Andean Contrast

You dream of exceptional days, a change of scenery, flavors, colors, human and culinary experiences … We have chosen for you unusual emotions, carefully selected on our roads in Bolivia. You will set off on an expedition to the Lipez highlands to discover multi-colored lagoons and volcanoes with flamboyant colors. Adventure Guaranteed! Open your eyes wide and let yourself be lulled by the beauty of the place! You will end with the legendary Salar de Uyuni, a unique place in the world where magic takes place. You will not be disappointed…..

Overview :

Length of stay :

12 days on the spot.

Transport :

Driver and private vehicle

Entry of the sites :

NA

Guide :

Spanish speaking driver in Uyuni, English speaking guide

Altitude of the journey:

from 2.790 m asl and 4.850 m asl

Best moment of year :

from April to November

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Steps and highlights:

Main steps:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Highlights:

  • La Paz, a cosmopolitan city full of contrasts
  • The colonial and imperial cities of Sucre and Potosí
  • Salar de Uyuni… the largest Salt Flats on earth

Day 1 : LA PAZ / ARRIVAL - WELLNESS – MOON VALLEY (3600 m a.s.l./11,811ft)

More infos
Departure :

Accommodation :

hotel

Meals included :

none

Altitude :

3.600 m asl

Time of transport :

1h30

Walking time :

LA PAZ / ARRIVAL - WELLNESS – MOON VALLEY (3600 m a.s.l./11,811ft)

Reception at El Alto’s international airport and transfer to the hotel. Free time to enjoy the hotel's spa which offers massages, facials and other services. The hotel has an indoor pool, a gym, trendy bar and excellent restaurants. In the afternoon, depart to Moon Valley. Hike through its geological clay labyrinth and deep gaps. It is artwork. It looks like a stalagmite desert. Return to the hotel.

Day 2 : LA PAZ / «SHOESHINER» - CABLECAR – CITY TOUR (3600 m a.s.l./11,811ft)

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Departure :

08:30 am

Accommodation :

hotel

Meals included :

breakfast, lunch at Ali Pacha, dinner at Gustu

Altitude :

3.600 m asl

Time of transport :

2h

Walking time :

LA PAZ / «SHOESHINER» - CABLECAR – CITY TOUR (3600 m a.s.l./11,811ft)

Meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel and go to the historic city center of La Paz. Your tour starts at the central station of the red cable car. In addition to your English speaking team, a "special" guide will show you the city in his own way. A shoe shiner will accompany you all morning. After a cable car ride, you will visit different markets. At the potato market, you will experience the distinctive smell and taste of a variety of dehydrated potatoes, like las tuntas and los chuños. You will experience the fish market, where goods arrive every morning between 3.30 and 5am as the cholitas prepare their stands. Afterwards, you will visit the shops where the cholitas paceñas buy their outfit’s colorful pleated skirts worn over layers of petticoats, embroidered shawls held by a brooch, and small bowler hats. As you will learn, being in fashion is expensive! We then take a break for lunch. We will eat at Ali Pacha, the universe of plants. Let yourself be surprised and enjoy its unique menu made from exotic Bolivian ingredients. In the afternoon, you will walk the city, visiting its colorful markets, colonial district, Murillo main square and the art galleries of Jaen street. We close the day with dinner at Gustu, one of the best restaurants in South America. Its "tasting" menu will delight your taste buds, blending ancestral knowledge of traditional cuisine with Bolivian grown and harvested food.

Special information :
“HUMAN AND CULINARY EXPERIENCE IN LA PAZ” OUR CRUSH: EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE. ATTEND A CHOLITA FASHION SHOW PRESENTED BY THE BOLIVIAN DESIGNER GLENDA YANEZ. THIS FAMOUS DESIGNER IS IN LOVE WITH THE TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF HER BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY THAT SHE SHOWS OFF THROUGH HER DESIGNS. SHE WILL CHOOSE A VERY SPECIAL PLACE TO PRESENT YOU HER WORK, LIKE THE KILLI KILLI OVERLOOK OR A CHOLET (BUILDINGS IN EL ALTO KNOWN FOR OSTENTATIOUS AND KITSH ARCHITECTURE). YOU CAN LIVE THIS INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE IN THE AFTERNOON, AFTER YOUR LUNCH AT ALI PACHA. PRICE UPON REQUEST

