The Bolivia Explorer 8N/9D tour starts and ends in La Paz. It is an adventure tour that takes 9 days taking you through Uyuni, Copacabana, Huayllajara and 3 other destinations in Bolivia. Bolivia Explorer 8N/9D is a guided tour that includes accommodation, transport, meals and others.
Discover the incomparable nature and rich, colourful culture of Bolivia on this 9-day trip through La Paz, Lake Titicaca, and the Uyuni Salt Flats.
Day 01: La Paz
Airport Transfer
Welcome to La Paz! Today, you will be picked-up from the airport and transferred to your accommodation.
Day 02: La Paz
La Paz Half-Day Walking City Tour
Today, we will take the famous “Mi Teleférico” cable car up to El Alto, one of La Paz’ suburbs. El Alto is located at a dizzying 13,615ft (4,000m) above sea level and is one of the highest cities in the world! Then, we will “trek” our way down to the center of La Paz. We will visit the streets like locals during the 4-hour descent through markets, neighborhoods, plazas, and alleyways. To top it off, we will take a micro or local bus to the heart of the market area. Here, we will be able to shop around and go to different markets, including the famous Witch’s Market. Time at leisure to have lunch and explore the city on our own.
Day 03: La Paz – Sun Island
Transfer to Copacabana and the Sun Island
Today, you will be picked-up from your accommodation around 06:30 – 07:00 hrs and you will departure by tourist bus to Copacabana. Around 09:45 hrs we will arrive at the Tiquina strait, from where we will take a small ferry to cross it (about 20min.) After this, we will go back to the bus and continue to Copacabana arriving around noon. After enjoying your lunch, at 13:00 hrs we will take a ferry to the Sun Island (1 ½ hrs.) We will receive a map from the guide to be able to explore the Island. Today you can walk around the sun temple Pilkokaina and the coast of Yumani.
Day 04: Sun Island – La Paz
Transfer back to La Paz
Free time to wander around the Sun Island. You can take a public boat to the northern end of the Island (30min. approx.) and hike about 3 hours back down to the south alongside spectacular views. You can also visit the Gold Museum, located in the northern part of the Island. It’s a tiny, but fascinating museum filled with recovered artifacts. Finally, you can also visit the Fountain of Youth, believed to keep you young forever, it has 3 streams of water pouring out each with their own nickname. At 15:30, we will take the ferry back to Copacabana (departure from Yumani port). Upon arrival, we will take the bus back to La Paz arriving around 22:00 hrs. NOTE: Cost of the boat + entrances are not included.
Day 05: La Paz – Uyuni
Transfer to Uyuni
Today you will have a day at leisure to take a rest and explore the city on your own. At 20:00 hrs, you will be picked-up from the hotel and transferred to the bus station where you will catch your overnight bus to Uyuni.
Day 06: Uyuni – San Juan or Atulcha
Uyuni Salt Flats
Around 07:00 hrs you will be picked-up from the bus station and have time at leisure to enjoy your breakfast. The trip will begin at 10:30 hrs. We will first visit the Train cemetery (very old locomotives from the Carbon era), and the town of Colchani, where we will see the manual processing of salt, handicrafts and salt museum. Then, we will enter the Uyuni salt flats (12,000 km2) and will see the “Montones de sal” and how locals extract the salt. We will visit Playa Blanca hotel and the Incahuasi Island with its giant cacti that is located in the middle of the salt flats. We will have lunch there, enjoying an amazing view. Then, we will continue our trip to the town of San Juan or Atulcha (3,700 masl). You will overnight at a small salt hostel.
Day 07: San Juan or Atulcha – Huayllajara
Salar de Chiguana, Eduardo Avaroa Andean Flora and Fauna Reserve, and Laguna Colorada.
