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Start: Santa Cruz
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Departure: All year long
Description
Explore the main attractions of Bolivia with this complete tour, that will take you from the ancient Saimapata vestiges to the colonial cities of Santa Cruz and Potosi. Then, you will visit Uyuni, Colchani and Reserva Eduardo Abaroa, where you can find thousand of flamingos. Our journey continues to Titicaca Lake and Copacabana, ending in La Paz city.Ecolodge la Estancia:
• To reach the Ecolodge La Estancia will have a smooth walk of an hour and a half.
• Luggage transportation from the port to Ecolodge and back is done with the help of donkeys, mules or lamas. In order to ease the transportation, passengers shall bring personal belongings only what is necessary and not more, so the animals won’t be doing an extra and unnecessary effort. Your extra luggage can be left with one of our representatives in Copacabana.
Uyuni:
• Winter Season (June, July August): water may freeze in the pipes and could take several minutes to heat up
• Rainy season: (January to April) Roads might be in bad shape. Uyuni Saltsee is flooded. Access to Pucara de Ayque or Incahuasi might be difficult or impossible. Program migh have to be changed due to these reasons.
• As roads in Uyuni $ REA aren’t paved, we will use 4x4 cars, each one with a maximum of 4 passengers. To avoid high costs, guide and / or TC will go in the back part of the cars if it will be necessary.
Museums:
• Museums in Sucre, Potosí and La Paz closed on holidays, Saturday and Sunday afternoon and all day Monday.
Itinerary
Day 1. Thursday. Transfer in Santa Cruz - pm. City Tour (half day)
Private transfer from Viru Viru International airport to hotel. Afternoon 3 hours tour to the most attractive and affluent sites of our city: visit to the zoo where regional fauna and various endangered species can be seen. Museums, principal monuments, residential neighborhoods, and La Recoba handcraft market.
Overnight: LP Santa Cruz Hotel.
Day 2. Friday. Santa Cruz - Samaipata (full day)
Trip through the Amazon plains and last branches of the Andes range. Visit the Samaipata ruins, majestic and mysterious pre-Inca ruins, located in the top of a hill with a big ceremonial center carved in the stones. Finally, to Samaipata, a stroll of town and its local museum. Return to Santa Cruz.
Included: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight: LP Santa Cruz hotel
Day 3. Saturday. Santa Cruz - Sucre - pm City Tour (half day)
Flight to Sucre (colonial city, declared Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO) with both transfers. Pm city tour. This tour includes the visit of: Casa de la Libertad, where the Act of Independence of Bolivia was signed in 1825; Bolivar Park, to see examples of the aristocratic tradition of Sucre, with small replicas of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc of Triumph of Paris; the church and museum of La Recoleta, and the museum of Indian Textiles ASUR.
Included: Breakfast
Overnight: Casa Kolping
Day 4. Sunday. Tarabuco market (Full day)
Tarabuco is 78 km/48 miles - 1 hour from Sucre. This colorful village has without a doubt the best traditional Indian Market of South America. They have a big fair every Sunday that had become the primary economic and social activity of the local people. The clothing of the Tarabuqueño men and women (quechua speaking) has not changed since Inca times. Their weavings are among the best in technique, quality and color.
Included: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight: Casa Kolping
Day 5. Monday. Sucre - Potosi – Cerro Rico Mines (half day)
Trip by regular bus following different valleys to ascend through the highlands to the city of Potosi, declared a Cultural and Natural Heritage site by the UNESCO. Pm Cerro Rico Mines. This excursion allows the visitors to experience an unforgettable trip hundreds of meters underground, to see the living and working conditions of the Bolivian miners (protective clothing and helmets are provided). The silver mine is in the famous Cerro Rico, once the richest of the world.
Included: Breakfast
Overnight: Colonial Hostal
Day 6. Tuesday. Potosi – Short City Tour - Uyuni - Colchani
Morning visit to the traditional colonial streets, San Francisco and San Lorenzo churches. Lunch or Box Lunch included. Afternoon Bus trip to Uyuni, crossing branches of the Andes range, old mining centers and villages, with nice landscapes and Indian communities. Arrival and transfer to Colchani. Overnight in a salt hotel.
Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Overnight: Palacio de Sal Hotel - made with salt
Day 7. Wednesday. Uyuni Saltflats - San Juan
Trip to the Great Salt Flats, on the way you’ll see the village of Colchani, where we are going to visit an artisanal salt processing plant, also you’ll watch the salt extraction methods. Continue the trip to Incahuasi Island (also known as Fish Island) where you will see the amazing giant cactus. Lunch. Visit Pucara de Ayque and continue to San Juan.
Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Overnight: Magia de Uyuni Hotel
Day 8. Thursday. San Juan - REA - Villamar
LONG DAY! Early morning trip entering the REA (National Reserve Eduardo Abaroa), visiting Laguna Colorada (2 hours), declared a RAMSAR site due to the nesting of over 30,000 flamingos at 4,278 m. Then up to geysers “Sol de Mañana"", pass alongside Challviri lagoon, with its hot spring in the shores of Polques. Cross through the high desert of Pampas de Dali, with amazing views, to finally reach Laguna Verde (3 hours), in the foothills of the Licancabur Mountain. After that, all the way back north to Villamar.
Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Overnight: Mallku Cueva Hotel
Day 9. Friday. Villamar - Alota - Uyuni - La Paz
After breakfast visit the Cave Paintings and Fort of Tomás Lakjas. Continue to Uyuni, visiting on the way the Rocks Valley and going through Alota and San Cristobal villages. Lunch and transfer out to the airport for your flight to La Paz. Arrival in La Paz and transfer to your hotel.
Included: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight: Naira Hostal
Day 10. Saturday. Tiwanaku (half day) - City Tour (Half day)
Trip to Tiwanaku (72 km) passing the highlands, one of the oldest American cultures, considered the cradle of the American man. Visit the temple of Kalasasaya, Gate of the Sun, monoliths Ponce and Fraile, Akapana pyramid and Semiunderground temple, as well as the local museums. Return to La Paz and ride down from El Alto to the downtown with the new cable car. This trip is a must for everyone!
City tour including street markets, rich in handicrafts, weavings and witchcraft artifacts. Then San Francisco church, Murillo square with the Congress, Government palaces and Cathedral.
Included: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight: Naira Hostal
Day 11. Sunday. La Paz - Copacabana - Boat to Island of the Sun - Hike to Ecolodge La Estancia
Shared transportation going north through the highlands and parallel to the Andes Royal Range to Copacabana (3 ½ hours), a nice town in the shores of Lake Titicaca. Visit the famous Virgen Morena and its church, have a stroll of town. Take the boat to the Island of the Sun (1 hour), land in Huacani port, have a typical lunch “Aptapi”. Hike for about 45 min to overnight in Ecolodge La Estancia.
Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Overnight: Ecolodge La Estancia
Day 12. Monday. La Chincana - Island of the Moon - Copacabana - La Paz
DON’T MISS A GREAT SUNRISE! Boat to La Chincana (1 hour), to see this great Inca ruins, continue in boat to the Moon Island, visit the Iñak Uyu ruins (1 ½ hours), boat to Copacabana (1 hours). Transportation to La Paz (3 ½ hours). With a cable car ride from El Alto to the downtown. This trip is a must for everyone!
Included: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight: Naira Hostal
Day 13. Tuesday. Transfer out
Transfer to El Alto Airport.
Included: Breakfast
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