Tour itinerary
Day 1 Arrive La Paz
Accommodation: HotelArrive in La Paz at any time. There are no planned activities so check into our hotel and enjoy the city.Founded by Alonso de Mendoza in 1548, La Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de La Paz (the City of Our Lady of Peace) is the highest capital in the world. Although Sucre is the official capital, La Paz is the Bolivian centre of commerce, finance and industry, and the de facto capital. This is a busy modern city, with its centre at the base of a canyon 5 km (3 miles) wide and sprawling impromptu housing all the way up the surrounding hillsides. The city is at nearly 4000 m (13,120 ft) above sea level, so visitors should be prepared for cool evenings and mornings. Explore the city?s many fine museums or its historic ecclesiastical structures, such as the Iglesia de San Francisco, whose architectural details reflect the indigenous and mestizo heritage of modern Bolivia. The city is also renowned for its many markets, including the Mercado de Hechicería (Witches? Market), where Paceños and visitors may purchase potions and incantations made from all sorts of herbs, seeds, and secret ingredients to remedy any number of illnesses (real or imagined) and protect from evil spirits. With streets lined with market stalls and vendors, the pace on the street and the vibrant atmosphere is an incredible experience. There is also a thriving black market and a Carnaval market, where locals purchase carnival costumes. You?ll also find a wealth of shops selling all sorts of handicrafts, mainly alpaca wool products, silver jewellery, woven textiles and leather goods. Optional activities in La Paz include museums, excursions to Tiahuanaco ruins (cradle of Inca civilization), a tour of the Valley of the Moon, or a visit to the world?s highest ski resort, Chacaltaya (5600 m/18,368 ft). To the south of the city is the Valley of the Moon, with crater-like formations made of sand.
Day 2-5 Uyuni/Salt Lakes Excursion (3B, 3L, 2D)
Accommodation: Hotel (2 nts), Basic Multi-share (2 nts)Travel to Uyuni and spend the next three days exploring the stunning landscapes between the Salar de Uyuni and Chile?s Atacama Desert by four-wheel-drive vehicle. Piercing blue skies contrast with blinding white salt as you drive across the flat lakebed. The area?s unusual landscape of mountains, active volcanoes, and geysers is like nowhere on earth.Despite its isolation and challenging climate (cold and blustery most of the year), Uyuni has earned the nickname of Hija Predilecta de Bolivia (Bolivia?s Favourite Daughter). Most of its hardy residents are either public sector workers or salt miners in the dried out lake beds, with tour operators a close third. The main attraction in town is the Train Cemetery, a collection of rusting railway relics just southwest of the present train station. Uyuni is the starting point for our 3-night excursion through the spectacular Salar de Uyuni. Twice submerged by a large high-altitude lake, the salt flats now cover a total area of over 12000 square km (7440 square miles) and today serve as one of the country?s main salt mining centres. The last large lake dried up about 8000 years ago, leaving the small lakes of Poopó and Ururu, as well as the salt flats of Uyuni. Absorb stunning views of the salt-encrusted lake-bed surrounded by golden-hued mountains, snow-capped peaks and an endless azure horizon that will forever engrave itself in your memory. The tour takes us through Laguna Colorada (4278 m/14,031 ft), a large red lagoon whose colour is the result of algae & plankton growth in the mineral-rich waters, and Laguna Verde (5000 m/16400 ft), a lake that owes its striking blue-green colour to high concentrations of lead, sulphur, copper and other minerals. The numerous geysers, boiling mud pools, thermal baths and Licancabúr volcano (5960 m/19549 ft), which looms just behind the lagoon, are clear evidence of the region?s volcanic activity. Surprisingly, both wildlife and flora manage to survive and even thrive in the desolate landscape, including vizcachas (of the rodent family), flamingos (3 varieties), and assorted varieties of cacti.Return to Uyuni to spend the night before embarking on our journey to Potosí.
