The Andes : Peru, Chile and Bolivia

At your arrival at the airport Jorge Chávez of Lima, you will be taken to your hotel.

You will be transferred to the Lima airport to take your flight.

In the morning, departure in a private group vehicle for Colca (4 or 5 hour journey), whose canyon is one of the deepest in the world at 3680 meters (12073 feet). Crossing of the Salinas Aguada Blanca National Preserve and of the Patapampa pass. On the way we will take in magnificent landscapes and possibly observe vicunas and other camelids. Transfer to the hotel.

Night at the hotel Eco Inn.
Included : local guide, excursion (shared), shared transport, room & breakfast

We will start our day with a stop at Cruz del Condor, at the heart of Colca, to observe Andean condors in flight. Transfer to Chivay visiting the following sites along the way: the village of Pinchollo, the lookout points at Antahuilque (from where the length of the canyon and the terraces used for farming can be seen and appreciated) and Choquetico, the pre-Inca cemetery (suspended tombs) and the traditional picturesque villages of Maca (3262m) and Yanque (3417m: colonial baroque church).

Night at hotel La Casa de Melgar.
Included : local guide, excursion (shared), shared transport, room & breakfast

Morning departure by private vehicle to reach Arica, a seaside city in northern Chile. You will pass by Tacna and Santa Rosa at the border between Peru and Chile.
Installation at the hotel once there.
Included : private transport

Private transfer Desaguadero - Puno,

In the morning, transfer at 7:00 am to the port of Puno to embark for the islands of Uros and Taquile with a group and an english/spanish speaking private guide. After a 25-minute cruise, we visit of the floating islands. These islands are not natural; the Uros tribe, whose main activity is fishing, built them.

We then head for Taquile (around 2-hour cruise), an island of great cultural interest, where residents live in harmony with the ancestral traditions. Visit and lunch in a typical restaurant, not included.

Back to Puno in mid-afternoon.

Transfer to the hotel.

Transfer from the hotel to the bus station.
Around 7 AM departure by tourist bus to Cusco (ride non accompanied by a guide), navel of the Inca Empire.
This itinerary allows to enjoy beautiful landscapes along the route via the Col de la Raya, at 4320 meters above the sea level. Stop in the village of Pukara and small parade ground before continuing to Raqchi order to visit the temple of Wiracocha (the creator of the world), built with lava from volcano Quinchasata.
Discover the relics of the large administrative center which brings together more than 160 circular buildings which were used for storage a long time ago by the Empire.
The day will end with the visit of Anadhuaylillas knows as the Sistine Chapel especially for its inner wealth.

Arrival to Cusco in the late afternoon.

Reception at Cusco terminal bus and transfer to the hotel.
A guide will escort you from the airport to your hotel.

Night at hotel Amaru I.
Included : transfer departure, entrance fees, bus ticket, lunch, transfer arrival, reception with english-speaking guide, room & breakfast
Included opts : Assistance by a local guide during the transfer., BTC

Departure for an half-day dedicated to the discovery of Cuzco's historical downtown. In the morning, visits of the Koricancha (Temple of the Sun), and of the Cathedral, exhibiting some paintings from the School of Cuzco and many goldsmith’s art, silver and precious stones treasures. Then we walk down to the San Blas quarter (the artists’ place).

Free afternoon in Cusco.

Night at hotel Amaru I.
Included : english speaking guide, entrance fees, room & breakfast
Included opts : Entrance fees

8am departure in a private vehicle to explore the Sacred Valley of the Inca. The first stop is at Pisac in order to visit the impressive Inca ruins and the handicraft market. Then we continue to the Inca village of Ollantaytambo where we will visit the fortress.

In the early morning, direct connection to the shuttle service that will drive you to the citadel of Machu Picchu.
Arrival to Machu Picchu, wonder of the world.

Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city of the fifteenth century in Peru. Abandoned during the collapse of the Inca Empire, Machu Picchu sacred city, forgotten for centuries, is considered as a masterpiece of Inca architecture. It was unveiled in 1911 by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham.

Together with your english speaking guide, you will start to discover the archaeological complex, still covered by the morning mist, built on top of a ridge and surrounded by precipices. A stunning view that evolves with the progression of the sun! After the guided tour (around 3 hours for the visit), you have the opportunity to discover on your own.
Return by train to Ollantaytambo.
Reception at the train station and transfer to the hotel in Cusco.

Night at hotel Amaru I.
Included : bus ticket, guide expenses, entrance fees, english speaking guide, train ticket, private transport, room & breakfast
Included opts : Bus guide, English speaking guide , Guide's meals, English speaking tour leader.

Transfer to Cusco's airport.

