Bolivia Explorer 9 days/ 8 nights

Lake Titicaca, Colonial Sucre, Historic Potosi and authentic Tarabuco

Bolivia Magic - photo courtesy of Bolivia Tourist BoardThis country offers breathtaking panoramas from the eternal glaciers of the Andes to the Amazon jungle. An enormous diversity of ecological zones are represented within Bolivia’s territory. The western highlands of the country are located in the Andes Mountains and include the Bolivian Altiplano. The eastern lowlands include large sections of Amazonian rainforests and the Chaco. Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Bolivia and Peru. The Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, lies in the southwest corner of the country, in the department of Potosí.

Bolivian culture has been heavily influenced by the Quechua, the Aymara, as well as by the popular cultures of Latin America as a whole.
The cultural development of what is present-day Bolivia is divided into three distinct periods: pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican. Important archaeological ruins, gold and silver ornaments, stone monuments, ceramics, and weavings remain from several important pre-Columbian cultures. Major ruins include Tiwanaku, Samaipata, Incallajta, and Iskanawaya. The country abounds in other sites that are difficult to reach and have seen little archaeological exploration.

The Spanish brought their own tradition of religious art which, in the hands of local native and mestizo builders and artisans, developed into a rich and distinctive style of architecture, painting, and sculpture known as “Mestizo Baroque”. The colonial period produced not only the paintings of Pérez de Holguín, Flores, Bitti, and others but also the works of skilled but unknown stonecutters, woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and silversmiths. An important body of native baroque religious music of the colonial period was recovered in recent years and has been performed internationally to wide acclaim since 1994.

The Silver cities - photo courtesy of Bolivia Tourist BoardBolivia is rich in folklore, the “devil dances” at the annual carnival of Oruro are one of the great folkloric events of South America, as is the lesser known carnival at Tarabuco. The best known of the various festivals found in the country is the “Carnaval de Oruro”, which was among the first 19 “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity,” as proclaimed by the UNESCO in May of 2001.

Included: Accommodations as indicated, tours and meals as indicated.
Not Included: International Airfares - Local payment - Passport and visa expenses - Government arrival and departure taxes - Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is compulsory) - All items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar and beverage charges and telecommunication charges.

All Itineraries may be custom designed to your particular needs or desires.

Day by day Itinerary:

  • Tuesday - Depart - Depart on overnight flight.

  • Wednesday - Arrive La Paz - Morning arrival and transfer to Hotel Presidente in the heart of the city. Balance of the morning at leisure to adjust to the 12,000 feet altitude. Afternoon visit to the main points of interest in La Paz, including the Witch Doctor’s market and nearby Moon Valley>.

  • Thursday - La Paz - Morning drive to Tiahuanaco Ruins, where the remains of five civilizations, one on top of the other, have been discovered - the last one finished 100 years before the first Inca arrived. Tiahuanaco was a pilgrimage site for the Incas and is considered of major importance in the world of archaeology in addition to being a “power site” in the world of mysticism. (B)

  • Friday - La Paz - Sucre - Transfer for morning flight over the snow-capped Andes to Sucre. Upon arrival, meeting and transfer to the Hostel Su Merced, in the heart of historic Sucre. Afternoon visit to the main points of interest in Sucre, acting legislative capital and a colonial treasure house with many excellent museums and churches. (B)

  • Saturday - Sucre - Today you will enjoy a full day excursion to Potosi, a scenic drive in the high Altiplano. Potosi was once the site of a major Spanish Mint, using silver extracted from the mines of Cerro Potosi. Visit the main points of interest in Potosi. Visit the main points of interest in this historic city, have lunch and male a quick visit to the mine before the return drive to Sucre. (C)

  • Sunday - Sucre - Today you will visit one of the most authentic Indian markets in all of South America. The drive is via an exciting mountain road to the town of Tarabuco where the Indians have a lively Sunday market. The Indian dress is very distinctive with hats that resemble the Spanish Conquistador helmets. Plenty of time to explore and shop before lunch and return drive to Sucre. (C/L)

    • Lake Titicaca View - photo courtesy of Bolivia Tourist Board

  • Monday - Sucre - La Paz - Lake Titicaca - At leisure until transfer to the airport for return flight to La Paz with immediate transfer directly to Hotel Inca Utama on the shores of the highest navigable lake on earth, Lake Titicaca. A four star hotel right on the shores of Lake Titicaca, there are 60 rooms and suites, each with private facilities, space heater, electric blanket and lots of of water. There is a Choza Nautica over-the-water restaurant, a cozy bar with over-stuffed couches and roaring fireplace, “Suma Utavi” restaurant, a complete spa, and elevators in both the original hotel building and the new Colonial Towers. The Inca Utama has a complete cultural complex consisting of the Altiplano Museum; Andean Eco Village complete with handicraft center, Eco Museum, Limachi brothers and their full size replica of the RA II, stone fisherman village, mud igloos and floating islands of the Urus Chipayas, Tikanas agricultural terraces and the famous Sukakollos; Kallawayas Museum and the Alajpacha native observatory.Afternoon visit the hotel’s Andean Roots Cultural Complex with Altiplano and Eco Museums, explore the ancient “chullpas” (mortuary towers) and evening visit to the mystical world of the Kallawayas, the high altiplano medicine men. (C)

  • Tuesday- Lake Titicaca - Today you will enjoy a full day excursion by hydrofoil - “fly” across the lake with scenic vistas of the Royal Mountain Range, through Tiquina Strait to the town of Copacabana where you will visit the church with Patron Saint of the Lake and have lunch before reboarding your hydrofoil for “flight” to Sun Island, legendary birthplace of the Inca. Walk up ancient Inca steps, visit the Fountain of Youth and have spectacular views of Moon Island and the lake. Then continue back to Inca Utama for overnight. In the evening visit the “alajpacha” (native observatory) for a look at the southern skies. (C/L)

  • Wednesday - Lake Titicaca - La Paz - Depart - At leisure until transfer to the airport for your return flight.(B)

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Also tagged with: Bolivia, Hiking, Trekking, Active Travel, Altiplano


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