Backpacking South America: Express Adventure

We cross into rural Uruguay for a taste of estancia life on a working ranch. Saddle up for a horse ride across the fields, roll up your sleeves for an empanada-making class (and, yes, a go at milking the cows), then sit down to proper, hearty countryside cooking for lunch and dinner.

Today we reach Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO-listed old town on the banks of the Río de la Plata. Spend the day getting happily lost among its cobbled streets, leafy plazas and Portuguese-Spanish architecture — camera very much required.

We hop a ferry across the Río de la Plata and into Buenos Aires, the elegant, high-energy capital of Argentina. After settling in, a walking tour introduces us to the city, and tonight we sit down together for dinner in the home of steak, wine and tango.

A deeper dive into Buenos Aires today, from grand boulevards to the rainbow-coloured streets of La Boca, with plenty of history and culture along the way. The afternoon is free to shop, relax or hunt down the perfect steak, before we raise a glass together at our final group dinner.

And just like that, 9 days are up. After breakfast it's time for goodbyes and onward adventures — but with Iguaçu Falls and Buenos Aires in the bag, you'll be leaving with a phone full of photos and a crew of new friends. ¡Hasta luego!