Day 3 : LA PAZ - SUCRE (2790M/9153FT) / CITY TOUR

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Departure :

Accommodation :

hotel

Meals included :

breakfast, dinner

Altitude :

2.790 m asl

Time of transport :

30 min transfert, 45 min flight and 45 min transfert

Walking time :

LA PAZ - SUCRE (2790M/9153FT) / CITY TOUR

Departure in private vehicle to the airport. Flight La Paz - Sucre (variable schedule). Pick up at Sucre’s airport and transfer to the hotel. Meet your guide at 2pm in the lobby of your hotel. The day will be designed according to your desires, do not hesitate to let your guide know as soon as you meet him. Walking city tour of the "white" city listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Visit the convent of the Recoleta and the Ethnographic Textile Museum (ASUR) located in the heights of the city, the 25 de Mayo Main Square and La Casa de la Libertad (closed on Sunday afternoon and Monday). Dinner at Peña Origenes. A beautiful evening with folkloric dances awaits you.

Day 4 : SUCRE (2790M/9153FT) / COOKING WORKSHOP

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Departure :

09:00 am

Accommodation :

hotel

Meals included :

breakfast, lunch

Altitude :

2.780 m asl

Time of transport :

none

Walking time :

SUCRE (2790M/9153FT) / COOKING WORKSHOP

Departure from the hotel towards the Sucre market to buy the necessary ingredients for the Bolivian cooking workshop. Discovery of local spices, a colorful moment and smell. Then, you will go to the cooking workshop where you’ll make 2 recipes: The Bolivian peanut soup (sopa de maní) and a Quinoa cake. 2 hours of cooking class in very good company. Then you will enjoy your preparation. A delight! In the early afternoon you will attend a traditional weaving workshop. Rest of the day is free.

Special information :
“HUMAN AND CULINARY EXPERIENCE IN SUCRE”

Day 5 : SUCRE - POTOSI (4090M/13418FT) / HACIENDA CAYARA

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Departure :

09:00 am

Accommodation :

Hacienda Cayara

Meals included :

breakfast, dinner

Altitude :

4.090 m asl

Time of transport :

3h

Walking time :

SUCRE - POTOSI (4090M/13418FT) / HACIENDA CAYARA

We depart in the morning to the colonial city of Potosi. We arrive at the Hacienda Cayara Museum and hotel. We visit the farm of Hacienda Cayara, which offers a unique cultural exchange with the family living in the hacienda. The rest of the day is yours to explore life on the farm, the City of Stone, and/or the museum.

Special information :
“HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN A BOLIVIAN HACIENDA”

Day 6 : POTOSI / CASA DE LA MONEDA MUSEUM - UYUNI (3660M/12007FT)

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Departure :

08h30

Accommodation :

hotel

Meals included :

breakfast

Altitude :

3.600 m asl

Time of transport :

3h

Walking time :

POTOSI / CASA DE LA MONEDA MUSEUM - UYUNI (3660M/12007FT)

You will meet your guide at 09:00 in the lobby of the hotel. Visit the "Casa de la Moneda" (closed on Sunday afternoons and Mondays). This is the largest colonial building built by the Spanish in the Americas, it’s an impressive building with an impressive history. Departure at 2pm from the hotel in private vehicle to reach the city of Uyuni located not far from the Salt Flats.

Day 7 : UYUNI – ROCK VALLEY – VILLAMAR (4030 m a.s.l./13,222 ft)

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Departure :

09:00 am

Accommodation :

ecolodge

Meals included :

breakfast, lunch, dinner

Altitude :

4030 m asl

Time of transport :

4-5h

Walking time :

UYUNI – ROCK VALLEY – VILLAMAR (4030 m a.s.l./13,222 ft)

We take off towards the Lipez region. Along the way, we visit the train cemetery on the outskirts of Uyuni, and go through San Cristobal, a village that was relocated after a mining company arrived. Of special note is its church, which was rebuilt stone-by-stone at a cost of almost half a million dollars. We stop to explore the Valley of Rocks. Erosion created strangely shaped rocks several meters high, almost as if by magic. Before reaching our destination, we take a short photo-op at a panoramic viewpoint of a magnificent canyon. We arrive in the village of Villamar in the late afternoon.

