10-Day Bolivia Highlights Tour with Uyuni, Wildlife and Lake Titicaca

• Our tour of Bolivia starts in the colonial city of La Paz.
• It attracts visitors because of its surrounding nature and its Old Town, which features buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
• One of today's highlights is Valle De Las Animas Canyon, located on the outskirts of town.
• Also note that the cable car rides are attractions in themselves, especially the green and yellow lines, offering an experience found almost nowhere else on Earth.

• Today we fly from La Paz to the town of Rurrenabaque.
• Then, we drive to a village called Santa Rosa.
• There, we take a wonderful boat ride along the Yacuma River, with our ecolodge as the destination.
• Welcome to Bolivia's wetlands, where the river cruises never cease to amaze.
• We spend much of the day searching for caimans, monkeys, a unique-looking rodent called capybaras, and numerous species of birds.
• Note that all meals are included by our ecolodge during our stay.

Before relocating to Rurrenabaque, we embrace what the area has to offer:

• Fishing
• Cruising alongside pink dolphins
• Searching for anacondas
• Seeing lots of beautiful wildlife

• Before relocating to the town of Uyuni via an overnight bus - don't worry, because the seats almost fully recline - we see the best La Paz has to offer:
  • Valle de la Luna (a.k.a. Moon Valley): surreal-looking rock formations
  • Plaza Murillo: home to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly (a.k.a. the parliament, which can be visited from the outside only) and the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace
  • Red cable car ride
  • Blue cable car ride
  • Plaza San Francisco: home to San Francisco Cathedral (the views from the top are great, but it is not always open to the public)

• We immediately start the 3-day Jeep safari tour. The first stop is the Train Cemetery, where we are provided with a guided tour.
• Next is a guided tour of the salt factory in the village of Colchani. Following this is lunch, which is included on today's tour.
• After our meal, we are taken to the salt flats. They are called Salar de Uyuni. It is the largest salt flat on Earth and was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes.
• We are first provided with a guided tour of some wells, getting an idea of how they work geologically. We then see salt piles that resemble cones.
• Following the salt piles is a visit to the old Salt Hotel, where we take a quick look at what is now a museum.
• Next is a site called Isla Incahuasi. There, we have enough time to take postcard-perfect photos of the salt flats.
• Lastly for today is the village of San Juan, where we lodge for the evening. Dinner is included on today's tour, around 8:30 pm.
• *Note that today's itinerary changes a bit during the wet season, which is January through March.

• The destinations for today are as follows:
  • Cañapa Lagoon
  • Hedionda Lagoon
  • Honda Lagoon
  • Siloli Desert
  • Laguna Colorada (a.k.a. Red Lagoon)
• Laguna Hedionda is notable for various migratory species of pink and white flamingos. Llamas and alpacas are also seen grazing in the area.
• Home to flamingos, Laguna Colorada is a shallow salt lake whose white color contrasts with the reddish color of its waters.
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and lodging are all included on today's tour.

• The destinations for today are as follows:
  • Geothermal field at Sol de Mañana
  • Termas de Polques hot springs (bring swimming attire and a towel!)
  • Salvador Dalí Desert
  • Laguna Verde (a.k.a. Green Lagoon)
  • The village of Villa Mar
• Sol de Mañana is a geothermal field characterized by intense volcanic activity. The sulfur springs field is full of lakes and steam pools filled with boiling mud.
• Known for its spectacular scenery, hot springs, where we go bathing, and flamingos, Laguna Verde is a salt lake home to minerals that render the color seen in the water.
• Breakfast is included on today's tour, around 7:30 am. Lunch is also included on today's tour, around 1:00 pm, specifically in Villa Mar. Following lunch is a visit to the Valley of the Rocks.
• Our last destination for today before taking an overnight land transfer back to La Paz is, again, Uyuni.

• We make a day trip from La Paz to a village called Copacabana. There, we visit a famous cathedral. Afterwards, we take a boat to Lake Titicaca's Sun Island.
• There, we are provided with a guided walking tour first to the Inca palace and then to the Inca stairway. Archaeologists have discovered evidence that people lived on this island as far back as the third millennium BC.
• Many hills on this island contain agricultural terraces, which adapt steep and rocky terrain to agriculture. There are approximately 800 families living on this island.
• This is the place to be if you want to immerse yourself in Bolivian culture.

• Today we make a day trip from La Paz to a very scenic mountain pass called La Cumbre. There, we start a car cruise along Yungas Road, a.k.a. "The World's Most Dangerous Road." It was once considered just that because of its steep slopes and narrow single track.
• A new alternative route was built during a 20-year period, ending in 2006. The modernization included enlarging the carriageway from one to two lanes, asphalt paving, bridges, drainage, guardrails, and the building of a new section between Chusquipata and Yolosa, bypassing the most dangerous sections of the original road.
• Later in the day, we take a biking tour in the same area, but further down the mountain. Photos and short video clips of our journey are provided to us complimentary and via email.
• Lunch is included on today's tour and is served at a hotel. There, we can also go swimming.

• Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in La Paz.
• Worth noting, not included in our tour of Bolivia are:
  1. The city of Sucre
  2. The mines of Potosi
  3. Amboró National Park
  4. Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
• However, upon request, Charlie The Traveler can fully arrange a visit to any of these destinations. The two parks, especially Noel Kempff Mercado, are difficult and expensive to reach.
• As for Sucre, while there are only a handful of worthwhile historic monuments to check out, a track site called Cal Orcko is arguably the city's main draw. Nine different morphotypes of REAL dinosaur tracks have been documented there.
• Not least is Potosi. This town was founded in 1546 after the discovery of the rich silver deposits in the Cerro Rico Mountains. It soon became one of the wealthiest and largest cities in the Americas. Some of the city's wealth from silver mining was used to build magnificent baroque churches and monasteries. The history of Potosí is still reflected in the narrow streets, colonial mansions, and the many churches. Potosi is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Nevertheless, the town itself is not charming by any means. The real reason to visit Potosi is for its silver mining tour. The mines of the Cerro Rico mountain are the richest in all of world history and may have produced 60,000 tons of silver back in the day. Some tourists enjoy this tour. Others get a bit sad after observing the miners' working conditions. These mines are more of a "special interest" type of attraction.