Day 1: Monday / Santa Cruz In
Arrival and transfer to the center.
Lunch at local restaurant.
In the afternoon the discovery of the "Eastern Capital" of Bolivia begins, with its original urban structure of concentric rings. Santa Cruz is, today, the second most important city in Bolivia. Here, in the tall buildings and sumptuous suburban villas, live the magnates of tropical agriculture and the oil industry. Visit of the most notable places and monuments such as the ancient neighborhood with its exaggeratedly raised pavements surrounded by porticoes. Inside there is the Main Square and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, built in 1609. Afterwards, walk through La Recoba, the craft market.
Dinner not included
Overnight at CORTEZ**** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 2: Tuesday / Santa Cruz Flight To La Paz
Breakfast
Transfer to "Viru Viru" airport and assistance with boarding formalities to catch the flight to La Paz. (FLIGHT NOT
INCLUDED, Recommended Flight OB 663 VVI LPB 0740 0845). Arrival and transfer to the center.
Beginning of the discovery of the city of “Nuestra Señora de La Paz”, Seat of the Government of Bolivia. Walk through the "Plaza Murillo", the ancient Main Square, where you can see the congress, the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral. Then, we continue to the "Witch Market" where all those elements used for local medicine are sold. At the end, descent to the San Francesco Church, a jewel of mixed baroque art, whose facade is decorated with indigenous motifs. Descend to the Valley of the Moon, located 12 km from the center of La Paz, and whose name is due to the lunar appearance it has taken on following wind and water erosion of the fragile sedimentary formations that form a kind of stalagmite.
Continue your visit of the city by cable car. This brand new transportation system has just been inaugurated in 2014 and not only offers a faster alternative for locals but also an incredible chance for tourists to enjoy La Paz from the air. Admire the mountains that surround the city and marvel at the unique urban landscape.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Dinner not included
Overnight at EL REY PALACE*** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 3: Wednesday / La Paz / Tiwanaku / Copacabana
Breakfast
Departure to Tiwanaku, Bolivia's main mystical archaeological site, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arrive and visit of the local museum, that shows a great collection of stone carved objects and monoliths. Next, the archeological site where the most important Tiwanaku culture buildings can be seen such as Akapana, a pyramid-shaped construction of seven stepped terraces. The Kalasasaya temple that houses the famous "Puerta del Sol" (Gateway of the Sun) and some other statues representing priests. And finally the Semi-subterranean temple with its rectangular sunken court, about two meters below of the normal level, decorated with many tenon-heads attached into the retention walls.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Continue by vehicle to Copacabana. Arrival and visit the Main Square and its ancient colonial church, which houses the "Virgen Morena" (the Brown Madonna), patron saint of Bolivians. Copacabana is a small folk village, where you will be able to see open-air markets with "cholitas" (indigenous women with their long braids, their colorful dresses and their hats). A place truly full of life and colour.
Dinner not included
Overnight at ROSARIO DEL LAGO*** or GLORIA COPACABANA*** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 4: Thursday / Copacabana / Isla Del Sol / Copacabana / La Paz
Breakfast
We board the motor boat and depart for the Island of the Sun, this place is well known because it was an important ceremonial center on Titicaca Lake: here the most advanced cultures of South America developed such as the Chiripa in 1200 BC, the Tiwanaku civilization around 1000 BC. The Inca civilization was the last before the arrival of the Spanish.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Return to Copacabana and departure for La Paz.
Dinner not included
Overnight at EL REY PALACE*** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 5: Friday / La Paz Flight To Sucre
Breakfast
Transfer to El Alto airport and assistance with boarding formalities to catch the flight to Sucre. FLIGHT NOT INCLUDED, Recommended flight OB 601/570 LPB SRE 0550 0755 via CBB. Arrival and transfer to the center.
