Duration:
16 Days / 15 Nights
Frequency:
Every Day of the Year
Accommodations:
Hotels / Hostels / Lodges
Types:
Shared / Private
Places to Visit:
La Paz City / Tiwanaku Ruins / Uyuni Salt Flats / Potosí City / Sucre City / Jungle / Pampas / Lake Titicaca / Copacabana
AM/PM – Arrival to La Paz and then reception from the airport or bus terminal to transfer you to your selected hotel; there will be free time in the afternoon to become adjusted to the climate and the altitude.
Hotel in La Paz: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Transfer in + hotel.
08:00 – 08:45 am – Personal pickup from your hotel in the center of La Paz to start the trip to Tiwanaku via an asphalted highway; Tiwanaku is found 71 kilometers outside of the city of La Paz.
AM – Arrival to Tiwanaku, with a visit to the Lithic and Ceramic museums which house around 3,500 recovered archaeological artifacts, ceramic tools, and diverse stone, metal, bone, and leather pieces (monoliths, contrails, etc.) – as well as textiles; afterwards, we will visit the main archaeological site of Tiwanaku along with its principal ceremonial centers – like: the Pyramid of Akapana – which is devoted to the various religious cults and also to astronomy; the Semi-Subterranean Temple – a quadrangular construction site which contains sculptures in its walls that resemble the faces of various people from diverse ethnicities; the Templo de Kalasasaya (Temple of the Standing Stones in English) – which is the biggest temple of all of the religious centers; the Puerta del Sol (Sun Gate) – the most relevant cultural work in which can be seen the image of “Dios Sol” (Lord of the Staffs) and in which in its perimeter can be seen 48 figures which resemble winged creatures and kneeling men; and, Pumapunku. Pumapunku is outstandingly known for its perfect usage of lithic material to create immense sculptured blocks of stone. The visit to the rest of the archeological sites is approximately 2.5 hours; afterwards, we will get to enjoy a lunch that is typical to Tiwanaku, and then we will return to La Paz.
16:30 pm – Arrival to La Paz (approximate arrival).
Hotel in La Paz: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Tour to Tiwanaku (shared touristic transport, tour guide, entrance fee, lunch) + hotel.
After breakfast in the hotel, you will have free time until the start of the tour.
14:00 pm – We will personally pick you up from your hotel in the center of La Paz to start our tour of the city:
You will have the opportunity to learn more about the natural, cultural, historical, and archeological richness of the beautiful city of La Paz, passing through several sites rich in historical value.
We’ll be visiting: Plaza Murillo, the Holy Cathedral, the Government Palace, the San Francisco Church, Mirador Quilli Quilli – where you can grasp a beautiful view of the entire city, the Museum of Gold or Costumbrista, and the Witches Market, in which the local people buy various necessities for the many ritualistic ceremonies in existence in Bolivia – including the ceremonies of Ch’alla and the offerings to Pachamama – «Mother Earth.»
After visiting the urban center of La Paz, we will pass through the Valley of the Moon, visiting also the residential neighborhoods of the Southern zone of the city. The Valley of the Moon gives every visitor a marvelous sensation of having discovered a world that has never been known and or really understood. Due to the many years of sedimentary erosion which have formed a set of amazing stony formations, it can be said that a passage through the Valley of the Moon is about as real a journey to the moon as one can get.
We will take a ride in the Green Cable Cars (Teleférico Verde in Spanish), where you will see a different perspective of the city as you fly through its skies. Throughout this sky adventure, you will capture a breathtaking view of the mountain Illimani, the surrounding mountains, and you will also experience the sweet mixture of modernization and tradition – all while the City of Wonders captures your heart, leaving behind an unforgettable experience.
After the tour of the city, you will have free time until the hour of our transportation to Uyuni.
19:30 pm – There will be a transfer from our office to the La Paz bus terminal.
21:00 pm – There will be a touristic bus that will take us from La Paz – Uyuni (travel overnight).
Included: City Tour + Valley of the Moon and Green Cable Cars (shared transport, tour guide, entrance fees), transfer out + touristic bus ticket from La Paz – Uyuni.
07:00 am – Arrival to the Uyuni bus terminal (approximate arrival), transfer to our office in Uyuni, and free time.
11:00 am – We will get started (utilizing a 4×4 Jeep Land Cruiser) on our adventure where we will visit the following touristic attractions:
We will get started (utilizing a 4×4 Jeep Land Cruiser) on our adventure where we will visit the following touristic attractions:
Train Graveyard – Where we will observe very antique trains and locomotives that date back to the end of the 19th Century; the majority of the trains made their routes with wagons that carried minerals – but, they only lasted for so much time. These trains were part of an industrial past, but now they have been naturally transitioned into a wonderful, but mysterious tourist attraction.
