Lima to La Paz (34 days) Peru & Bolivia Encompassed (Inc. Amazon Jungle)

Company : Oasis Overland
Activities: Adventure Holidays / Tours
Countries: Bolivia / Peru
Duration: 4 weeks to 6 weeks
Approx Costs: 2000 to 2500 £ Pound (UK)
Group Size 10-25

Areas Visited: Lima, Ballestras Islands, Nazca, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and La Paz.

An intoxicating amalgam of Peru & Bolivia; view the mysterious Nazca lines, gaze in awe at majestic Condors, and hike the imperious Inca Trail. Overnight on floating reed islands on Lake Titicaca, visit an old silver mine and the amazing Salar de Uyuni and visit the vibrant Bolivian capital, La Paz. Finish it all off with a visit to the Amazon Jungle. Our ultimate South America Regional Explorer trip!

Itinerary

Day 1

Lima - the Capital. Free day to see the many museums, historical monuments, markets, restaurants and colonial plazas.

Day 2

Ballestas Islands - view this spectacular marine reserve and take a boat trip to view one of the highest concentrations of rare and exotic sea birds and mammals.

Days 3 to 4

Ica Desert - visit the Tacama winery and also try Peru's national drink, Pisco.
Oasis of Huacachina - a palm fringed lake surrounded by impressive sand dunes, relax on the beach, go for a swim and then there's the option to head out on a custom made dune buggy and roar across the desert sands to the top of enormous dunes and sand board down them! Tonight, sit around our desert campfire while your guides cook up a storm, followed by a night sleeping out under the stars.

Day 5

The Nazca Lines - only discovered 80 years ago, these huge figures carved into the desert floor are best viewed by light aircraft.

Days 6 to 9

Arequipa - explore this beautiful colonial city with its great Latin nightlife & the spectacular surrounding area or go mountain biking, hiking or horse riding.
Colca Canyon - at 900m it's one of the deepest in the world - an included guided trip to view the amazing Condors circling lazily in the thermals rising from the canyon floor (park entrance fee is not included and will be paid locally).
Cuzco - a colonial city with churches & museums built on top of original Inca stonewalls.
Urubamba or Sacred Valley of the Incas - an optional day tour with a local guide, where you'll find temples, terraces, local communities, markets as you follow the Urubamba River through the ancient valley.

Days 10 to 13

Inca Trail - a trek of 4 days, which combines stunning mountain views and Inca ruins which anyone of reasonable fitness can master.
Machu Picchu - finally we reach the world famous ruins in all their glory, well worth the trek of the previous 3 days! There are also the options to undertake a shorter hike travelling by train part of the way to Machu Picchu, or take one of the alternative treks, the Salkantay or Lares which includes the last night in Aguas Calientes. If you wish to do any of these alternative treks or the train, you must request this at the time of booking.

Days 14 to 15

Cuzco - 2 free days to relax & recover or for the adventurous to go white water rafting on the Urabamba River.

Days 16 to 18

Lake Titicaca - Travel by road to Puno - our base to visit the Uros Indians and floating reed islands.
By boat we visit the floating islands during the day and then spend the night with one of the Indian families on the lesser known islands of Amantani or Taquile. This experience provides a unique opportunity to learn more about the traditional lifestyle of the Andean people and their customs.
Puno - free time to relax on the shores of Lake Titicaca & experience Puno's rich Andean culture.

Days 19 to 20 - Bolivia

Today we continue our journey and enter Bolivia via the small town of Copacabana
La Paz - Few cities can boast such an impressive setting - here we have free time to explore this hilly capital city with it's markets and traditionally dressed people and perhaps visit a pena for some live Andean pipe music.

Day 21

La Paz City Tour (approx. 4 hours). We visit Murillo Square & Cathedral, Congress and Government Palace, The Incan Gold Museum, Valley of the Moon and the famous Witches Market. Tour ends at Killi Killi lookout point to enjoy a 360 degree view of the city!
Rest of the day to explore at your leisure to maybe enjoy a Huari (local beer).

Day 22

Free morning (dependant on train times) to browse the local markets, find a café and watch street life go by or visit one of the museums.
Bus to the mining town of Oruro, followed by a high altitude train ride to Uyuni - home to the vast Salar (Salt flats).

