16 Day Treasures of the Andes Peru Bolivia Tour

Extended itinerary of the 16 Day Treasures of the Andes Peru Bolivia Tour:

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Day 1: Arrival (from Lima) in Arequipa (2335 m altitude)

After arriving at the airport of Arequipa, our driver will be waiting for you to bring you to your hotel. Arequipa is located close to the Chachani (6057 m), El Misty (5822 m) and Pichu Pichu (5634 m) Volcanoes and is considered by many Peruvians to be the prettiest city in Peru. Arequipa is also called “La Ciudad Blanca”, because of its many white buildings in the Colonial centre of Arequipa. The buildings were constructed with a volcanic rock called ‘sillar’. Check out our short YouTube video for a first impression of Arequipa.

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Day 2: Arequipa - Morning City Walking tour

After breakfast our guide will pick you up at your hotel and together you will walk through the Colonial center of Arequipa. He/ she will explain you more about the history of Arequipa and some of its most iconic buildings. The tour end at the very impressive and iconic Santa Catalina Convent. For the afternoon we can recommend to visit the interesting Santuarios Andinos Museum, where you can admire the Juanita ice mummy.

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Day 3: Arequipa – Colca Canyon (4910 m high pass and sleeping at 3635 m)

8:00 Am – starts your tour towards the Colca Canyon. After leaving the busy city of Arequipa, you will be rewarded with great views of the Misti and Chachani Volcanoes. Then the busy winding road will ascent quickly till above 4000 m altitude, where you enter a nature reserve for wild vicuñas. These elegant looking American Camels produce some of the finest wool in the world. Because they are protected, the vicuñas are not very scared of us, and the traffic, so they frequently come close to the road. Then it is time for a short stop to try a local tea, before we leave the busy road and enter another nature reserve. Here we will see many lama’s and alpaca’s and interesting plants that survive under harsh conditions. Before entering the Colca Valley, we will have to cross a high pass at 4910 m altitude. Please check out our article with useful information about altitude sickness. From this point you will have an amazing view over the desolated volcanic landscape. Then you will drive along another winding road quickly down into the Colca Valley. Your hotel for tonight is located in the small and picturesque town of Coporaque. In the afternoon you can explore the rustic surrounding, take it easy, and/or visit one of the natural hot springs (Optional, 15 Soles p.p.).
Inclusive overnight and breakfast in hotel Casa de Mamayacchi in Coporaque.

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Day 4: Colca Canyon – Arequipa and flight to Cusco (3400 m)

Today we will have to get up around 5:00 am to leave around 6:00 am (depending on the season) in the direction of the famous viewpoint ‘Cruz del Condor’. When the sun starts to warm the air in the Colca Canyon, the condors use the resulting thermal airflow to fly. Depending on the season it is almost a guaranty to see condors ascending from the depth of the canon where they have their nests. This fact makes that Cruz del Condor draws many tourists, but lucky for us these giant birds don’t seem to be the least disturbed with all this attention. After saying goodbye to the condors, you drive back to Chivay, meanwhile enjoying great views over the Colca Canyon and the pre-Inca terrasses on the hills of the valley. Time for a quick lunch (exclusive), before driving back to the airport of Arequipa.
18:15 h – Departure of LATAM flight to Cusco
Upon arrival in Cusco our driver will be waiting for you to bring you to your hotel in the historical centre of Cusco.
Cusco was once the Inca Capital of Peru, ruling most of South America. After the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, they build their colonial buildings on top of the Inca foundations of the Inca buildings. This combination of different building styles together with the beautiful location in the mountains, the many touristic activities, restaurants, bars, etc., have made from Cusco one of the most popular tourist cities in South America! Check out our virtual city tour in Cusco for a first impression.

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Day 5: Cusco (city tour) – Salineras – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes (2000 m)

Today will be a long day, full with interesting highlights! You will start your private tour with visiting 4 archaeological Inca sites, just outside of Cusco, to begin with the Inca water temple of Tambomachay. Next to Tambomachay we will visit Puka Pukara. Because of its strategical location this might have been a small Inca fortress, or a resting place for the Chasky messengers. On our way to Sacsayhuaman we make a short stop at the ceremonial site of Q’enqo. The Sacsayhuaman Inca fortress is best known for its massive walls, constructed with huge stones with seamless connections! We continue our tour back into Cusco, towards the Koricancha Temple of the Sun, which displays an incredible fusion of Inca and Spanish architecture! After our guide explains us more about this fusion of cultures, we will visit the very impressive colonial cathedral. And then it is time for lunch (inclusive).
After lunch we depart Cusco in the direction of the ancient old salt pans from Salineras. Already for thousands of years the pre-Inca Maras civilization creates small pools on the slopes of the valley to be able to extract the salt from the water that comes out of the mountain. After we’ve taken surrealistic pictures from this unique location, we continue our tour into the Sacred Valley and towards the town and ruins of Ollantaytambo. Founded by the Inca Ollanta on the banks of the Urubamba River, Ollantaytambo is a fort built into the mountain with Andean terraces and also a traditional town. At the top of the ruins, we find the Sun Temple, constructed of large blocks that have remained intact for centuries in spite of the effects of time and weather.
19:04 h – Departure of the Expedition Peru Rail Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (1h45 min.).
After arriving in Aguas Calientes, now officially named Machu Picchu Pueblo, the receptionist or guide will pick you up from the train station and bring you to your hotel.