The Village of Colchani – Located on the outskirts of the Uyuni Salt Flats, the village of Colchani is the principal means of entrance to the Salt Flats where we will observe the activity of salt extraction in an artisanal form; the villagers will show us the extraction process which includes the drying, shaping, and bagging of salt for sale, and this process is now dedicated to the making of artisanal pieces which are made of different salt molds and textiles.
Salt Mounds – The salt mounds which you will be able to observe are little pyramids of salt; the villagers of Colchani make these mounds to dry the salt and then later transport them to the village to be processed. In addition to seeing these mounds, we will also pass what is called the “Ojos de Sal” which are different eruptions of water within the Salt Flats that offer a clear view of what is found beneath.
Salt Hotel – Located in the heart of the salt flats, this famous hotel is entirely made of blocks of salt; literally – from the inside and out – the walls, the floor, the beds, the tables, the chairs – everything is adorned in salt. The hotel hasn’t functioned as a hotel for a multitude of years, but it is definitely a wonderful museum to visit.
Incahuasi Island (also known as Isla del Pescado) – Located likewise in the middle of the Salt Flats, Incahuasi Island is a rocky formation in which is found a multitude of gigantic cacti with altitudes topping more than 10 meters; from the top of the island, the entire Salt Flats can be seen – a beautiful sight.
After visiting Incahuasi Island, we will have lunch and then continue to enjoy the dazzling white salt desert.
END OF THE AFTERNOON – We will have the opportunity to enjoy a spectacular natural lights show, performed by the setting of the sun when its colorful rays of light dance on the infinite sea of salt; after the magnificent show of lights, we will continue our trip to the villages of Colchani to find accommodation in a salt hotel.
Salt Hotel: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Transfer in, shared transport for the Uyuni Salt Flats (4×4 Jeep – Land Cruiser), lunch, entrance fee and dinner + Salt Hotel.
AM – After breakfast in the hotel and at the indicated hour, there will be a transfer to the Uyuni bus terminal.
10:00 am – We will take the local bus from Uyuni – Potosí (approximately a 4-hour trip).
PM – Arrival to Potosí and then accommodation in the selected hotel; you will have the afternoon free on your own account.
Hotel in Potosí: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Transfer out/in, local bus from Uyuni – Potosí + hotel.
08:45 am – Personal pickup from your hotel in Potosi to start our great and interesting adventure to the mines of Cerro Rico in Potosi. The adventure will begin with a visit to the Miners Market where hundreds of miners gather to provide material or equipment necessary for work in the mines; all visitors are allowed to take pictures of the shops and the market, and visitors can even acquire presents or souvenirs. After visiting the market, we will visit the mineral refinery (mineral mills) which has been active for many years – and, then we will continue on our way to the silver mines where we will observe the strong work of the miners extracting the minerals by hand like in past centuries.
Afternoon Visit the museum of Casa de la Moneda: Without a doubt, the Potosí National Mint is the most important building in the history of South America’s colonial architecture – its architect/builder was a man by the name of Don Salvador de Villa who had planned and constructed the National Mints in Mexico and in Lima, Peru. Interestingly enough, the construction of the museum in Potosí surprisingly came into fruition because much silver was found and extracted from Cerro Rico – as well as the growth of population in Potosí, the commercial expansion, and the unawaited boom that came to the city – amongst other factors; these factors created the necessity to organize a center of co-financing in which (after the construction of the center) the coining of currency rapidly began and had continued from 1572 for about 200 years. After our visit the National Mint of Potosí, we will travel to the city of Sucre (a 3-hour trip) where we will find accommodation in the selected hotel.
Hotel in Sucre: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Tour to the Silver Mines (shared transport, tour guide, equipment to visit the mines – jacket, pants, helmet, and headlamps), visit to the currency museum, shared transport from Potosí – Sucre + hotel.
Please note: the national mint accepts visits Tuesdays through Saturdays (AM and PM) and Sundays (PM); the mint is not open on Mondays.
9:00 am – After breakfast, you will be personally picked up from your hotel to take a ride through the city.
