. Note: keep day 11 as your buffer — Patagonian flights cancel and delay regularly.

🚌Puerto Natales–Santiago flight ~£80–140; Centropuerto/Turbus airport bus ~£2

🛏Hostel private room, Bellavista / Lastarria (~£22–32)

• →Evening walk in Bellavista & Patio Bellavista
• →Cerro San Cristóbal funicular if time allows ~£2

Use the morning to explore Santiago on foot: Plaza de Armas, the Mercado Central seafood market for a cheap lunch, and Barrio Lastarria or the Museo de la Memoria (free). Take the Centropuerto bus back to the airport (~£2) at least 3 hours before your international departure. If your own flight is delayed on day 10, this day is designed as the buffer — you can still catch an international connection today.

🚌Centropuerto/Turbus airport bus ~£2

• →Plaza de Armas & Mercado Central
• →Barrio Lastarria stroll
• →Museo de la Memoria (free entry)