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The tour starts in the highland city of La Paz (3630m). La Paz sits within a deep canyon at the northeastern edge of the altiplano. It is a strikingly memorable city, both for its location at the foot of the towering snowpeak of Ilimani, and also for its numerous Aymara Indian markets, which provide a great opportunity for shopping for traditional crafts. From La Paz we head south by bus and train across the vast and luminous plateau of the Bolivian altiplano towards the border with Chile. Our four-wheel drive expedition takes us across the shimmering salt lake of Uyuni, one of the largest in the world, to see the geysers, volcanoes and vividly coloured lagoons of this starkly beautiful area. The intensely clear air combines with deep blue skies and the brilliant white salt to create a truly fantastic spectacle. Returning to La Paz we then head northwest to the vast inland-sea of Lake Titicaca and the small lakeshore town of Copacabana. Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America has, over thousands of years, witnessed the rise and fall of many civilisations. Today, the lake provides the lifeblood for numerous scattered lakeshore and island communities. The timeless customs of native Aymara people are perhaps best observed on the Island of the Sun, which we spend two days exploring on foot. The mountains of the Cordillera Real dominate the landscape to the east of Lake Titicaca. They stand like sentinels guarding the high passes that separate the altiplano from the extensive tropical forests to the east. Prominent in this jagged range of ice-capped peaks are the 6500m summits of Illimani to the south and Illampu (6368m) to the north. Our tour culminates in a six day (80km) trek high around the flanks of the glaciated peaks of Illampu and Ancohuma (6427m), with four mountain passes (highest at 5045m), remote highland villages, herds of grazing llamas, awe-inspiring mountain scenery, and condors soaring overhead. We return to La Paz, and from there make a half day excursion to Tiahuanaco, an expertly constructed pre-Inca site of monolithic monuments and temples.
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This
tour explores some of Bolivia’s most stunning high altitude scenery,
featuring three dramatically different parts of the Bolivian highlands.
