7 Days Buenos Aires → Peru, Bolivia & Chile — Solo Budget Adventure

Fly Buenos Aires (EZE/AEP) to Salta

Catch an early domestic flight to Salta — Aerolíneas Argentinas or JetSmart run this route for $40-80 USD if booked in advance. Salta is your stepping stone into Bolivia.

Salta layover — grab supplies

Use your 2-3 hour layover to hit a pharmacy for altitude sickness pills (acetazolamide/Diamox) and buy snacks for the road. Altitude in Bolivia hits fast — start the pills today.

Bus to Uyuni via Villazón border crossing

Take a bus from Salta to Villazón on the Argentine-Bolivian border, then cross on foot and catch a connecting bus to Tupiza or directly to Uyuni — the full journey takes 10-14 hours but is a classic budget overland route.

Arrive Uyuni, check into hostel

Tonito Hotel or Piedra Blanca Backpackers are solid budget picks in Uyuni — both under $12/night in a dorm and within walking distance of the bus terminal.

Book 3-day Uyuni Salt Flats tour

Walk the main street in Uyuni and compare 3-4 agencies — Red Planet Expedition and Cordillera Traveller are reputable budget options. A 3-day/2-night tour covering the flats, colored lagoons, and geysers runs $80-130 USD all-in including food and basic lodging.

Train Cemetery (Cementerio de Trenes)

First stop on the tour — rusting 19th-century locomotives abandoned in the desert. Great for photos and genuinely eerie at altitude. Usually the first 30 minutes of any Uyuni tour.

Colchani Salt Processing Village

Small village where locals hand-harvest and process salt — you'll see the quinoa-salt production and can buy artisan salt souvenirs for almost nothing.

Salar de Uyuni main flats — perspective photos

The iconic forced-perspective shots on the white salt crust — your guide will coach you through the classic poses. The flatness and whiteness is genuinely surreal in person, especially at 3,656m.

Sunset on the flats

If there's any standing water (more likely June-August after rains), the reflection turns the whole salar into a mirror — one of the best natural spectacles on earth. Bring your camera's manual mode.

Salt hotel overnight

Many budget tours overnight at a basic salt lodge on the flats — walls, floors, and furniture are literally made of salt blocks. Basic but unforgettable.

Sol de Mañana Geysers

Wake up brutally early to see the geysers at sunrise — at 4,850m altitude this is one of the highest geyser fields on earth. Steam and bubbling mud at dawn with nobody else around is extraordinary.

Laguna Colorada

A blood-red salt lake stained by algae and minerals, dotted with flamingos — the contrast against the white borax islands and blue sky is genuinely shocking. This alone justifies the 3-day tour.

Laguna Verde and Blanca

Two more lagoons near the Chilean border — Laguna Verde turns a vivid turquoise-green due to copper and arsenic minerals, with Volcán Licancabur looming behind it. Truly otherworldly.

Desierto de Dalí

Wind-eroded rock formations that genuinely look like a Salvador Dalí painting — guide will stop here for 20 minutes for photos. Easy walk, low effort, high reward.

Overnight in basic refugio near Laguna Colorada

Shared rooms, cold or lukewarm showers, blankets piled high. At 4,500m it'll be near freezing at night — sleep in your clothes if needed.

Tour concludes — Hito Cajón border crossing

Most 3-day tours from Uyuni end at the Chilean border at Hito Cajón (also called Portezuelo del Cajón) — confirm this with your agency when booking. From here you cross into Chile.

Chile border crossing and customs

Don't bring any fresh fruit, vegetables, or meat across the Chilean border — they're serious about it and will confiscate everything. Customs here can take 30-90 minutes.

Shared transfer to San Pedro de Atacama

Your tour agency should arrange a shared transfer from the border to San Pedro (~1.5 hours) for about $10-15 USD — confirm this is included or organized before you start the tour. Otherwise Turbus runs a route.

Check into hostel and shower

Hostal Takha Takha or Casa de Don Tomás are popular budget options with dorms around $12-16 USD. After three days in the altiplano, a real shower will feel like a luxury spa experience.

Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)

Rent a bike for $5-7 USD and ride out to Valle de la Luna — 15 minutes from town. The salt and rock formations eroded into lunar landscapes are best seen at golden hour. Go before sunset.

