We depart west, up and out of the canyon where La Paz sits and drive along the shores of Lake Titicaca towards the pilgrimage city of Copacabana and our goal for the day - the Island of the Sun. This route is one of the most breathtaking roads in the Andes and we have plenty of places to stop for the grand view of Lake Titicaca and the Cordillera Real to the east. The road takes us across the Straits of Tiquina then onto the Copacabana Peninsula (the border of Peru is just 20 minutes up the road) and the portside town of Copacabana where we will have an early lunch.  Afterwards we board our motorized boat to the Island of the Sun, boasting grandiose Inca ruins and tremendous views of Lake Titicaca and the Andes. We have a brief 45-minute walk uphill to the hotel with stunning views of the northern Cordillera Real to the east!  We will find a good location for the sunset and enjoy some magnificent views of the lake and Andes as the sun sets. Dinner and overnight on the Island of the Sun.

Hotel: Posada del Inca (4*)

Meals included: B, L, D

Today we rise before the sun to be ready for the sun to break behind the Cordillera Real.  Afterwards we have a nice breakfast and prepare for our departure.  We will have time to photograph the locals, tending to their animals and crops and going about their daily lives.  We descend the Inca Stairs and board our bat back to Copacabana and begin our drive back towards La Paz.  En-route we will enjoy a nice lunch on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Our  lunch spot has great views of the lake where traditional Bolivian  dishes are served, soups, fresh trout and local vegetables.  After lunch we head into the heart of the Cordillera Real (The Royal Mountain Range) to the basecamp of Mt. Huayna Potosi to get up close and personal with a 20,000 ft Andean giant.  You can see this mountain from La Paz.  At the lake you can peer into the Amazon basin to the east and see how the glaciers are retreating. We  begin our journey to La Paz at an appropriate time to avoid the traffic of the city of El Alto.  Our drive should be about 2 hours to our hotel. Dinner is at a local restaurant. Overnight in La Paz.

Hotel Casa Grande Express (3*)

Meals included:  B, L, D

After an early breakfast we begin our journey south along the Altiplano.  We climb out the canyon of La Paz then head south, passing by the industrial city of Oruro and other smaller typical Altiplano towns.  Our goal for today is the northern edge of the Salar de Uyuni. We have lunch en-route in Challapata and should arrive at the salt flats in the late afternoon, with plenty of time before sunset. The dirt road is still rough for the last couple of hours but the scenery is as marvelous as it has always been. We will check-in to the hotel before heading out for sunset at the salt flats.  Above us is Mt. Thunupa Volcano, an 17,450’/5,322m mega-volcano that juts out into the northern salt flats providing numerous vantage points for fabulous photography. Sunrise and sunset are especially good here, no matter the location or season. During the dry season the opportunity to create abundant abstract photos is never-ending. After sunset, we head back to our hotel for dinner and sleep. 

Hostal: Tayka de Sal (4*)

Meals included: B, L, D

Our adventure commences before dawn as we embark on a short drive to the edge of the salt flats. Witnessing the sun illuminate Thunupa’s summit as it ascends over the eastern horizon is an experience you want to photograph.  The sun rises swiftly at these latitudes, so after the sun gets too bright, we return to the hotel for breakfast. We pack up and continue our journey into the salt flats to visit some of the islands!  Continuing southeast out of the salt flats we arrive in Uyuni for an early lunch and gasoline.  We head south to the Sud L:ipez deserts and the Black Lagoon.  Our goal is the village of Villa Mar, tucked into a series of canyons below extinct volcanoes.  En-route there are cities of stone, local natural eroded lava that has surreal patterns, shapes and animal-like features.  We will shoot sunset here before heading to our hotel for the night.  Dinner and sleep in Villa Mar.

Hotel: Mallku Cueva (4*)

Meals included: B, L, D

Today we have an early departure so we can see the early morning light at Laguna Colorada while the flamingos are still waking up. After breakfast at Laguna Colorada we begin the slow climb to the highest pass on our route (4,816 m/15,800 ft). We'll flank the boiling mud pits and steaming fumaroles at Sol de Mañana caldera, where hot volcanic gas exit into the cold Andean sky. We drop into the Salar de Chalviri and the Polques hot springs for an early lunch. We return via a different route with stunning landscapes and volcanoes across the horizon. Returning via Villa Mar and the Cities of Stone we should arrive in the city of Uyuni at the end of the day, catching the sunset en-route.  Dinner and overnight in Uyuni.

Hotel El Toñito (3*)

Meals included: B, L, D

The drive to La Paz will take a while but is very spectacular because it stays high in the mountains for the first half of the trip and it’s on a paved road all the way to La Paz, so it’s fast and comfortable. Along the way you will see multi-colored red valleys, high peaks, green puna wetlands with llamas and alpacas grazing. The closer we get to La Paz you will see the glacier-covered peaks of the Cordillera Real rising above the Altiplano. The scenery is magnificent and should provide plenty of visual appeal along the entire route. We should arrive in La Paz in the late afternoon. After checking-in we head out for dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate a wonderful and adventurous journey of the Bolivian Altiplano.

Your flight departs very early in the AM (tomorrow) so we usually depart the hotel around midnight for the 45-minute drive to the airport.

Hotel Casa Grande Express (3*)

Meals included: B, L, D

We will take you to the airport at an appointed time (usually around midnight), based on your flight schedule. Drive time from hotel to the airport is 45 minutes. We need to arrive 2 ½ - 3 hours before any international departure. We will coordinate your departure time the night before.

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