Peru Tours
Brazil Tours
Argentina Tours
Chile Tours
Ecuador/Galapagos Tours
Venezuela Tours
Bolivia Tours
Costa Rica Tours
Panama Tours
Guatemala Tours
Uruguay Tours
Africa Tours
Australia Tours
New Zealand Tours

Activities in Other Countries

Phone:
800-232-5658 or
1-512-443-5393
email

FACEBOOK SITE

Bolivia Tours and Travel

Best of Bolivia / La Paz / Lake Titicaca / Sucre-Potosi / Santa Cruz-Missions
Uyuni Salt Lake / Bolivian Pantanal / Madidi National Park / Amazon cruise

Bolivia - A Fascinating Rainbow

Day 1 - arrive La Paz, where you will be met and transferred to your superior level hotel .

Day 2 - breakfast, then you will be transferred to the airport to fly to Sucre. Transfer to your hotel, then enjoy an afternoon city tour. This colonial city, founded in 1538, is the testimony of Bolivia's independence. Churches centuries old, priceless colonial paintings, furniture and religious figures are exhibited in its museums and historical buildings are also a testimony of its past. The San Francisco Xavier University is the 2nd oldest one in South America and the 1st to start a medical school. UNESCO has declared it “The Historical and Cultural Legacy of Mankind”

Day 3 - breakfast, then full day city tour of Potosi. The discovery of ore in silver-rich Cerro Rico (rich hill) in 1544 prompted the foundation of the city of Potosí on April 10th, 1545 at the foot of the hill. Large-scale excavation began in the site immediately and the first shipment of silver was sent to Spain. In 1672, a mint was established to coin silver and water reservoirs were built to fulfill the growing population's needs. At that time more than eighty six churches were built and the city's population increased to nearly 200,000, making it one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Latin America and in the world, known for its silver mines, magnificent architecture and extravagance. There is a popular saying that its Rich Mountain has produced enough silver to build a solid bridge from Potosi to Madrid. Today, Potosi speaks of its history with a language of stone written with the blood and sweat of the silver miners; a sample city of colonial exploitation.The wooden machinery of the Royal Mint is still perfectly conserved and the city is today a living museum of the colonial period.

Day 4 - breakfast, then transfer to the airport to fly to La Paz. Enjoy a city tour and Moon Valley. Visit a typical Indian Market, the famous Witch Doctor's Market and the San Francisco Colonial Church. The tour continues to the Plaza Murillo where the Cathedral, the Government Palace and the National Congress buildings are located. Then, we will visit the famous colonial street "Calle Jaén" where interesting museums are clustered together. To change scenery the tour continues to the residential areas of Obrajes, Calacoto and La Florida. The tour ends with a visit to the unique Moon Valley, where you will have the opportunity to walk around.

Day 5 - breakfast, then bus to Copacabana, where you start a hydrofoil cruise to the Sun and Moon Islands. According to the legend the Sun God Inti sent down to earth his son Manko Kapak and daughter Mama Ocllo in order to improve the life of the Andean People. After descending on the Sun Island they founded the Inca Empire. The Islands of the Sun and the Moon represent two of the greatest natural and cultural monuments of South America. Located in the southern side of Lake Titicaca (3810 meters above sea level), the islands house more than one hundred and fifty ancient settlements. During the Inca occupation of the region (around A.D. 1470 - 1532) these islands were the final destination of ritual pilgrimages from all around the empire. However, recently recovered archaeological evidence indicates that the sacred nature of these islands extends back at least to the Tiwanaku Empire (A.D. 600 - 1100). Prior to this time, humans first occupied the islands as early as 2000 B.C., and have continuously lived there for millennia. Overnight on Sun Island.

Day 6 - breakfast, then take the hydrofoil to visit the Urus Iruitos Floating Islands and continue on to Huatajata for overnight. Your visit includes here the CHULLPAS - mortuary towers of several periods, the Limachi brothers and their new exclusive museum including info about all the reed rafts expeditions of our century and a full size reproduction of the RA II used by Thor Heyerdhal in his epic expedition across the Atlantic. The brothers were builders of the RA II and TIGRIS for Thor Heyerdhal's and other scientist vessel expeditions.The Eco Museum shows the original home of our natives and a later improvement of their life style. A handicraft village where local artisans make the "Chicha" (local drink made out of corn), ceramics, "Abarcas" (native sandals made of old tires), the Melon Hats of the Indian women and the wonderful masks used in their colorful "fiestas".

Day 7 - breakfast, then tour of Tiwanacu ruins. Around A.D. 500, the great high plateau state of Tiwanaku emerged as the dominant culture of the region. At over 3800 meters above sea level, Tiwanaku ranks as one of the highest ancient imperial capitals in the world. The site was founded around 400 B.C. as a modest village. By A.D. 900, Tiwanaku influence and control extended over 350,000 square kilometers, an area larger than modern Great Britain. During its peak, the capital of Tiwanaku boasted a huge stone-faced pyramid, cut stone enclosures, elite residences, exquisitely decorated buildings, a system of subterranean canals, and at least four square kilometers of residential buildings, with a population of 100,000. There was a rigid social and political hierarchy expressed in elaborate art and architectural styles. Continue on to La Paz for overnight.

Day 8 - breakfast, then transfer to the airport to fly to Rurrenabaque. Transfer to the Mapajos Eco Lodge in Madidi National Park., 3 hours on the Beni River, passing through the Bala Canyon, to the Quiquibey River in the Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve, Installation in the Mapajo Lodge. Night: Dinner and rest.

MAPAJO is fully owned and operated by the indigenous communities of the Quiquibey River. We created MAPAJO to generate income through sustainable tourism and the protect our forest, animals and way of life. All profits from MAPAJO are used to finance small community projects to improve the quality of life for our families and communities. We want you to enjoy our rainforest and cultures with all they have to offer with as minimal an impact as possible. Our approach to tourism is based on respect for our natural and cultural heritage. The Mapajo Lodge was built by us, the people of the Quiquibey River, using mostly local materials and based on our traditional style of construction. The lodge is the point of departure for arriving to the different streams and rivers, forest, mountains and communities that make up all the places to discover in our Territory.

The lodge has a cabin that houses the kitchen and dining room, where traditional food can be enjoyed and catered to visitors requirements. The food is prepared by a team of community members trained in the preparations of balanced meals and hygiene. Safe drinking water is provided directly from the source using a rural aqueduct. The Mapajo Lodge has four cabins with shared bath, each with a capacity of two guests; a family cabin with private bath and capacity for 6 guests; and a matrimonial cabin with private bath. All cabins have a balcony, are fully furnished with beds, mosquito nets, night tables, shelves, deck chairs and hammocks.

Day 9 - Breakfast, tour of the Quiquibey River, lunch on the beach. Afternoon: Trek the Parabas Trail. Night: Night trip by boat, observation of crocodiles, dinner, traditional music and rest.

Day 10 - Breakfast, Moseten and Tsiman cultural exchange in the community of Asuncion del Quiquibey, lunch. Afternoon: Trek the Cachichira Trail, return trip to Rurrenabaque. Night: Dinner and accommodation in hotel.

Day 11 - Breakfast, transfer back to the airport to fly to La Paz for overnight.

Day 12 - breakfast, free day till you are transferred to the airport.

2010 price per person in US$: $1703 each for 2, $1570 each for 3, $1536 each for 4, $1426 each for 5-9. Single supplement is $400.