Essential Bolivia Explorer

Arrive in La Paz, a dramatic high altitude city and a convenient springboard for adventures across Bolivia.Between 5pm–6pm, we meet the tour leader and fellow travellers for introductions and a briefing on the journey ahead.To round off the welcome, we share a group dinner.If you want more time in La Paz, ask your sales representative to arrange extra hotel nights – or you can join our Discover Peru adventure before this trip begins.

We bid farewell to La Paz and fly to Uyuni, gateway to the legendary salt flats. Leaving paved roads behind, we continue by 4x4s to our desert hotel – a journey of five to six hours including stops.Along the way, we explore the Train Cemetery, where rusting locomotives sit in a stark landscape, and pause in San Cristóbal, once among the country’s largest silver mining producers, for a window into its history.

Our hotel’s location sets us up perfectly to explore the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, a vast wilderness showcasing several of Bolivia’s natural wonders.Travelling by 4x4, we first call at Laguna Colorada to witness its striking red waters. We then admire active geysers, boiling mud pools and steaming vents before continuing to the Polques Thermal Baths, where those willing to brave the chill can slip into the warm waters. Afterwards, we visit Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca – a scenic finale to the day.Today’s driving time is approximately 12 hours.

We continue our journey through extraordinary landscapes, beginning at Laguna Turquiri, noted for varied flora and fauna and a wealth of birdlife.Later, we visit three picturesque lakes – Cañapa, Hedionda and Honda – then traverse the otherworldly Valley of Rocks and see the Stone Tree.We arrive around 5pm at our hotel built from salt – a highlight for many.Today’s driving time is approximately 12 hours.If you would like to upgrade to a suite today, speak to your sales representative.

Today brings the moment many have awaited – a deeper exploration of the world’s largest salt flats. Travelling by 4x4s, we experience this dazzling expanse up close, with chances to see salt pyramids and, in the dry season, the hexagonal patterns that stretch to the horizon.There are memorable photo opportunities throughout the year, and we have time to create some playful shots.In the middle of the flats, we reach Incahuasi Island, famed for giant cacti and unusual fossils, and we can walk across it for sweeping 360 degree views.After more photos, we watch sunset as light paints the surface with shadows and reflections.Today’s driving time is approximately five to six hours.If you would like to upgrade to a suite today, speak to your sales representative.

We bid farewell to the salt flats and transfer for four hours to Potosí, where the Spanish colonial empire drew vast wealth by forcing thousands of indigenous people to extract silver.At the entrance to the Cerro Rico mine, we hear from a former miner about its world changing legacy and tragic past. We then visit a mining market, where vendors sell dynamite and chemical products used in extraction, followed by an ingenio, a plant where minerals are separated and processed. Finally, we see an active mine to learn how workers get in and out – though we are not permitted inside.Afterwards, we embark on a walking orientation tour of the city to view colonial architecture funded by the 16th century silver boom.

Leaving Potosí in the morning, we travel to Sucre, the capital of Bolivia, to catch our flight to La Paz, which typically connects via Santa Cruz or Cochabamba.This evening is free to celebrate the journey – your tour leader can arrange a group dinner so you can relive your favourite moments together.

Our Bolivian journey ends in La Paz after breakfast, and we begin our journeys home. If you would like to stay longer, speak to your sales representative about extending your time in the city.You can also continue your South American adventure on Discover Peru after this trip – ask your sales representative to book.