Explore your Senses

After a traditional, tropical breakfast, made from the local selection of fruits, we will fly to the capital city of Sucre found at 2500 metres elevation. Our comfortable and charming hotel has a museum attached and each room is an individual treasure trove of local history. For lunch, the most important meal for Bolivians, we will try out a selection of different regional dishes: spicy dishes, chicken, pork ribs and corn, with beef and pork sausages. In the afternoon, we will explore the city, visiting the House of Liberty where Bolivia’s independence was declared, as well as other different monuments erected during colonial times, by the region’s indigenous people. We will also visit a number of churches as we pass through the narrow, winding, colonial streets.

After a well- earned rest, we will then head on to Potosí, the UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity city. The Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain) watches over the city of Potosí, where once,  millions of dollars worth of silver was mined and shipped out to Spain, during colonial times. The mine remains open, with silver and other minerals still being mined. Our traditional cuisine of the day includes “Kalapurka” (beef soup with a hot stone in the bottom to retain its heat), stews and traditional pastries.

After breakfast, we will head off for Uyuni along an adventurous road, surrounded by vicuñas, colourful landscapes and quinoa fields. After 3 hours (approx), we will arrive in Uyuni, the home of the world’s largest salt flats. On arrival, we can settle into our suite with wonderful views over the glittering white salt flats. We will be able to sample a number of different local dishes, accompanied by traditional Bolivian drinks and watch the sunset over the white sea of salt, with a hot drink and local pastries.

In the morning, we will explore Fish Island, so-named because of its shape when viewed from the middle of the salt flats. From here we can appreciate a panoramic view of the surrounding salty scenery. We will then continue on our way, to see the pools (The eyes of the salt flats), salt stacks and natural wildlife, within this truly unique landscape. We then head on towards the Tunupa Volcano, the so-called “guardian” of the salt flats, to have lunch and explore more stunning landscapes. After a long day on the flats, we will return to the hotel for dinner.

Today, we will set out early to return to Potosí and continue on to “Valle de Los Cintis” in Camargo. This is the home of Bolivia’s national drink “singani”. Singani is a brandy, distilled from white Muscat grapes and is a one of a kind experience! This variety of grape was brought over by the Spanish conquistadores to be eaten originally. Later it was used to make communion wine and became part of the traditional diet of the colonials. Singani was born from the need to go to battle in the extremely cold conditions of Potosí. This evening we will spend the night at a traditional hacienda to relax and enjoy the typical food from the region.

Today, is another early start, to explore the region’s most important hacienda, look out over the immense vineyards and watch the singani preparation process. Despite being made from grapes, Bolivia’s national drink is completely different from Peruvian pisco or Italian grappa. In the afternoon, we will hike to the Uruquilla hill to look at the archaeological remains and cave paintings. Local gastronomy consists of oven-baked pork, goat, home-produced cheeses, hams, different fruits, and jams made from figs, plums, peaches and grapes, which are all available for you to try.

In the morning, after a breakfast of wines, cheeses and fruits along with stunning southern landscapes, we will head to Villa Abecia, a small village on the banks of the Rio Grande, to learn a little about its local traditions before we carry on to Tarija, the wine capital of Bolivia.

Tarija is famous for its high-altitude wines. Vineyards cover 2490 hectares of Bolivia and 80% of these, can be found in the valley of Tarija. These vineyards make up part of the stunningly colourful landscape. The wine barrels are made from leather, oak or American oak, which have helped Bolivian wine to win different international competitions for wine production. The erosion of the soil in the area improves the wine’s texture and taste. We will visit industrial wine factories to taste different types of wine along with home-made hams, cheeses, pastries, and grape and blackberry desserts.

After a scrumptious breakfast of plums, figs, grapes, lucuma and other local fruits, we will explore the private reserves, before taking a walk around the city to marvel at its main historical sights, related to the Spanish conquest and palaeontology.

We will take an early flight to La Paz and on route, we can savour the local street food of “salteñas”, which are small pastries filled with juicy beef or chicken and vegetables… eaten as a pre-lunch snack.  We will have a free afternoon to acclimatize, relax and enjoy the city.

After breakfast, we will discover the wide range of traditional markets of La Paz; with its array of colours, textures and flavours, typical of the city. This will help us discover the essence of this eclectic city, located at a whopping altitude of 3600 metres. We will take the cable car for spectacular views over the city and join in an Aymara ceremony to thank the Mother Earth. In the evening, we will explore local ingredients with a twist at Gustu, the restaurant of the world-renowned chef Claus Meyer. Here, we will enjoy exquisite flavours and aromas as you sample a delicious range of local cuisine and beverages.

We kick-off the day early, with a thick, hearty and hot corn drink called “api” accompanied with a fried pastry, stuffed with cheese and topped with icing sugar, called a buñuelo, before heading off for Lake Titicaca. This spectacular route follows the mountains and snowcaps and includes a fabulous view of the Andes. On the shores of Lake Titicaca lies the small town of Copacabana where Bolivians and Peruvians flock to worship the Virgin of Copacabana. We can climb to the Stations of the Cross and visit Inca sites surrounding the town. Fresh trout from the lake and quinoa form the ingredients for today’s culinary delights.

We will depart by boat to the Island of the Sun while eating Andean snacks and appreciating the stunning views on the way to visit the Islands of the Sun and Moon and their distinctive Inca sites. Later in the afternoon, we will head on to your next destination whether that be Puno in Peru or returning to La Paz.