Bolivia is a country full of untouched lands, experience pristine jungles, and the moon like landscapes that draw travelers to the vast landscapes of the Uyuni Salt Flats.
Day 1: We leave Rurrenabaque at 8:30 am and take a boat trip that lasts 3 hours, enjoying spectacular views of the rivers Beni and Tuichi before entering the Madidi National Park. We arrive at our eco-lodge around noon where you will receive a refreshing glass of fruit juice as a welcome before being shown your accommodation. After a quick break lunch will be served. In the afternoon we go for a short walk along the “dry creek” trail where you will see a variety of plants and learn about their many uses. They provide us with our medicines, craft and construction materials. With a little luck we will see some species of monkeys, peccaries, birds and many insects. After dinner you will have time to relax in your comfortable room or on one of our many hammocks.
Day 2: Breakfast will be served at 7:00 am followed by a walk to the Cliff of the Macaws, one of the best places in Madidi National Park to watch macaws, parrots and other birds. The walk is moderately hard and on the way we will see huge trees and learn more about their uses. At the Cliff of the Macaws you can not only watch the birds but can also enjoy the breath-taking view of the Amazon Basin and its many rivers. Afterwards we head to the River Tuichi where we build a log raft (traditional transport of the Amazonian Indians) and go downstream for about 2 hours until we reach the eco-lodge (we will be followed by a boat for security, for our backpacks and for people who do not wish to participate in this activity). Upon our return we will have lunch and rest during the heat of the day. (This afternoon you can choose to either rest or partake in an additional activity, such as making traditional handicrafts or fishing in the river).
Day 3: We will get up at 6.00 am and have breakfast before returning to Rurrenabaque where we will arrive at about 8.30am. We will immediately leave for Santa Rosa. We will travel in a vehicle equipped with seat belts and air conditioning. Along the way we will have great opportunities to see sloths, anteaters, birds, and other animals. Around midday we will take a boat trip of about 15 minutes to another eco-lodge. You will be shown your accommodation and we will have lunch. After a rest, we will go along the Yacuma River by boat to look for and take pictures of caimen, capybara, turtles, and many types of bird. Before we return we may be able to swim with the beautiful pink river dolphins which live in this wonderful place. (This is dependent upon the season.)
Day 4: We will get up early (5:00 am) to watch the sunrise and listen to the sounds of howler monkeys and birds which herald the awakening of the pampas. We will have breakfast and then go back out on the Yacuma River looking for a good place to walk and look for anacondas. During our tour we will continue to see a variety of birds, capybara, caimen, turtles and other animals. Then after lunch we will take the car and return to Rurrenabaque where we will arrive at about 4:30 p.m.
Note: This itinerary is subject to change without prior notice according to weather conditions, strikes, roadblocks, or other events which are beyond our control. We will always do our best to follow the itinerary as closely as possible.
PRICE INCLUDES:
NOT INCLUDED:
Optional flight available at additional cost, please inquire.
Day 1: Start your tour off at 10:30am with a visit to Uyuni’s ‘train graveyard’ to see the abandoned locomotives in Bolivia. Then visit the small settlement of Colchani (salt miners workshops next to the salt flats) where you can see handicrafts made of salt and textile art made of llama and alpaca. Take photos as you cruise along the vast white expanse of salt, visit los Ojos de Agua Salada (‘salt water eyes’) and then a hotel made completely of salt which is currently a museum.
Lunch will be served on “Isla Incahuasi” (Fish Island) where you will have time to hike to the top of the island to see giant cactus and rock formations made of petrified coral. Take time to organize your group for fun perspective and proportion-distorted photos on the blinding white surface of the salt flats. Then, head to Pia Pia island for the unique experience of seeing a beautiful sunset over the salt flats. Have dinner and spend the night at Ajencha town. In the evening, enjoy star gazing from an amazing look-out point through telescope. (L/D)
Day 2: Start off at 7:00am for breakfast. Our first stop is galaxy caves before continuing on to visit the Chiguana desert on the south side of Uyuni salt flats, surrounded by volcanoes such as Ollague (5840m), which is still active and can be seen from the lookout. Continue along a rocky road - Pasito Tuntun - to the beautiful Andean lagoons inhabited by 3 species of Andean flamingos. Marvel at three lagoons on the way; Cañapa where you’ll see pink flamingos, Hedionda where lunch will be served, and Chiarcota where you’ll see a wider variety of birds and altiplanic fauna.
After, we enter the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve and visit the Desert of Siloli at 4550m (the highest and driest in the world) and take a photos next to the ‘Rock tree’, a lava rock formation. Before arriving to our final destination today, we will stop at the overlook point by the Red Lagoon to see more pink flamingos in their natural habitat and admire the intense red-colored lake. Stay the night at a shared family lodging. (B,L,D)
Day 3: Get off to an early start around 5:00am to visit the Sol de Mañana Geyser, at 5,000m and walk next to fumaroles and steaming craters filled with boiling pots of mud at 150-200 degrees C. Continue to the open air hot springs and take a bath in 35 degree C water before enjoying a pancake breakfast. The next places to visit are the Dali Desert where Salvador Dali found his inspiration from boulders sprinkled in the middle of the desert, followed by the Green Lagoon (toxic copper water at the foot of Licancabur volcano at 6000m, which is a few kilometers from the Bolivia-Chile border).
After this, you will head back to Uyuni passing by beautiful scenery and eating a picnic lunch along the roadside. On the way, pass by the Valley of the Rocks, the Alota settlement and the San Cristobal Village where we will visit the church and see the exquisite colonial paintings. Return to Uyuni by 6:30pm where your tour comes to an end. (Option to connect to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. You need to book this transfer in advance.) (B,L)
Note: This itinerary is subject to change without prior notice according to weather conditions, strikes, roadblocks, or other events which are beyond our control. We will always do our best to follow the itinerary as closely as possible.
ACCOMMODATION/ FACILITIES:
The accommodation on the Uyuni Salt Flats tour will be bare-bones basic with basic cots in shared rooms. On occasion there may not be electricity or running water due to lack of in- frastructure and services in the national park. You will be travelling in the middle of the desert - toilet facilities will only be available on the first day of the Uyuni tour and might have a small local cost.
Option to transfer to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
OR
Return to Uyuni, Bolivia - Transfer to La Paz (overnight bus)
