Day 2 - With our private driver to the village of Samaipata

In the morning of the second day of the individual tour Bolivia you will be picked up by our private driver Javier for the transfer to Samaipata. This is a drive of over 2 hours. You will see the landscape change quickly. Once you are out of the city you will pass vast farm fields and soon after that you will travel through the hills.

The pleasant town of Samaipata, at an altitude of 1650 meters, is located in the department of Santa Cruz, about 100 kilometers west of the city of Santa Cruz. Due to its altitude, the climate is more pleasant than in the city of Santa Cruz and that is why Samaipata is a popular resort for the inhabitants of that city. Samaipata is small and has several colonial buildings. Local and international tourism have made the city one of the few 'booming' cities in the area. Samaipata is close to the National Park of Amboro. From the town you can take several interesting excursions.

Tip: Between Santa Cruz and Samaipata lies the very beautiful, small-scale ecolodge Refugio los Volcanes. As far as we are concerned, this is the perfect place to start your individual tour in Bolivia after a long flight.

Day 3 & 4 - Two free days in Samaipata at Amboro National Park

Around Samaipata there are many fun excursions to make in nature. We are happy to help you find a suitable excursion for your individual tour in Bolivia.

Day 5 - Domestic flight to Sucre

In the morning our driver will take you back to Santa Cruz. In the early afternoon you will take the domestic flight to Sucre.
Do not plan too many activities on the first day in Sucre of your individual tour in Bolivia. The city is at a good altitude to get used to the altitude. However, it is wise to let your body get used to the altitude and to take it easy.

Day 6 & 7 - Two free days in beautiful colonial Sucre

Two free days in Sucre during your individual tour in Bolivia. The city is located in the south of the country at an altitude of 2800 meters. Most colonial buildings in the center are white and that is why the city has the nickname 'the White City'. With its narrow streets, Sucre looks very much like a colonial, Spanish city. The Andalusian culture has had a great influence on many of the houses and churches in the city through the architecture.
Thanks to the well-preserved center from the 18th and 19th century, the city attracts many tourists every year.

Sucre is a city between a large number of villages from the colonial period. Tarabuco is the most famous place and every Sunday there is a large market where you can buy beautiful rugs, souvenirs, etc. made by the locals from the area.

There are a number of beautiful churches and museums to visit in Sucre. Places to visit include el Monasterio (monastery) la Recoletta and la Casa de la Libertad, the place where the declaration of independence for Bolivia was signed.

In the center you will see a number of nice markets, where the locals do most of their shopping. There are also many cheap eateries on the market where you will see many locals having breakfast or lunch. Treat yourself to a delicious jugo (fruit juice) that is prepared for you on the spot or a tamale, a savory, steamed corn dough roll, wrapped in a corn leaf.

Day 8 - By bus to Potosi

In the morning you will travel to the city of Potosi, a journey of over 2 hours. The city is on the UNESCO lists because of its colonial buildings and impressive history. The city dwellers say that they are the highest city in the world. The city is located at the foot of the Cerro de Potosi, also called the Cerro Rico (the Rich Mountain), where a lot of silver used to be mined. The city itself is located at an altitude of 4100 meters.

If you are not too claustrophobic, you could consider visiting the mines with a local guide (often a former miner himself). We often hear that the excursion in the mines made a great impression. On the one hand, you meet miners who are proud of their work. On the other hand, you experience the hard life of those same miners who often do not grow old.

An interesting museum near the central square of Potosi is la Casa Real de la Moneda (House of the Mint). Here you get a good idea of ​​how the city flourished in colonial times.

Day 9 - By bus to Uyuni

Today you will travel by bus from Potosi to Uyuni, a journey of approximately 4 hours. The journey between these 2 cities is so beautiful that traveling with a private driver, so that you can stop where you want, is worth considering. On this route you will travel along desolate plains, but you will also pass red sandstone hills, babbling rivers and through small rural villages.

Uyuni as a city is not really worth it, but it is located on the edge of the largest salt flat in the world. Due to tourism, there are a number of good restaurants in Uyuni. In Uyuni, we always go to 'the Minuteman', founded by the 'Yankee' Chris and his Bolivian wife Suzie. Here you can eat the best pizzas in all of Bolivia. You have to be a bit crazy to settle in Uyuni as a foreigner...

Day 10 - Start of the three-day tour at Uyuni and visit to the salt flats

Today you will start with perhaps the highlight of the individual tour in Bolivia, namely the three-day tour on and at the Salt Flats of Uyuni. Together with your driver and 6 passengers you will share a jeep. Halfway through the morning you will leave Uyuni. First you will visit the village of Colchani, on the edge of the salt flats, by jeep. The inhabitants of this village are completely dependent on the production of salt. Here you can get a demonstration of how kitchen salt is made. You can also buy souvenirs made of salt here.

