Bolivia: Andean Highlands – 9 Days

Bolivia’s Andean Highlands: La Paz, Lake Titicaca, Island of the Sun, Cordillera Real & Yungas – 9 Days

This photographic journey is specifically designed to concentrate in the regions that are part of, within or near the western Andes mountains of Bolivia. The extreme variety of terrain, vistas and climates as well as a huge smorgasbord of different people make this photo safari an all-encompassing regional tour-de-force. The trip begins in La Paz (av, height 12,500′/3,810 mts.), a unique city that hides inside a massive bowl at the foot of triple-crowned Mt. Illimani (21,163′/6,452mts.) with a population of close to a million people, all clamoring to extract a place to live as the city crawls up the sides of the bowl and spilling onto the wind-swept Altiplano. There is no other city like this one anywhere in the world. A series of rugged canyons extend from the center of La Paz in all directions while the Altiplano overlooks the spectacle and is where our journey continues as we head to the jewel of the Andes and the birthplace of the Incas – sacred Lake Titicaca. At almost every point along the route the massive Cordillera Real looms above everything else and is part of our route as we photograph it from below, at mid-height and from Lake Titicaca as well as on it’s eastern and semi-tropical flanks when we visit the Yungas region towards the end of the trip. There is plenty of time to visit the canyons that make up the crumbling arms of the arid valleys near La Paz that are mostly made of ancient multi-colored mud that are extremely photogenic. Lake Titicaca, Copacabana and the Island of the Sun (Isla Del Sol) is our base for a few days to experience it’s different moods and faces as it changes from the cool morning blues to the sun-drenched afternoons where sunsets tend to be extremely colorful. The people are always busy tending to their animals or crops so we will have many opportunities to photograph life in a simple and mostly unchanged manner that has been around for centuries. Once acclimatized we will head into the heart of the Cordillera Real so you can get eye-to-eye with a 20,000′/6,000m peak only a couple of hours from downtown La Paz. We will end our journey by visiting the eastern side of the Andes and drop into the semi-tropical and jungle-covered valleys of the Yungas region to experience a completely different world than what we have seen in the cooler highlands – a world full of multi-colored shades of green, whitewater rivers and delicious fruits and vegetables as well as the much maligned coca plant. We will end our photographic journey in La Paz before you head back home with fond memories and great images to share.

Prices are in US $ and include all services as per the itinerary. International airfare is NOT included in the tour price. Please contact us with any questions.

Included are: all airport transfers, accommodations, meals as noted (B,L,D) , bi-lingual guides, private 4×4 vehicles, our years of experience and local knowledge.

DATES for 2012

July 22-30, 2012

Please note: We can run this trip at any time, so please let us know your date preferences and we will create a custom departure date for you and your group.

- ITINERARY -

Day 1 / Sun / July 22: La Paz – City Tour – La Paz

Arrival in La Paz at 6:15 AM. Pick-up and transfer in from the airport to Hotel Oberland (3*) in Mallasa located in the Valley of the Moon district. The rest of the morning is free for you to rest and relax and acclimatize. Lunch on your own (we suggest the restaurant at the hotel). At 2:00 PM we depart on a city tour of La Paz’s canyon, visiting different neighborhoods, scenic points of view and open-air markets as well as nearby outskirts for scenic views of this city. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Oberland (3*).

Day 2 / Mon / July 23: La Paz – Rio Abajo – La Paz

After breakfast we depart in the morning and head south along the canyons that lead south and east out of La Paz into the Rio Abajo region. The geographical ruggedness of this region is stunning and you will see a great deal of canyons, cliffs, a wide river valley and never-ending stacks of mountains. This is an agricultural area that produces flowers, potatoes, corn, fruits and a host of other vegetables. Great photographic opportunities abound of people working the fields with stunning backgrounds. The sentinel of La Paz, the glacier-covered gigantic peak called Mt. Illimani, will be in the background as we travel through the higher altitudes of this Andean landscape. We will have lunch at a local restaurant while en route. We return to the Hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Oberland (3*). (B,L)

Day 3 / Tue / July 24: La Paz – Tiwanaku – La Paz

After breakfast we depart at 8:00 AM to the ancient port city of Tiwanaku (The Cradle of the Andean Civilizations) with a professional bi-lingual guide that will share insights as to the reason why this civilization vanished and its importance in the middle Andean region. Tiwanaku will provide a glimpse into the strong indigenous culture that is part of the Bolivian social fabric. We will have lunch at a local restaurant afterwards. In the afternoon we will begin our journey back into La Paz and will visit an open-air Indian market as well as the old quarter where you can photograph the truly colonial part of La Paz. We will return to you hotel in the late afternoon so you can rest or head out into La Paz and explore it at your own pace. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Oberland (3*). (B,L)