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Day 6: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco

Very early in the morning our guide will pick you up at your hotel and together you will travel in 20 minutes with a tourist bus from Aguas Calientes to the entrance of Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu is the most known Inca ruin worldwide and has even been chosen one of the seven new world wonders. However, Machu Picchu is not its original name. The Incas had no writing and the site is not mentioned in any of the Spanish Conquistadors writings. Machu Picchu is believed to have been constructed around the mid-15th century and was “rediscovered” by the American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Our price includes one normal entrance ticket for Machu Picchu and a guided tour of around 2h30 min. to 3 hours, with English speaking guide along one of the popular walking circuits withing the archeological site of Machu Picchu. Optional: We can buy an extra entrance ticket, so you can stay longer on the site and climb either the Huayna Picchu, or Machu Picchu Mountain. This will be 65 US$ p.p. extra, without a guide. Here you can find more information about Machu Picchu and the 10 different tourist circuits on the archaeological site.
In the afternoon you will travel with the train back from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo. And from Ollantaytambo you will travel in less than two hours back to your hotel in Cusco.

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Day 7: Cusco – Puno in sightseeing tourist bus with guide (3840 m)

Today we will travel the 380 km from Cusco (6:30 am) to Puno (17:30 h), with a tourist sightseeing bus and English speaking guide from Avalos Tours This journey includes visiting the chapel of Andahuaylillas, the archaeological Inca site of Raqchi and lunch buffet in a tourist restaurant. After lunch we make a short stop at the highest point of the route (4335 m) with a view on the snowcapped Chimboya mountain. Our last stop before reaching Puno is at the Pukara museum.
Puno isn’t a pretty city, but to many Peruvians it is their capital of folkloric music and dance and there are often colourful parades in the street.

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Day 8: Puno – Uros – Copacabana (3840 m)

Fleeing from the Incas, the Uros civilization decided to build huge floats of reed and sail them to the middle of Lake Titicaca. They lived a peaceful live on and from the lake, until a strong storm in 1986 destroyed several islands and made the Uros decide to move closer to shore again. New generations of the Uros went on to live on the shores of Lake Titicaca and little by little the unique floating Uros reed islands started to disappear, until they were discovered by tourism.
In the afternoon it takes around four hours to travel from Puno, along the shores of Lake Titicaca to Copacabana in Bolivia. If we arrive on time in Copacabana, you might be able to climb Cerro Calvario (Witches Mountain) and watch a spectacular sunset. Check out our YouTube video from 2024 for a short impression of Copacabana.

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Day 9: Copacabana – Isla del Sol – La Paz (3650 m)

For people from the highlands of Bolivia and Peru, Copacabana is known as a pilgrim town. They come to Copacabana to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, a 17th-century Spanish colonial shrine that houses the image of the Virgen de Copacabana and/ or ask the local shamans for their blessings.
Most tourists visit Copacabana for its view over Lake Titicaca and to visit Isla del Sol, supposedly the birthplace of the Inca empire. Your morning tour to Isla del Sol includes visiting the Inca Steps, the Fountain of Eternal Youth and the small Temple of the Sun.
In the afternoon we will travel to La Paz. This journey takes around four hours and includes crossing the narrowest part of Lake Titicaca.

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Day 10: La Paz – Free day - Overnight bus to Uyuni

‘La Paz’ translates as ‘The Peace’, but ‘The Market’ would have been a better name for this bustling city that never sleeps. Downtown La Paz is one of the best places to shop for souvenirs, or maybe even buy an amulet on the mysterious witches market. We can also highly recommend to ‘take a ride’ in the cable cars (Teleferico) above La Paz, which offers great views over the city, the valley and the snowcapped Cordillera Real mountain range around La Paz! Check out our YouTube video for a virtual city tour in and above La Paz.
9:00 Pm – Departure of the Todo Turismo overnight bus from La Paz to Uyuni.