Day 8 : VILLAMAR - LAGUNA VERDE - SOL DE MAÑANA - LAGUNA COLORADA - HOTEL DEL DESIERTO (4550 m a.s.l./14,928 ft)

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Departure :

07:00 am

Accommodation :

ecolodge

Meals included :

breakfast, lunch, dinner

Altitude :

4550 m asl

Time of transport :

8h

Walking time :

VILLAMAR - LAGUNA VERDE - SOL DE MAÑANA - LAGUNA COLORADA - HOTEL DEL DESIERTO (4550 m a.s.l./14,928 ft)

Our journey runs along the Salar de Capina, mined for borax. We stop at the thermal baths of Polques (4.000 m above sea level / 13.123 FT), where you can brave a swim with the Laguna Chalviri in the background. We drive through an area aptly named the "Dali Desert” for its almost supernatural landscape in earthy, ocher tones with rocks scattered throughout. We arrive at Bolivia’s border with Chile and the emerald colored Laguna Verde (4.300 m above sea level / 14.108 FT) at the foot of the Licancabur Volcan The wind blusters here. We explore the "Sol de Mañana,” characterized by geysers, fumaroles or mud puddles. We continue the Laguna Colorada, home to colonies of pink flamingos. We take an extended break here. Our journey then follows the Siloli desert road and its geomorphological formations, like the stone tree,” a local favorite, to the Hotel del Desierto, where we spend the night.

Day 9 : HOTEL DEL DESIERTO - 1001 LAGOONS - SAN PEDRO DE QUEMEZ (3700 m a.s.l./12,139 ft)

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Departure :

08:30 am

Accommodation :

ecolodge

Meals included :

breakfast, lunch, dinner

Altitude :

3700 m asl

Time of transport :

6h

Walking time :

HOTEL DEL DESIERTO - 1001 LAGOONS - SAN PEDRO DE QUEMEZ (3700 m a.s.l./12,139 ft)

We continue towards the north on the "1001 Lagoons" road, where one beautiful lagoon after the next appears (Honda, Ch'arkota, Hedionda and Cañapa). Some are home to flamingo colonies. In the background, the colors play on the mountains creating impressive and changing landscapes. We stop after a while to stretch our legs and be awed by the majesty of the Ollaguë and Tomasamil volcanoes. Our day’s journey ends as we cross the Salar de Chiguana and arrive at the village of San Pedro de Quemez.

Day 10 : SAN PEDRO DE QUEMEZ - UYUNI SALT FLATS - COLCHANI

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Departure :

08:00 am

Accommodation :

overnight in a salt hotel

Meals included :

breakfast, lunch, dinner

Altitude :

3.600 m asl

Time of transport :

4h

Walking time :

SAN PEDRO DE QUEMEZ - UYUNI SALT FLATS - COLCHANI

As we make our way to the Salar of Uyuni, we stop at the cave of the Galaxies, a unique place. The Salar of Uyuni blows us away. Even better than pictures or what we could have imagined. Its snow white surface, speckled with islands, play with our perception and awe us with beauty. We explore the island of Incahuasi and its unique cacti that seem to have come out of nowhere and into interesting poses. We enjoy the sunset over the salar.

Day 11 : COLCHANI - UYUNI/LA PAZ

More infos
Departure :

07:30 am

Accommodation :

overnight at Casa Grande hotel

Meals included :

breakfast

Altitude :

3.600 m asl

Time of transport :

2h flight with a stop

Walking time :

COLCHANI - UYUNI/LA PAZ

Transfert to the Uyuni airport and return to La Paz. Our staff picks you up at the airport and takes you to your hotel.

Day 12 : LA PAZ - AIRPORT / INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

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Departure :

Accommodation :

none

Meals included :

breakfast

Altitude :

Time of transport :

30 min

Walking time :

LA PAZ - AIRPORT / INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

Transfer out to El Alto’s international airport in private vehicle. (3 hours before the international flight departure time).

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