Day 4 / Wed / July 25: La Paz – Copacabana – Isla del Sol

After breakfast we depart La Paz’s canyon and onto the Altiplano once again. The road will head north to the Peninsula de Copacabana and across the Strait of Tiquina where the vehicle will cross on a barge and you will take a motorized boat to the Peninsula of Copacabana. Once across you will continue your journey high above the lake with spectacular views of the Altiplano, Lake Titicaca and the Islands of the Moon and Sun before arriving in the lakeside town of Copacabana. Lunch upon arrival. Afterwards it will be time to board the boat to the Island of the Sun. The trip is approximately 1 hour long and you will land on a dock on the southern edge of the Island. A breath-taking hike to the top of the Island will get you to your hotel for the night. The views from this promontory are nothing short of stunning and you will get a chance to catch the sunset this evening and the sunrise next morning. Dinner at the main lodge building. Overnight at Estancia Eco-Lodge (4*). (B,L,D)

Day 5 / Thu / July 26: Isla del Sol – Copacabana

It is necessary to get up early this morning. For those that like sunrises don’t miss this one in the morning – as the views south to Illimani and the Cordillera Real are stunning! We have experienced some of the most amazing sunrises from this location and we always come back for more! After a leisurely breakfast we will have time to do a trek north to the Chincana Inca ruins and get to see people doing their daily chores of farming, tending to their animals and living at 13,000′ above sea level. We will have a picnic-style lunch en route. In the afternoon we begin our journey back to the mainland which heads down the Stairs of the Inca and the Sacred Water Fountain before boarding the boat back to Yampupata where our vehicles will be waiting to continue overland to Copacabana via a spectacular road high above the lake where we will check into a Hotel Rosario del Lago for the night. We recommend heading to the Cupula, high above the town of Copacabana for views of the sunset on the lake. We will have dinner together at the hotel. Overnight at Hotel Rosario del Lago (3*). (B,L,D)

Day 6 / Fri / July 27: Copacabana – Cordillera Real – La Paz

After breakfast we depart Copacabana, cross the Strait of Tiquina and head east – directly towards the glacier-covered peaks of the Cordillera that we have been looking at these past few days to see them up close and personal! We will go to a village named Tuni Condoriri – a typical Andean village at the foot of the mountains and a large reservoir where much of La Paz’s water comes from. Lunch en route. Afterwards we head south through the backroads of the Cordillera Real to the base of Mt. Huayna Potosi – one of Bolivia’s highest and most beautiful peaks that rises close to 20,000 ft asl. This magnificent peak is only one and a half hours from downtown La Paz! We will stay until sunset and hope that mother nature cooperates as the views of this massive peak are stunning at sunset. We return to La Paz in the early evening. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Oberland (3*). (B,L)

Day 7 / Sat / July 28: La Paz – Coroico

We depart in the morning by crossing the city of La Paz winding our way through the canyon where La Paz sits. The main highway to the Yungas crosses a pass at 14,500’ where we will stop and take a look at the engineering marvel that this highway is as it winds it’s way across the high pass and down into deep u-shaped valleys that connect with the Amazon basin many thousands of feet below. Have some warm clothes handy for this section. The paved highway drops down very quickly and after traveling less than an hour you will connect to the dirt road that heads into the “north yungas” region – this is the cloud forest and chances are that you will be in clouds at least part of the time. The road winds along the green jungle-covered slopes as it makes its’ way down into the sub-tropical yungas region. This is a two-way road and the vehicles heading down into the Yungas yield to the vehicles going up into the Andes. Along the way you will see beautiful mountains, pass under tall and active waterfalls and see plenty of birds along the way. This is the main artery to the Amazon and it’s a popular and busy road. As you go lower the mountains are not as steep and the road gets wider and the temperatures get much warmer quickly. The town of Coroico is located high on the shoulder of a green mountain and you will drive up to Coroico from the junction at Yolosa. Upon arrival into the plaza you can relax and see the town before heading off to Hostal Sol y Luna located above the town. This hostal has the best views of the region with private cabins, healthy food and incredible gardens full of exotic flowers! The owner is a German lady who has lived in Bolivia for decades and has made Hostal Sol y Luna a paradise within a paradise. Lunch will be in town and you will have time to visit the region by foot afterwards. We will have dinner at a local restaurant in Coroico this evening. Overnight at Hotel El Viejo Molino (3*). (B,L,D)

Day 8 / Sun / July 29: Coroico – Mururata – La Paz

After breakfast at Hostal Sol y Luna we head down to Coroico and take a backroad to the main highway and cross the Coroico River to the other side of the valley to visit some farmers that we know who grow coca. We are headed to the town of Mururata where the Afro-Bolivian people live, who are descendants of the former slaves that toiled in the mines of Potosi centuries ago. The purpose of this visit is to learn about the coca plant and to experience what the farmers of this native plant do on a daily basis to tend, harvest and dry the leaves before sending them to market in La Paz. After visiting them we return to Coroico to have lunch and then begin the journey back to the highlands and La Paz. We should arrive in the late afternoon in time for one more sunset and check into Hotel Europa for the night. We will have a final group dinner together at a local restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Oberland (3*). (B,L,D)

Day 9 / Mon / July 30: La Paz – Home

A very early departure for those departing to the US on American Airlines. We will provide the transfer to the airport at 4 AM.

End of our services

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions feel free to contact us directly via phone at 303-545-5728 (Office), 303-808-7713 (mobile) or via e-mail at phototours@sergiophototours.com