Discover Bolivia and Uyuni Salar

Tiredness and fatigue can be overwhelming after a long international flight, so we’ll save you the stress of navigating alone upon arrival at La Paz Airport.  Our local host will be looking for you at the international flight's arrival gate to assist you and take you to your Bolivia hotel.

La Paz is located 3625 meters above sea level, being one of the highest cities in South America. For this reason, altitude sickness can be shocking for tourists arriving in a city of this high altitude for the first time. It's recommended to take everything calmly on your first day, not to make too much physical effort, or to eat meat or anything very spicy, and do a lot of rest. In this form, your body will acclimatize faster to the altitude.

Once installed in your room, you can take a comforting shower, leaving behind the fatigue of such a long flight and rest. Or, you can take advantage of the time to enjoy the best Bolivian gastronomy with a tasty lunch and dinner (on your own) in your hotel or the surrounding areas. Tomorrow, a great day will wait for you!

Our journey in the Bolivian Andeans is about to begin! After a satisfying breakfast provided by your hotel, your tour guide will pick you up to explore La Paz City and what it has to offer. First, we’ll go to Mercado de Brujas (Witches Market) where mysterious treasures and objects used in ancient Andean rituals will be waiting for you. Next, you will take the famous cable car of La Paz and can enjoy spectacular views of the entire city and its downtown, from the air!

At mid-morning, we will make a break to taste the traditional and delicious Salteña, a type of baked bun filled with minced meat and carrot stew.

Continuing our trip, we’ll visit the Bolivian Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, where we’ll appreciate the different Bolivian traditional dances, typical costumes, masks, and other peculiarities of the highland country.

At noon, we’ll enjoy a fantastic vegetarian lunch made by micro-producers from all over Bolivia, in this unique and special restaurant Ali Pacha.

In the afternoon, you‘ll have several options to enjoy the fantastic La Paz. You just have to let us know in advance.

You can appreciate the beautiful Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) which are polychromatic clay formations eroded by water and wind from the imposing Illimani Mountain. Or, maybe, you can take advantage of the Salar Gallery, where the masterpieces of the most recognized Bolivian artist today Gastón Ugalde, known as  “The Andean Warhol” are shown. Moreover, you can still enjoy air tours onboard the La Paz cable car or taste delicious Bolivian Organic Coffee. The options are endless.

At the end of the day, your local guide will return you to your hotel, for a well-deserved dinner on your own. We guarantee you a comfortable rest with good memories.

Lake Titicaca still has many charms to discover, and you will not miss a thing! First, you'll enjoy a delicious breakfast at your La Paz hotel. Then, with our guide, you will begin your adventure through the highest navigable freshwater lake in the world, Lake Titicaca.

Our objective is to reach the beautiful town of Copacabana, located east of Lake Titicaca. However, in the middle of the route, we can visit the enchanting  Limachi family. They will teach us their techniques to make reed boats, typically used on the lake. It is interesting to note, that their ancestors built the great Kon-Ti-Ti, the boat of Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian adventurer who crossed the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia.

Another option can be to visit the ancient Tiahuanaco. This awesome archaeological site hosted maybe the most important Pre-Inca culture in the whole of South America. Well-carved stones with enigmatic engravings form its buildings and squares. Not in vain, Tiahuanaco was declared a Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1999. Its impressive Puerta del Sol (Sun Gate), the Kalasasaya temple, the Frase and Ponce monoliths, and the Akapana Pyramid are all truly impressive. If you choose this “Tiahuanaco” route, you will enjoy a delicious lunch in a local restaurant.

Moving on, we’ll arrive in the charming Copacabana town, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. It has a beautiful XVI-century Cathedral of Moorish architectural style and is a reason for the frequent pilgrimage of Bolivian Catholics. Moreover, it hosts the most venerated religious image of the Bolivian highlands, the Virgin of Copacabana. From this quaint town, we'll take a speed boat heading to Isla del Sol (Sun Island) Of course, if you took the optional route of the Limachi Family, you will enjoy a countryside lunch on the shores of Sun Island, where you will taste the traditional Athapati, a local Aymara food for travelers.

After, you can take an optional hike to Pilkocaina temple, in the south zone of the island. Where you can enjoy an unforgettable sunset.

Finally, your local tour guide will take you to your hotel to have a delicious dinner, rest, and recharge energy for the next day.

Today, the highest navigable freshwater lake in the world and its beautiful Sun Island are waiting to be explored. Firstly, you will enjoy a fresh breakfast prepared with local ingredients. Following on, you’ll be taken by our local tour guide to Yumani town, through a charming hike surrounding agricultural terraces. Then, we will descend "The Grand Staircase" with more than 200 stairs built by the Incas, heading to the Sacred Fountain. There, you’ll drink its magical water of youthfulness and happiness (according to the local legends) and finally enjoy a delicious lunch in the middle of Sun Island.

