South America · 18 December 2026 → 12 January 2027
Twenty-six days south
Rio · Iguazú · the Amazon · Machu Picchu · the salt flats · Patagonia · Buenos Aires
One direction, five countries, nothing repeated: you start in the tropics and keep going south until there is no more south. This page is the plain-English version — what you do each day, how you get there, and what you’ll be looking at.
Fifteen stops, 26 days. Tap any numbered pin for what happens there and how many nights you stay. Drag the map to follow the route south.
Chapter one · 2 days
Rio, and the heat
Fri 18 – Sat 19 December 2026 · Brazil
Thirty hours of flying, and then the air off Copacabana is warm and wet. You’ve lost a night to the date line. You sleep, and in the morning you go and find the statue.
Day 1Fri 18 DecFly
Same-day arrival
Doing
Fly Sydney → Santiago → Rio. Land late evening, transfer to the hotel on Copacabana, sleep.
Getting there
One connection in Santiago. About 30 hours door to door, including the layover.
Seeing
Rio from the air on final approach — mountains, bay, city lights. Then the beachfront at night.
What you will be doing
- Fly Sydney → Santiago (the long leg), then the connection to Rio
- Land at Galeão late evening, private transfer to Copacabana
- First walk on the beachfront promenade — the black-and-white wave mosaic, kiosks still busy at midnight
- A cold caipirinha, then sleep. You’ve been travelling about 30 hours
You leave Sydney on Friday and you land in Rio on Friday. The flight takes about 30 hours including the connection, but crossing the date line eastward gives you the day back — the date on the arrivals board is the same one you left on.
Day 2Sat 19 DecCity day
Wonder of the world
Doing
Morning: Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado, up by the cog railway through the forest. Afternoon: swim at Copacabana. Evening: Sugarloaf cable car for sunset.
Getting there
Metro and local train to Cosme Velho, the little railway up the mountain. Taxi to Urca for the cable car.
Seeing
The statue at thirty metres the whole bay at its feet. Then the view back over the city from Sugarloaf as the light goes.
What you will be doing
- Cog railway up through Tijuca forest to Corcovado — 20 minutes climbing through rainforest
- Christ the Redeemer on the platform: the whole bay, Lagoa, the Maracanã and the mountains all at once
- Down to Copacabana for a swim and a beach lunch
- Two cable cars up Sugarloaf via Morro da Urca, timed for sunset
- Watch the city lights come on from 396 m, then dinner in Urca
Christ the Redeemer is one of the four world wonders on this trip — and it’s the first one you’ll see, on your first full day.
Chapter two · 2 days
The water
Sun 20 – Mon 21 December 2026 · Brazil + Argentina
Iguazú isn’t one waterfall. It’s about 270 of them along nearly three kilometres of cliff, throwing so much water into the air that the air itself turns to rain.
Day 3Sun 20 DecFly
Doing
Short flight Rio → Foz do Iguaçu. Afternoon on the Brazilian side of the falls.
Getting there
Two-hour flight, then a taxi to the national park entrance and a park bus along the river.
Seeing
The wide view — the whole horseshoe in one frame, rainbows in the spray, and the catwalk that runs out over the water toward the Devil’s Throat.
What you will be doing
- Two-hour flight Rio → Foz do Iguaçu
- Brazilian park: panoramic bus out along the river, then the 1.2 km Trilha das Cataratas walkway
- Naipi and Floriano viewpoints — the widest look at the whole horseshoe
- The lower catwalk that runs out into the spray
- Sunset from the river, then dinner in Foz
The Brazilian side is the wide view. Do this one first: you see the whole horseshoe at once, including the parts you’ll walk into tomorrow.
Day 4Mon 21 DecBorder
Wonder of the world
Two countries in two days
Doing
Cross into Argentina for the close-up day, then back to sleep on the Brazilian side.
Getting there
Private transfer across the border — two immigration stops, about an hour. Inside the park: a small train, then walkways over open water.
Seeing
The Devil’s Throat at arm’s length — half the river dropping into a hole in the earth. The sound stops being a sound and becomes pressure in your chest.