The city of Sucre (known as the White City due to the preservation of the majority of its buildings which are covered in white) is without a doubt one of the most beautiful in all of South America with a historical center that still maintains the colonial architecture of past centuries; the entire city is a small taste of heaven. During the city tour, we will visit the charming streets and important places where transcendental works within the pivotal history of Bolivia and all of the Americas have been accomplished; within the streets and important places, one can feel welcomed by the aura and beauty expressed by the neoclassical facades and the magnificent colonial churches – as well as the principal historical monuments.
Dinosaur Park – Visit to see the Dinosaur Footprints:
Another interesting place to visit outside of the city is the Dinosaur Park – located in Cal Orck’o (Hill of Cal in English), 6 kilometers from the city. At the park, you will have the opportunity to appreciate a large variety and quantity of different pre-historical animal species, considered to be the greatest showing of dinosaur footprints in the entire world; studies propose that these footprints were from pre-historic animals which lived in the zone more than 65-70 million years ago.
Hotel in Sucre: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: City Tour in Sucre + Visit to the Dinosaur Park (transport, tour guide, entrance fees) + hotel.
AM – After breakfast in the hotel, we will personally pick you up from your hotel and then transport you to the Sucre airport.
AM – 45-minute flight from Sucre – La Paz.
AM – Arrival to the La Paz airport (approximate arrival) and then transport to the selected hotel. Upon arrival, you will have the afternoon free on your own account.
Hotel in La Paz: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Transfer out/in, flight ticket from Sucre – La Paz + hotel.
AM – Personal pickup from your hotel in the city of La Paz and transport to the airport.
AM – 45-minute flight from La Paz – Rurrenabaque.
AM – Upon arrival (approximate arrival), we will head to our office in Rurrenabaque and then there will be free time until the hour of the adventure.
09:00 am – We will take boat transportation towards Madidi National Park, navigating upwards through the Beni and Tuichi rivers to get there (from Rurrenabaque to Madidi National Park, it’s approximately a 3-hour trip). After one hour of travel, we will cross through the Canyon of Bala to enter later into the famous park. Our boats contain comfortable seats, life-jackets, rain coats, as well as roofs.
10:30 am – We will arrive to Caquiahuara (approximate arrival) where we will then take a short walk to have the opportunity to observe macaws and parrots in a natural nesting wall.
12:00 pm – We will arrive to the lodge that is found in the Madidi jungle (approximate arrival) and then find accommodation in our respective cabins. After finding accommodation, we will then have lunch and rest for a little bit – afterwards, taking a walk through the Tareche Trail towards the Aguapolo River where we will observe a second natural nesting wall of macaws and parrots; this activity will allow us to have direct and pure contact with the humid tropical forest that is found in Madidi National Park. The wildlife that we will possibly be able to witness during this adventure are: birds, wild pigs, and different species of monkeys.
END OF THE AFTERNOON – We will visit a beautiful natural place (Tuichi) where we can have a breathtaking view of the setting of the sun; afterwards, we will return to the lodge.
19:30 pm – We will have dinner in the dining room of the lodge.
20:00 pm – After having dinner, we have two options; we can: (1) take a night stroll to experience the wildlife in the humid forest, having the opportunity to listen to the mysterious sounds of the forest which are produced by a variety of night creatures; or, (2) have a chat about the history of the indigenous community of San José de Uchupiamonas and also of Madidi National Park.
Included: Transfer out/in, Flight ticket from La Paz – Rurrenabaque, shared boat transport to Madidi National Park, lunch and dinner, tour guide + accommodation in the Lodge.
07:30 am– We will have breakfast in the lodge.
08:00 am – With a local tour guide, we will take a walk through the Mapajo Trail to be able to profoundly discover and observe the humid tropical forest. Our guides maintain ancestral knowledge and combine it with scientific knowledge, achieving an ideal interpretation of the most complex ecosystem on the planet; the themes are: medicinal plants, timber trees, ecological processes, as well as animal behavior. After this walk, we will return to the lodge to have lunch.
AFTERNOON – We will return to Rurrenabaque via boat transportation (approximately a 2-hour trip). During the trip, please keep in mind to be attentive to what is happening around you because traveling boat is often times a magnificent opportunity to observe alligators, capybaras, birds, and – with a lot of luck – one or two jaguars. Once we return to Rurrenabaque, we will find accommodation in the selected hotel.
Hotel in Rurrenabaque: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Shared boat transport, lunch, tour guide + hotel.