After that, you’ll be taken onboard a boat to Moon Island. This island antagonist of the island of the Sun hosts beautiful examples of pre-Inca architecture like the imposing Sacred Temple of the Virgins of the Sun, Iña Kuyu. The ruins of this temple once hosted selected women who were dedicated to the Sun worship. They were kept on the island of the moon to keep the eternal sacred fire lit. After this awesome trip to the Moon Island, you will return to La Paz, passing by Copacabana.

In beautiful La Paz, you can enjoy an exquisite dinner in a “Michelin-star restaurant called Guru (A prior table reservation is required).

Finally, our staff will take you to your La Paz Hotel, where you can take a relaxing shower and just rest.

Are you ready to visit the largest salt mirror in the world? We refer to Uyuni! Well, after your hotel provides a comforting and delicious breakfast, our host will be ready to transport you to La Paz airport to take a commercial flight to Uyuni.

Once in Uyuni, our local host will welcome you and guide you to Uyuni Salar. It is the world's largest salt flat with more than 4,600 square miles (12,000 square kilometers). The is so flat and featureless that on its horizon you can see the curvature of the earth. This accumulation of sodium chloride in large quantities is one of the most unique natural spectacles in the world.

In the dry season, salt-solidified pentagons appear on the floor making it possible to walk over this magical white expanse, an amazing opportunity to capture some unique photos. Also, at this time you'll see bubbly salt holes and can explore, with your expert tour guide, the enchanting Incahuasi island with its amazing giant cacti. Without mentioning, a magical hike in the middle of petrified corals and a comforting countryside lunch on Uyuni!

On the other hand, in the rainy season, a fine water line covers a few centimeters of the planed salt esplanade, by making a giant natural mirror where the blue sky merges with the white, salty surface of Uyuni. However, this fine water line makes it impossible the drive over this salt flat. However, you'll obtain the best photos with this water layer that reflects the sky and your image, too!  Also, you will see the mysterious K'aka mummies.

For all these reasons, the exact route through Uyuni can change depending on climate factors or the season you visit. To crown the afternoon, you will be able to appreciate a beautiful sunset.

Finally, your expert local guide will take you to a cozy lodge in Uyuni, where you will have a deserved rest.

Today, we’ll say goodbye to Uyuni in the best way! Very early in the morning, after a delicious breakfast, our local tour guide will pick you up from the Uyuni lodge to visit the surrounding areas of the salt flat and, in case of the dry season, go to the lovely Coquesa, a town located north of Lake Titicaca.

Coquesa offers an imposing Volcano, called Thunupa that is more than 17,450 feet altitude (5,320 meters). Also, the same town provides amazing views of the volcano and the salt flat.

Following on, you will enjoy of countryside lunch in the same salt flat, and after you’ll have free time for the best photos with impressive perspectives.

Next, you will enjoy an interesting talk from a recognized local astronomer who will guide your vision to see the stars in the firmament, besides sharing important information about southern celestial bodies and constellations. For this purpose, we’ll take advantage of Uyuni’s clear nights!

After this unique experience, your local tour guide will return you to your Uyuni Lodge for a comforting dinner on your own and some sweet dreams.

OPTIONAL: If you want, as an alternative to staying in your hotel in Uyuni, we offer you a novel alternative, the Deluxe Camper Airstream Camper. As its name indicates, this is a mobile hotel or a cozy camper formed by a comfortable room for two persons, with a hot shower, heating, minibar, sofa, and even an iPad dock with speakers. You’ll pass by the same places on this itinerary with slight modifications in the visiting orders. As if this were not enough, the camper is accompanied by another car that includes a kitchen, satellite radio, and oxygen cylinders, among other facilities. From there your private chef will prepare the most exquisite dishes for dinner and cocktails. After meals, he and his guide will leave you alone to enjoy your privacy in the Uyuni desert.

The worst part of a trip is when those good adventures you will remember forever, end. That is why Machu Travel Peru wants to save you the trouble. You will only have to enjoy a comforting breakfast fully included in your hotel reservation and relax.

At a predetermined hour, MACHU TRAVEL PERU staff will take you to  Uyuni airport and send you on a flight to La Paz, where you will board your international flight heading to your home country.

Do you like the sound of our "Discover Bolivia and Uyuni Salar" tour? Do you have any extra requests or questions? Please don’t hesitate to write to us. We will always be attentive to personalize your Bolivian tour at your request!

OPTIONAL: If you want, in addition to staying in your hotel in Uyuni, we offer you a novel alternative, the Deluxe Camper Airstream Camper. As its name indicates, this is a mobile hotel or a cozy camper formed by a comfortable room for two persons, with a hot shower, heating, minibar, sofa, and even an iPad dock with speakers. You’ll pass by the same places on this itinerary with slight modifications in the visiting orders. As if this were not enough, the camper is accompanied by another car that includes a kitchen, satellite radio, and oxygen cylinders, among other facilities. There your private chef will prepare the most exquisite dishes for dinner and cocktails. After meals, he and his guide will leave you alone to enjoy your privacy in the Uyuni desert.

NOTE: This program will allow you to visit La Paz, Lake Titicaca, and Uyuni in Bolivia. Additionally, you can add more exciting day tours in Bolivia or another destination in the Andean country. Please make contact with our travel agents!