Your driver will then drive onto the salt flats and stop at the salt hotel (made entirely of salt) and the 'island' of Incahuasi. Incahuasi is not a real island, but a large, large rock formation that protrudes above the Salar (salt flat). On this 'island' you can take a walk between the volcanic rocks and gigantic cacti. Your driver has prepared a lunch for you that you can eat on the island. After this visit you will drive another hour in the jeep over the Salar. On the way you will visit the caves Cueva del Diablo and Galaxia Cristal. You will spend the night in a local hostal, on the edge of the salt flats, in the village of San Pedro de Queméz or San Juan.

Day 11 - Second day of the tour and visit to beautiful volcanoes, lakes and rock formations

Today you will drive along the volcano Ollagüe in Chiguana. Then you will travel to the Laguna Hedionda, also called the 'stinking lagoon' because it contains a lot of sulfur. Flamingos and other birds live at the lagoon. After this you will go to the Siloli desert where you will visit the rock formation of el Arbol de Piedra (the stone tree). You will end this day at the Laguna Colorada (colored lagoon) where you will spend the night in a simple lodge.

Day 12 - Third and final day of the tour and visit to colorful lakes, geysers and the train graveyard

To enjoy the sunrise at Laguna Colorado, you will leave early in the morning. You will visit Laguna Verde (green lagoon), the Licancabur volcano and geysers. It is also possible to take a bath in the natural hot springs.
On the way back you will visit Valle de las Rocas, the town of Culpina and the Cementerio de Trenes, a cemetery with disused trains. At the end of the afternoon you will arrive back in the town of Uyuni.
In the evening you will travel by night bus from the town of Uyuni to La Paz.

NB: For an additional charge it is also possible to fly between Uyuni and La Paz.

Day 13 & 14 - Two free days in La Paz, the highest capital in the world

In the morning you will arrive in La Paz, which is also known as the highest capital in the world. This is not actually true because Sucre is the capital of Bolivia. The government is located in La Paz. La Paz is located at an altitude of 3600 meters, but you should have gotten used to the altitude by now. The center of La Paz is walkable. Tips for visiting La Paz are the colonial district with its museums, the Witches Market, the Coca Museum and the central square with its cathedral and government palace.

Tips:
– We have heard from our travelers several times that they enjoyed a city tour in La Paz with an English-speaking, local guide during their tour in Bolivia. At your hotel they can tell you more about where and when the tours start. You go to this place, join the group and let the guide show you around. You then decide for yourself how much tip you pay the guide. The tour itself is free.
– In La Paz, cable cars have been built between the lower part of the city where the center is located and the higher part 'el Alto'. From the cable car you have beautiful views over the city and you can see how the inhabitants of La Paz live.

Day 15 - By bus to Copacabana

In the morning you will depart by bus across the plateau of La Paz to Copacabana, the lovely town on Lake Titicaca. The bus journey takes about 4 hours and also runs along Lake Titicaca for a large part. Because Copacabana is located on a peninsula completely surrounded by the mainland of Peru, you will also take a ferry for a part of this journey. On this part of Lake Titicaca you will see a number of boats of the Bolivian navy. Despite the fact that Bolivia does not (anymore) border the sea, they still have a naval fleet! In the afternoon you are free in Copacabana. Copacanana has a beautiful cathedral to visit and a tip is a walk to 'Cerro Calvario'. This hill is worth climbing just for the beautiful view of the town, the bay and Lake Titicaca.

Day 16 - Day trip to Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca

In the morning you will be picked up for the boat trip to Isla del Sol (the Island of the Sun). From the port of Copacabana you will depart to the northern part of the island. The boat trip takes about 3 hours. On the north side of the island there are ruins from the pre-Inca and Inca period that you can visit. Then you can take the boat or walk to Yumani on the south side of the island. By boat it takes about half an hour and by foot about 2 hours to get to Yumani. The walk is recommended: along the way you have beautiful views of Lake Titicaca and the snow-capped peaks of the Andes in the distance. In Yumani you descend the Inca stairs to get to the harbor where the boat to Copacabana leaves again in the afternoon.

Overnight
stay on Isla del Sol If you want to take it easy and spend more time on Isla del Sol, you can also choose to spend a night on this island and take the boat back to Copacabana the next morning. That same afternoon you can take the bus back to La Paz.

Day 17 - Back to La Paz by bus

Halfway through the morning you will return to La Paz by bus.

Empanadas
Try an empanada. In La Paz, on almost every street corner you will find a shop or restaurant that sells empanadas, a pastry filled with carne (meat), pollo (chicken) or verduras (vegetables only).

Day 18 - Return flight home

In the morning you will depart from La Paz airport for your return flight home and your individual tour in Bolivia ends.