Wild Immensities of Bolivia

Head towards the village of Samaipata, whose name means "the place of rest between the mountains". This village is located 120 km from Santa Cruz. Visit its archaeological site « El Fuerte de Samaipata » listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998. We continue on the road to the park of « Cascadas de Cuevas », offering a succession of three magnificent waterfalls….. It's incredible to feel so small among so many wonders!

Walking time: 2 hours

Night in Samaipata.

Road to the giant fern forest. Let yourself be seduced by this atmosphere full of diversity, varied fauna with more than 800 bird species as well as equally surprising flora with giant ferns that can reach a height of around ten meters.

We continue towards the Refuge of Volcanoes located in the Amboro National Park. Installation at the refuge and a walk in the Serrania canyon. Possibility of swimming in the natural pool created by the Quebrada Elvira.

Hiking time: 4h30

Free morning to enjoy the surroundings of the lodge and its unique and exceptional setting.
Lunch and departure by private vehicle towards Santa Cruz.

Private vehicle transfer to Viru Viru airport for our Santa Cruz - Sucre flight (variable schedules). Welcome by our driver at Alcantari airport and hotel check-in.

In the afternoon, meeting with our guide to visit the city with four names (Charcas, Chuquisaca, la Plata and Sucre, its most commonly used name). Sucre, the white city, listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site, is in itself an open-air museum of what life was like in colonial times. We visit 25 de Mayo square, Simon Bolivar park, the Recoleta Convent,, the ethnographic textile museum (ASUR) and the must-see Casa de la Libertad (closed Sunday afternoon and Monday).

Departure for Tupiza, the colorful city. On the way, stop in Potosí to quickly discover the downtown area of the imperial city. Free lunch.

We continue our journey towards Tupiza, where we arrive in the late afternoon.

First, we head to the Quebrada de Palala at 4200m. Discovery of large colorful vertical walls with views over the surrounding hills. On the way, we stop at the Sillar, a canyon carved by rain and wind. We wind through the depths of the Lipez, descend into a valley to a small village with its church half buried by mud. We climb back up to the heights, in a mining region with winding landscapes. As we descend into a valley, the landscape changes completely with the appearance of cacti.

The road continues along the flanks of the valley to reach a valley with ochre tones. We climb back up on the ridges passing through a small stone city. Arrival at the Samawa valley which concludes this unique day rich in colors.

We set off for a beautiful hike in the multicolored hills facing the village. We drive up the stream bed to reach the start of the hike. The morning light allows us to enjoy the flamboyant colors of this canyon reminiscent of Northwestern Argentina. We climb gently up to the mountain pass serving as a border with Argentina. From the pass, we can observe all the colored canyons below. Then our guide takes us on a short tour through the middle of the geological formations, before we descend along a valley containing gigantic rock pillars.

We take to the road again in early afternoon to cross landscapes with equally flamboyant colors. At the end of the day, we reach the village of Guadalupe.

In the morning, we travel on a trail that follows ridges to Ciudad Roma. This is undoubtedly one of the major and still little-known sites in the Lipez region. We discover the natural citadels, true rock columns several tens of meters high, created by erosion.

We continue on the road to the Thola Mayu site, an area scattered with enormous rock sculptures where imagination knows no bounds. Arrival in San Pablo de Lipez in late afternoon.

Head west to San Cristobal, a village that was relocated due to the arrival of a mining company. Discovery of the Valley of Rocks where erosion has created strange shapes several meters high. Some more notable than others, we can play at finding the resemblances! One of the rocks may have the shape of a football World Cup trophy or a camel.

Dinner and overnight stay at the Mallku Cueva ecolodge.

Our expedition of the day, in 4x4, will take us to discover the most beautiful Lagunas of the region. Journey to the Polques hot springs (4,000 m) where we have the opportunity to swim with beautiful views of the Laguna Chalviri. Along the way, discovery of the famous "Dali Desert" with its surreal landscapes in light ochre tones. Finally, we reach the Laguna Blanca and especially the Laguna Verde (4,300 m) with its emerald color and the Licancabur volcano in the background. We return by the same route before stopping at the "Sol de Mañana" site (4,850 m alt.), a sector characterized by numerous geysers, fumaroles and mud springs. Arrival at the Laguna Colorada which hosts many colonies of pink flamingos parading before our eyes.

Arrival at the Desert Hotel in late afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay.

Heading north via La Route des joyaux, a series of several magnificent lagoons (Honda, Ch'arkota, Hedionda and Cañapa) some of which are home to colonies of pink flamingos. This is the ideal time for a selfie with a flamingo! A short break is a must to admire the Ollaguë and Tomasamil volcanoes. We reach the Salar de Chiguana which closes out this beautiful day.

Arrival at Tayka de Piedra hotel in late afternoon. Dinner and overnight.

We are heading today towards the mythical Salar de Uyuni. On the way, visit to the small Galaxies Cave, a quite unique place… The Salar de Uyuni is for many the most beautiful salt desert in the world. Crossing this immense immaculate surface, one of the most striking experiences of this trip that we will remember for a long time. This paradise on earth with its infinitely white landscape is simply magical. An island in a sea of salt, the Incahuasi Island or Casa del Inca, is astonishing with its numerous cacti so tall that they seem to touch the sky.

Dinner and overnight stay in a lodge. Sunset over the Salar.

Our destination for the day is Sajama Park. We first follow the Salar to the village of Salinas then reach Quillacas, from where we drive along Lake Poopo. We pass through the village of Orinoca, birthplace of Evo Morales, Bolivie's first indigenous president in history. Along the way, we discover beautiful sand dunes on the shores of the almost dried-up Lake Poopo.

At Copacabanita, we head west towards Turco. Arrival at the Chullpas de Pumiri at 3960m. These are magnificent rock formations forming like a City of Stones. Short hike through the maze of rocks.

We're heading back to the Sajama Park. Night at the Tomarapi ecolodge.

In the morning, travel towards La Paz. Along the way, visit the chullpas (Caranga tombs) and the Church of Curahuara de Carangas.