BOLIVIA

We land in Santa Cruz de la Sierra – the largest city in Bolivia, located in the warm, green eastern lowlands. The air here is humid, palms are everywhere, and the rhythm of life is more tropical than Andean. This is the other face of Bolivia – the one rarely seen in photographs.

In the afternoon, with a guide, we explore the colonial centre – the Plaza 24 de Septiembre with its cathedral, arches and columns that keep the shade from the hot sun. We also pass through the city's modern districts, and then sit down for a "café típico" with local pastries – the best way to feel Santa Cruz.

The day ends with a visit to one of the city's museums and a first evening in Bolivia.

Overnight: Santa Cruz – Hotel Boutique Cosmopolitano (Standard) / Hotel Cortez (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast

Early in the morning we set off for the valleys of Santa Cruz. Ahead of us are 120 km of scenic road, half of it through the mountains – with every bend the vegetation changes and the air grows fresher.

We reach El Fuerte – a huge rock carved with channels, niches and animal figures. Three worlds once met here: the Andes, the Chaco and the Amazon. Who exactly carved these symbols into the stone, and why, remains a mystery to this day. The site is a UNESCO site and one of the most mysterious in South America.

After lunch in the cosy little town of Samaipata we visit a coffee plantation or a winery (depending on the day) and return to Santa Cruz.

Approximate distance: 120 km each way

Overnight: Santa Cruz – Hotel Boutique Cosmopolitano (Standard) / Hotel Cortez (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast and lunch

In the morning we fly to Sucre – the "White City" and first capital of Bolivia. The whitewashed façades, red roofs and quiet colonial squares make it one of the most beautiful places in the country, and its historic centre is protected by UNESCO.

In the afternoon we explore the colonial churches and the House of Liberty – where Bolivia's declaration of independence was signed in 1825. In the ASUR Museum we see the intricate textiles of the Tarabuco and Jalq'a cultures, in which every symbol tells a story.

We welcome the sunset at Plaza Pedro de Anzúrez, from where the white city can be seen as if in the palm of your hand.

Domestic flight Santa Cruz – Sucre (included)

Overnight: Sucre – Hotel Villa Antigua (Standard) / Hotel De Su Merced (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast

We travel to Potosí – a city at about 4,000 metres, nestled beneath Cerro Rico, the silver mountain. In the colonial era so much silver was mined from it that Potosí became one of the richest and most populous cities in the world, and its coins financed the whole of Spain.

At the National Mint, a UNESCO site, we learn how the silver from the mountain was turned into coins that circulated around the world. The heavy wooden presses, once driven by mules, still stand in place.

In the afternoon we continue for about 4 hours to Uyuni. The landscape opens up, settlements grow sparse and we begin to feel that we are entering another world.

Approximate travel time Potosí – Uyuni: about 4 hours

Overnight: Uyuni / Colchani – Hostal La Magia de Uyuni (Standard) / Hotel Jardines de Uyuni (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast and dinner

We begin at the Train Cemetery – rusting steam locomotives from Bolivia's first railway, left in the middle of the desert. Then we stop in Colchani, where salt is still mined and processed by hand.

And then we enter the desert itself. Over 10,500 sq. km of white salt – the largest salt flat on Earth. The horizon disappears, perspective is lost, and that is exactly why the photos here turn out wildly fun. We reach Incahuasi Island – a rock in the middle of the white sea, covered with giant cacti more than 10 metres tall.

We welcome the sunset in the middle of the salt with a glass of Andean liqueur. The sky ignites in pink and orange, and then more stars rise above us than we have ever seen.

Overnight: Uyuni / Colchani – Hostal La Magia de Uyuni (Standard) / Hotel Jardines de Uyuni (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

We cross the salt to the south and head for the Altiplano. We visit the church in San Cristóbal, moved stone by stone by the Jesuits, and stop in front of the active Ollagüe volcano, from whose summit a thin wisp of smoke sometimes curls.

Then we tour the Cañapa, Hedionda and Honda lagoons. Their water is still as a mirror, and Andean flamingos feed calmly in it – pink patches against the backdrop of the volcanoes. The silence here is almost tangible.

We spend the night in a hotel in the middle of the desert, where the electricity comes from the sun and the stars are as numerous as in a planetarium.

Overnight: Ojo de Perdiz desert – Hotel Tayka del Desierto

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

We cross the Siloli desert at 4,500 metres, where the wind has sculpted the Stone Tree from the rocks. We reach Laguna Colorada – a red lake in whose shallows thousands of flamingos wander.

The Sol de Mañana geysers release steam and boiling mud straight from the ground, and in the Polques hot springs we soak in hot water with a view of the volcanoes – one of those experiences you never forget. The last stop is Laguna Verde – an emerald lake at the foot of the Licancabur volcano, whose colour comes from the minerals in the water.

On the way back to Uyuni we pass through "Lost Italy" – a labyrinth of rock formations, through the village of Villa Mar and past Laguna Vinto.

Overnight: Uyuni / Colchani – Hostal La Magia de Uyuni (Standard) / Hotel Jardines de Uyuni (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

We fly to La Paz – the highest capital in the world. The city is scattered in a huge bowl between the mountains, and the snow-capped Illimani towers above it.

In the afternoon, with a guide, we explore Plaza Murillo and the cathedral, and then lose ourselves in the Witches' Market – stalls with herbs, amulets and offerings for Pachamama, Mother Earth. We visit the Valley of the Moon – a labyrinth of clay towers and canyons in colours from beige to purple.

The day ends high above the city – with "Mi Teleférico", the largest urban cable-car network in the world. From above, La Paz looks endless.

Domestic flight Uyuni – La Paz (included)

Overnight: La Paz – Hotel Boutique La Casona (Standard) / Hotel MET (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast

Today we travel to Tiwanaku – a UNESCO site and the capital of a civilisation that emerged centuries before the Incas. It was one of the most important religious and political centres in the Andes.

Among the temples and pyramids lie stone blocks of up to 25 tonnes, and the way they were transported and worked still fascinates scientists today. We pass through the famous Gateway of the Sun, and in the museum we are greeted by the Bennett Monolith – a priest with braids and a ceremonial vessel in his hands.

In the afternoon we return to La Paz for a last evening in Bolivia.

Overnight: La Paz – Hotel Boutique La Casona (Standard) / Hotel MET (Comfort)

Meals: breakfast

Transfer to El Alto airport and a flight home.

Ten days. From the palms of Santa Cruz to the salt of Uyuni and the pink flamingos at 4,500 metres. Bolivia showed us the face that is rarely seen in guidebooks – rugged, colourful and uniquely authentic.

Until the next adventure!

Meals: breakfast