Visit to the official and constitutional capital of Bolivia, a city rich in colonial heritage, considered among the most attractive in Latin America, and today declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Visit the ASUR textile museum, which displays an exhibition of indigenous fabrics. The Recoleta viewpoint which dominates the entire city. Then, the Main Square where you can admire the facade of the cathedral, the Prefecture, the City Hall and the “Freedom House” where the Independence of Bolivia was declared. Continue towards Bolivar park, where the Justice Palace is located. It ends with a visit to the roofs of the convent of San Felipe Neri to enjoy another impressive view of the city.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Dinner not included
Overnight at INDEPENDENCIA*** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 6: Saturday / Sucre / Potosi / Uyuni / Colchani
Breakfast
Departure to Potosí.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Discovery of the "Carlos V Imperial Villa", the first Bolivian city classified as a Cultural and Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, whose history and splendor are closely linked to silver. Visit to the historic “Real Casa de la Moneda” or Ancient Mint, one of the valuable monuments of Hispanic America, and where natives and African slaves minted coins with silver extracted from the famous Cerro Rico, during the Spanish domination. We continue with a walk through the Main Square and the streets to admire the facades of the churches of San Lorenzo and San Francisco.
In the early afternoon, departure in a south-west direction towards Uyuni. During the journey you will come across isolated villages built of earthen bricks and straw. The landscape changes continuously, alternating flat stretches where hundreds of Andean camelids swarm, valleys on whose slopes nature has indulged in inserting rocks and earths of a thousand shades, as if in an immense, primordial palette of colours.
The journey continues to the village of Colchani, whose inhabitants dedicate themselves to the extraction and processing of salt to supply the whole country.
Dinner in hotel.
Overnight at PALACIO DE SAL or SIMILAR boutique hotel.
Day 7: Sunday / Colchani / Salar / Incahuasi / Uyuni
Breakfast
Excursion to the Uyuni Salt Field considered to be the largest salt desert in the world (approximately 10,000 km2). The crossing of this immense salt desert always remains an unforgettable experience and one of the most exciting stages of the journey, since the Salt Field resembles a large ice rink.
The route leads to Incahuasi island (formerly mistakenly called Del Pescado), located in the heart of the Salt Field and populated by giant cacti. From the top there is an impressive view of the surrounding area.
Lunch in the middle of the Salt Field. our staff will organize a real lunch served in the middle of the salt desert.
Return to Uyuni.
Dinner not included.
Overnight at JARDINES DE UYUNI*** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 8: Monday / Uyuni / Lagunas Menores / Ojo De Perdiz
Breakfast
Visit to the Train Cemetery. To then continue towards the Lípez area, one of the first attractions we will see will be the Valley of the Rocks with their rock formations of incredible figures.
We continue with the visit of the Minor Lagoons: Hedionda, Chiar Khota, Honda and Ramaditas in the midst of these arid lands are oases where wildlife can survive, foxes, flamingos and others live in delicate harmony.
Box lunch included.
We cross the Siloli desert to reach our hotel, in the middle of nowhere.
Dinner in hotel.
Overnight at TAYKA DEL DESIERTO or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 9: Tuesday / Ojo De Perdiz / Laguna Colorada / Laguna Verde / Uyuni
Breakfast
Departure very early in the morning to “Stone Tree”, an unusual shaped rock in the middle of the Siloli desert, we continue with the Colored Lagoon, whose color is given by a type of endemic algae. We then continue to visit the geysers of “Morning sun”, these pools of boiling mud impress the visitor.
Nearby there are also the Polques thermal baths, a small pool where you can spend a few minutes, we continue through the Dali Desert, a bizarre landscape that inspired the artist's paintings, we arrive at the Green Lagoon, when the wind blows the waters of the lagoon become an incredible emerald green.
Box lunch included.
Continue towards Uyuni.
Dinner in hotel.
Overnight at JARDINES DE UYUNI**** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 10: Wednesday / Uyuni Flight To La Paz Flight To Santa Cruz
Breakfast
Transfer to Uyuni airport and assistance with boarding formalities to fly to La Paz and then Santa Cruz. FLIGHT NOT INCLUDED, recommended flight OB 305/670 UYU VVI 0915 1205 via LPB. Arrival and transfer to the center.
Meals not included.
Free afternoon
Overnight at CORTEZ**** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 11: Thursday / Santa Cruz Out
Breakfast
Transfer to "Viru Viru" airport and assistance with boarding formalities to take the international flight.
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