Silver & Salt Tour || Go BIG Tours

Mount Illimani (Aymara), La Paz

La Paz

AM

Arrive in La Paz and shuttle to hotel

Welcome meeting at 3:30pm at the hotel

PM

Mirador Killi Killi for sunset

Accommodations

Hotel

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Optional on your own

* Time-specific activity

The tour begins with a 3:30pm welcome meeting at Hotel Mitru where you can meet fellow travelers and the tour host. The host will verify travel insurance details and emergency contact information, and give a brief tour introduction. Then, it’s off on a sunset outing to Killi Killi, an outlook perched above the city, to take in Nuestra Señora de La Paz (“Our Lady of Peace”) as the sun sets behind the towering peaks that surround the city.

Getting to the hotel: Hotel airport shuttle will be prearranged based on scheduled arrival. Private transportation can be arranged for additional fee.

High altitude awareness: Go BIG recommends taking things slowly as your body acclimates to the high altitude – drink water and coca tea (known for its restorative properties), keep your exertion level low, eat carbs and eat lightly. Consult your physician BEFORE travel. See Tour FAQ for more.

Money: It is very difficult to get bolivianos in your home country. There are a currency exchange and an ATM at the airport. Credit cards can be used in larger cities with Visa being the most accepted; traveler’s checks are not recommended. US currency is the only foreign currency that is often accepted, but you should carry small bills with very little wear and absolutely no tears. See more in Tour FAQ.

A bit about La Paz:
– Founded in 1548 by the Spanish conquistador Alonso de Mendoza
– About 817K ppl and 1.8 million in the greater metropolitan area
– Subtropical highland climate with rainy summers (Dec to Mar)
– Highest capital city in the world (the constitutional capital is Sucre)

Copacabana, Lake Titicaca

North Yungas Road

AM

Breakfast

Private van to Tiwanaku - UNESCO World Heritage site - and then on to Lake Titicaca - the world´s highest navigable lake (lunch included)

Shuttle to the top of the North Yungas Road to ride mountain bikes down one of the longest continuous stretches of downhill road in the world - nearly 25 miles (lunch included)

PM

Hotel check-in

Accommodations

Hotel

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Optional on your own

* Time-specific activity

After breakfast, there are two options for the day:

Option 1: Tiwanaku & Lake Titicaca (10-12hrs departs at 7:30am) Take a van to the UNESCO site Tiwanaku, a pre-columbian settlement, for a private tour and time for exploration of the site and museums on your own. Then, off to visit many sites along the shores of Lake Titicaca before heading back to La Paz.

Option 2: Bike the North Yungas Road (8-10hrs departs at 6:30am) Take a shuttle bus to La Cumbre (15,250 feet) and ride mountain bike, often out of the clouds, through the beautiful valley past waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and cloud forests to the dense jungle in the valley. Snacks and informational stops along the way with your guides. All equipment (including helmets, gloves, knee & elbow pads, wind/rain pants & jacket) provided as are the full-suspension Kona bikes with hydraulic brakes. Enjoy a large buffet lunch, a pool and showers before heading back to La Paz by private bus.

Tiwanaku was once the capital of the pre-columbian Tiwanaku culture. It is one of the largest archaeological sites in South America (~4 km²). It dates back to around 800AD and had an estimated population of about twenty thousand people.

N. Yungas Road was built in 1930 by carving into the rock faces of the mountain which created sheer drops of 1,000+ feet off the shelf. It goes from 14,783 ft / 4,506 m to 5,003 ft / 1,525 m and is one of the longest continuous stretches of downhill road in the world. Some sections are only about 11 ft / 3 m wide, unpaved with no guardrails. Combine that with the often heavy rain and thick fog common to the area, and you can see how the road got its nickname: The World’s Most Dangerous Road. However, since a new road was built in 2007, the traffic has been greatly reduced and with it, the danger.

