La Paz, Titicaca & Uyuni Luxury

After arriving at La Paz Airport you’ll be warmly greeted by your awaiting bilingual guide and private transportation for the half-hour journey downtown to your chosen hotel. Along the way, your guide will provide their passionate insight into this breathtaking Bolivian city, the highest de facto capital city in the world at 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level.

Meals (X)

Enjoy a hearty breakfast at your hotel ready for this morning’s half-day city tour of La Paz, including a visit to Moon Valley and chance to take the Teleferico. Beneath the majestic Illimani mountain, La Paz is a chaotic carnival of color and noise, where indigenous, colonial and modern worlds meet and new adventures lurk around every street corner. Explore the local landmarks of its historic center, taking in the bustling squares, palaces and cathedrals, not to mention the mysterious Witches’ Market. Later, visit the lunar landscape of the nearby Moon Valley – a nickname given by Neil Armstrong himself in 1969 when he came to La Paz after the region reminded him of his famous moonwalk – and admire its colossal clay spires steeped in legend.

For the finale, you’ll hop aboard the city’s towering Teleferico for a sky-ride between the depths of Zona Sur to the heights of El Alto, and enjoy the incredible views that only the world’s longest and highest cable-car can afford. The afternoon is yours to spent at your leisure, a chance to rest up after the morning’s exertions or for the adventurous to discover the city’s hidden treasures. Why not head out in search of the House of Congress’ backwards clock, paying homage to Bolivia’s indigenous heritage, or the ‘hidden’ works of famous architect Eiffel in the form of the bus station and Museum of Contemporary Art.

Meals (B)

You can’t visit Bolivia and not go to Lake Titicaca, so after breakfast you’ll be driven to Huatajata or Cocotoni Bay. Both of these lakeside locales are incredible and offer gorgeous views of the water. Huatajata is an important cultural site, home to the fascinating Altiplano museum, while bucolic Cocotoni Bay is a great example of authentic pastoral life around the lake.

After reaching the shores of Lake Titicaca, you’ll take a boat to La Isla Del Sol (Sun Island). This is the largest island in the lake, and it has multiple religious sites, including the Pilcocaina Sun Temple, said to be the birthplace of the entire Incan empire as it was where the sun god Inti was born. You can also find a small mountain on the northern side, called Cerro Tikani. Nearby is the Chincana Labyrinth, which is now a series of ruins. The northern half of the island has many Incan sites, which you can browse at your leisure.

After exploring the island, you’ll enjoy a llama trek – a gentle walk of approximately 40 minutes along Inca roads accompanied by llamas – to your ecolodge island accommodation where you’ll spend the night.

Meals (B, L, D)

This morning, watch the majestic sunrise over the lake. You’ll be able to explore the island at your leisure, until meeting with your guides around noon. They’ll take you to explore the Inca Grand Stairs and the Sacred Fountain. Although Ponce de León tried to find the Fountain of Youth in Florida, local legends say that it is this Incan fountain that offers eternal youth and happiness.

For lunch, you’ll dine at the Uma Kollu Archeological Restaurant. This spot is excellent because the food is tasty and the views are incredible. If the weather’s nice, you’ll be able to eat outside and watch the water. After eating, a boat will take you to La Isla de la Luna (Moon Island). This is a relatively small island, but it’s home to the Sun Virgins Temple “Iñak Uyu”. This temple is perfectly preserved and gives you an excellent view of Incan tradition.

From Moon Island, you’ll head by boat to Copacabana, where the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana resides. This church is notable for taking over two centuries to complete but is more famously known for housing the temple of the Dark Virgin. Her legend dates back to the mid-1500s, where myths tell of her miracles in helping local fisherman find their way at night.

After visiting the city, you’ll ride out to Huatajata, which is another lakeside destination. There, you’ll enjoy the Andes Roots Eco Village, as well as the Altiplano Museum. Both of these locations offer immense history of the region and the indigenous Chipayas people who still live there today. Be sure to buy some excellent souvenirs while you’re visiting.

Finally, you’ll be driven back to La Paz along the most picturesque of roads, parallel to the mighty snow-capped peaks of the Andes.

Meals (B, L)

After breakfast you’ll be transfered to La Paz Airport for your short flight to Uyuni, where you’ll embark upon an unforgettable full-day excursion to the Uyuni Salt Flats and Incahuasi Island. Uyuni, located on the Bolivian Andean Altiplano, is the largest salt flat on Earth covering an astonishing 10,500 sq km., and offers some of the most stunning scenery imaginable that can’t be seen anywhere else. The sound of silence makes the heart beat faster, and the pentagonal canvas of crystalline salt, dotted with cacti and balletic flamingos set against a pure sky will make for one of the most memorable moments of your lifetime.

You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch at the island oasis of Incahuasi, surrounded by its astonishing algae and fossil formations. It is covered in thousands of giant columnar cacti, some more than a hundred years old and over 12 meters tall. The landscape against the background of the salt pans extending to the horizon makes it an ideal place for photography hunters. Your guide will help you taking surrealistic photos due to the optical effect of the Salt Flats before returning to your hotel.

Meals (B, BL, D)

Today you’ll drive over the salt flats on an excursion to the small village of Tahua, at the foot of Tunupa Volcano, the so-called Guardian of the Salt Flats. Small ponds located at its base are home to flocks of Andean flamingos wading through their shallow waters. A checkerboard of stonewall pens decorate the slopes as herders walk with their llamas and plant quinoa in the fertile soil of the volcanic earth. Toward the volcano’s crater, different layers of sediment are visible giving way to a spectacular smorgasboard of color under the vivid blue sky.

Climbing up the trails of the volcano, you’ll witness some of the most beautiful vistas of the Salt Flats the area has to offer. After a stroll through the village you’ll hike to the cave of the Coquesa Mummies, ancestors of the ancient Urus Chipayas civilization. Believed to have been killed together by poisonous gases leaking up from underground, they have remained untouched for over 1,200 years; though some speculation as to how they died and whether or not they are in fact related still remains as archaeological research has yet to be conducted. Due to the dry air and their protected enclave, the bodies are remarkably preserved with the colors of their clothes and even fingernails still visible.

Meals (B, BL, D)

After a filling breakfast at the hotel and a fulfilling time in Uyuni, you’ll head to the airport for your return flight to lively La Paz. Upon your return, you’ll have the entire day to explore the city at your leisure.

Meals (B)

Today we bid a fond farewell to Bolivia. After breakfast you’ll be transferred from your hotel to La Paz Airport, approximately half an hour from downtown, in good time for your international flight home.

Meals (B)