Tara’s Journey to Power Places 10 days Touring the highlights of Peru and Bolivia

Short Visit to Lake Titicaca and La Paz   4 night tour program

 VISA NEEDED FOR USA CITIZENS TO ENTER BOLIVIA

INTERNATIONAL AIRFARE NOT INCLUDED.
Approximate cost from Miami US$900-1100; New York 990-1150; Los Angeles 1100-1200 plus taxes

Hotel used: 
5 stars -Camino Real Suites
4 stars –Hotel Europa
3 stars -La Casona Boutique Hotel
Hotel used in Lake Titicaca: Inca Utama (4 stars)
Hotel used in Uyuni: Luna Salada or Palacio de Sal (4 stars)


DEPOSITS/PAYMENTS:

A deposit of US$300.00 is due at the time of placing the booking. Final payment is due 60 days before departure.

Best of Bolivia

11 days / 9 nights

DAY 01 ARRIVE SANTA CRUZ
Depart USA/Canada for Santa Cruz, Bolivia . Arrive and transfer to hotel selected
About Santa Cruz: Located on the eastern slopes of the Eastern Cordillera, Santa Cruz is aptly called a boomtown.  It is fast developing into a major retail center and is the country’s second largest city.  Founded in 1561 by the Spaniards coming from Paraguay, the city is hot except for May to August when cold “surazo” winds blow in from Argentina.

DAY 02 SANTA CRUZ 

Upon arrival transfer to your hotel Los Tajibos (early check-in included). Afternoon city tour of Santa Cruz begins at the Main Square “Plaza 24 de Septiembre”, close view of the Cathedral “Basílica Menor de San Lorenzo”, visit Arte Campo (craft shops) located in a very traditional house, then continue to the “El Abasto” Indian Market. Overnight at Camino Real. (B)

Day 03 SANTA CRUZ- SUCRE Flight:

Transfer to the airport for flight to Sucre. Arrive and transfer to your HOTEL PARADOR or Su Merced (best available...4 stars) for 2 nights. (B)

Day 04 SUCRE:

Morning  city tour of Sucre, the constitutional Capital of Bolivia is a living expression of colonial times. The Cathedral, churches and cloisters of  La Recoleta, San Felipe and Guadalupe, the House of freedom where Simon Bolivar signed the Independence Documents, the Bell of Freedom at San  Francisco cloister, and the University Museum emphasizing anthropology, Colonial and Modern art, etc. , are the main interest of this beautiful city. (B)

Day 05 SUCRE-POTOSI-UYUNI -by land:

Early morning depart for Potosi. It is a 3 ½ hour car ride. Arrive and  visit Potosi The rich mountain still towering over the city that has produced enough silver as to build a bridge from Potosi to Spain, according to the legend. Visit the Cathedral , the church of San Francisco and a visit to the  Casa de la Moneda, where you can watch the wooden machinery used to make the silver coins for Spain, are the most attractive visits. Continue to Uyuni for overnight at hotel de Sal or Palacio de Sal (4 stars). (B)

Day 06  FULL DAY UYUNI SALT FLATS:

Transfer to the airport for flight Uyuni. Arrive and continue with a full day tour of  the largest salt flat on Earth, located on the Bolivian Andean Altiplano with 12.000 square Km; the Bolivian Andes offer stunning sceneries which can be hardly matched. It has to be -a once in your life time journey-. The noise of silence makes the heart beat faster and the surreal pentagons of crystalline salt, the pure sky, the cacti and the flamingos, will certainly make you feel that there is not place like this in the whole world, then drive to "Isla Pescado". At a distance this island has the shape of a fish. Its historical name is Inka Wasi. It is located at the center of the Uyuni salt pan. Nature has bestowed a singular type of flora on this place. The surface rocks contain fossils of marine algae. This is the largest island in the group that forms an isolated oasis-type ecosystem within the salt pan; the landscape against the background of the salt pans that extend to the horizon makes it an ideal place for photography fans.  After lunch return to Uyuni. (B,L)

DAY 07 UYUNI-LA PAZ-TIAHUANACO-LAKE TITICACA:

Morning Transfer to the airport for flight to La Paz, arrive and continue to the magnificent archeological site of Tiahuancao for a Half day sightseeing tour of the ancient ruins and capital of a great civilization that started in 1580 B.C and at the height of its splendor (700 AC) covered part of Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. You will see its Aqueducts, Temples, Palaces, the Gate of the Sun and some of their mysterious monoliths. Tiwanaku is thought to have been a moral and cosmological center for the Tiwanaku empire to which many people made pilgrimages. Researchers believe it achieved this standing prior to expanding its powerful empire.Tiwanaku is significant in Inca traditions because it is believed to be the site where the world was created. Then continue to the shores of Lake Titicaca for hotel INCA UTAMA. In the afternoon you will visit the Eco and Altiplano museums. Fishing on Lake Titicaca for some trout ...then dinner. At night, be ready to experience the Aymara Horoscope and myths of the skies. You will enjoy their constellation and ancestral legends in the "Alajpacha" a native observatory. (B,L,D).

Day 08  LAKE TITICACA-COPACABANA:

Wake up at the sound of the "Pututu" -a native alpine horn- to see the Sunrise and experience like the local people, the energy of the Sun God. Full day excursion by Hydrofoil to visit the colorful Andean town of Copacabana. Stop will be made to visit the Sun Island and drink water from the Sacred Spring -believed to be the source of eternal life. Return to the Inca Utama for overnight and a chance to discover the spiritual world of the Callawayas -masters in natural medicine of the Andes. Within their concept you must first heal the spirit before you can heal the body . A meeting with a Shaman who will tell your fortune as He casts and reads the Coca leaves. Overnight at the INCA UTAMA HOTEL (4stars). (B,L,D).

Day 09  LAKE TITICACA-LA PAZ:

Morning at leisure to enjoy Lake Titicaca on your own, time to meditate or just relax with the cool breezes of Lake Titicaca.. Noon return to La Paz. HOTEL EUROPA (5 stars) (B).

Day 10  LA PAZ: City tour

Morning half day City Tour of La Paz. The City and its surroundings can transport you to a mysterious past where any corner, any street, is a hidden treasure where adventure begins; a living history which treasures the pre-Hispanic times with all their traditions and magic rites on its streets. The indigenous, colonial and modern areas, Indian Market, Witch Doctor's Market and breathtaking panoramas are all framed by the majestic Illimani mountain. Visit the Moon Valley, a clay formation resembling the face of the Moon, as well as a 21st century cable car that offers you a unique bird view of the city of La Paz concluding this experience. HOTEL EUROPA. (B)

Day 11  LA PAZ -DEPART: 

Transfer to the airport. (B)

HOTELS 3 stars: 

Lima= Ibis; Cuzco=Portales; Puno=Casa Andina; La Paz= La Casona Boutique Hotel; M.Picchu= Andina

HOTELS 4 stars: 

Lima= Casa Andina Select;  Cuzco= Costa del Sol; Puno= Casa Andina Private Collection; La Paz= Europa; M.Picchu= El Mapi

HOTELS 5 stars: 

Lima=Marriott; Cuzco= Libertador; Puno=Esteves; La Paz=Camino Real Suites; M.Picchu= Sumaq or Inkaterra

Upon request Monasterio and Machu Picchu Sanctuary