The territory of modern Bolivia, the Spanish Alto Perú, was, long before the arrival of the Conquistadores, the cradle of flourishing civilizations now gone. The country is rich in archaeological historical testimonies of inestimable value.
Nonetheless, Bolivia has not always been able to maintain its treasures. For lack of financial backing, most of the country’s archaeological sites have never been explored, protected or developed. Accesses are generally difficult, local infrastructures more or less nonexistent.
Far from the air-conditioned bus tours that leave you at the foot of the Egyptian Pyramids, Bolivia demands that the visitor take on the part of the adventurer from our childhood novels. If you ever dreamed of being Lord Hiram Bingham contemplating Machu Picchu for the first time, or a tiger-chasing officer from the British Empire in the South of India unexpectedly discovering the Buddhist caves of Ajanta, then this program is made for you!
We set off encountering of the Tiwanaku culture, which dominated the Altiplano until the 12th century of our era and established its capital on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Note that since this time, the lake has noticeably receded, leaving the ancient site of Tiwanaku kilometers away from the shore! This has even been one of the hypotheses used to explain the brutal fall of this civilization extending its influence from the Pacific coast to the Amazon.
Its absence left room for scattered Aymara leaders and tribes arriving from the Southeast that little by little had, since the year 1000, invaded the Altiplano. The principal testimonies of these cultures consist in their funeral tombs (chullpas), aligned with each other over hundreds of meters, and with their openings invariably oriented to the East. Thus, we will have the opportunity to observe chullpas from Caranga tribes, disseminated across the wild and desolate confines of the Altiplano on the border of the Chilean frontier.
Other cultures flourished simultaneously in the mesothermic valleys dropping from the Andes all the way to the Amazon. The local mastery of terraced agriculture and irrigation management, as well as the large variety of produce growing at the different altitudes (or ecologic layers), kept these tribes from ever going hungry. This is why, in the Mollu culture for example, they built numerous citadels along the canyon of Río LLica to protect themselves from the attacks of nomadic tribes coming up from the Amazon Basin. In an astounding natural setting we discover the sites of Mamakhoru and Iskanwaya.
But these various tribes, which managed regular exchanges between themselves, were soon to be conquered by the first aggressively Imperialist colonies from the North. The Incas.
According to the legend, it was on Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca that the first Inca Manco Cápac, as well as his sister and spouse Mama Ocllo were born. This empire lasted only a short time (the Incas were never able to totally submit the most powerful Aymara lords; they were able to coexist for a short period, which explains the survival and the still-strong usage of the Aymara language. Soon appeared a new invader; the Conquistadores Españoles who put their minds to completely destroying the social organization of the Andean tribes to better exploit or exterminate them. Is this how the Discovery of America went, the beginning of Gold Fever?
This journey doesn’t pretend to give a complete and exhaustive panorama of the pre-Colombian era, but to allow the traveler to contemplate some of the most spectacular or most representative sites, while enjoying scenery of a rare beauty. It caters to amateurs of History and lovers of wide-open spaces in search of adventures and the thrill of discovery.
We also hope to awake in you the interest in these treasures, and the archaeological patrimony of Bolivia and Peru in general and therefore to participate in their preservation.

Airport pick up (flight number and arrival time to be confirmed) and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day open.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.

Departure from the hotel at 8:30 a.m. in our private vehicle, to discover the most spectacular viewpoint over the city, unbelievably located in the “pit” of the Choqueyapu river canyon, with the Royal Mountain Range “Giants” as the background: Huayna Potosi, Mururata and Illimani.
This tour, particularly designed for photo lovers, first takes us to the Jach´a Apacheta Mirador, on the edge of the precipice of the city of El Alto. Then we go to the K´Illi K´Illi Mirador and to Laykakota Park, on the Northwestern side of the city. Afterwards, we cross the Americas Bridge to go to the “Plaza de España” Mirador, in the colonial neighborhood of Sopocachi. From there, an abrupt descent leads us to the “South Zone”, passing through Llojeta and the “Garden Cemetery”, and finally to the Valley of the Moon, a place where we will be able to walk between psychedelic looking limestone formations.
Return downtown in the afternoon. City tour: Sagárnaga street and its local handicraft market (one of the most famous of South America), the witches’ street, San Pedro's food market, the historical centre and the colonial neighborhood.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.

We meet with our guide in the hall of the hotel at 8:30 a.m., for the guided visit of the archeological museum. This museum presents mostly pieces from the Tiwanaku culture, but also a few pieces from other pre-Columbian cultures. Interesting collection of ceramics, mummies, tapestries and domestic objects.
In the afternoon, we visit the ethnographic and folkloric museum, located in the beautiful colonial residence of the Comte de Villaverde. A complete collection of fabrics from the different ethnic groups inhabiting Bolivia is exposed there as well as a smaller section on the Chipaya and Uru cultures.
Lunch included. Dinner open. Hotel ***.
Note: The museums are open from Tuesday to Saturday, as well as Sunday mornings (they are closed on Mondays). Remember to bring some kind of ID to leave at the entrance of the ethnographic museum.