Three hours before take-off, transfer to Jorge Chavez airport in Lima. Connection with the international return flight.
Included : private transport, transfer departure

Night at the hotel Chinchorro suite ***.
Included : room & breakfast

3-day expedition in a private vehicle with a Spanish-speaking driver.
Meet your driver/guide at Chacalluta Airport. located in the desert 15 km north of Arica, near the Peruvian border, or at your hotel in Arica. Immediate departure to begin an incredible drive up to 3,500 m of altitude. In a little more than 150 km, you will reach the pleasant village of Putre (about 5-hour drive with stops). You will see among other things geoglyphs and petroglyphs, the terraced fields of Socorama, candelabra cactus on the edge of the canyon, and beautiful views of the Nevados de Putre (5,824 m alt.).
Night in the village of Putre, excellent base to begin acclimatization.

Night at Hotel la Chakana **.
Included : private transport, local spanish-speaking guide, excursion (private), room & breakfast

Head south through Las Vicuñas National Reserve and follow the active Guallatiri Volcano (6,063 m alt. with fumaroles around the summit) before arriving at the Surire Salt Flat (4,245 m alt.) which takes its name from the presence of ostriches (“suri” in Aymara). Observation of different species of flamingos, as well as many llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas. Lunch break near the hot springs. Continue on a narrow track that descends south, crossing the colonial villages of Enquelga (3,850 m alt.) and Isluga (3,980 m alt.).
Arrival at Colchane at the end of the day.

Night at the hotel Isluga **.
Included : room & breakfast, private transport, dinner, box lunch, local spanish-speaking guide, excursion (private)

Leave Colchane to reach the border in Pisiga. You will drive along the Cariquima Volcano (5,390 m alt.) and through the mountain pass Portezuelo (5,075 m). Border crossing.

We get in Bolivia in the morning, entering by the border crossing of Pisiga located on the West side of the Salar de Coipasa. This immense salt desert has a bad reputation. Often flooded, it is not unusual to find vehicles that have been stuck there for a whole season. For this reason, it is seldom visited, except by the huge trucks transporting the salt extracted from the Salar. We can, nonetheless, enjoy the unusual desolate scenery it offers before reaching the other Salar, larger and better known, the Salar de Uyuni (el. 3650 m.a.s.l.).
We drive around volcano Tunupa and reach, in the early evening hours, the village of Jirira, on the outskirt of the Salar de Uyuni (6h approximately).
Cold lunch. All included. Lodging at Don Lupe and Don Carlos’ house (basic comfort).


Night at the Doña Lupe accommodation*.
Salar Sector Room.
Included : room & breakfast, lunch (no drinks), dinner (no drinks), entrance fees, private transport
Included opts : Salar Sector Room

In the morning we visit Coquesa, little village on the shores of the Salar, famous for its Chipayas mummies. Then we enter the Salar of Uyuni (el. 3650 m.a.s.l), the biggest salt desert in the world. The sensation is unique: the eyes cannot find the horizon anymore and the immensity of the scenery invites us to silence. We stop in the heart of the Salar on Incahuasi Island. This island, of volcanic origin, is covered with stromatolites (fossilized bacteria representing the first traces of life on earth) and giant cacti. In the afternoon, we head east in the directing of Uyuni. On the way we visit the Salt Hotels (closed since November 2001) and the salt mine of Colchani.
Cold lunch. Dinner open (bar-restaurant La Loco recommended). Hotel.


Night at the Tambo Aymara hotel***.
Included : room & breakfast

8 a.m. departure from the hotel for a long drive. We need to cross the Altiplano. This is an experience in itself as we watch unroll some of the most remote parts of Bolivia through our windows. After 4 to 5 hours of swampy dirt road, we encounter pavement in the village of Challapata. An hour and a half more and we are in Oruro, town famous for its local carnival, the biggest in South America after the one in Rio de Janeiro. Arrival in La Paz in the afternoon (3 hours of paved road from Oruro).
Lunch on the way (included). Dinner open. Hotel.


Night at the Naira hotel***.
Included : breakfast buffet , room

Our private driver will pick us up in the hotel lobby at 09:00 am for a full-day tour around the best points of view over the city and into the Moon Valley. La Paz, world’s highest capital elected in 2014 as one of the New 7 Wonders Cities, is surrounded by the high picks of the Andes. From many parts of the city we can admire the white summits of the Cordillera Real and the imposing Illimani, protector of the city. From the K’Illi K’Illi mirador and the Laykakota Park we will enjoy a panoramic view over the capital. The Montículo, in the bohemian Sopocachi is the classical meeting point of lovers and newlyweds for romantic pictures. Since 2014 La Paz is proud of its new gondolas. From the sky the panorama over the city and the mountains is unique and we can get an impression of the social gaps while flying over different neighborhood. We will then drive to the south, cross the rich "Zona Sur" and get out of the city to enter the Moon Valley. Here we can enjoy the quietness and walk among the lunar rock formations during an hour. In the afternoon we will go back to the historical center and wander along its colorful markets.

NOTE: The K’Illi K’Illi mirador and the Laykakota Park are closed on Mondays.

Departure from the hotel by private transport to the archeological site of Tiwanaku (1h30). Guided visit of the pre colombian remains considered as the most important in South America. We will then drive along the Titicaca lake and the Cordillera until we arrive at the border Desaguadero (Perou).

Included : local guide, entrance fees, private transport, box lunch, english speaking guide