Stargazing — self-guided or SPACE tour

San Pedro sits at 2,400m in one of the driest places on earth — the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye from anywhere in town. The SPACE observatory runs a $30-35 USD guided night tour with a 40cm telescope, or just walk 10 minutes from town lights and lie on the ground.

Geysers del Tatio pre-dawn tour

Book a shared tour the night before ($25-35 USD including transport) — you leave at 4 AM to arrive at sunrise when the geysers are most active. At 4,320m and -5°C at dawn, this is brutally cold but spectacular. Bring every layer you own.

Hot springs at Termas del Tatio

Right next to the geysers — soak in the natural hot pool while steam vents erupt around you. Bring your swimsuit in your daypack. One of the most surreal bathing experiences on the planet.

Return to San Pedro — rest and recharge

The 4 AM start catches up with you — take the afternoon slow. Wander the Iglesia de San Pedro (16th century adobe church, free) and browse the small artisan market on the main square.

Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley)

Walk or bike to this orange dune valley 3km from town — sandboarding is possible here if your hostel rents boards ($5 USD). The colors at late afternoon are intense red-orange.

Late night stargazing round two

Go the self-guided route tonight to save cash — walk east of town away from the main street lights, find a flat patch of dirt, and look up. No moon in June/July means truly black skies.

Transfer to Calama Airport

Turbus runs shared transfers from San Pedro to Calama Airport (CJC) — book the night before, ~$8-10 USD, takes about 1.5 hours. Don't miss this; there are very few departures.

Fly Calama to Lima (LIM) or Juliaca (JUL) for Puno

Key routing decision: fly to Juliaca (JUL) if you want to spend Day 7 at Lake Titicaca before heading to Cusco — this is the best option given your Inca Trail starts day 15. LATAM and Sky Airline connect via Lima. Budget $80-150 USD for this leg booked in advance.

Arrive Juliaca — taxi to Puno

Juliaca airport is chaotic — pre-arrange or firmly negotiate a taxi to Puno (1 hour, $10-15 USD). Don't accept the first price shouted at you in the arrivals hall.

Check into Puno hostel

Hostal Los Pinos or Loki Puno are the top budget picks — dorms run $8-12 USD with lake views possible. Puno sits at 3,827m so take it easy your first evening.

Walk the Puno waterfront (Puerto Puno)

Stroll down to the lake shore at sunset — Titicaca in the evening light with the reed boats and distant Bolivian mountains is beautiful. Low key, free, and good acclimatization.

Book Lake Titicaca tour for tomorrow morning

Walk to the port area or ask your hostel — you want the half-day or full-day tour to Uros Floating Islands and ideally Taquile Island. Full day runs about $15-25 USD including boat. Book tonight.

Uros Floating Islands boat tour

Meet at Puno port for the boat to the Uros Islands — artificial islands woven from totora reeds, inhabited continuously for centuries. The families there are genuinely welcoming but the tourism is organized; buy handicrafts directly from them if you want to support the community.

Taquile Island (optional full-day extension)

If you booked the full-day tour, Taquile is a 45-minute further boat ride — a terraced island community famous for their textile cooperative. The hike up from the dock (200 steps) is tough at altitude but the views across the lake into Bolivia are incredible.

Return to Puno — pack up and grab food

Head back to your hostel, collect your pack, and get a big meal before the overnight bus. The mercado central near the port has cheap and filling set menus (menú del día) for $3-4 USD.

Book/confirm overnight bus to Cusco

If you haven't already, buy your ticket from Turismo Mer or Flores at the terminal on Avenida Simón Bolívar. The 6-7 hour overnight bus to Cusco runs around $10-20 USD depending on seat class. Semi-cama (reclining seat) is worth the extra $5.

Final Puno wander — Plaza de Armas

Puno's main square has a good energy at dusk — local families, street food vendors, and the Catedral Basílica de San Carlos illuminated at night. Worth an hour before your bus.

Overnight bus Puno → Cusco

Board your bus — it arrives in Cusco around 2-4 AM. Sleep on the bus and save a night's accommodation. You now have 7+ days until your Inca Trail start to explore Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes, and optionally the Nazca Lines via a Lima detour.