What you will be doing
- Private transfer across the border into Argentina (two immigration stops)
- Ecological Train out of the park station
- Upper Circuit — 1.5 km of catwalks looking down on the falls from above
- Lower Circuit — 1.4 km at water level, and the boat that runs under the San Martín falls
- Out to the Devil’s Throat catwalk, at arm’s length from half the river going into a hole in the earth
- Coatis will try to steal your food. Guard it. Back to Foz for the night
Iguazú is a wonder of the world and you see it from both sides — Brazil yesterday for the panorama, Argentina today for the Devil’s Throat, at arm’s length from half the river falling into a hole in the earth.
Chapter three · 4 days
Up into the Andes
Tue 22 – Fri 25 December 2026 · Peru
Cusco sits at 3,400 metres. The plan gives you the first day free on purpose — nothing strenuous while your body catches up to the altitude.
Day 5Tue 22 DecFly
Doing
Travel day: Foz do Iguaçu → Lima, via São Paulo. Overnight in Lima.
Getting there
Two flights, roughly nine hours in the air plus the connection. Daytime flying — no red-eye.
Seeing
The scale of the continent out of the window: rainforest, then the line of the Andes coming up out of the haze.
What you will be doing
- Travel day: Foz do Iguaçu → São Paulo → Lima, about nine hours in the air
- Evening in Miraflores: the clifftop Malecón walk above the Pacific
- Dinner in Lima — ceviche and a pisco sour. This is one of the great food cities
Day 6Wed 23 DecFly
3,400 m above sea level
Doing
Fly to Cusco and acclimatise. A slow wander of the old town, coca tea, an early night.
Getting there
One-hour flight, then a taxi down into the valley. Then your own two legs, slowly.
Seeing
Cusco itself — Inca stonework at Qorikancha that Spanish churches were built straight on top of, red roofs to the hillsides, and the square at dusk.
What you will be doing
- One-hour flight Lima → Cusco, landing at 3,400 m
- Qorikancha: the Inca temple a Spanish church built directly on its foundations
- Plaza de Armas and the San Blas lanes — slow going, this is the acclimatisation day
- Coca tea, and a light early dinner. No alcohol tonight
Cusco sits at 3,400 m. Today is deliberately empty of activity — nothing strenuous, no alcohol, an early night. This is what buys you a comfortable Machu Picchu in two days.
Day 7Thu 24 DecBy road
Doing
The Sacred Valley: the terraces at Pisac, lunch in Urubamba, the fortress at Ollantaytambo, the salt pans at Maras and the rings at Moray. Sleep at Ollantaytambo.
Getting there
A driver for the day — the valley is scattered and buses would eat the whole day. Sleeping at Ollantaytambo means a short walk to the station tomorrow, not a 5am drive from Cusco.
Seeing
A working Inca landscape: hundreds of salt pans still being harvested by hand, and terraced circles sunk into the ground that nobody can fully explain.
What you will be doing
- Driver for the day through the Sacred Valley
- Pisac ruins — Inca terraces climbing the ridge, plus the valley market below
- Lunch at Urubamba, in the warm bottom of the valley
- Ollantaytambo fortress: the terraces, the unfinished Temple of the Sun, the water channels still running
- Maras salt pans — thousands of shallow ponds stepped down the hillside, still harvested by hand
- Moray: the circular terraces sunk into the ground that nobody can fully explain
- Sleep at Ollantaytambo, five minutes from tomorrow’s train
Day 8Fri 25 DecThe day
Wonder of the world
Doing
Machu Picchu. Early train up the valley, bus up the switchbacks, and the morning inside the citadel. Back to Cusco by evening.
Getting there
Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes along the river gorge, then twenty-five minutes of hairpins by bus.
Seeing
The city on the ridge — terraces falling into cloud, llamas on the lawn, Huayna Picchu standing behind it like a broken tooth.
What you will be doing
- Early train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, 90 minutes along the Urubamba gorge
- Bus up the switchbacks — 25 minutes of hairpins above the river
- Into the citadel: the Temple of the Sun, the Intihuatana stone, the quarry, the terraces
- Walk up to the Sun Gate if you have the legs — the view down over the whole site
- Llamas on the lawn, and Huayna Picchu standing over it like a broken tooth
- Train back to Cusco in the afternoon
Machu Picchu is one of the four wonders on this trip. Tickets are allocation-limited and Christmas Day is peak — this is the first thing that needs booking.
