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No travel to Bolivia would be perfect without visiting the sapphire-blue waters of mystical Lake Titicaca, with
the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Real as backdrop. The world's highest
navigable lake, at 12642 ft/3856 ms, played for 2 millennia a leading role
in Andean beliefs and was at the heart of the most sophisticated Andean civilisations.
About 2000 years ago, near Lake Titicaca, rose the Tiahuanaco culture, one of the greatest and longest
running empires. This empire comprised nearly half of Bolivia, southern parts of Peru, sections of Argentina and
half of Chile. They achieved much in term of civil engineering, architecture, harvesting and arts. By 1000 AD, it mysteriously collapsed,
and within 50 years nothing was left of their achievements. Then, came the Inca. The legend says that the sun god had his children,
Manco Capac and his sister, Mama Ocllo, spring from the lake to found Cusco and the Inca dynasty. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the Island of the Sun
was one of the most important religious centres of the Incas. It is still scattered with Inca remains and
the people who live on the shores of the lake still consider the lake as sacred and make offerings to her.
The Itinerary
DAY 1: LA PAZ
Arrival in La Paz and transfer to your hotel. After check in we start a 3 hours visit of La Paz,
including the area of the street markets, rich
in handicrafts, weavings and witchcraft artefacts. Then the colonial part of
town, San Francisco Church, Gold Museum, Murillo Square and the outdoor replica
of the Tiahuanaco temple. Finally we hike across the modern area of the city
and the Valley of the Moon. Overnight in La Paz.
DAY 2: TIAHUANACO RUINS
After breakfast we drive approximately 70 km. from La Paz towards Tiwanaku, one of the oldest American cultures (1580 BC to 1150 AC), considered the cradle
of the American civilisation. We visit the Kalasasaya temples, the Akapana pyramid and the semi underground temple, Keri Kala and Puma Punku, gates of the Sun and the Moon. We also observe the agricultural hydraulic systems and other important relics still there as evidences of the ancestral ceremonial centre of the Tiwanaku Empire. Late afternoon transport to Puerto Perez on Lake Titicaca's shores. Overnight in Puerto Perez. (B L)
DAY 3: LAKE TITICACA - COPACABANA
We sail the lake to Kalahuta and Suriqui Islands where we can observe the indigenous people dedicated to
the construction of "Balsas de Totora", the same material (totora reeds) used by the scientific Thord Heyderdal to cross half the Pacific Ocean to Easter Island. We continue afterwards to Copacabana where we visit the Inca's sky observatory and the beautiful renaissance style church famous for sheltering the "Dark Virgin of Copacabana". Overnight in Copacabana. (B L).
DAY4: COPACABANA - SUN ISLAND
In the morning we cross the lake to Sun Island, a legendary and mystical island considered as one of the most sacred place of the Incas. We enjoy gentle hikes around the island, admiring the stupendous views over the lake and the Cordillera Real in the backdrop, visiting the Inca historic heritage such as temples, the Inca's step and fountain, the ruins of Pilcocaina, the Inca trails, agricultural works...etc.. After lunch, transport back to La Paz. Overnight in La Paz.(B)
DAY 5:LA PAZ
Transfer out or continuation of your holidays in Bolivia.(B)
General Information
Rated: Easy
| Tour Tariff | |||||
| N° of Participants | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| USD | $ 633 | $ 534 | $ 471 | ||
| EUR | € 525 | € 443 | € 390 | ||
| GBP | £ 354 | £ 299 | £ 263 | ||
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