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Day 11: Uyuni – Salar de Uyuni, start of 3 day Tour (3650 m)

You will arrive around 7:30 am in Uyuni, right on time to go for a good breakfast in the Minuteman restaurant in Tonito Hotel. Check out our virtual Salar de Uyuni Tour from 2024.
10:00 Am – Our 3 day/ 2 night Salar de Uyuni tour starts with visiting el Cemeterio de trenes (the Train Graveyard), where you can see the remains of nineteenth and early 20th century steam locomotives. Our next stop is Colchani, right beside the Uyuni salt flat and home of the Cooperative Rosario, the main plant for the iodization of salt. It is the best place to observe the old fashion methods of salt extraction from the salt flat. From Colchani we enter the salt flat and stop at ‘Los Ojos del Sal’ (holes in the salt flat where water comes through). Our next stop is at the original Salt Hotel, the only hotel with walls of salt that is actually build on the salt flat. From the Salt Hotel we drive about an hour over the endless white salt flat towards the so called Inca Wasi Island. But before we reach this island, we will make a stop on the giant salt flat to explore our creativity with artistic pictures. Inca Wasi is a remarkable and otherworldly place at 100 km away from Uyuni, where huge cacti grow on a dry and rocky island, surrounded by salt! We continue our journey from Inca Wasi to the other side of the salt flat. Depending on the season we will watch a beautiful sunset on the salt flat or from the shores. Tonight we will sleep in a basic hotel in the desert of the Altiplano.

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Day 12: Second day of Salar de Uyuni tour - Laguna Colorada (4200 m)

Today we will continue our sightseeing tour through the spectacular landscape of the Bolivian desert. The scenic highlights for today include: crossing a desolated railway track between Bolivia and Chile and a petrified volcanic lava field with viewpoint of smoking Ollagüe volcano, at the border of Bolivia and Chile. Further on we will visit a chain of small lagoons full with minerals and three different flamingo species. The surrounding desert landscape, colourful minerals and pink flamingos provide these shallow lakes with surrealistic views! After passing by the Cañapa lagoon, Hedionda lagoon, Chiarcota lagoon and Honda lagoon, we will enter the Siloli Desert with multi coloured mountains, curious viscachas and the famous stone tree. Then we enter the National Reserve Eduardo, with its biggest attraction, Laguna Colorada at an altitude of 4250 m. The bright red colour of this lake is caused by iron minerals, algae and plankton, the same ingredients that colour the flamingos, which are orn with white feathers.
Tonight we will sleep in a basic hotel not far from Laguna Colorada
Note: It can be very cold at night, but if you dare to brave the cold, you will be rewarded with a spectacular option for stargazing!

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Day 13: Third day of Salar de Uyuni tour - Uyuni

Today we have to get up and leave very early to see the sunrise at the geysers, or hot springs, depending on the season..
Note: Especially during winter it can be very cold in the jeep and outside, so it is recommendable to take your sleeping bag with you in the jeep.
It takes a little more than an hour to get to the geysers. The freezing cold in the morning makes the steam rise even higher in the light of the rising sun, a great thing to see. The next stop is at a small natural hot spring (30 min.). Here you can go for a ‘swim’ while the cook prepares breakfast.
After breakfast you drive further to the Dali Rocks (15 min.). From there it is about half an hour to Laguna Blanca, Laguna Verde and the Licancabur Volcano. If it is windy (often) the wind moves the water and the copper minerals which give this lake its green color. If there is no wind, you will see a beautiful reflection of the volcano in the water. After Laguna Verde you drive back to another amazing viewpoint over Laguna Colorada. From here you will slowly start descending again, the landscape gets a bit more green and you will pass through a pretty green valley before arriving in the village of Villamar. This is usually the place for lunch, or else at least a good place to stretch the legs and make some pictures.
From Villamar it takes about 3 hours to drive back to Uyuni.
Overnight with breakfast in Tonito Hotel

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Day 14: Uyuni – Sucre (2750 m)

The beautiful ride (8 hours) through rough landscapes with many vicuñas and llamas, to Sucre is almost an excursion on its own. Optional it might even be an idea to have a picknick along the way. Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia and was named after the important General Antonio José de Sucre, who fought together with Simon Bolivar in the Independence War against Spain. You can use our virtual city tour in Sucre as a guide to explore the city. If you understand a little bit of Spanish, we can recommend you for the evening to visit the folkloric dance show of Origenes.

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Day 15: Sucre - Free day

During your free day in Sucre you can explore this Colonial city and find out for yourself why Sucre is often called the most beautiful city of Bolivia. Places of interest include: Plaza La Recoleta, Museo del Tesoro, Church of San Filipe, Museum of Indigenous Art, its local market, the cemetery and the ancient dinosaurs footprints, just outside of Sucre!
Optional: you can also decide to join a spectacular hike in the surroundings of Sucre. This hike is called the Full Day Rockpaintings Hike. The hiking starts at about an hour from Sucre, passing the chapel of Chataquila at 3.665m. We follow the rim of the “Cordillera de los Frailes”. Halfway this hike you visit the rock paintings of the Caves of the Inca Machay and of the Puma. Walking down to the rock paintings will give you splendid views of the valley of the Rio Ravelo and the Crater of Maragua. After visiting the rock paintings you will walk down to a few rivers that we’ll cross and from there you go down to the village of Tumpeka. from here we drive in 2 hours back to Sucre.