09:00 am – We will take transportation from Rurrenabaque to the village of Santa Rosa del Yacuma (approximately a 3.5-hour trip), and then – when we arrive – we will have a delicious lunch, taking transportation afterwards to the Yacuma River where we will wait for a boat that will take us along the river. Along the river, the trip is about 3 hours, where we will be able to observe a grand variety of wildlife (lizards, capybaras, turtles, monkeys, pink dolphins, and a great diversity of birds) until we arrive to the camp. Upon arrival, we will find accommodation in a lodge that provides protection from the mosquitos around every bed. Once we arrive, you will have time to take a shower or rest a little bit, then we will have dinner – afterwards taking boat transportation in order to enjoy a nightly outing through the river. During the nightly outing in which it is recommended to take a lantern, you will be able to observe the eyes of alligators, as well as enjoy all the different animal sounds that permeate the night; likewise, you will be able to see the fireflies that fly about the river. After our outing, we will return to the lodge and then get some rest.
Included: Shared transport from Rurrenabaque – Santa Rosa del Yacuma, shared boat transport, lunch and dinner, tour guide + accommodation in the Lodge.
VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING – We will get up to observe the sunrise and have the opportunity to enjoy the songs of the birds, the monkeys, and of other animals that will be waking up for the day to share with us their singing and sounds which will accompany us in the morning. Afterwards, we will return to the lodge where we will have breakfast and then we will head out to a very special place via the Yacuma River where you will be able to observer and take photos of the pink dolphins – even swim with them if you would like; the dolphins don’t pose any threat to visitors and are very gentle. After enjoying this special place, we will head over to a place where people fish for piranhas and where you’ll have the opportunity to do the same, returning afterwards to the lodge to have lunch – then heading out to the Yacuma River in the afternoon to take transportation back to Rurrenabaque; upon arrival to Rurrenabaque, we will find accommodation in the selected hotel.
Hotel in Rurrenabaque: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Shared boat transport, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, tour guide + shared transport in return to Rurrenabaque + hotel.
WHAT TO TAKE:
It is recommended to receive the yellow fever vaccine before visiting any tropical region.
AM – After breakfast and at the indicated hour, there will be a personal pickup from your hotel in Rurrenabaque and then transport to the airport.
AM – Approximately a 45-minute flight from Rurrenabaque – La Paz; upon arrival, you will be transferred to the selected hotel and then you will have free time on your account.
Hotel in La Paz: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Transfer out/in, flight ticket from Rurrenabaque – La Paz + hotel.
07:00–07:45 am – Personal pickup from your hotel in the center of La Paz to start the trip to the peninsula of Copacabana via an asphalted highway; Copacabana is located 151 kilometers outside of the city of La Paz and the trip is approximately 3.5 hours long. The trip is taken along the border of Lake Titicaca with an impressionable view of the Andes mountain range.
Around MID-DAY – Arrival to Copacabana with accommodation in the selected hotel.
PM – We will have approximately 2 hours to visit Copacabana; we will visit the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Copacabana, the local market – and, afterwards, we will ascend the stairs of the Calvario where we can appreciate the Yatiris, Amautas, Aymara people, and Quechua people who bless and invoke protection to every family. During the middle of the day, we will have lunch.
Hotel in Copacabana: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Shared touristic transport from La Paz – Copacabana, Visit to Copacabana, lunch + hotel.
AM – After breakfast, we will start our tour to the Island of the Sun (Isla del Sol in Spanish), crossing the lake and arriving to the island approximately 1 hour later. Upon arrival, we will visit the archaeological sites of the religious center, Pilkokaina – the Temple of the Incas; afterwards, we will take a walk through the stairs of Yumani (created literally by the steps of our ancestors) until we reach the sacred Fountain of Youth (called Fuente de la Juventud in Spanish) where it is believed that a drink of sacred water from the fountain can purify one’s body and cause one to regain their youth; within the garden of this fountain, one can enjoy the Inka beauty which is found within.
After visiting the island, we will have lunch and then descend to the boat to continue to the Island of the Moon (Isla de la Luna in Spanish). In the northern region of the island, we will find the archaeological site of Iñac Uyu – the designated temple to the cults of the Moon; the temple is also recognized by the name Ajllawasi – or, “House of the Virgins of the Sun.” Afterwards, we will return to Copacabana and then take transportation from Copacabana – La Paz where we will then find accommodation in the selected hotel.
Hotel in La Paz: Provides a hotel room with private bathroom + breakfast.
Included: Tour to the Island of the Sun + Island of the Moon (shared boat, tour guide, entrance fees, lunch on the island), touristic transport from Copacabana – La Paz + hotel.
AM/PM – At the indicated hour, we will personally pick you up from your hotel and then transport you to the La Paz airport.
Included: Transfer out.
End of Services
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