Day 1: Monday / Santa Cruz In
Arrival and transfer to the center (Early check in and breakfast included)
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 Sucre
Breakfast
Transfer to Viru Viru airport and assistance with boarding formalities to take the flight to Sucre. FLIGHT NOT INCLUDED, Recommended flight OB580 08h35 09h20. 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 “Casa de La Libertad” 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 3: Wednesday / Sucre / Potosi / Uyuni
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 colors.
Dinner not included.
Overnight at JARDINES DE UYUNI*** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 4: Thursday / Uyuni / Incahuasi / Colchani
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.
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 5: Friday / Colchani / Uyuni Flight To La Paz
Breakfast
Transfer to Uyuni airport and assistance with boarding formalities to take the flight to La Paz. (FLIGHT NOT INCLUDED, Recommended Flight OB305 09h15 10h15). 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 6: Saturday / La Paz / Copacabana / Isla Del Sol / Copacabana
Breakfast
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 color.
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.
Dinner not included.
Overnight at ROSARIO DEL LAGO*** or GLORIA COPACABANA*** SIMILAR hotel.
Day 7: Sunday / Copacabana / Tiwanaku / La Paz
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.
Return to La Paz.
Dinner not included.
Overnight at EL REY PALACE*** or SIMILAR hotel.
Day 8: Monday / La Paz Flight To Santa Cruz Out
Breakfast
Transfer to El Alto – La Paz airport, assistance with boarding formalities to take the flight to Santa Cruz coinciding with the intercontinental flight (Attention: the La Paz – Santa Cruz flight coinciding with Santa Cruz – Madrid can be issued on the international ticket).
FLIGHT NOT INCLUDED.
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