Fish Island

Salt mounds, Salar de Uyuni

AM

Breakfast

Flight to Uyuni

Visit the train graveyard of vintage trains

Explore the otherworldly salt flats and visit one of the first salt hotels built directly on the flats

PM

Check in to a salt hotel and dinner

Accommodations

Lodge - shared group rooms

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

* Time-specific activity

Enjoy an early morning breakfast, and then shuttle to the airport for a flight to Uyuni. Once arriving in Uyuni, the group will break up into smaller groups for the jeep over-landing excursion of the otherworldly salt flats and Altiplano (4 to 5 ppl per vehicle). Just outside of town, visit the train graveyard to explore the beautiful rusted remains of vintage trains. Then, it’s on to the salt flats where you will first see the operational salt mines and then on to “ojos de sal”, the bubbling salt plains, and the original salt hotel, now a visitor center. The tour continues to the “islands” in a sea of salt. First, Isla del Pescado (Fish Island) which is covered in giant cacti – some over 30 feet tall! Then, to Pia Pia Island for the often spectacular sunset over the flats. Next, to the hotel (completely made of salt) and dinner.

Salar de Uyuni is the highest salt flats in the world with a thickness of 5 to 30 feet. It was formed when an ancient high altitude saline lake dried up. It is part of the greater Puno Altiplano that stretches into Chile and Argentina. The plateau is estimated to hold 75% of the world’s known supply of lithium and Salar de Uyuni is estimated to have 17% of it by itself. The electronics boom has brought relatively high paying jobs to the area, but that comes at an environmental cost – due to the immense amount of water required for extraction and the chemicals used in the evaporation ponds.

What to bring: fully-charged batteries & chargers, camera & any props that you might want for pictures, sunblock, personal medications (including aspirin and motion sickness tablets for altitude or driving), sunglasses, warm clothes because it’ll be in the twenties at night, snacks, towel, toilet paper, any drinks that you might want other than water, sturdy shoes for walking on uneven rough surfaces, sleeping bag (bedding is provided, but some might prefer a sleeping bag), flashlight/headlamp for making your way to the bathrooms in the dark, binoculars if desired.

Tour Itinerary

After heavy rains (usually December through March but possible other times as well) much of the flats, Fish Island and sometimes other locations become too flooded to access. The itinerary will change accordingly, and those changes may not be known until the last minute.

Laguna Hedionda

Árbol de Piedra

AM

Breakfast

Scenic drive through desert with view of volcanoes and multicolored lagoons

Picnic-style buffet lunch

Scenic drive through Siloli Desert, wind-eroded rock formations and Laguna Colorada

PM

Hotel check-in, dinner and volunteering opportunity

Accommodations

Lodge - shared group rooms

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

After breakfast, load into vehicles and drive through the desert surrounded by volcanoes, including Ollague. From here, it’s a day of neon-colored lagoons! There are stops for short walks along Hedionda, Chiarkota and Honda lagoons, each unique allowing for incredible photographs of flamingos. Then, across the Siloli desert to the wind-blown eroded rock formations, including Árbol de Piedra (Tree of Rock), and on to Laguna Colorada, a bright red lagoon rimmed with peaks allowing for beautiful reflections.

Lodging: The facilities in this very remote enclave are basic. Most options are dormitory style. However, we utilize “upgraded” accommodations when available. The “upgrades” are significant in that they are private rooms with private bathrooms, but still no showers, and there is no heating, but blankets are provided. Beds are simple but clean. Electricity is available when the generator runs (about three hours a night). Towels are not provided, so you must bring your own. There is no cellular or internet. Accommodation options in the area are very limited and demand is high, so although we will try to book the upgraded accommodations, however they are not guaranteed and dormitory style might be required. If this occurs, no refunds will be given. The only higher-end hotel available would add an extra day to the tour due to the distances involved. This is not an option for this tour, but it could be arranged on a private tour.

Giving back opportunity: There are children who live in the small community where we will be staying and they have very limited resources, so toys and sporting equipment are seen as luxuries. We bring a few of these luxury items along with us and give them to the kids. You can donate toward the purchase of these items and be a part of giving them to the children.

