Bolivia 16-day discovery tour

Santa Cruz - Sucre

Day 1: Arrival in Bolivia

On arrival at the airport in Sucre, your driver will pick you up for transfer to your hotel. The afternoon is free for you to relax and enjoy the city. You may like to visit one of the many museums here or head to the market. Everything is within walking distance here and there are countless cafés and restaurants to visit.

Sucre - Tarabuco - Sucre

Day 2: Immerse yourself in the Candelaria community

Leave by private vehicle for the village of Candelaria in the heart of Tarabuco country, a region renowned for the intricacy of its fabrics, which are unique throughout the Andean world. You'll have to try your hand at Quechua, as Spanish is not widely spoken there.

Share a traditional lunch with your host family, using produce grown in the community. Then, in the afternoon, visit a small museum in the company of a weaver, who will open the doors of her workshop to you. Lastly, take a walk in the surrounding area before returning to Sucre.

Sucre

Day 3: Exploring the White City

Today we spend the day in the beautiful White City of Sucre. Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the constitutional capital of Bolivia is famous for its well-preserved colonial architecture and numerous churches. Our guide will pick us up at 9am for a tour of the city's most famous buildings and museums. We'll start with the Convento de la Recoleta, a monastery of the Franciscan order built in 1601. We will then learn more about the region's culture in the Museum of Indigenous Art (ASUR) and Bolivian history in the Casa de la Libertad, where the Independence Act was signed in 1825. We end the tour by visiting the Monastery of San Felipe Nery and enjoying a beautiful view over the city from its terrace.

The evening is yours to spend as you please. 

Sucre - Potosi

Day 4: Cooking class & journey to Potosi

Today, we meet a French chef who has been living in Bolivia for more than ten years. They share their daily life with us as well as a cooking class and lunch. We’ll meet after breakfast to walk through the city market with its busy stalls full of spices, fruits and vegetables. After choosing our ingredients, we drive to the nearby village of Yotala. Here, we gather in the kitchen to chat and prepare some delicious Andean dishes for lunch.

After our meal, we’ll head back to Sucre and then on towards Potosi – a journey of around three hours. The journey takes us through the Chuquisaca Valley before climbing to the Potosí plateau (4100m). Check into your new hotel, then relax for the rest of the day. 

Potosi

Day 5: The mines of Potosi

After breakfast today, we take a tour of some of Potosi's mines, famous for their great mineral wealth. We meet present-day miners and venture into the tunnels of the Cerro Rico mines. We’ll be joining a former silver mine worker for our tour and sharing lunch at a local family's home.

Afterwards, head back to your hotel for another relaxing evening. 

Potosi - Uyuni

Day 6: Potosi tour & journey to the mountains

Our guide will pick us up at the hotel lobby after breakfast for a half-day tour discovering the UNESCO-listed city centre of Potosí.

This is a walking tour enjoying the interesting architecture and discovering various historical buildings. This colonial city is characterised by its Andean baroque architecture and Indian influences. We also visit the Santa Teresa convent, which houses one of the most important museums of religious art in Latin America. Later, we begin our journey towards Uyuni, crossing the Frailes Mountain range. Uyuni is a remote town at the border of the Salar, around three to four hours drive away. We’ll stop along the way at Pulacayo, a small town which used to be home to the second-largest silver mine in South America.

Check into your hotel, then settle in for an evening at leisure.

Uyuni - Villamar

Day 7: Journey to Vilamar

After breakfast, we set off to visit the train cemetery on the outskirt of town, where you can wander among antique rusted locomotives. We then head south, visiting several small villages along the way.

We stop for lunch in San Cristobal, where we can also visit a beautiful colonial church. Next, we traverse the Rio Grande area, home to wildlife such as vicuñas and ñandus (birds of the ostrich family) and arrive in Villamar by the end of the day in time for dinner and for you to settle into your home for the night.

Villamar - Laguna Colorada

Day 8: High-altitude lakes & geysers

This morning after breakfast, we head south towards the surreal landscapes of the Laguna Colorada. This lagoon owes its intense red-brick colour to the light-sensitive phytoplankton present in its waters.

Our excursion continues to the Sol de Mañana Geysers (4850m). Next, we’ll be skirting the Laguna Salada and crossing the Dali Desert, so named because the scenery is reminiscent of one of the painter’s surreal artworks. We reach several more colourful lakes at the foot of the volcanoes Juriques and Licancabur (5960m) Finally, we traverse the magnificent landscapes of the Siloli Desert and its famous Arbol de Piedra (Stone Tree) and reach your new hotel in time for dinner and a relaxing evening. 