Departure from the hotel at 9 a.m. in a private vehicle. We traverse the altiplano until we reach the entrance of Sajama National Park (about 4h) via the small village of Curahuara de Carangas and its well-adorned colonial church (the frescoes are perfectly preserved). On the way, we stop by chullpas (carangas sepultures) empty today after their systematic pillaging.
We enter the park by a dirt road that takes us to the village of Tomarapi. The fauna is abundant and varied: alpacas, vicuñas and ñandus (a cousin of the ostrich) if we are lucky.
Cold lunch. All included. Night at Tomarapi’s new “Albergue” (comfort of a 2-star hotel).

We take the direction of the South to enter the country of Urus following sandy and treacherous dirt roads. After crossing Río Lauca, appear some polychromatic chullpas, the most beautiful of Bolivia (chullpas were tombs of the Aymara lords; pre-Inca time).
The whole day is dedicated to the visit of chullpas of the surrounding areas: Julo, Sacabaya and Macaya. Return to the village of Sajama at the end of the day.
Cold lunch. All included. Lodging at Doña Isabel and Don Marcelo’s (basic comfort).

In the morning, we head to the geysers in our 4WD. This particularly active area offers a unique display of bubbling baths spread over hundreds of square meters. We can try cooking eggs in their slightly sulfuric water.
From there, we walk to the natural Hot Springs for a relaxing bath at the foot of volcano Sajama, revered by the local population (about a 2-hour walk).
In the afternoon we keep on walking to Laguna Huaña Khota, where flamingoes sometimes come to mix with the ducks and wild geese.
Return to La Paz at the end of the day.
Cold lunch. Dinner open. Hotel ***.

Departure from the hotel at 8:30 a.m. in our private vehicle for the archeological site of Tiwanaku (1h30). Guided tour of the pre-Colombian vestiges counting amongst the most important of the continent. Do not miss the recently built lithic museum that presents the monumental pieces discovered on the site. Return to La Paz in the middle of the afternoon. End of the day open.
Lunch included. Dinner open. Hotel ***.

Departure from the hotel at 8:30 a.m. with a private 4WD. We skirt Lake Titicaca and the Cordillera Real before descending towards Copacabana (3h30 about). From there a motorboat takes us to the Northern extremity of the Isla del Sol (island of the Sun). Visit of the Inca site of Chincana and of the Inca’s sacred rock, from where God Viracocha created his son Manco Capac, the first Inca. Short hike on the island to the village of Challapampa, where is located the Marka Pampa museum.
Cold lunch. All included. Loging with host in the village of Challapampa (Basic comfort).
Hiking time: 1h; Elevation gain: +100m / -100m

In the morning, a nice hike across the cultivated terraces covering the slopes of the island leads us to the village of Yumani (2-hour hike – possibility to link Yumani and the Fountain of the Inca by boat). The view over the lake is superb. We then descend the beautiful stone staircase to the Fountain of the Inca (Fuente del Inca), where we meet our boat (around 500 steps!).
A short hop takes us to the temple of Pilkokaina. We then traverse to the Isla de la Luna (Island of the Moon), where we visit the temple of the “Ñustas”, temple of the virgins. Return by boat to Copacabana in the afternoon and to La Paz in the evening Cold lunch (included). Dinner open. Hotel ***.
Hiking time: 2h; Elevation gain: +100m / -100m

Departure at 7:30 a.m. from the hotel in our private 4WD. We drive along the shores of Lake Titicaca until we reach Escoma, before following the Suches River upstream. We then enter the Cordillera de Muñecas. Here, the sky is so big that we feel like we are on the roof of the world. Spectacular views on the Illampu and Ancohuma mountain range. After 8/9-hour of dirt road and a pass at 4800 meters, we descend in the geothermic valleys on the East side of the Cordillera and arrive in the village of Aucapata (el. 2800 m.a.s.l.). This region differs from others of the cordillera because of its distinctive stone houses, adorned with sculpted balconies and stone staircases as well as by the colorful and beautifully ornate costumes worn by its inhabitants. We are in a very remote part of the cordillera of the Andes, where traditions are still alive. This place, booming during the time of the Spanish colonization because of the nearby gold mines, today enjoys a calm that nothing seems to be able to shake. At the end of the afternoon, tour of the small village museum, showing pieces discovered in the different pre-Inca sites of the region.
Cold lunch (included). All included. Night with host (basic comfort – hot showers)

We spend this day discovering on foot 2 sites from the Mollo culture accompanied by the guard of the ruins, who participated in the only excavations done in 1972.
With the 4WD, we drive to about 1000 meters lower in the valley. A 2-hour hike leads us to the citadel of Mamakhoru, which receives its water from an aqueduct perfectly preserved. The citadel itself has not been cleaned or searched entirely, which gives it an atmosphere of lost city. We return the way we came on a nice trail dominating the beautiful valley of Llica.
In the afternoon, we descend to the archaeological site of Iskanwaya. Only a very small portion of the site has been ridden of its cacti, shrubs and grass that cover the ruins. Thanks to numerous practically perfectly preserved walls emerging from the vegetation, it is nonetheless possible to imagine how majestic this city must have been. We notice that the section called “The Palace” has not been cleared nor searched because of lack of financing. We stroll through the different sections of the site while listening to the explanations and anecdotes our guide provides us
Cold lunch. All included. Lodging with local host (basic comfort – hot shower)

Early morning departure. Return to La Paz in 4WD (8-9 h trip).
Cold lunch (included). Dinner open. Hotel ***.

Day open. Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.

Pick up at our hotel in a private vehicle, 3 hours prior to flight departure time, for transfer to airport / international flight number and time to be confirmed.