Discovery Journey Through Bolivia, Chile & Peru

Joining the tour in Santiago today, our intention this afternoon is to take an orientation tour of the city. One of the most scenic destinations in South America, Santiago lies in the imposing shadow of the majestic Andes, and the old part of the city, around the Alameda, contains a dazzling array of fine buildings, statues and gardens, including the impressive Presidential Palace and the monastery of San Francisco. We aim to take in the Government Palace of La Moneda during our tour, as well as the cultural and literal heart of both the city and the country, the Plaza de Armas. The city is filled with museums to its colonial and pre-Columbian past and in the lively and eclectic Bellavista district we can find the unusual house of the famous Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda (optional visit), just one the many artists and writers who made this charming city their home. We also plan to visit San Cristobal hill to enjoy spectacular views out over the city.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today has been left free to explore some more of the city, to wander its streets and parks and perhaps the vineyards that lie on the outskirts of the city. The Maipo Valley is considered by many to be the best winegrowing region in the country. Certainly the oldest, it is renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon and a tour of the vineyards, lying in the shadow of the magnificent Andes is the perfect combination of sensory delights. Alternatively there is the option of a trip to the nearby city of Valparaiso, Chile’s cultural capital. Once a colonial port linking trade with neighbouring Peru, the city suffered numerous raids at the hands of pirates, including Sir Francis Drake. Reaching the height of its prosperity during the 19th century it finally fell into decline with the onset of the steam age and the opening of the Panama Canal. Much of its colonial past has been destroyed by a number of powerful earthquakes over the years, but the city stills retains some of the grandeur of its halcyon days and its hills are dotted with the remnants of its glorious past. The city today is a major port and its surrounding hills, a natural amphitheatre covered in colourful houses and mansions, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Flying to Calama early this morning we transfer by bus to the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, set high among the spectacular volcanoes of Los Andes Cordillera and our gateway to the dramatic landscapes of the Atacama Desert. Arriving later this morning there will be time to relax, or perhaps take an optional visit to the impressive archaeological museum, containing the collection of artefacts assembled by Padre Gustave Paige, a Belgian missionary who spent some 25 years here during the later years of the last century. This afternoon we will take a walk amongst the dunes of the nearby Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), a nature reserve to the west of the town, where the surreal landscape has been formed by the erosion of the salt mountains, and where we intend to watch the setting sun cast its golden glow across the spectacular landscape before returning by bus back to San Pedro. We have the opportunity this evening to visit the Space Observatory. The dryness of the air and the altitude of the Atacama make it the perfect place to have clear views of the night sky and at the Space Observatory we can visit one of the most powerful telescopes in South America.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Before the arrival of the Spanish San Pedro was the centre of the Atacama culture, and its dusty streets and evocative setting still exudes an air of times long past. An early departure by bus this morning sees us heading through the desert landscapes of the remarkable Atacama, one of the most barren and dramatic natural features in the entire country. Our destination is the remarkable El Tatio Springs, a geothermal field of spouting geysers and steaming fumaroles surrounded by a vista of volcanic mountains. Arriving in time for the sunrise affords us an opportunity to witness these active geysers erupting in the golden light of the rising sun. Returning to San Pedro via the volcanic landscapes we then have the rest of the day free to enjoy at our leisure. One possible option for this afternoon is to take a visit out to the extensive salt flats of the Salar de Atacama, at 300,000 hectares the third largest area of salt flats on the planet. Rich in minerals, the lake is home to flocks of pink flamingos during the winter months and the air out here is so dry that the views across the Salar have to be seen to be believed.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Driving to the Bolivian border at Hito Cajon today we will meet with our new transport and cross the expansive landscapes of the altiplano by 4WD. Our journey takes in the windswept views and spectacular waters of Laguna Verde, lying before the imposing slopes of the Lincancabur Volcano (5960m). It is said that the winds change the lake’s colour, from a deep azure to a vivid turquoise as it whips across the rippling surface. From here we continue past Challviri Lagoon, onto the amazing blood-red depths of Laguna Colorada, home to rare James flamingos who feed on the rich red algae that cover the lake. Travelling across the surreal and tortured lands of the high altitude plains of the Siloli Desert we then head for Villamar, our destination for the night.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we travel via Ollague Volcano and San Juan into a desolate wilderness of scrubby wasteland. Salt deserts add to the barrenness, but pockets of cultivation and settlements within this seemingly inhospitable land stand out like oases. The landscape is surreal in the extreme, the bright blue of the skies contrasting sharply with the blinding white salt crust. Flamingos inhabit the shoreline and subterranean rivers flowing underneath the Salar form breathing holes, whilst the snow-capped peak of Volcan Tunupa (5400m) looms far in the distance. Crossing the salt flats we then head for Incahuasi Island, where we find an expanse of huge cacti occupying an isolated island in the heart of the Salar de Uyuni. The island once lay beneath the lake that covered this area some 40,000 years ago and all around are scattered rocks that look like ancient coral beds. The cacti themselves have been here for millennia and some tower some 6 metres above the floor of the plains, no mean feat given that it is estimated that they only grow one centimetre a year! We journey via the petrified pre-Columbian mummies of Coquesa, a sacred site that occupies a small canyon at the base of Tunupa. Continuing East we move on to Colchani, driving across the desert pans to visit a salt works, where villagers have sent piles of salt to be ground and iodised before being sold. The small village marks the extreme edge of the salt pans. Tonight we stay in Palacio de Sal, a hotel made out of salt, a truly unique experience.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our adventure continues across the mineral rich highlands of southern Bolivia today as we head for the UNESCO Heritage town of Potosi.This trip starts in Colchani and passes through Uyuni, to enter through branches of the Andes Range, pass through Pulacayo, a main tin mining center. The views on the road are great, with lots of colors and formations done by the erosion, as well as remote villages, whose people are dedicated to basic agriculture. Reaching Potosi lying beneath the towering peak of Cerro Rico, at a lofty 4090m above sea level, it is considered the highest city of its size anywhere on earth.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The Spanish were attracted to these high terrains by the promise of abundant deposits of silver and zinc and during the early years of the 17th century the town itself was the largest in the region, producing over half the silver found in the Americas. The pink conical slopes of the mountain are peppered with old mines and one Spanish writer once described it as ‘the mouth of hell’. Conditions even today are still very basic, with all the work being done by hand and with the most primitive of tools. However, as it is a cooperative and the miners can work what hours they want and sell what they extract to the cooperative at the market price. Potosi itself is considered one of Bolivia’s finest historical monuments, a city littered with ornate mansions and glorious churches, filled with a glittering array of baroque interiors. This morning we take a tour of this beguiling city, its architecture accentuated by the bright clear light that bathes the landscape, made even more intense by its high altitude. An interesting overview of the city’s varied past can be found in the Casa de Moneda, the original royal mint built in the mid-1700’s, which now houses a variety of displays, from wooden colonial-era minting machines and religious art, to Tiahuanaco artefacts and Bolivian war relics. It even has the country’s first locomotive. If we have enough time we will also take in the Santa Teresa Museum and some of the city’s beautiful colonial churches. This afternoon we depart for Sucre by local bus.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