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Day 16: Sucre – (flight to La Paz or Santa Cruz?) – Back home

Private transfer from hotel in Sucre to airport
Flight from Sucre to La Paz
Or fly from Sucre to Santa Cruz (sometimes better for international flights).

Inclusive in this 16 Day Treasures of the Andes Tour:

– Private transfer from airport in Arequipa to hotel
– 2x Overnight with breakfast in hotel in Arequipa
– Morning walking city tour with English speaking guide in the center of Arequipa
– 2 d/1n Tour into the Colca Canyon in shared international services, inclusive transport, English speaking guide, entrance fee and overnight with breakfast
– Flight from Arequipa to Cusco
– Private transfer from Cusco airport to hotel
– Overnight with breakfast in hotel in Cusco
– A full day private tour from Cusco, through the Sacred Valley to Aguas Caliente, inclusive visiting Tambomachay, Puka Pukara, Qénqo, Sacsayhuaman, Koricancha, Salineras, the Ollantaytambo Inca fortress, private transport and an English speaking guide
– Lunch in Cusco
– Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
– Overnight with breakfast in a hotel in Aguas Calientes
– Tourist bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (8 km) and back down
– Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu
– A private guided (in English) tour over the archaeological site of Machu Picchu
– Train from Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo
– Private transport from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco
– Overnight with breakfast in hotel in Cusco
– Private transfer from hotel to bus terminal
– Tickets for Avalos Tours bus services from Cusco to Puno, inclusive English speaking guide on board, visiting interesting places along the way and lunch
– Private transfer from bus terminal in Puno to hotel
– Overnight with breakfast in hotel in Puno
– Morning tour in shared international services to the floating Uros reed islands, inclusive transport, English speaking guide and entrance fees.
– Private transfer from hotel in Puno to bus terminal
– Afternoon bus from Puno to Copacabana
– Overnight with breakfast in hotel in Copacabana
– Morning tour in shared international service with a Spanish speaking guide to the south of Isla del Sol
– Bus from Copacabana to La Paz
– Private transfer from bus terminal to hotel in La Paz
– Overnight and breakfast + late check out in hotel in La Paz
– Private transfer from hotel in La Paz to bus terminal
– Todo Turismo overnight bus from La Paz to Uyuni
– Breakfast in Minute Man Restaurant/ Tonito Hotel in Uyuni
– 3d/2n Salar de Uyuni Tour in international service with an English speaking driver/ guide, inclusive transport in a 4×4, 2 nights in basic dorm accommodations, 3x lunch, 2x dinner and 2x breakfast
– Overnight with breakfast in Tonito hotel in Uyuni
– Basic public bus from Uyuni to Sucre
– 2x Overnight with breakfast in hotel in Sucre
– Private transfer from hotel to airport in Sucre
– 24/7 English speaking emergency contact in Bolivia

Exclusive in this Peru Bolivia tour:
– Travel insurance
– International flights
– Entrance fees on Sacred Valley Tour (around 60 US$ p.p.)
– Entrance fees on tourist bus ride from Cusco to Puno (around 15 US$ p.p.)
– Entrance fees for Isla del Sol (around 3 US$ p.p.)
– Entrance fees for the Salar de Uyuni Tour (around 30 US$ p.p.)
– Local bus (terminal) taxes where needed (around 5 US$ p.p. in total)
– Drinks and food and anything else that isn’t clearly mentioned in the tour itinerary and inclusive list
– Tips, when the service you received was good
– International banking fees

We recommend you to bring at least:
– Valid identification and travel documents and when needed a valid visa
– The information of your travel insurance
– Valid vaccinations, ask you countries health centre for more information
– A comfortable small day-backpack
– Good walking shoes
– Sandals or flip flops
– A warm jacket/ fleece
– A rain jacket/ poncho
– Three warm sweaters
– Thermo underwear, hat, scarf and gloves for the Salar de Uyuni Tour
– Sleeping bag (can also be rented for the Salar tour)
– Three light trousers
– Swimming clothes
– Two pair of shorts
– 6 T-shirts
– A good camera and something to be able to back-up your photos
– A headlight small flashlight
– Protection against the sun (good sunblock, good sunglasses and a hat/ cap)
– Protection against mosquito’s in Machu Picchu (you can also buy in Peru)