Explore Andean Deserts & Highlands in Bolivia & Peru - 7 Days

Day 1: Arrive in La Paz (Bolivia), Guided Cholet Tour

Welcome to La Paz, Bolivia's administrative capital nestled high in the Andes. Meet your driver outside the airport and transfer to your hotel to check in, then get your first glimpse of the city with a guided cholet tour. Cholet is a distinctive architectural style unique to La Paz and characterized by vibrant colors, bold geometric designs, and a fusion of traditional Andean motifs and contemporary elements. Start with a transfer to a Mi Teleférico station, where you'll board the cable car transit system that connects the cities of La Paz and El Alto. 

Enjoy panoramic views of the steep hills and sprawling cityscape before disembarking at El Alto and heading to Villa Adela. This lively neighborhood is known for its elaborate street art and vibrant cholets. Step inside two of these colorful buildings to appreciate the equally impresive interiors, with open-plan spaces featuring luxurious finishes like Andean wall murals and ornate ceilings. After exploring both buildings, ride the cable car back to La Paz and transfer to your hotel to rest and acclimate to the altitude—you're in the highest capital city in the world, so make sure to stay hydrated!

Day 2: Fly to Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni Tour (Day 1)

After a restful night in La Paz, return to the airport for a one-hour flight to Uyuni, your starting point for a three-day tour of the Salar de Uyuni, a vast salt flat stretching over 3,861 square miles (10,000 sq km). Meet your driver and guide outside the airport and hit the ground running with a visit to the Train Cemetery just a few miles out of the city. Stroll past abandoned locomotives and railway cars that date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Once bustling with activity during the height of Bolivia's mining boom, these rusting giants now make the perfect photographic opportunity. 

Continue to Colchani, a small town where you can witness the traditional methods of salt harvesting as locals manually gather and process salt crystals. Finally, you'll drive into the largest salt flat in the world for a picnic lunch overlooking the salt mounds and hexagonal patterns formed by the natural crystallization of the salt. After refueling, head to Isla Incahuasi, the largest island in the salt flats renowned for its impressive landscape of giant cacti, some of which reach heights of up to 39 feet (12 m). Following a full day of exploring, settle into your basic accomodation in San Juan.

Day 3: Salar de Uyuni Tour (Day 2), Stargazing Excursion

The second day of your salt flats tour takes you to a viewpoint at the base of Ollagüe, an active stratovolcano. Marvel at the volcano's rugged terrain and often snowcapped peak, which contrasts dramatically with the surrounding arid, flat landscape. Continue to the "Andean Jewels," a set of lagoons known for their distinctive and varied characteristics, including differences in color, smell, and chemical composition. Enjoy a picnic lunch en route to Siloli Desert, one of the driest deserts in the world and the gateway to the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa.

The desert is home to the iconic Arbol de Piedra (Stone Tree), a natural rock formation shaped by centuries of erosive winds. Your next stop is Laguna Colorada, a picturesque lagoon full of algae and plankton, which give it its red color and population of flamingoes, including the rare James's flamingo. Transfer to your basic accommodation in Huayllajara and relax until your stargazing tour. When it's dark enough, hop in a 4WD vehicle and drive away from any light pollution for an incredible view of the Milky Way.

Day 4: Salar de Uyuni Tour (Day 3), Fly to La Paz

After breakfast, head to Sol de Mañana, a geothermal field featuring a dramatic array of steaming fumaroles, bubbling mud pools, and active geysers. Wander the arid terrain and wait for a geyser to erupt, emitting clouds of steam and boiling water. Then, continue to the nearby Termas de Polques for a soothing soak in the natural hot springs. Surrounded by towering Andean peaks, the hot springs feature naturally heated mineral waters rich in therapeutic properties. 

Your last stop is Laguna Verde, a high-altitude lagoon named for its striking emerald-green color caused by the high concentration of minerals like arsenic and sulfur. The lagoon is near the Chilean border, so on a clear day you can see the distant Atacama Desert. When the tour is over, transfer to the airport in Uyuni for a one-hour flight back to La Paz. Meet your driver outside the airport and transfer to your hotel to relax after an action-packed three days. 

Day 5: Fly to Cusco (Peru), Guided Tour of the City & Nearby Ruins

Say goodbye to La Paz and Bolivia today as you head to the airport for a one-hour flight to Cusco in Peru, the former capital of the Inca Empire. Meet your driver outside the airport and transfer to your hotel to check in and freshen up for a city tour. Follow your guide to Plaza de Armas, a historic square surrounded by colonial architecture and adorned with ornate fountains and beautiful gardens. Continue to Qoricancha, also known as the "Temple of the Sun" for its dedication to the worship of Inti, the sun god. Next door is the Cusco Cathedral, built atop the ruins of an Inca palace in the 17th century.

Learn more about the Inca Empire at Saqsaywaman, a sprawling archaeological site featuring meticulously crafted stone walls that once formed an impressive ceremonial complex. After exploring the remnants of sweeping terraces, ceremonial plazas, and fountains, head to the Q'enco Archaeological Complex, featuring interconnected caves and subterranean chambers believed to have been used for rituals and ancestral worship. Trade one archaeological site for another as you transfer to the Puka Pukara Archaeological Complex, often called the "Red Fortress" due to the hue of its stone walls.

 

Stroll the interconnected walls, terraces, and enclosures and learn about the structure's history as a military outpost, supply center, and Inca checkpoint. Your last stop is Tambomachay, a public bathhouse used for ceremonial and religious purposes. Admire the terraced platforms, aqueducts, and fountains that once supplied water to the site through a complex network of channels and cascades before returning to your hotel in Cusco.

Day 6: Day Trip to Machu Picchu

Your penultimate day in Peru starts with a four-hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, where you can hop on a bus for 30 minutes to get to the iconic Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca citadel nestled in the Andes. Follow your guide through the archaeological site with its meticulously designed terraces, temples, and residential areas. Navigate the terraced agricultural fields, with their intricate irrigation systems, and learn more about the advanced farming techniques used to sustain the site's inhabitants.

Visit the Temple of the Sun to admire the precise stonework and enjoy panoramic views of the sprawling site. Then, visit the Temple of the Three Windows to snap a picture of the surrounding Andes and the Sacred Valley below through the trapezoidal windows. Other highlights include the Inca Bridge built into the cliffside, the royal tomb for Inca royalty and high priests, and the quarry, where the stones used to build Machu Picchu were extracted. After exploring the archaeological site for two hours, head back to Aguas Calientes for lunch before returning to Cusco by train. 

Day 7: Hike to Rainbow Mountain, Depart Cusco

Get ready for an early wake-up call as you leave Cusco between 4:00 and 4:30 am for a 3-4-hour transfer to the town of Ocefina. Have a simple breakfast in the San Jerónimo district, then start the journey, driving through rural highlands dotted with traditional villages and terraced farmlands. When you arrive, stretch your legs and set off on a 3.5-hour hike to Vinicunca, better known as "Rainbow Mountain" for its vibrant, multicolored stripes created by the sedimentary layers of minerals in the earth.

While you walk, enjoy views of snowcapped peaks, rolling hills, and the occasional herd of grazing alpacas. The higher you climb, the thinner the air grows, making the trek more challenging, but your efforts will be rewarded when you reach a viewpoint just below the summit. Enjoy a free hour to rest and take in sweeping views of the mountain's vivid shades of red, pink, yellow, and turquoise. When it's time, start the three-hour trek to Checacupe, where a much-deserved lunch will be waiting for you. Return to Cusco around 6:30 pm and head to the airport for your flight home. Safe travels!