A UNESCO Heritage site, the Bolivian capital is a spectacular surviving example of colonial grandeur, with a number of beautifully preserved churches that reflect a distinctive mix of local and European influences. Unofficially known as ‘the city of four names’, Sucre was originally known as La Plata, until new territorial divisions in 1776 saw it changed to Chuquisaca. In the mid-1800s its name was changed once more, this time to its present incarnation, in honour of the first president of the country, Antonio Jose de Sucre. Its final moniker has more to do with the whitewashed walls of its central buildings which, repainted every year, have earned the city the name of La Ciudad Blanca - the white city. This morning we will take a tour of its cultural heart, affording us a little taster of its colonial charm. The 17th century cathedral in the centre of town contains the stunning jewel encrusted ‘Virgen do Guadalupe’ by Bernardo Bitti, an artist who studied under Raphael and went on to become the first great painter of the new world. We’ll also take in the Museo de la Recoleta, which once served as a Franciscan convent, a barracks and a prison and now contains a vast collection of paintings that span some four centuries. The rest of the day is free to continue exploring at your leisure. Bolivia’s most attractive city presents a captivating setting to wander through at will. Its large plazas and elegant facades offer an enchanting backdrop, and a walk along its tree-lined streets unearths a rich heritage and a unique insight into its rich history. As well as its rich past, Sucre has also embraced the future of the country and is renowned as being the country’s student capital, investing it with a youthful and relaxed atmosphere that makes it a true pleasure to explore.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Leaving Sucre we fly this morning to the lofty heights of La Paz. Standing at 3636m above sea level (higher even than Lhasa in Tibet), La Paz is cupped in the palm of two magnificent mountains and surrounded by the high Altiplano. Its poetic moniker of 'the city that touches the sky' is well earned. Located on the La Paz River, the city was founded by the Spanish in 1548 and its strategic location along the trade routes between the Bolivian silver mines and the ocean helped it to flourish and grow. Today La Paz is the largest city in Bolivia and its administrative capital, making it the highest seat of government on the planet. We will take a tour of the city, enjoying the delights of its vibrant street markets and the captivating grandeur of the church of San Francisco. We’ll also take in the pre-Columbian gold and silver artefacts in the Museo del Oro and the fascinating exhibits in the Casa de Pedro Domingo Murillo. Murillo was a martyr of the revolution of 1809 who was hanged in the square that today bears his name and his museum presents us with a rich collection of furniture, textile and artwork that perfectly captures the history of those colonial times. We will have one free day for optional excursions.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