Day 23

3 day 4x4 Expedition to explore the Salar (Salt Flats) and stunning lakes, deserts and volcanoes.
We take short excursions to the Train Cemetery to view old steam locomotives and Colchani village to see the traditional Salt bagging process.
We drive to Inca Huasi Island in the centre of the 10,000 square km Salar. We can hike to the top of the island, passing giant cactus, to take in the spectacular views.
After lunch we head for San Juan Village, to visit a Pre Inca Cemetery and a small museum.

Day 24

Heading south we are surrounded by huge volcanoes (up to 5850mtrs!) There is time for photo stops and if we're lucky we should see pink Flamingoes and many other species of birds at Canapa Lagoon.
We make a quick stop at Hedionda (Stinky!) Lagoon and continue past scenic lakes to the amazing Siloli Desert (4600mtrs). Here incredible natural rock formations are formed by powerful eroding winds.
Tonight we stay close to the shores of Red Lagoon, a wildlife sanctuary to 3 endemic species of Andean Flamingo.

Day 25

An early start for sunrise at Sol de Manana Volcano Crater. Here beautiful steam geysers and colourful boiling volcanic mud pools await us.
We breakfast on the banks of Challviri Lagoon where those of us that want to can enjoy a hot spring!
Passing through the barren volcanic environment of Dali's Desert, in the southwestern tip of Bolivia, we see the breathtaking Green Lagoon, at the foot of Licancabur Volcano (5900mtrs).
Heading back to Red Lagoon, we take another route back to Uyuni via Rock Valley, stopping off in some small villages along the way.
We complete our day by visiting the highest pizza restaurant in the world! (Optional).

Day 26

Travel to Potosi, enjoying the beautiful mountain views and bouncy gravel roads along the way!
In the afternoon there is the option to visit the once famous Silver Mines in Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain) and step back in time to experience life as a miner in these harsh conditions. The tour is not for the faint hearted!
Other attractions include the ancient Mint, which tells the history of the silver mined here and shipped to Spain in Colonial times or view the city from the roof of the San Francisco Church!

Day 27

We have a free morning at leisure to do some last minute exploring of Potosi before we head to one of Bolivia's most beautiful cities, Sucre, via bus.
Sucre is known as 'The 4 Names City' because of its long and varied history
Free afternoon to wander the charming streets and possibly visit Liberty's House where Bolivia was created a new free Republic in 1825.

Day 28

After breakfast we visit The Cretaceous Park, where we can see thousands of dinosaur footprints, including the world's biggest!
More free time to explore in the afternoon - why not visit Asur, Bolivia's best Textile Museum (some textiles are at least 1500 years old!)
In the late afternoon we transfer to the bus station and join our Bus Cama (bed bus) which will be our ride and accommodation to La Paz!
Breakfast .There is an optional flight from Sucre to La Paz -subect to availability.

Day 29

On arrival in La Paz we transfer to our hotel and the rest of the day is yours to wander and maybe pick up some souvenirs, such as Andean blankets, ponchos and jewellery from the hilly market streets.

Day 30

Flight to Rurrenabaque City in the Amazon basin.
Transfer to our boat on the Beni River to travel to Madidi National Park.
The impressive Estrecho del Bala, where the Beni River becomes deep and narrow.
Lunch, before following jungle paths and learning about the rich flora of the region, medicinal plants, toxic plants, mushrooms, etc.
We venture out on a night walk to feel and hear the sounds of the Amazon and to observe nocturnal animals.

Day 31

We explore jungle paths learning about the trees, leaves, flowers and plants.
Visit a clay lick to observe several species of macaws, parrots and parakeets.
Travel by river and 4WD vehicles to Yacuma River, passing by the picturesque towns of Reyes and Santa Rosa.
We hope to see on the river banks, alligators, turtles, capybaras, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, and much more.

Day 32

Walk and learn about another Amazonian Ecosystem well known as the Pampas.
Go in search of birds, alligators, and the famous Amazonian Anaconda. Piranha fishing and swimming with the extraordinary Pink Dolphins known as Bufeo.
After dinner, we explore the river with torches in search of alligators!

Day 33

Search for Squirrel, Howler and Spider Monkey, amongst others. After lunch we prepare for our drive back to Rurrenabaque. Flight back to La Paz and transfer to the hotel.

Day 34