Your itinerary
Day 1
Adventure starts in La Paz
Begin your adventure in the high-altitude city of La Paz, the well-connected start point of many Bolivian adventures.At 5pm-6pm, say hola to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.Your tour leader then ensures a big Bolivian welcome by arranging a group dinner.Want more time in La Paz? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Alternatively, you can join our Discover Peru adventure before this trip begins.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2
Fly to Uyuni • Explore the eerie Train Cemetery • Visit the old silver-mining town of San Cristóbal
Bid farewell to La Paz and fly to Uyuni, home of the iconic salt flats. Our journey takes us off the well-paved road, so we jump in 4x4s to transfer (five to six hours, including stops) to our hotel in the desert.En route, we visit the Train Cemetery, a fascinating (and slightly eerie) collection of rusty vintage locomotives strewn in a barren landscape. We also stop in San Cristóbal, once one of the largest silver-mining producers in the country, for a fascinating history lesson.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 3
Discover the rusty-red Laguna Colorada, steaming geysers and Polques Thermal Baths
Our hotel’s location means we’re well placed to explore Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve today, a vast landscape featuring some of Bolivia’s great natural wonders.Travelling by 4×4, our first stop is Laguna Colorada to see its rusty-red waters. Then, we marvel at active geysers, boiling mud lakes and steam pools, before heading to Polques Thermal Baths, where those willing to brave the cold air can enjoy a dip in the warm waters. After, we visit Laguna Verde (Green Lagoon) and Laguna Blanca (White Lagoon) – a scenic end to today’s explorations.Today’s driving time is approximately 12 hours.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 4
Spot birds at Laguna Turquiri • Explore the otherworldly Valley of Rocks and Stone Tree
We’re back to exploring the incredible landscapes of Bolivia. Start at Laguna Turquiri this morning, an area known for its variety of flora and fauna, and particularly for its diverse bird species.After, we visit a trio of scenic lakes, Cañapa, Hedionda and Honda, before we travel through the otherworldly landscapes of the Valley of Rocks and Stone Tree.We arrive around 5pm at our hotel made from salt – it’s sure to be a highlight of the adventure for many.Today’s driving time is approximately 12 hours.Upgrade to a suite today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 5
Journey deep into the salt flats • Discover the giant cacti of Incahuasi Island
Today is the moment many will have been waiting for – our exploration of the largest salt flats on Earth. Jumping into 4x4s, we witness this incredible landscape up close, with the chance to see salt pyramids and, during the dry season, hexagonal salt tiles on the ground, which stretch as far as the eye can see.There are wonderful photo opportunities throughout the year, and we have time to create some fun pictures.In the middle of the salt flats, we come to Incahuasi Island, known for its giant cacti and unusual fossils. This small island is an amazing sight, and we can walk across it for 360-degree views from the top.After more photo opportunities, we watch the sun set, with the light casting shadows and reflections on the water.Today’s driving time is approximately five to six hours.Upgrade to a suite today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 6
Potosí mine tour from a former silver miner • City tour to see silver rush-era buildings
Bid farewell to the salt flats as we transfer (four hours) to Potosí. It was here the Spanish colonial empire made their riches, forcing thousands of indigenous people to extract huge quantities of silver through slave labour.At the entrance to the Cerro Rico mine, we hear from a former miner about its world-changing legacy and tragic past. Our experience takes us to a mining market, where vendors sell dynamite and chemical products used in the extraction process. Then, we visit an ingenio, a factory in which minerals are extracted, separated and processed. Finally, we see an active mine to learn how the workers get in and out (though we’re not allowed in there ourselves!).After, embark on a walking orientation tour of the city itself, seeing the colonial structures funded by the 16th-century silver rush.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7
To Sucre • Fly to La Paz
Leaving Potosí in the morning, we head to Sucre, the capital of Bolivia, to catch our flight to La Paz, which typically includes a connection in Santa Cruz or Cochabamba.The evening is free to celebrate the adventure – your tour leader can arrange a group dinner where you can relive your favourite moments together.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8
Adventure ends in La Paz
Our Bolivia trip ends in La Paz after breakfast, and we begin our return journeys home. Alternatively, if you’d like to explore more, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.
Continue your South American adventure on Discover Peru, which you can join after this trip. Speak to your sales representative to book.
