Sample Programme

Bolivia Remote and Diverse

DAY 1 LA PAZ

Welcome to Bolivia. You are met upon arrival by our Bolivian representative and transferred to your hotel, the first approach that you will have will be the cable car connection from El Alto on the Yellow line. We start off our exploration of the city by looking at the physical structure and syncretism and the striking contrasts of this highland city, we set off to look round the historical centre of the city where we can see the Spanish influence in the two separate cities they set up either side of the river during the colonial period – the city for the indigenous people and the city for the Spaniards.

01 NIGHT IN LA PAZ HOTEL ATIX

DAY 2 LA PAZ

After breakfast We take a look at the Plaza Murillo with the Legislative and Government Palaces, walk a couple of blocks to the Calle Jaén. We will take a break for a typical lunch, at Ali Pacha (table reservation), meaning Universe of Plants in the native Aymara language, this exciting new restaurant has a menu entirely based on plant products, with the aim of showcasing under-used produce and championing micro-producers from around Bolivia. We will visit the Witch’s Market, where mysterious treasures await around every corner. We leave behind the buzz of the city centre and float down to quiet residential neighbourhoods before visiting the Valley of the Moon to see lunar landscapes and natural geological formations sculpted by erosion. We will visit the workshop of a renowned artist or, if art is not your passion, we can visit the best alpaca and vicuña fashion houses and enjoy the best of Bolivian jewellery. At the end of the afternoon we have a tasting tour of Bolivian coffees and traditional pastries

01 NIGHT IN LA PAZ HOTEL ATIX

DAY 3 PARITI ISLAND - LAKE TITIKAKA

Early transfer to Lake Titikaka, located high in the Andes Mountains, shimmering Lake Titicaca straddles the border between Bolivia and Peru. Lake Titicaca is one of the largest fresh-water lakes in South America and also holds the distinction of being the highest navigable lake in the world, at an elevation of 3,810 meters above sea level. This is where the Inca civilization originated and lived and there are many ruins dating back to the Inca and pre-Inca eras. A narrow straight separates Lake Titicaca into two bodies of water.

DAY 4 LA PAZ - UYUNI

Early in the morning transfer from La Paz Airport to Uyuni. Once we arrive transfer to the Salt Flat past a small settlement where the locals process salt. We will not stop as we are aiming to get to the middle of the Salt Flat to see the lagoons (“eyes”), salt mountains and salt blocks. This singular route takes us into one of the world’s most isolated areas where we will be alone surrounded by a glittering white landscape. After a couple of hours arrive at Isla Lomo de Pescado to look at giant cacti and the birds and vizcachas that have made this island their own. Our chef will prepare a buffet of delicious local products for lunch that will be made in the middle of the salt flats, then we will move on to the Galaxias Grotto (natural coral formations) to visit a pre-Colombian cemetery and enter caves to see weird and wonderful rock formations. In the afternoon take one of the hundreds of routes across the Salt Flat to watch the sun go down in a blaze of intense colours. After dinner we will pick you up for an starry night you will have the opportunity to observe the sky with professional telescopes

. 01 NIGHT IN UYUNI SALT FLAT HOTEL

DAY 5 UYUNI

A new day dawns and after a enjoying a good breakfast we journey into the middle of the salt flats. For Andean people, the stars and the hills are alive and are used to read the seasons and weather. Along our way we are watched over by the powerful Tunupa Volcano. This land is the land of the Lipez, a pre-Columbian culture that lived here around 1000 BC. We will visit the Museum of the Mummies of Chantani and Coquesa, see different landscapes within the salt flats and enjoy the scenery. After a traditional buffet far from any civilisation, we will walk to the Chillima look-out point and the Pucará ruins. At the end of the afternoon we will go back to the hotel, and after dinner, if the sky is clear, our guides and drivers will be waiting for us to look at the Milky Way and explain us about Andean astrology best seen in this unpolluted night sky and best appreciated with a cup of frothy hot chocolate warming our hands. (B, L, D)

01 NIGHT IN UYUNI: HOTEL PALACIO DE SAL or LUNA SALADA

DAY 6 LA PAZ

The pre-Inca ruins of Tiwanaku are a splendid example of one of America’s most important cultures. Some of the well-preserved examples of the Tiwanaku culture that you will see and learn about on the site are the Gateway of the Sun, the Pyramid of Akapana, the Temple of Kalasasaya and the Semi-subterranean Temple, and you will have the chance to visit the archaeological site’s museum to see pieces of unmeasurable wealth and understand with your guide’s help the relation between Tiwanaku and other empires and connections with the world of that time. Stop off at the village of Laja, where the city of La Paz was originally founded.

01 NIGHT IN LA PAZ HOTEL ATIX