Chapter four · 2 days
Down into the green
Sat 26 – Sun 27 December 2026 · Peru
Forty-five minutes of flying takes you about 3,400 metres downhill, and the heat when you step off the plane hits like a wall. Then a canoe, and two hours upriver to a lodge no road going to it.
Day 9Sat 26 DecFly + boat
Doing
Fly Cusco → Puerto Maldonado, then boat up the Madre de Dios to the lodge in the Tambopata reserve. Afternoon walk a guide.
Getting there
Short flight, then a motorised canoe — about two hours, the forest closing in on both banks.
Seeing
How loud a rainforest is. Turtles and herons on the sandbanks, and a black-sky night more stars than you’ve ever seen.
What you will be doing
- 45-minute flight Cusco → Puerto Maldonado, dropping 3,400 m into the heat
- Motorised canoe two hours up the Madre de Dios to the lodge — no road goes there
- Afternoon guided trail: medicinal plants, ants carrying leaves in parade, how loud insects can be
- Caiman spotting on the river after dark, a torch and the engine off
Day 10Sun 27 DecGuided
Wonder of the world
Doing
A full day on the forest’s clock: dawn boat, a canopy walkway or clay lick, Lake Sandoval by trail and canoe, and a night walk a torch.
Getting there
Everything is arranged by the lodge — boat, trail, guide. You carry water and a hat.
Seeing
Giant otters, spider monkeys, and hundreds of macaws screaming at a wall of mud. After dark: frogs, spiders, and the forest’s whole second shift.
What you will be doing
- Dawn on the river — parrots and macaws at the clay lick, hundreds of them arguing over mud
- Canopy walkway: suspension bridges high in the treetops, looking down on the forest instead of up at it
- Lake Sandoval by trail and then by paddle canoe — black water, huge trees, silence
- Giant otters fishing, hoatzin birds, spider monkeys overhead, caiman on the bank
- Night walk torches: tarantulas, frogs, insects, and eyes reflecting back at you
The Amazon is the fourth wonder on this trip, and the lodge has no road to it — you arrive by canoe or not at all.
Chapter five · 3 days
White
Mon 28 – Wed 30 December 2026 · Bolivia
Out of the jungle and up onto the Altiplano — La Paz, a city built inside a bowl in the mountains, where the cable cars are ordinary public transport. Then south, down to a town on the edge of nothing.
Day 11Mon 28 DecFly
Doing
Travel day: boat out of the reserve, then flights Puerto Maldonado → Cusco → Lima → La Paz.
Getting there
A long chain of short flights. Evening arrival in La Paz, and a hotel in the lower city to make the altitude easier on you.
Seeing
Weather closing over the Andes from above, and La Paz lit up in its valley after dark.
What you will be doing
- Canoe back out, then flights Puerto Maldonado → Cusco → Lima → La Paz
- Arrive La Paz at 3,600 m — one of the highest cities on earth
- Ride the Mi Teleférico cable car network: this is public transport here, and the best way to see the city
- Look down into the bowl at night, the houses spilling down the valley wall like water
Day 12Tue 29 DecFly + 4WD
3,650 m above sea level
Night under the stars
Doing
Fly to Uyuni for the salt flat: the train cemetery, a cactus island standing in the middle of the white, sunset on the salt, and stargazing after dark.
Getting there
Flight to Uyuni, then a 4WD and driver for the day. By plane, not the overnight bus — that would cost you a night’s sleep and a whole day.
Seeing
10,000 square kilometres of salt, flat enough that the horizon is a straight line. Then the light goes down and the plain becomes a mirror — cloud above, cloud below.
What you will be doing
- Morning flight La Paz → Uyuni
- Train cemetery: rusted locomotives abandoned in the sand a century ago
- Colchani, where salt is still raked and dried by hand
- Out onto the Salar de Uyuni — 10,000 km² of white, flat enough that the horizon is a straight line
- Incahuasi island: a cactus-covered outcrop standing alone in the middle of the salt
- Sunset on the salt, then back out after dark for stargazing — no light pollution at all
The salar is 10,000 km² of salt at 3,650 m. In December, a thin film of rain water sits on it — which is why the sky ends up on the ground as well as above you, and why the stargazing here is the best of the trip.
