There are few places on Earth that can match the otherworldly drama of Bolivia’s Altiplano and the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.

Though this high-altitude plateau spans parts of Peru, Chile, and Argentina, the soul of it—nearly 90%—beats strongest in Bolivia. Framed by rugged arms of the Andes, the Altiplano is South America’s stone spine, carved by time and silence.

Our journey begins in Cochabamba where we begin the acclimatization process then slowly work our way up to La Paz, where the city clings to cliffs at 12,000 feet and the Cordillera Real towers above in icy defiance. We spend time acclimating in the eroded canyons below Mt. Illimani a 6,000 meter behemoth.

Heading south, the landscape grows stranger and more sublime. We arrive at Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat on Earth at close to 4000 square miles. Beneath our feet are the ghostly remains of ancient lakes, now solidified into blinding white crust. In the distance, Mt. Thunupa watches over it all, a sleeping volcano shrouded in myth. Hidden caves contain mummies, fossilized algae, and hints of pre-Inca civilizations.

Further south still, we climb into the wild reaches of the Sud Lipez, where the air thins and the land bristles with volcanoes—some reaching nearly 20,000 feet. Wandering through ancient lava flows, we find petroglyph-marked caves, and scan the horizon for vicuñas and rheas darting across the wind-scoured plains. Here we find the jewel-toned lagoons: the blood-red waters of Laguna Colorada, the surreal greens and whites of high-altitude lakes where flamingos feed and dance, somehow thriving in this elemental world. At the highest pass close to 16,000 ft we find multi-colored boiling mud pits and geysers spilling into the cold Andean sky.  

As we near the edge of Bolivia, we drop down precipitously from 15,000 ft to 8,000 ft into the Atacama desert and the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama, our base for a few days. Within canyons and striations of salt and sand  we find layers of red, ochre, and purple sandstone that rise like cathedral walls in the Valley of the Moon.  It’s a gentler altitude, a warmer sun, and a peaceful end to this wild journey.  We finish the last 4 days soaking in the surreal beauty of the Atacama visiting wind-sculpted valleys, salt-crusted lagoons, and blood-red rocks, closing our journey where the Earth seems to whisper its secrets louder than anywhere else.

Airport Arrival, Immigration & Customs

Depending  on your international flight schedule you will arrive very early in the  morning (between 2-6 AM) at El Alto International Airport. The airport  is in the city of El Alto which is on the edge of the Altiplano at  13,200 ft / 4023 m above La Paz (downtown La Paz is at 12,000 ft). You  are now at high altitude; so, you need to be aware of the effects of  altitude on your body; you may feel light-headed and short of breath,  but that’s normal.  

Upon  arrival, you go through Bolivian Immigration for your tourist visa  (issued upon arrival) then Customs (Aduana).  Your next move is to check in at the counter for your domestic flight to Cochabamba.  Once you land in Cochabamba, you will feel much better since you will now be at 8,000 ft and a much nicer mediterranean climate. Your guide will be waiting  for you at the general passenger meeting point, just look for the sign from Sergio Photo Tours.  We will take your luggage to our private vehicle for transport to the  hotel. We’ll have bottled water in the vehicle for you, which helps  with the acclimatization process.  Once at the hotel you’ll check in and rest until lunch time. 

The best way to acclimatize to altitude, is to move slowly,  drink plenty of water and rest when you are tired.  Acclimatization  time is a very personal affair, some do it quickly, and others take more  time. It can take a few hours or a few days.  Listen to your body.  We  design all high-altitude itineraries with acclimatization time built in.

Depending on how you are feeling we can do a brief city tour then return to the hotel so you can freshen up before dinner.  We will  get to know each other better over dinner and talk about the rest of  the trip in detail. We recommend a light dinner, avoid alcohol and  caffeine before bedtime.  During the day you may want to enjoy a Mate de  Coca (coca tea), a local herbal tea that helps with acclimatization,  but refrain from it at night.  Anise and chamomile teas help with  digestion as well.

Keep drinking water, it’s very important for acclimatization.

Hotel: Aranjuez (4*)

Meals included:  L, D

We hope you rested well and enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the hotel. Today we depart to the highland valleys of Cochabamba to see Bolivia from generations past, where few if any tourists go. En-route we visit small hamlets and villages  and seeing the campesinos work their agricultural lands as they have for  generations. 

We will have lunch en-route then return to Cochabamba at a leisurely pace for a brief rest before dinner at a local restaurant so we can get to know each other better.  Overnight in Cochabamba.

Hotel: Aranjuez (4*)

Meals Included: B, L, D

Drive up and over the Andes to LPZ....

