An 8-day journey through Bolivia – from La Paz, the highest capital in the world, through the endless Uyuni salt desert to ancient Tiwanaku and the Island of the Sun on Lake Titicaca.
Where the Sky Lay Down on the Earth and Refuses to Get Up
WHERE THE SKY LAY DOWN ON THE EARTH
There are places where the horizon disappears. At Uyuni even the boundary between earth and sky vanishes.
Bolivia is the country where the Andes are closest to the sky. Its capital La Paz is the highest in the world, its airport lies at over 4,000 metres, and the largest lake on the continent, Titicaca, lies at almost 3,800 metres. Here lives the largest share of Indigenous population in South America – the Aymara and Quechua, who still wear their colourful clothes today, read fate in coca leaves and make offerings to Pachamama, Mother Earth.
But Bolivia is also a land of views that resemble nothing familiar. A salt desert larger than any Bulgarian region, white and endless, with islands of giant cacti. Moon valleys of red and purple clay. A sacred island from which, according to legend, the Incas were born.
Here time flows differently. The air is thin, the light is sharp, and the silence of the salt is such that you hear your own heart.
Get ready for a journey to where the sky lies down on the earth.
In 8 days we will pass from the noisy markets of La Paz through the salty silence of Uyuni to the blue waters of Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world.
The Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on Earth – over 10,500 sq. km of white salt at about 3,650 metres. In the middle of it rises Incahuasi Island, covered with cacti over 10 metres tall, and above all this the Tunupa volcano keeps watch.
Lake Titicaca lies at almost 3,800 metres between Bolivia and Peru. For the Incas it is sacred – according to legend the first rulers emerged from its waters. On the Island of the Sun there are still no cars today, and the paths are the same ones that pilgrims walked centuries ago.
Which sights will we visit?
La Paz – the highest capital in the world, with the Witches' Market, the Valley of the Moon and the largest urban cable-car network on the planet
The Uyuni Salt Desert – over 10,500 sq. km of white salt, the Train Cemetery, Incahuasi Island with its giant cacti and a sunset at the foot of the Tunupa volcano
Tiwanaku – a UNESCO site and the capital of a civilisation older than the Incas, with monoliths and stone blocks of up to 25 tonnes
Lake Titicaca – Copacabana with the Dark-Skinned Virgin and the Island of the Sun, the cradle of the Incas
Welcome to Bolivia – where the sky lay down on the earth.
Itinerary
DAY 1
La Paz – the city in the clouds
We land at El Alto airport – the highest international airport in the world, at 4,060 metres. From here the road descends to La Paz, scattered in a huge bowl between the mountains, and behind it the snow-capped Illimani gleams white.
On the very first day we set off around the city with a private guide. On Plaza Murillo stand the cathedral and the Presidential Palace, and at the Witches' Market local healers sell herbs, amulets and dried llama foetuses – offerings for Pachamama. We stroll along Calle Jaén – the best-preserved colonial street in the city.
In the afternoon we visit the Valley of the Moon – a labyrinth of canyons and clay towers in colours from beige to red and purple. The day ends with a ride on "Mi Teleférico" – the largest urban cable-car network in the world, from which La Paz can be seen as if in the palm of your hand.
Tour duration: about 7 hours
Museums are closed on Monday and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Overnight: La Paz – Hotel Boutique La Casona (Standard) / Hotel MET (Comfort)
Meals: no meals included
DAY 2
The Uyuni Salt Desert
We fly to Uyuni and begin with its symbol – the clock imported from Hamburg and started in 1930. We continue to the Train Cemetery, where steam locomotives from Bolivia's first railway rust away, and to the village of Colchani, where salt is mined by hand.
Then we enter the desert itself – over 10,500 sq. km of white salt, the largest salt flat on Earth. We pass the first hotel made of salt and the Dakar Rally monument and take photos with the play of perspective, which is a must here.
We welcome the sunset at the foot of the Tunupa volcano with a glass of an Andean drink. The salt ignites in pink, and then a starry sky rises above us, of a kind rarely seen.
Domestic flight La Paz – Uyuni (included)
Overnight: Uyuni / Colchani – Hostal La Magia de Uyuni (Standard) / Hotel Jardines de Uyuni (Comfort)
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 3
The Tunupa Volcano and Incahuasi Island
In the morning we hike up the slopes of the Tunupa volcano, which rises 5,432 metres above the salt. We see the remains of a pre-Columbian settlement with chullpa burial towers in the community of Aike – evidence that people lived here long before the Spanish.
Then we cross the salt to Incahuasi Island – the "House of the Incas". It is a rock island in the middle of the white sea, covered with cacti over 10 metres tall and hundreds of years old. From its summit the view toward infinity is such that words are not enough.
The programme in Uyuni may change depending on the weather.
Overnight: Uyuni / Colchani – Hostal La Magia de Uyuni (Standard) / Hotel Jardines de Uyuni (Comfort)
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 4
Uyuni – La Paz
In the morning we fly back to La Paz. The rest of the day is free – for coffee with a view of Illimani, for a stroll through the old streets or for last purchases from the market.
If we wish, we can simply sit down on a square and watch the life of the city – Aymara women in bowler hats and bright skirts, street vendors, the yellow minibuses climbing the steep streets.