Day 13Wed 30 DecFly
Doing
The one genuinely hard travel day: Uyuni → La Paz → Lima → Santiago. You sleep at the Santiago airport hotel.
Getting there
Three flights. Uyuni’s airport only flies to La Paz, so this is the routing the geography forces.
Seeing
The Altiplano and then the Pacific coast from the air in one afternoon. Nothing else — this day is the price of the distance.
What you will be doing
- The honest slog: Uyuni → La Paz → Lima → Santiago, three flights and about 12 hours of waiting
- Uyuni’s airport flies to exactly one place, so this routing is what the geography forces
- Sleep at the airport hotel in Santiago — tomorrow is a 6am start
This is the hardest travel day of the whole trip — three flights and about 12 hours of waiting, because Uyuni’s airport flies to exactly one place. It’s the honest price of getting from the salt flats to Patagonia.
Chapter six · 6 days
South, on foot
Thu 31 December 2026 – Tue 5 January 2027 · Chile
Then you fly into the end of the world. Puerto Natales: a small town on a fjord at the edge of Torres del Paine, where the wind never stops and everything you own has to fit on your back for five days.
New Year in Patagonia. You spend New Year’s Eve in Puerto Natales your pack already packed, and start walking the W on 1 January. Of everything on this trip, that’s the bit worth telling people about.
Day 14Thu 31 DecFly
Doing
Santiago → Puerto Natales direct. Pick up the park permits, repack, buy stove fuel, early night.
Getting there
One non-stop flight, about three hours twenty. No bus leg needed.
Seeing
The Andes turning to granite and ice out of the window, then the fjord at Natales — and the wind, immediately.
What you will be doing
- Direct flight Santiago → Puerto Natales — Andes turning to granite and ice under you
- Repack for five days on your back. Everything you carry, you carry
- Pick up park permits, buy stove fuel, hire anything missing
- Walk the fjord at Natales, then an early dinner. New Year’s Eve here is quiet and you want it that way
New Year’s Eve in Puerto Natales, your pack packed for five days. You start the W trek tomorrow.
Day 15Fri 1 JanW trek 1/5
Start of the W trek
Doing
Bus into the park, catamaran across Lake Pehoé, then walk out toward the Grey Glacier and back. Night at Paine Grande.
Getting there
Park shuttle to Pudeto, catamaran across the lake, then on foot your pack.
Seeing
Your first look at the towers across the water, and the Grey Glacier in blue so deep it doesn’t look like a colour ice should be.
What you will be doing
- Park shuttle to Pudeto, then the catamaran across Lake Pehoé
- Leave the big pack at the refugio and walk out toward the Grey Glacier a day pack
- 11 km return to the lookout above the lake — the glacier face, and ice so blue it doesn’t look like ice
- Walk back along the beach, dinner at Paine Grande, sleep in a bunk
80 km and 2,730 m of climbing over the next five days. Everything you need is on your back — and the beds have to be booked months ahead, because January is peak of peak.
Day 16Sat 2 JanW trek 2/5 · 24 km
Doing
The hard, best day: into the French Valley a light pack, up to the Británico lookout, and back out. About ten hours walking.
Getting there
On foot, pack stashed at the refugio. This is the day the trek earns its reputation.
Seeing
An amphitheatre of mountains avalanches coming down the walls somewhere above the cloud — you hear them before you see anything.
What you will be doing
- The hard day, and the best one: into the French Valley a light pack
- 24 km total, about 10 hours including the side trip to the Británico lookout
- An amphitheatre of mountains on all sides — you hear avalanches come down the walls before you see anything
- The hanging glacier above the valley, and the Cuernos above that
- Back out to the refugio for dinner and an early night
Day 17Sun 3 JanW trek 3/5
Doing
A deliberately gentle day to let your legs recover: along Lake Nordenskjöld to the refugio at Los Cuernos.
Getting there
On foot the pack, on the flattest and most beautiful stretch of the whole trek.