Today we will depart at 08:30 hrs. We will visit Salar de Chiguana, viewpoint of the Ollague Volcano (active), to later continue the tour and visit the Andean lagoons of Cañapa, Chiarcota, and Hedionda, located at an average altitude of 4,300masl. Here, we can see flamingos, vicuñas or other Andean fauna. We will then pass through the Siloli desert and visit the Stone Tree, formed due to the erosion. In the afternoon, we will visit Laguna Colorada (4,300masl) where we can see more wild animals. We will continue to Huayllajara, where our small hostel is located at an average altitude of 4,300masl. Please consider that the temperature is very low at night (even -20 °C), therefore it is recommended to bring a sleeping bag.
Day 08: Huayllajara – Uyuni – La Paz
Sol de Mañana geysers, Polques, Green Lagoon and transfer to La Paz.
Today, we will depart at 05:00 hrs to visit the active geysers of Sol de Mañana, which are located at an altitude of 4,900masl. We will see the fumaroles or boiling lava at a temperature of 90° C. Then, we will continue to the thermal waters of Polques, where we can take a hot bath. We will pass through the Dalí desert until we reach the Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca, located at the foot of the Licancabur volcano. After this, we will return to the Uyuni town (approx. 7 hours) without many stops except at noon for lunch and a visit to the rock valley in Villamar. We will be arriving in Uyuni around 17:00hrs, where you will have time at leisure to eat and visit the town. In the evening, you will be transferred to the bus station to take the overnight bus back to La Paz at 20:00 hrs.
Day 09: La Paz, Bolivia
Airport Transfer
Arrival from Uyuni around 05:30 hrs. At the scheduled time, you will be transferred to the airport to continue with your journey. Hope to see you soon!
| City | Night (s) | Hotels / Camp |
| La Paz | 02 | Grand Plaza La Paz |
| Sun Island | 01 | Budget Hotel |
| La Paz | 01 | Grand Plaza La Paz |
| Uyuni/Salt Flats | 01 | Hotel De Sal Luna Salada |
| Huayllajara | 01 | Posada Tika, Yavi |
– Meeting and assistance by our representative.
– Welcome with fresh flower garlands.
– 06 Nights accommodation.
– 02 Nights Roundtrip overnight bus (semi-bed) from La Paz to Uyuni
– Roundtrip tourist bus from La Paz to Copacabana
– Roundtrip public ferry from Copacabana to Sun Island
– Daily Breakfast, Lunch and Dinners.
– City and Nature expeditions
– La Paz City Tour with cable car tickets
– Sun Island Guided Walking Tour
– Uyuni Salt Flats Guided Tour
– Eduardo Avaroa Andean Flora and Fauna Reserve Guided Tour
– Visit to thermal waters of Polques
– Visit to Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca
– Local English-speaking guide
– All transfers, sightseeing, excursions as per the program by private vehicle.
– Entrance fees to monuments.
– Transport, Parking, Gasoline & Toll ways.
– All present government taxes.
– International Airfare.
– Tips, gratuities, Portage, laundry, telephone calls, table drinks, camera/ video camera charges, or any other expenses of a personal nature.
– Visa fees, personal insurance.
– Any item not specified under cost includes.
– Accommodation in good hotels.
– Check-in / out time is 12 noon at most of the hotels.
– Extension to other places is also possible with a minimal extra cost.
– Additional nights are available at each place with minimal supplement.
– A visa is required and must be obtained prior to your departure from your Country.
– If quoted hotel is not available, we will provide one of a similar category and standard.
– Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road conditions, flight schedules and room availability.
– In case the government changes presently applicable taxes, increase in airlines prices, fuel surcharge our rates will need to be adjusted accordingly.
– Sometimes, there is no relevance between the distance and time of travelling, as it depends upon the condition of the roads and congestion of the traffic.
– While every effort will be made to maintain the itinerary, in view of local strikes etc that are beyond our control all schedule and itineraries are subject to last moment changes.
– Clients must be fully insured, as the company cannot accept liability for loss or damage to client’s property, medical emergencies or any other loss suffered by them whilst on tour.
– In Case of issuing Domestic or International air tickets, SGV is not responsible for any refund if the flight is delayed or cancelled, as it is the responsibility of airline.