Meals: Breakfast
What’s included
What’s not included
Additional information
Food
Bolivian cuisine is a fusion between Spanish and Andean traditions and varies from one region to another. Common street food and snacks include salteñas (baked pastries filled with spiced meat or vegetables), buñuelos (sweet or savoury bread, often stuffed with cheese) and papas rellenas (deep-fried battered stuffed potatoes).
Popular main dishes include pique a lo macho (a kind of beef stir-fry, served with chunky chips), picante de pollo (spicy chicken) and tucumanas (a sort of pasty).
Drinking water is provided in large containers to reduce the amount of single-use plastic bottles; please bring a refillable bottle with you.
Eduardo Avaroa Reserve: Laguna Colorada, Geysers & Polques Thermal Baths
Venture by 4×4 into the high Andes to admire Laguna Colorada, its red hues tinted by algae and minerals, often speckled with flamingos. Steam hisses from the earth at steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools, while the thin, crystalline air heightens every sound and color of the altiplano.
Sink into the warmth of the Polques Thermal Baths with mountain views, then gaze across the surreal palette of Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca. Stark volcanoes, mineral-rich waters, and raw geothermal activity combine into one of South America’s most otherworldly landscapes.
Uyuni Train Cemetery & San Cristóbal Mining Heritage
Explore the stark desert outskirts of Uyuni to wander the Train Cemetery, where rusty vintage locomotives lie half-submerged in sand and salt. These early 20th-century relics once hauled minerals across the altiplano; today, their skeletal frames create an atmospheric open-air museum.
Continue to San Cristóbal, an old silver-mining community, to trace Bolivia’s silver-mining past. Hear how geology and industry shaped livelihoods here as you admire the austere landscapes that long fueled the region’s fortunes and hardships.
Laguna Turquiri Birding & Valley of Rocks with Árbol de Piedra
Spot high-Andean wildlife on the shores of Laguna Turquiri, where mirror-like waters attract Andean waterfowl and seasonal flamingos. The setting is serene yet elemental, with ochre hills and wind-brushed grasses framing close-up views of Andean birdlife.
Travel through the sculpted Valley of Rocks to admire the wind-carved Árbol de Piedra (Stone Tree). This natural sandstone monument seems to hover above the desert floor, a striking reminder of the relentless forces that shape Bolivia’s altiplano.
Salar de Uyuni 4x4 Expedition & Incahuasi Island
Drive deep into the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, where horizons dissolve into light. In the dry season, tread across perfect hexagonal salt polygons and pass man-made salt pyramids; in wetter months, the surface can transform into a vast mirror for surreal perspective-play and photography.
Walk the cactus-dotted trails of Incahuasi Island for sweeping 360-degree panoramas. As daylight softens, watch a luminous sunset over the flats, when sky and earth blend into a silver-blue glow that lingers in the cool Andean air.
Potosí Mining Heritage with Former Miner & Ingenio Visit
Stand at the gates of Cerro Rico to hear a firsthand account from a former miner about the mountain that bankrolled an empire. The human story—the toil, danger, and resilience—brings history to life far more vividly than any textbook.
Browse the mining market, where tools and chemicals for extraction are sold, then see an ingenio processing plant to understand how ore is separated and refined. View an active mine from outside and learn how crews navigate the mountain’s honeycomb of tunnels.
Potosí Colonial City Walking Tour
Join a guided walking tour through colonial Potosí, passing balconied mansions, baroque facades, and the grand squares that once broadcast the city’s power. Streets climb steeply toward Cerro Rico, with viewpoints revealing a dense tapestry of rooftops and churches.
See emblematic landmarks such as the cathedral on Plaza 10 de Noviembre and the imposing Casa de la Moneda exteriors while learning how the silver rush funded monumental architecture—and left a complex legacy etched into the city’s stones.
La Paz Welcome Meeting & Bolivian Group Dinner
Meet your fellow travellers and meet your Tour Director in high-altitude La Paz, where you’ll review the journey and settle into the rhythm of the Andes. Your leader curates a convivial start to the adventure, ensuring questions are answered and the spirit of shared exploration is set from the outset.
Gather afterward for a group welcome dinner arranged by your leader, tasting Andean-influenced dishes and local flavours. The warm hospitality and hearty cuisine provide an atmospheric introduction to life on the altiplano and the stories you’ll uncover across Bolivia.