Seeing
Turquoise water against grey rock, and the “horns” of the massif standing directly above your bed for the night.
What you will be doing
- A deliberately gentle day to let your legs recover
- Along Lake Nordenskjöld — turquoise water against grey rock, the flattest and most beautiful stretch of the trek
- Into Los Cuernos refugio, directly under the horns of the massif
- Short afternoon: sit outside, watch the light move on the rock
Day 18Mon 4 JanW trek 4/5
Doing
Climb into the Ascencio valley to Chileno — as close to the towers as beds exist. Short day, early night.
Getting there
On foot, uphill through beech forest. This is the position you need to be in for tomorrow’s dawn.
Seeing
The towers from below at sunset, going pink, while the valley fills cloud behind you.
What you will be doing
- Short climb into the Ascencio valley to Chileno — as close to the towers as beds exist
- Uphill through beech forest, pack on. This is the position you need for tomorrow
- Sunset on the towers from below, going pink as the valley fills cloud behind you
- Early dinner, early night — the alarm is at four
Day 19Tue 5 JanW trek 5/5 · 20 km
Hardest day of the trek
Doing
Up at four in the dark. Climb to the base of the towers for sunrise, then all the way back down and a bus to Puerto Natales. Hot shower, real bed.
Getting there
On foot: about 20 km return, 1,280 m of climb, six to eight hours. The last hour is a staircase of loose rock.
Seeing
Three granite towers catching the first light a green lake below them. Nobody talks much up there.
What you will be doing
- Up at 4am, in the dark, a day pack and a headtorch
- Climb to the base of the towers: 20 km return, 1,280 m of ascent, six to eight hours
- The last hour is a staircase of loose rock. Hands on rock in places
- Base Torres at sunrise — three granite towers turning pink above a green lake
- All the way back down, bus to Puerto Natales, hot shower, real bed, a proper dinner
The last hour is a staircase of loose rock, in the dark, hands on rock in places. Then three granite towers turn pink above a green lake. This is the photo everyone comes for.
Chapter seven · 3 days
Ice and stone
Wed 6 – Fri 8 January 2027 · Argentina
Across the border into Argentina, and straight to the ice.
Day 20Wed 6 JanBy road
One of the last advancing glaciers
Doing
Cross into Argentina to El Calafate, then out to the Perito Moreno glacier for the afternoon — boardwalks, and a boat along the north face.
Getting there
Six-hour bus across the border, then an hour by shuttle to the glacier.
Seeing
A wall of ice five kilometres wide and sixty metres high, and it’s moving — every few minutes a house-sized piece falls off a crack like a rifle shot, and the splash arrives a second later.
What you will be doing
- Six-hour bus across the border into Argentina to El Calafate
- Shuttle out to the Perito Moreno glacier and the Pasarelas — kilometres of boardwalks facing the ice
- A wall five kilometres wide and sixty metres high, and it is moving. Every few minutes a house-sized piece falls off a crack like a rifle shot
- Boat along the north face to see the ice from the water
- Stay until the light goes amber, then back to the town for Patagonian lamb
Perito Moreno is one of the very few glaciers in the world still advancing — which is why it’s safe to stand at the boardwalks and watch house-sized pieces fall off every few minutes.
Day 21Thu 7 JanBy road
Doing
Bus north to El Chaltén, the trekking village under the Fitz Roy massif. Afternoon: a short walk out to a viewpoint to loosen up.
Getting there
Three-hour bus. El Chaltén is the last stop before the ice fields.
Seeing
Fitz Roy from the road as you arrive — a granite spike above a village of a few hundred people.
What you will be doing
- Three-hour bus north to El Chaltén, the trekking village under Fitz Roy
- Afternoon warm-up walk: Mirador de los Cóndores and Mirador Águila
- Condors riding the thermals overhead, and Fitz Roy from across the valley
- Check the trail conditions for tomorrow, eat early, sleep
Day 22Fri 8 JanDay hike · 22 km
Hardest day-hike of the trip
Doing
Laguna de los Tres — the Fitz Roy day. Start before dawn, five gentle hours, one brutal hour, then the lake. Back to the village for dinner and a proper bed.