From La Paz we head towards the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca by public bus, at 3810m it is the highest navigable lake in the world and the second largest in South America, after Maracaibo. An immense body of water it covers over 8000 sq km, plummeting to depths of 300m and its shoreline has been the home to the Aymara and Quechua for millennia. The sacred waters of the lake have long been a site of religious ritual and devotion, from the earliest civilisations in the Americas, to the Inca conquerors who believed the lake to be the site where the Children of the Sun, the legendary founders of the Inca dynasty, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, arrived on earth. Our journey takes us to the town of Copacabana; a place of mystic reverence since the times of the Tiwanaku and which today holds favour with thousands of Christian pilgrims. From here we take a boat out to the Isla del Sol, landing near the Pilkokaina ruins and soaking up the mystical ambience of an island steeped in the legends of the ancient Inca. From here we walk up to our eco lodge (approx. 200m ascent +1-1.5 hrs of walking at high altitude), where we will be spending the night.

Overnight Standard Lodge Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The Isla del Sol is the largest of the islands that lie dotted around this spectacular lake, lying just off the Copacabana Peninsula, at the southern end of the lake. The island is covered with nearly 200 archaeological ruins that attest to the importance the ancient Incas attached to this site and this morning we take a boat north, towards the labyrinthine Inca ruins of Chincana. The island has been revered by the Aymara for centuries and most of the ruins on the island date form the 15th century AD, although some archaeological remains have been dated back as far as 3000 years BC. At Chincana we find a meandering network of rooms and passageways that link together around a sacred rock, overlooking the sparkling azure waters of the lake below. Then we take to the waters again, taking our boat to the neighbouring Island of the Moon to visit its ruins. We then continue by boat to Copacabana and then take a charter bus across the border into Peru, following the shores of the lake to its north western corner and the bustling town of Puno.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we follow the legendary route taken by the first Inca ruler - Manco Capac - on his way to find Cusco. En route to Cusco we stop at the beautifully scenic site of Sillustani - a fitting home for the chullpas (funeral towers), which probably date from the 14th century. Driving up to the northern limit of the Altiplano we cross La Raya pass (4335m) and descend towards Cusco. En route the scenery is desolate but magnificent and we may spot flocks of llamas and alpacas grazing on the windswept pastures. There is also the opportunity to take the classic train journey from Puno to Cusco (optional). One of the great railway journeys of the world, the full day journey covers some spectacular scenery over the high altiplano. We arrive at this fascinating mountain city and are transferred to our hotel in the Sacred Valley. Please note that the train journey must be pre-paid at the time of booking. Rail strikes are common in Peru and so there is the possibility that the train may not always be running. In the event that you have chosen the optional train ride and it is not operating, then we will make the journey from Puno to Cusco by public bus. Lunch is not included on the bus journey.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

A free morning affords an opportunity today to visit the Inca salt pans at Maras and the remote ruins of Moray, famous for its fascinating Inca terraces, known locally as the laboratory of the Incas (optional). These terraces were believed to have been carved on different levels by the Incas, in order to experiment with their crops, each being carved to different depths in order to try and ascertain the ideal conditions in which to grow them. Many still believe the site to possess magical powers and there is certainly no doubting the atmospheric feel and stunning location of the site. Another option is a whitewater rafting trip along the Urubama River (no previous experience is necessary and all safety equipment is provided. Please note: Participation in rafting requires that you are able to swim 25 metres unaided). This afternoon we then catch the train to Aguas Calientes, the gateway to one of the greatest of all archaeological sites, the mountain complex of Machu Picchu, the fabled ‘lost city’ of the Incas, probably the most spectacular feat of engineering in ancient America. On arrival we walk to our guesthouse and check in, after which you might like to relax in the thermal baths.