Day 6 Potosí
Accommodation: HotelA travel day north takes us to Potosí.Sitting at 4070m (13,350 ft), Potosí is the highest city of its size on earth. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 in recognition of its tragic history as a silver mining centre during the time of Spanish colonization. Potosí provided a large share of the silver mined and shipped back to Spain until the early 1800s, when both the supply of silver and world market prices began to decline; it?s said the silver taken out of Cerro Rico (rich hill) propped up the Spanish empire for over 300 years.Working conditions for miners were appalling, and the indigenous population was decimated. African slaves were brought in to replace the native workers, and it is estimated that as many as eight million indigenous people and Africans died in the mines during the first three centuries of Spanish colonial rule. Though sometimes distressing and uncomfortable because of the harsh working conditions, the optional trip underground into the mines of today is an experience that should not be missed.Continue on to Sucre
Day 7-9 Sucre
Accommodation: Hotel (3 nts)Travel a relatively short distance to the beautiful city of Sucre. Often referred to as Bolivia?s White City, the country?s official capital, Sucre, is situated at nearly 2800m (9184 ft) above sea level, offering its visitors and inhabitants a more moderate, comfortable climate than many of Bolivia?s cities at higher elevations. Before the conquest, military, religious and political leaders of the local indigenous population made their homes on the present day city site. Later, the city became the headquarters for the Spanish Royal Court, which by the late 1700s ruled over colonial Paraguay, parts of Peru, Argentina, Chile, and most of Bolivia. In 1825, in the wake of the Latin American independence movement, the city was renamed Sucre after Simon Bolívar?s second-in-command, General Antonio Jose de Sucre. The city?s fine museums, colonial buildings and ties to the independence movement make it a city of great historical interest. Optional activities include a visit to dinosaur footprints, an old tin baron?s mansion, a textile cooperative, mountain biking and hiking.
Day 11-12 Santa Cruz
Accommodation: HotelContinue our journey to Santa Cruz, located close to the Cordillera Oriental foothills. Once a backwater frontier town, it has now grown into Bolivia?s second largest city. Spend a free day here exploring the city's sights, or take an optional excursion outside of the city before getting ready to head east into Brazil.
Day 12-13 Chochís (2B,1L, 2D)
Accommodation: Camping (2 nts)We stop for a night of camping near the small town of San José de Chiquitos. A little more than half of the distance between Santa Cruz and the Brazilian border, this popular travel stop is known for its Jesuit Mission and as a gateway to the area's two National Parks.
Day 14 Corumbá
Accommodation: Hotel Today we travel to the border town of Corumbá. Although there is not much to see in town this stop gives us the opportunity to rest up before hitting the Pantanal the following day and seeing how many animals we can add to our list.
Day 15-17 Pantanal (2B,3L,2D)
Accommodation: Basic Multi-share/HammocksVenturing further east, cross the border into Brazil, and later arrive at the world-famous and biologically diverse Pantanal.Less well known outside of Brazil and South America, the Pantanal, a largely flat, wetland area about half the size of France, is still one of the best places in the continent for observing wildlife. This vast alluvial plain, seasonally flooded by the Paraguay River from October to March, is all that remains from an ancient inland sea which began to dry out 65 million years ago. Today it is an area rich in bird life such as macaws and Jabiru storks. With luck and appropriate weather you may spot capivara (capybara), howler monkeys, caiman, giant river otters, anacondas, anteaters and gauchos also known as the Brazilian cowboy.The area is sparsely populated and what few roads exist are in poor condition. Most people use small airplanes, 4-wheel-drive vehicles and motorized canoes to get around, so expect some rough travel and more rustic accommodations while visiting the area. The area?s Transpanteneira, an elevated dirt road, which extends 145km?s (91 miles) from outside Pocone to Porto Jofre, becomes an island during the wet season. We take a two-day wildlife excursion to fully appreciate the area?s beauty and bounty.Unfortunately, as in other areas, poachers continue to do damage, and official government resources to protect the zone are scarce. This, combined with corrupt officials and a lack of commitment on the part of the government, have resulted in widespread poaching; latest estimates indicate that anywhere from half a million to two million animals are killed annually in the Pantanal.
Day 18-19 Bonito
Accommodation: CampingArrive in Bonito for a refreshing optional swim and two nights of camping.Bonito, as the name (?beautiful?) implies, is a great place for nature lovers. Just outside the Pantanal area, this is water and jungle country with abundant colourful fish in the area?s crystalline rivers. Explore nearby underwater caves and waterfalls, go rafting or snorkelling, or simply spend a lazy day by the river.