Getting there
On foot from the village, no permit needed, no pack. 22 km return, about 1,000 m of climb, seven and a half to eight and a half hours.
Seeing
The mountain coming out of the cloud above a green glacier lake. People argue about the best day-hike in South America — this is the one they argue about.
What you will be doing
- Start before dawn — this is the Fitz Roy day
- 22 km return, about 1,000 m of climb, seven and a half to eight and a half hours
- Five gentle hours through beech forest and along the Río Blanco
- Then one brutal hour up to Laguna de los Tres — genuinely steep, hands on rock at the top
- The mountain comes out of the cloud above a green glacier lake. This is the view people argue about
- Laguna Capri on the way back, then a steak and a bed in the village
22 km and roughly 1,000 m of climb — five gentle hours, then one brutal hour up to Laguna de los Tres. People argue about the best day-hike in South America. This is the one they argue about.
Chapter eight · 4 days
The city, and the way home
Sat 9 – Tue 12 January 2027 · Argentina + Chile
North to Buenos Aires three days left and a city to spend them in.
Day 23Sat 9 JanBus + fly
Doing
Travel day: El Chaltén → El Calafate by bus, then a flight north to Buenos Aires.
Getting there
Three-hour bus, then a three-and-a-half-hour flight. Evening arrival in the city.
Seeing
Patagonia flattening out into pampas under you — the end of the mountains.
What you will be doing
- Bus El Chaltén → El Calafate, then a flight north to Buenos Aires
- Evening arrival, check in, dinner in Palermo — bookshops, wine bars, people out late
Day 24Sun 10 JanCity day
Last full day
Doing
A full day in Buenos Aires: the San Telmo market, the Recoleta cemetery, then a steak and a bottle of Malbec. Evening flight west to Santiago.
Getting there
On foot and by taxi around the city, then a two-hour flight over the Andes.
Seeing
A European city that happens to be in South America — and an entire district of above-ground tombs that is somehow one of the most beautiful places in the country.
What you will be doing
- San Telmo market in the morning — antiques, tango in the square, buskers
- Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada
- Recoleta cemetery: an entire district of above-ground tombs, and genuinely one of the most beautiful places in the country
- A long lunch — Argentine steak and a bottle of Malbec. This is the point of the day
- Evening flight west over the Andes to Santiago
Your last full day before the long flight home. Steak, Malbec and an evening flight over the Andes to Santiago.
Day 25Mon 11 JanFly
Doing
Santiago → Sydney. Twelve hours fifty in the air, crossing the date line the other way.
Getting there
One long flight from Santiago. You leave Monday and land Tuesday.
Seeing
The Andes from the window on the way up, and then thirteen hours of ocean.
What you will be doing
- Santiago → Sydney. Twelve hours fifty in the air, crossing the date line the other way
- Leave Monday, land Tuesday. Sleep on the plane if you can
Day 26Tue 12 JanHome
Doing
Arrive Sydney. Twelve days earlier you were standing in the heat in Rio no idea what was about to happen to you.
Getting there
Landing in the afternoon, straight into a Sydney summer.
Seeing
Sydney from the air. Then your own bed.
What you will be doing
- Land in Sydney in the afternoon, straight into a Sydney summer
- That’s 26 days: five countries, four world wonders, five days on foot, and one very good sleep in your own bed
You left Santiago on Monday and you land in Sydney on Tuesday — the date line takes a day on the way home. That’s 26 days: five countries, four world wonders, five days on foot.
What it adds up to
Five countries, 26 days. Four world wonders — Christ the Redeemer, Iguazú, the Amazon, Machu Picchu. Two sunrises on a salt flat, one of them under the stars. Five days walking in Patagonia. One glacier cracking like gunfire. And one mountain everybody photographs and nobody forgets.
Five of the twenty-six days are pure travel — that’s the honest cost of crossing a continent 7,000 kilometres long. The other twenty-one are yours. And the days you’ll still be talking about in ten years are the walking ones.
18 December 2026 to 12 January 2027 · Photographs from Wikimedia Commons · Route map and the full booking-by-day planner at banglarbatman.com/southamerica. Times and costs in the planner are plans, not quotations.