Overnight Standard Guest House Included meals: Breakfast

Catching the first bus this morning we head up to the citadel to watch the sunrise over the incredible complex of Machu Picchu. The rest of the morning is then spent in this magnificent city, dividing our time between a guided tour and some free time to explore the spectacular ruins privately. Temples, stairways, palaces and gabled stone dwellings are scattered everywhere, testifying to the energy and ingenuity of the builders. Not without reason this site is probably the most revered attraction in the Americas, its location alone is dramatic in the extreme, teetering on the saddle of a high mountain peak that towers above the valley below. Built in the mid 15th century by Pachacutec, the city was thought to have been a major agricultural centre for the Inca Empire and its inaccessibility seems to have preserved it from the looters of the intervening years, resulting in the remarkably well-preserved ruins that we see today. From the lofty promontory of the Funerary Rock Hut the city is laid out before you: its extensive terraces, the Royal Tombs and the Temple of the Sun, with its ceremonial niches and Inca crosses. The crosses represent the three levels of existence, the first being death or the underworld (represented by a snake), then human life (the jaguar) and finally the highest plain, that of the gods (symbolised by the condor). The excavation of the Royal Tombs has seen a number of mummies unearthed, 80% of which were women, indicating perhaps that the site was occupied mainly by priests and chosen women. This afternoon we then travel by train and bus to Cusco.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Cusco, the old capital of the Inca Empire and the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent. Imbued with an atmosphere of mystery and grandeur, the Spanish-style city of today, with its attractive pink tiled roofs, arcaded plazas and steep winding alleyways, stands upon tremendous Inca foundation stones. The archaeological capital of the Americas, Cusco’s links with the Inca Empire are everywhere to be seen, from the stone walls that line the city streets, to the museums filled with artefacts and relics of a long dead people. With a free day to enjoy this most remarkable of cities we can recommend a visit to the fortress-citadel of Saqsayhuaman (optional). Built to defend the Inca capital, Saqsayhuaman broods high above the town, its huge, zigzagging stone walls broken into 66 sharply projecting angles to catch attackers in a withering crossfire. Meant to represent the head of a puma, 20,000 conscripted workers toiled for 90 years to finish it and it was the site of one of the most fiercely fought battles of the Spanish conquest, when the Incas made one last ditch attempt to drive out the Spanish, an attempt that ended in defeat and death for thousands of them. Another option is a trip out to nearby Pisac to visit its market and perhaps explore the magnificent ruins of its citadel. Strategically located at the head of the Urubamba Valley, Pisac once controlled the road connecting the Inca Empire with Paucartambo on its eastern borders and the magnificent Inca ruins that once so dominated this valley still occupy the mountainside above the town. On market days the square is awash with noise and colour as vendors trade local produce for medicines and tools and there are bargains to be had amongst the weavers and potters. The ruins occupy a rocky spur, its citadel strategically located at the head of the gorge, overlooking the patchwork of fields and terraces that dot the valley floor. Climbing up to the ruins you pass through a magnificent collection of temples, palaces, terraces, solstice markers and baths. The highlight of the site is without doubt the central Sun Temple, a worthy match for any of the temples of Machu Picchu and standing amongst these evocative ruins it is very easy to conjure up a timeless image of life in this valley as it has gone on for countless generations.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we transfer to the airport for the flight to Lima. Founded in 1535 the ‘City of Kings’, is an eclectic mix of the ancient and modern and the rest of your day here is free to explore as you wish. This afternoon there is the option to perhaps take a tour of the city with a local guide, taking in the delights of the archaeological and anthropological museums, or perhaps the Larco Herrera Museum, whose colonial halls hold the greatest collection of Moche, Sican and Chimu artefacts on earth. You may prefer to visit the Gold Museum, featuring one of South America’s best collections of historical costumes and weaponry. Alternatively, you may just prefer to stroll through Plaza San Martin and Bolivar and enter the fascinating Catacombs of the convent of San Francisco, or pass through the colonial squares and under the intricate modern balconies of old Lima, seeing some of the city’s best surviving examples of colonial architecture.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

The tour ends this morning in Lima after breakfast.

Included meals: Breakfast