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Journey from Uyuni - 15 days Potosi to San Pedro de Atacama plus La Paz, Sucre & Potosi in Bolivia & Valparaiso in Chile

This journey passes through beautiful and solitary altiplano landscapes, with the highlight being the Salar de Uyuni, the largest saline desert in the world.  

ITINERARY (Subject to change without notice):

Day 1 - Depart Miami: Evening departure on overnight flight to Bolivia.

Day 2 - Arrive La Paz: Morning arrival in La Paz, acting capital of Bolivia. Meeting upon arrival and transfer to the Hotel Presidente in the heart of the city for two night stay. Balance of the morning at leisure to adjust to the 12,000 feet altitude. Afternoon visit to the main points of interest in La Paz. Lying in a natural basin protected from the harsh winds, 21,000 ft high snow-capped Mount Illimani provides a spectacular backdrop to the city. Modern skyscrapers dot the city, offering contrasts to the more typical Spanish colonial, red-tiled roof buildings. Main points of interest in the city include the San Francisco Church, built in 1549 with an interesting combination of baroque Spanish and native craftsmanship; the Museo Tiwanaku; and nearby Moon Valley with natural moon-like landscapes. (B)

Day 3 - La Paz: Today you will enjoy a full day excursion on Lake Tititcaca, highest navigable lake on earth. Drive from La Paz one hour to the lake and then board your hydrofoil and "fly" across the lake with scenic vistas of the Royal Mountain Range, through Tiquina Strait to the town of Copacabana where you will visit the church with Patron Saint of the Lake and have lunch before reboarding your hydrofoil for "flight" to Sun Island, legendary birthplace of the Inca. Walk up ancient Inca steps, visit the Fountain of Youth and have spectacular views of Moon Island and the lake. Afternoon return to La Paz. (B/L)

Day 4 - La Paz-Sucre: Morning transfer to the airport for short flight over the snow capped Andes to Sucre, the official and legislative capital of Bolivia, at an altitude of 9,000 feeet. Upon arrival, meeting and transfer to the Hostel Su Merced, in the heart of historic Sucre. Afternoon visit to the main points of interest in Sucre, a colonial treasure house with many excellent museums and churches. (B)

Day 5 - Sucre - Potosi: Morning departure for drive up onto the altiplano to Potosi, considered to be one of the highest towns on earth at 13,410 feet altitude. It is a historic and charming town at the base of Cerro de Potosi with 15,827 feet height. Legend says enough solver was mined for Cerro de Potosi to build a bridge of silver to the old world and carry enough silver over it to make Spain very wealthy. You'll visit the most important places of interest including the Mint and convent. Your hotel for the night is the Santa Teresa Hotel. (B)

Day 6 - Potosi-Uyuni-Tahua "camp": Explora travesias staff will pick you up this morning for the 4-hour trip to the Uyuni village. There we will walk through a market and other attractions in the area.
Later, we will visit the Salar de Uyuni, whose surface measures 10 square kms and is located at 3,665 meters above sea level, the largest and highest salt flat in the world. Surrounded by absolute silence and solitude, we advance toward this mythical salt lake. We can take walks on the surface and later climb a hill on the highest island on the Salar, where we will have a panoramic view. We will then continue our journey until we arrive at Tahua, a small village on the shore of the Salar, where we will find our first camp, close to 3,300 meters above sea level. (B/L/D)

Day 7 - Around the Tunupa Volcano:
We begin our walk early, about 3 to 4 hours toward the base of the Tunupa volcano, at 5,432 meters in altitude. At this point there exists the alternative of visiting numerous sites of interest in the surrounding area, or climbing to the peak of Tunupa to enjoy sweeping views, the latter of which implies extra time.  In the late afternoon, we will visit small villages on the shore of the Salar: Tahua, Coquesa and Jirira. We then return to have dinner and sleep at the same Tahua camp. (B/L/D)

Day 8: Tahua to Chituca "camp":
In the morning we leave the Tahua camp and continue our journey through the Bolivian altiplano. Throughout the morning we will take walks to visit strange geologic formations and archeological artifacts in caves.Lunch is at Chituca, our second camp located at 3,750 meters above sea level. In the afternoon, we can walk around the camp’s surroundings to appreciate the region’s terraced cultivations and unique cactus forest. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Chituca to Cañapa "camp":
At dawn we leave Chituca and begin our journey to Cañapa, then walk along the beautiful Turquiri Lake where we will have lunch.  In the afternoon we continue the travesía to Cañapa, our third and highest camp located at 4,300 meters above sea level, where we will sleep this night. If there is enough light, we can take a walk to see flamingos and vicuñas. (B/L/D)

Day 10: Cross over to Chile - Canapa to San Pedre de Atacama:
Early in the morning we will begin a walk to a series of salt flats, wetlands and lakes, the highlight being the Colorada Lake, an ideal place to see flamingoes. We then pass through the geothermal area Sol de Mañana, at 4,700 meters above sea level, and then arrive at the Hito Cajón, in the extreme southeast corner of Bolivia. (B/L/D)

We then cross into Chile, arriving in the late afternoon into the heart of the Atacama Desert to the town of San Pedro de Atacama for four night stay at the new Explora en Atacama. (B/L/D)

During your stay you will enjoy all meals, an open bar and a daily menu of activities and excursions, including horseback riding, biking, hiking, and visits to main points of interest in the area such as the Salt Flats, the geysers and the town of San Pedro de Atacama. Click here for a complete list of excursions and activities.

Day 11 - San Pedro de Atacama: Today you will choose from the menu of excursions as offered by Explora. (B/L/D)

Day 12 - San Pedro de Atacama: Again today you can choose from the menu of excursions as offered by Explora. (B/L/D)

Day 13 - San Pedro de Atacama: One last day to explore the area Explora style. (B/L/D)

Day 14 - San Pedro de Atacama - Calam - Santiago: Morning transfer to the airport for flight south to Santiago. Meeting upon arrival and immediate departure towards the Pacific coast to the twin cities of Vina del Mar and Valaparaiso. Visit Valparaiso, a UNESCO World Heritgage Site sitting atop 45 hills and along a narrow ribbon of land between the hills and the Pacific. It's charming, historic and filled with shops, restaurants and nightlife. Enjoy a guided visit to the most important places and then drop off at your hotel, Hotel ZERO for ovenight. (B)

Day 15 - Depart Santiago: Day at leisure to explore this charming area at your own pace. You ca also make a visit to the sister city and well k nown sea side resort, Vina del Mar. Your room is only paid until normal check-out time, generally 12 noon. IN the late afternoon your private vehicle and guide will pick you up for the return transfer back to the Santiago airport for your overnight foight to the US. (B)

Day 16 - Arrive USA: Arrive the USA in the morning, clear immigrations and customs and make connections to your home city.

RATES and DETAILS: