Bolivia & Chile: Salt, Stone and Sky

Introduction

Bolivia opens at nearly 12,000 feet in La Paz, where Aymara market culture, Freddy Mamani's Cholet ballrooms, and the kitchens of Gustu and Ali Pacha occupy the same city. The journey moves south through Sucre's colonial center, the Uyuni Salt Flats, and the remote lagoons of the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve before crossing into Chile at the Atacama Desert and closing in Santiago. Nineteen days. Two countries. Five landscapes with nothing in common except the quality of the experience connecting them.

All of our journeys can be completely personalized and curated with our commitment to sustainable tourism.

Journey OVERVIEW

Discover your journey's unique blend of cultural immersion, engaging experiences, and scenic explorations.

HIGHLIGHTS

Select highlights of your journey from awe-inspiring attractions to hidden gems that promise an unforgettable experience.

DATES & RATES

Begin planning your adventure with travel dates and pricing information.

SUSTAINABILITY

Our efforts to support the environment, cultural heritage, and local communities.

Journey Overview

Three days in La Paz allow the altitude to be met properly and the city's range to show itself. A private sunrise ride on the Mi Teleférico, the Witches' Market on Calle Linares, and an afternoon among Freddy Mamani's Cholets in El Alto give the first chapter its shape. Dinner at Gustu, where every ingredient comes from within Bolivia, anchors the evenings. On Thursday and Sunday nights, Cholita Wrestling in El Alto is arranged with a cultural guide and preferred seating.

From La Paz the itinerary flies to Sucre, a UNESCO World Heritage city set in a protected valley. The Evolved Experience takes the journey to the Maragua Crater, where a pre-Hispanic Inca trail leads into a landscape populated by Jalq'a textile communities whose weaving tradition has no parallel in Andean craft culture. A separate morning goes to Cal Orck'o, the largest dinosaur tracksite in the world. The itinerary then continues overland through Potosi, where the Casa de la Moneda is visited with a private numismatist guide, before arriving at Explora Jirira on the slopes of Tunupa Volcano.

At Explora Jirira a full day on the Salar de Uyuni includes a private stargazing presentation after dark, and a sunrise ascent of Tunupa Volcano delivers breakfast at the summit. The route continues south into the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve, covering Laguna Colorada, the Dali Desert, and the Sol de Mañana geyser field before crossing into Chile. Awasi Atacama, a Relais and Chateaux property with a private guide and 4x4 assigned to each guest, is followed by The Singular Santiago, where the Pre-Columbian Art Museum and a cooking class sourced from Mercado Central and La Vega close the journey.

Highlights

Ascend via cable car ride to La Paz's El Alto, unveiling the mesmerizing colors and unique designs of the famous ‘Cholets’.

Dine at Gustu, where Claus Meyer's all-Bolivian kitchen and the world's only Singani-devoted cocktail bar occupy the same room.

Spend a full day outside Sucre in the Maragua Crater with a specialist guide, moving through Jalq'a textile communities and learning to read an iconographic tradition that exists nowhere else in Andean culture.

Visit Cal Orck'o with a private guide and descend to the base of the quarry wall, where 12,092 dinosaur tracks press through 100 meters of limestone directly above you.

Tour the Casa de la Moneda in Potosi with a private numismatist who opens the original striking rooms, the silver assay chambers, and the rarely accessed colonial coin collection.

Spend two nights at Explora Jirira, the only serious luxury property at the Uyuni Salt Flats, with a private guide and vehicle dedicated to your stay and a stunning stargazing presentation on the flats after dark.

Ascend Tunupa Volcano at sunrise with your Explora guide, reaching a pre-Columbian chullpa burial site on the flanks that most Uyuni visitors never find, with breakfast served at the summit.

Soak in the Polques thermal springs inside Eduardo Avaroa Reserve at 4,500 meters, with flamingo colonies along the shoreline and no other infrastructure in any direction.

Spend three nights at Awasi Atacama with a private guide and 4x4 assigned exclusively to your stay, with access to El Tatio Geysers at dawn and Puritama Hot Springs on a separate morning.

Source ingredients at Mercado Central and La Vega with a private chef in Santiago, then cook a seasonal Chilean menu in a Barrio Italia kitchen before sitting down to eat what you made.