Laguna Hedionda - San Pedro De Quemes

Day 9: The route of jewels

Today, we continue enjoying the landscapes of the Sur Lipez area, as we head north along the Chilean border. We’ll be following the scenic Route of Jewels, which owes its name to the string of sparkling lakes that it traverses. The Honda, Ch’arkota, Hedionda and Cañapa lakes are home to three species of colourful flamingo. Along the way, we stop for lunch and we'll also take time to visit the Ollagüe Volcano viewpoint (5868m). This volcano is still active and shelters one of the world’s highest open-pit copper mines. We then cross the small Salar de Chiguana salt flats located at the foot of the Tomasamil Volcano (5900m). Finally, we reach the village of San Pedro de Quemes (3690m) where we will enjoy dinner and spend the night.

San Pedro De Quemes - Uyuni

Day 10: Salar de Uyuni salt flats

Today, after breakfast we head off to drive across the world’s largest salt flat: the famous Salar de Uyuni (3650m). We’ll be traversing this surreal high-altitude salt desert to reach the Island of Incahuasi. This surprising island lost in the middle of the salt plains offers an incredible view over the flats to the volcanos that surround it. Of volcanic origin, it is covered with giant cacti and stromatolites (fossilised bacterial colonies and some of the first traces of life on earth).

In the afternoon, we continue across this white desert to Colchani. From, here we’ll board a night bus to La Paz.

La Paz

Day 11: Exploring La Paz

You’ll be welcomed at the bus station this morning and set off to explore the city of La Paz. We’ll walk through the streets of Sopocachi towards the centre, stopping for a snack or two in the market, as well as lunch. La Paz is an exciting city of many contrasts. As we step away from the colourful market district, we cross a few streets to find ourselves in the heart of the historic district.

Later, we climb to the El Alto neighbourhood by cable car with spectacular views to take in along the way. We continue to the brightly decorated cemetery and on to Calle de Los Andes, a street of the carnival costume makers and dressmakers. For dinner, we will provide you with a list of restaurant suggestions to choose from. 

La Paz - Copacabana - Yumani

Day 12: The islands of Lake Titicaca

After breakfast today, we set off for Lake Titicaca: the highest navigable lake in the world, situated between Peru and Bolivia. At an average altitude of 3800m and surrounded by snowy mountains, the lake is dotted with several inhabited islands.

On arrival, we set off by boat to Moon Island, a small, isolated island inhabited by about 50 families. It is home to the ruins of the Iñak Uyu Palace, reserved for the Sun Virgins, the ñustas, chosen from among the noblest families of the Empire. During their stays on this island, they received the education that would enable them to become future priestesses. On the island, we'll visit the home of one of the local families and share lunch with some of the neighbours.

After lunch, we set off for the Isla del Sol and disembark at the Inca site of Pilkokaina, an ancient Inca palace. We'll have dinner and spend the night in the village of Yumani.

Isla Del Sol - Isla De La Luna - Laguna Tuni

Day 13: Journey to Lake Tuni

After breakfast, we set off for Sun Island, the largest island on Lake Titicaca with the most temples and sacred places. It is a place steeped in legends, still very much present in the minds of its inhabitants. After walking along the small paths between the temples overlooking the lake and the mountains, stopping for a picnic lunch, we’ll travel by boat to Copacabana on the mainland. 

Departure from Copacabana will be in a private 4x4, which will take us along the lake and through the Cordillera Real all the way to Lake Tuni – about a four-hour journey. Here, we will have dinner and spend the night at the Tuni Ecolodge.

Laguna Tuni

Day 14: Experience village life

We will spend two days at Lake Tuni, hosted by a local family who will welcome us into their home. Tuni is an Aymara village at 4400m, inhabited by about ten families. The ancestral Aymara traditions are still very present here today and the community of Tuni is committed to upholding and sharing them. We'll share meals with the family and spend the night at the ecolodge.

Laguna Tuni - El Alto - La Paz

Day 15: Hands-on in Tuni

Relaxing into the rhythm of life in the village today, we'll visit the local school and also help prepare a meal in the family kitchen. We will find out all about life in the village through the seasons and learn about their farming and harvesting techniques. You can participate in different tasks depending on the season, perhaps making straw mattresses or shearing the llamas. We'll be able to learn about traditional weaving to create warm clothing for the mountain climate. Late afternoon we begin our return journey back to La Paz, where you can settle into your hotel and enjoy a free night. 

La Paz - El Alto

Day 16: Airport transfer & journey home

Enjoy a final Bolivian breakfast at your hotel. Later, your driver will pick you up at your accommodation in good time for your airport transfer and homeward flight.