Domestic flight Uyuni – La Paz (included)
Overnight: La Paz – Hotel Boutique La Casona (Standard) / Hotel MET (Comfort)
Meals: breakfast
DAY 5
Tiwanaku – Copacabana
We head to Tiwanaku – a UNESCO site and the heart of a civilisation older than the Incas by centuries. Among the temples and pyramids lie stone blocks of up to 25 tonnes, and how they were transported remains a mystery to this day.
In the museums we see the Bennett Monolith and a mummy wrapped in reeds, with an uncovered face – so that the soul can chew coca and drink chicha in the other world.
In the afternoon we continue to Lake Titicaca. We cross the Tiquina Strait on a barge and arrive in Copacabana – the sacred town on the shore of the highest navigable lake in the world.
Approximate travel time La Paz – Copacabana: about 4 hours
Overnight: Copacabana – Hotel Estelar del Lago (Standard) / Hotel Gloria Copacabana (Comfort)
Meals: breakfast
DAY 6
The Island of the Sun
By motorboat we cross Titicaca to the Island of the Sun. According to legend it was here, from the waters of the lake, that the first Incas emerged – Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo.
We explore the Pilko Kaina temple, climb the Inca Yumani staircase to the Fountain of Youth and learn the three rules of the Aymara – do not steal, do not lie and do not be lazy.
We spend the night on the island itself, where there are no cars and food is carried by llamas and donkeys. The sunset over the lake and the silence after it are among the best moments of the trip.
The hotel is reached by about 40 minutes of walking.
Overnight: Island of the Sun – Hotel Casa de la Luna
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 7
Copacabana – La Paz
After breakfast with a view of the lake, we return by boat to Copacabana. We visit the basilica of the Dark-Skinned Virgin – the most revered shrine in Bolivia, in front of which drivers have their cars blessed with flowers and champagne.
Then we stroll through the noisy local market and set off back to La Paz – with last views of the blue expanse of Titicaca.
Approximate travel time Copacabana – La Paz: about 4 hours
Overnight: La Paz – Hotel Boutique La Casona (Standard) / Hotel MET (Comfort)
Meals: breakfast
DAY 8
La Paz – departure
Transfer to El Alto airport and a flight home.
Eight days. Salt to the horizon, stones older than the Incas, and a lake from which the sun is born. Bolivia doesn't pose for a photo – it simply is itself. And that is exactly why we remember it.
Until the next adventure!
Meals: breakfast
PRICES (EUR per person, based on double room occupancy, flights included)
Standard: 4 500 EUR per person
Comfort: 4 550 EUR per person (supplement +50 EUR compared to Standard)
Single room supplement: Standard 250 EUR, Comfort 500 EUR
The price is the same regardless of the number of registered travellers.
GUARANTEED PRICE CONDITION
The price is guaranteed for bookings made no later than 90 days before the departure date. For bookings made later, the airfare price is confirmed separately.
THE PRICE INCLUDES
Economy-class flight Sofia – La Paz – Sofia, with airport taxes and checked baggage
Domestic flights La Paz – Uyuni – La Paz
7 nights with breakfast in a double room in the chosen category
All transfers and private transport as per the programme, including the barge across the Tiquina Strait
English-speaking guide on all excursions
Excursions in the programme: La Paz and the Valley of the Moon with the cable car, a two-day programme in Uyuni with Tunupa and Incahuasi, Tiwanaku with the museums, the Island of the Sun with a private boat
Entrance fees for the listed sites
Meals: lunch and dinner on days 2, 3 and 6
THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
Difference in airfare for bookings made later than 90 days before departure
Excursions and meals not mentioned in the programme
Alcoholic and additional beverages
Tips and personal expenses
Medical travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance
ACCOMMODATION BY CATEGORY
La Paz (3 nights)
Standard: Hotel Boutique La Casona, Standard Room
Comfort: Hotel MET, Standard Room
Uyuni / Colchani (2 nights)
Standard: Hostal La Magia de Uyuni, Standard Room
Comfort: Hotel Jardines de Uyuni, Standard Room
Copacabana (1 night)
Standard: Hotel Estelar del Lago, Standard Room
Comfort: Hotel Gloria Copacabana, Standard Room
Island of the Sun (1 night)
Standard: Hotel Casa de la Luna, Standard Room
Comfort: Hotel Casa de la Luna, Standard Room
All hotels are subject to availability and may be replaced with equivalent ones.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
A large part of the programme is above 3,600 m above sea level. In the first days it is important to drink plenty of water and not to rush.
The mirror effect of Uyuni is seen only in the rainy season (January – March). The programme runs in the dry season, when the salt is white and hard.
The price is not valid during Carnival, Holy Week, Christmas, New Year and the rainy season in Uyuni (15 December – 31 March).
Luxury accommodation (Hotel Atix, Palacio de Sal, Rosario Lago, La Estancia Ecolodge) – on request.
VISA REGIME AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Visa: Bulgarian citizens do not need a visa for a tourist stay of up to 90 days. Check the current regime on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Passport: valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
Altitude: La Paz ~3,600 m, El Alto and Uyuni ~3,700–4,100 m. Warm clothes are recommended – nights are cold all year round.
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