Cerro Tunupa & Huayna Potosi

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)

After breakfast you’ll be transferred to the airport of La Paz for your flight to Uyuni. After a swift check-in and bag drop at your chosen Uyuni hotel, 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, L, D)

Today you’ll drive over the salt flats on an excursion to the small village of Coquesa, at the foot of Thunupa 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)

This morning you’ll be transferred back to Uyuni airport for your flight back to La Paz. Upon arrival you’ll be warmly greeted by your awaiting bilingual guide and private transportation for the half-hour journey downtown to your chosen hotel.

Today you’ll enjoy a half-day tour of the city’s highlights. 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.

Meals (B)

Enjoy your hearty breakfast in La Paz, because it’s the last one you’ll have before heading out into the great untamed wilderness of Condoriri National Park. Today you’ll be trekking up Huayna Potosi, which is the most popular mountain in the country. On this mountain, you’ll experience breathtaking views of the surrounding area, including Lake Titicaca and the other snowy peaks of the park.

On the way to the mountain, you’ll stop at Milluni, which is a ghost village with a lake and a large cemetery. After exploring Milluni, you’ll head to base camp, where guides will have a tasty lunch prepared for you. Once your belly is full, you’ll make the trek to Campo Alto, which sits at about 5000 meters above sea level.

Campo Alto will be your stop for the night, as you’ll need to get your rest for the summit in the morning. The guides will check your gear and make sure that you’re well-fed and refreshed for the next day. You will need to go to bed early since your trek will start before sunrise.

Meals (B, BL, D)

Day six will take you to the top of Huayna Potosi, with a summit of about 6,000 meters above sea level. Breakfast begins before the sunrise, at about midnight. It takes about six hours to reach the top of Potosi, which is why you will start so early in the morning. This way, you can experience the sun rising from the top of the peak, which is a memory you’ll cherish for years to come.

Once you reach the summit, you can take in the views and snap some once-in-a-lifetime photos. Then, you’ll make the long trek back to Campo Alto, then all the way to base camp. There, vehicles will be waiting for you so that you can return to La Paz and enjoy a night in a comfortable hotel bed. Since the day starts early, you’ll be back to La Paz in time for dinner (if you’re not too tired to explore the city).

Meals (B, BL)

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)