Day 20-22 Iguassu Falls
Accommodation: HotelA long travel day through the vast cattle ranches of Mato Grosso do Sul en route to the magnificent Iguassu Falls. Sit back and soak in the stunning beauty and raw power that is Iguassu, or take a boat tour directly into the spray of the falls.At Iguassu there are 275 individual falls in all, spread over a 3-km (almost 2 mile) area. Some are over 80m (2642 ft) in height, making these cataracts both wider than Victoria Falls and higher than Niagara! UNESCO declared the region an International Heritage Area in 1986.The falls were originally ?discovered? by the Spaniard Juan Alvar Nuñez in 1541, when he named the falls Saltos de Santa María; the name we use today means ?great waters? in the Tupi-Guarani tongue.Film buffs know Iguassu as the site of several scenes from ?The Mission,? and not far from the falls, the ruins of the Jesuit missions of the era can still be visited on a day trip. Also of interest is Itaipú, the largest hydroelectric complex in the world. Guided tours of the complex are available several times a day. The best time of the year to view the falls is from August to November, as during rainy season flooding often prevents closer viewing from the catwalks.
Day 23-27 Curitiba/Paraty
Accommodation: Hotel (2 nts) Camping (3 nts)A young, well-managed and vibrant city, Curitiba is the capital of the State of Paraná. It was once a major thoroughfare for Gauchos (the Brazilian equivalent of the cowboy) and their cattle; today its modern economy is centred on coffee culture. The city has a large university student population, and it is a youthful, energetic place. One of Brazil's urban success stories, the city has grown tenfold in the last 40 years and now has a million people, yet it has managed to modernize in a sane manner. Historic buildings have been preserved, a handful of streets have been closed to cars and there are many parks, gardens and wide boulevards.From Curitiba we head east to Paraty an architectural gem famous for its churches. Located in the Bay of Paraty there are endless hidden beaches and an optional boat ride is a great way to explore some of them.
Day 28 Rio de Janeiro
Accommodation: Hotel"God made the world in six days, the seventh he devoted to Rio," so say the Cariocas, residents of this beautiful city. This is a densely packed city of over 9 million inhabitants, whose economic foundations lie in the cultivation of sugar cane and in gold mining. Referred to as a ?cidade maravilhosa? (Marvellous City), few cities enjoy such a dramatic setting as Rio. Brilliant, white beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema, deep blue waters of the Atlantic, the luminescent green of Guanabara Bay, the bare blue slopes of the Sugar Loaf combine to make Rio unique. Standing over it all, atop Corcovado, is the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer, the best place from which to appreciate the city. From the top of the Pao do Açucar (Sugar Loaf), reached by cable car, superb panoramic views of the city and area unfold. Head to some of the famous beaches, and prepare yourself for an experience unlike anything else on Earth.Although the Portuguese first sailed and entered the bay, it was the French who first established a settlement in the area, logging Brazil wood along the coast. Their first permanent settlement lasted a brief five years, when they were attacked and driven from the area by the encroaching Portuguese. A series of skirmishes ensued, with the Tomaio people allied with the French against the Portuguese.In 1567 the Portuguese began construction of a fortified town to repel any invaders, naming it Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro. Amassing wealth with the gold rush of Minas Gerais, in the early 18th century, Rio became Brazil?s most important city and a great temptation to the French who, in 1710, waged war against the Portuguese and held the city for a sizeable gold ransom. Again in the 19th century, under threat of Napoleon?s invasion, what remained of the Portuguese monarchy fled to Brazil where they set up court in grand style; many of today?s older structures date from this period.The gold rush was followed by a coffee boom in the mid-1800s and the wealth generated led to the city?s initial modernization. Replacing Salvador de Bahia as the colonial capital in 1763, the city remained the capital until 1960, when it was replaced by Brasilia. Today, the city is a magnet for tourists who come to walk the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, and generally partake in the Carioca zest for life. Many ascend the Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao do Açucar), whose image is nearly synonymous with Rio and Carnival. But modern Rio is perhaps best known for the contrasting images offered by the favelhas (shanty towns), and the glitz and glamour preferred by the Samba schools and their Carnival celebrations.
Day 29 Depart Rio de Janeiro