Hotel: Casa Grande Express (3*)

Meals included: B, L, D

Hotel: Casa Grande Express (3*)

Meals Included: B,L,D

Breakfast & AM departure to the Uyuni Salt Flats

After  a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast, we head south towards the  Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni) …in the heart of the Altiplano.  We  depart at 8 AM and drive out of the canyon of La Paz and head south on  the Altiplano.  Drive time from the hotel to the rim of the Altiplano is  about an hour, rising from 10,200 to 13, 300 ft.

Southeast to Oruro, lunch in Challapata and a salt hotel

Our  direction is south on the main paved road that will take us to Oruro  and continue to the town of Challapata for lunch.  Continuing southwest  we pass by the town of Salinas de Garci Mendoza then we begin the dirt  road portion of today’s journey.   About an hour and a half on dirt  roads brings us to the northern edge of the Salar de Uyuni – Earth’s Mirror. We  pass via the villages of Jirira, then Coquesa then arrive in Tahua.   Depending on our arrival time and the current weather conditions we can  either check-in or head to the edge of the salt flats for sunset.   

Before your eyes is the world’s largest salt flat – the Salar de Uyuni –  over 4,000 square miles of salt located at 12,000 ft above sea level!  It’s actually the same height as downtown La Paz.  We return after  sunset to freshen-up before dinner. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Tayka  de Sal.

Hotel: Tayka de Sal (4*)

Meals included: B, L, D

Sunrise at the Uyuni salt flats

Hopefully you  got bed early and had a good night’s rest.  We depart pre-sunrise for a  10-minute drive to the edge of the salt flats today. There are few  things more spectacular than watching the sun rise over the eastern  horizon and reflecting on the flooded salt flats of Uyuni! The sun rises  quickly at these latitudes so soon after sunrise we return to the hotel  for a proper breakfast. After a brief rest, we depart inland to the caves of Chiquini,  where we will see ancient formations of petrified plants. The route  winds across canyons and overlooks where you will see the different  faces of the salt flats. We will have a picnic lunch en route and return  to the hotel for a brief rest in the afternoon.

Mt. Thunupa volcano and mummies and sky-high view of the Salar de Uyuni

After  a rest we drive up the flanks of Mt. Thunupa, an extinct volcano seeing  from every angle in the region as it dominates the skyline at  17,460’/5,321 m and is used for navigation. Upon arrival to the end of  the road we take a 5-minute walk around the flanks to a hidden cave  where mummies lie from the pre-Inca period. The volcano was active  during the Pleistocene era with lava flows constructing the layers of  the volcano and there are signs that it was once glaciated until about  15,000 years ago and it has signs of being an island on Lake Minchin and  Lake Tauca which once were part of the Altiplano. The jaw-dropping  views from this height will show you that you still cannot see the edges  of the world’s largest salt flat. We return to the edge of the salar  for sunset and then return to the hotel for dinner and rest. Overnight at Hotel Tayka de Sal in Tahua.

After breakfast we head east, around the foot of Mt. Thunupa to the  village of Coquesa where we will drive up the flanks of this volcano to  see mummies that are found in a cave nearby. The view, 1000 ft higher,  will give you a much better idea how incredibly massive the Salar de  Uyuni is!  Afterwards, we enter the salt flats and head south, to the  center of it to Incahuasi Island where we will have time for a walk to  the top of the island before having lunch. We head east towards  Colchani, the only exit in the southeast corner, before we continue onto  the town of Uyuni. We exit via the village of Colchani and then head 30  minutes down the road to the city of Uyuni. We will check into our  hotel and freshen up. Dinner and overnight in the city of Uyuni.

Hotel: Toñito (3*)

Meals included: B, L, D

Today we have an early departure so we can catch the sunrise at Laguna Colorada while the flamingos are still waking up. After 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 crater, 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 continue southwest via the Desierto de Dali and continue to Laguna Verde that sits below Mt. Llicancabur, a strato-volcano straddling the Bolivia-Chile border that rises to 5,916 m/19,410 ft. We return towards Polques Hot Springs and continue over a small range and onto the village of Villa Mar. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Mallku Cueva (4*).

Hotel: Las Piedritas (3*)

Meals included: B, L, D

As we head southeast, we'll marvel at how the morning light dances on the spectacular landscape found in the Sud Lipez region's multi-colored lagoons, salt flats, lava flows, Andean puna marshes, rocky canyons and sandy desert landscapes.  In a secluded spot, we’ll have a picnic lunch. The canyons and pampas offer a never-ending kaleidoscope of colors and geographic wonders around every corner. 

Hotel: Las Piedritas (3*)

Meals included: B, L, D

Hotel: Hara (3*)

Meals included: B, L

Hotel: Hara (3*)

Meals included: B, L

Hotel: Hara (3*)

Meals included: B, L

Hostal Hara (3*)

Meals included: B, L

Hotel: none

Meals: B

End of our services