Lost Cities and Shimmering Plains – Bolivia & Peru
Itinerary
Days 1-3 – Market Plazas of Lima
A proud Latino city, often cloaked in mist from the Pacific Ocean and with a famed food scene, Lima fizzes with energy and is more than just a handy starting point for your holiday. You’ll spend 2 nights in a cosy hotel in a pleasant part of town, and you’ll be shown around the lively Miraflores food market and the charming colonial centre by your local Limeño guide, before setting off to explore the city independently.
Days 3-5 – Culture and Cookery in Arequipa
Arequipa is an understated highlight of Peru – an attractive city with a distinct personality and a striking volcanic backdrop. Wander along cobbled streets to the local market and enter an explosion of colour, sounds and smells, before exploring the nooks and crannies of the fascinating Monasterio de Santa Catalina. During your time here you’ll also step inside a local home and learn the secrets of how to cook perfect quinoa, chicha or caldo verde from your Arequipeño host.
Days 5-8 – Condors in the Colca Canyon
Next you’ll leave Arequipa behind and head into the vast Colca Canyon. Your drive to Coporaque takes roughly 5 hours.
Around twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, the Colca Canyon slices through the Andes and affords some of the most spectacular views on the continent. Joining a small group, you’ll begin with a scenic drive past volcanoes, lakes and grazing alpacas, before arriving at your lodge in the town of Coporaque. In the afternoon you can relax or head out hiking through this striking landscape with your guide.
In the morning you’ll head to the deepest part of the canyon – a nesting site for the huge Andean condor, where they glide on thermals close above your head. In the afternoon you can hike or relax in the nearby hot springs, before meeting Josefina and Oswaldo, who live in the valley and will host you tonight in their simple farmstay. After a tasty breakfast prepared with local ingredients, you’ll spend a couple of hours helping out (as best you can!) on the farm, before you continue you Peruvian journey.
When you return from the Colca Canyon, you’ll spend another night in Arequipa. The next day we’ll arrange a transfer to take you to the airport for your flight to Cusco, which should take about an hour.
Days 8-10 – Explore the Cobbled Streets of Cusco
Explore Cusco, the Inca heartland and a city of colourful contrasts. During this trip, you’ll spend two nights in Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Travellers from all over the world meet here before heading into the mountains, making it a lively hub of restaurants, bars and museums. Scattered with Inca ruins and colonial churches, it’s a brilliant place for an atmospheric wander.
The following day you’ll be transferred from Cusco to Poroy train station, roughly 30 minutes outside of the city, where you’ll catch the train up to the starting point of your trek.
Days 10-14 – Trails and Valleys – Short Inca Trek
You’ll be up early this morning to join a small guided group, as you catch the train to Camino Real – the final stretch of the Inca Trail. From here you’ll spend the day trekking through beautiful scenery and exploring Inca ruins, until you reach the Sun Gate which overlooks Machu Picchu. It’s quite a viewpoint. After a night in the town of Aguas Calientes, you’ll head up to the Lost City once more for a tour of this incredible site which has fascinated visitors ever since its discovery in 1911.
In the afternoon, you’ll take the train to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, where you’ll spend the next 2 nights. A cobblestone maze of tiny streets where local life carries on as it always has, it’s a sleepy and beautiful place to explore. You’ll find some great places to eat, plenty of walks and Inca ruins nearby, and a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere. At the end of your stay you’ll travel back to Cusco by private transfer.
After your time exploring the ancient Inca ruins, you’ll travel back to Cusco, which is about 90 minutes travelling time. You’ll stay another night in the same hotel. The next day you’ll take the bus to Puno. It’s about an 8 hour journey.
Days 14-16 – Typically Titicaca
You’ll spend the next 2 nights in the youthful town of Puno, from where you’ll set off on a boat trip to the islands and communities of Lake Titicaca. Meet the locals who call this place home, visit a floating reed island, help prepare your lunch using underground ovens, and sit back as you glide across the still waters. Titicaca was a sacred place for the Incas, believed to be the birthplace of the sun, and the lake remains one of the most peaceful and beautiful spots on the continent.
Days 16-17 – In Search of the Sun God
Next you will leave Puno behind and make your way to the bus station for the day bus to Copacabana in Bolivia. The drive to the border should take about two hours. At the border you’ll pass through customs and receive a Peru exit stamp. You’ll pay approximately US $5 departure tax per person and then walk across the border to the Bolivian immigration officials. You’ll receive an entry stamp and visa for 30 days. Afterwards you’ll board a Bolivian bus and 20 minutes later you’ll be in Copacabana.
Coming from Puno you’ll travel across the border into Bolivia by bus. Your hotel is located right by the lake and you’ll arrive just in time for lunch. In the afternoon we’ve planned a boat trip across the lake to Isla del Sol, the birth place of the first Inca King. You’ll have plenty of time to explore this beautiful island with your guide, arriving back in Copacabana in the late afternoon.
Days 17-19 – Wandering through the Lanes of La Paz
The following day you’ll head to the bus station to catch the bus to La Paz. The travel is usually about 4 hours and on arrival there will be a driver waiting to transfer you to your hotel.
When you arrive into La Paz our representative will be waiting for you. They’ll drop you off at your colonial hotel in the centre of La Paz, within walking distance from the Witch’s Market and the San Francisco Cathedral. Since it’s impossible to know how your body will react to the altitude, there are no activities planned. If you feel okay, you can walk through the city and enjoy your stay at your own pace.
In the evening you’ll head to the bus station to board the night bus to Uyuni – a journey of around 11 hours. Although we’ll always book a ‘Tourist-Class’ bus, the combination of poor road conditions and the cold won’t make for a super-comfortable ride, but if you bring along warm jumper and a pillow to lay your head on you might just get a little sleep.
Days 19-23 A Pinch of Salt
After you arrive in Uyuni, you’ll have the rest of the day to explore this dusty little town – it isn’t much to look at, but there are a few restaurants and bars to keep you occupied. The following day you’ll travel with a small group by jeep, with an English-speaking guide, across the world’s largest salt lake. The surreal views of endless white salt against an electric blue sky make for some great pictures. In the afternoon you’ll be driven back to Uyuni where you’ll spend another night in the same hotel.
Next, you’ll catch a 1 hour flight to La Paz where you’ll stay one more night in the same hotel as before. The next day we’ll arrange a transfer to take you to the airport for your international flight home.
Accommodation