Possibly Seen

Vicuna

Andean Flamingo

Viscacha

Culpeo

ENDANGERED SCALE

Low High

Sol de Mañana - hot mud pool

Rock formations near Laguna Honda

AM

Drive to Sol de Mañana geothermal area

Breakfast at a hot springs

A beautiful drive with views of Laguna Verde and Licancabur Volcano near the Chilean border

Quetena Chico village for lunch

Laguna Blanca and more Altiplano exploration back to Uyuni

PM

Hotel check-in

Accommodations

Hotel

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Optional on your own

* Time-specific activity

It’s an early 5am start to Sol de Mañana, an area of geothermal mud pools and steam geysers, then to a hot springs to have breakfast and a relaxing dip. Next, it’s on to the crystal clear green waters of Laguna Verde and views of Licancabur Volcano, and then to the small village of Quetena Chico for lunch. From there, it’s on to Laguna Blanca and back to Uyuni in the late afternoon. Then, it’s time to enjoy the well-earned comforts of one of the nicest hotels in Uyuni!

Some of Bolivia’s most popular dishes:
Salteñas – chicken or beef pastries served with potatoes, peas, olives and onions

Anticuchos – a meat brochetta with potatoes cooked on the grill with a peanut sauce

Pique macho – mincemeat, chorizo, fried potatoes and tomatoes with locotos (hot peppers)

Silpancho – a meat pastry served with fried eggs, potatoes and rice, and carrots and beetroot salad

Ají de Lengua – spicy veal tongue served with dehydrated potatoes (chuño) with coriander, onion and tomato sauce

Sandwich de Chola – a crunchy pork sandwich with chili, onion and tomatoes, mostly served in La Paz

Humintas – a sweet tamale often served for breakfast made of grated sweet corn, cinnamon, sugar, raisins and cheese (sometimes) – wrapped in corn leaves and steamed or grilled

Sonso de yuca – a simple dish of cassava puree mixed with cheese and grilled

Salt Hotel, Uyuni

Potosí

AM

Breakfast until 8am

Tour van to Potosí

Hotel check-in and lunch on your own

National Mint of Bolivia tour

PM

Explore the colonial city on your own

Accommodations

Hotel

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Optional on your own

* Time-specific activity

Board the van after a late breakfast and head up through the mountains to Potosí at 13,429 feet (4090 m), one of the highest cities in the world. After an early check-in, you can grab lunch on your own before a tour of the National Mint, acclaimed as one of the best museums in South America. Following the tour, you can spend the rest of the afternoon strolling the colonial streets, taking a tour of the Monastery of Saint Therese, the Covenant of Saint Francis or the Cathedral of the City of Potosí, or just sit and people watch in a park.

The National Mint of Bolivia (Casa de la Moneda de Bolivia) is housed in a beautiful building encompassing an entire city block. This building’s construction was started in 1753, but coins were minted in Potosí for the Spanish since 1572 and at this mint until 1953. Coins from the mint had a mint mark of “P” and were known as potosies. The walls are over a meter thick and the building has served other roles over its life – prison, fortress, and Bolivian army headquarters during the Chaco War. The museum houses many historical treasures from paintings to minting equipment.

Quinoa is native to Bolivia and has been harvested in-country for perhaps 8,000 years, and you will likely see it growing throughout the Altiplano. It was once considered the food of the poor, but has recently become a trendy food worldwide. It is prepared like a grain, but is actually a pseudo-cereal related to spinach, chard and beets. It’s gluten-free and high in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and contains all nine amino acids. This prompted NASA to state: “While no single food can supply all of the essential life-sustaining nutrients, quinoa comes as close as any other in the plant or animal kingdom”.

Cerro Rico Mine

Sucre

AM

Breakfast

Cerro Rico mine tour or city and surrounding area tour

Lunch on your own

Tour van to Sucre

PM

Hotel check-in

Accommodations

Hotel

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Optional on your own

* Time-specific activity

After breakfast, it’s on to Cerro Rico mine for a 3.5 hour tour led by an ex-miner. All safety equipment – rubber boots, helmet, waterproof jacket, protective over pants, and electric headlamp provided. There are some inherent risks and not all travelers may choose to join the subterranean tour but opt for a city tour of historical buildings and beautiful viewpoints around the city instead. Then, it’s lunch on your own before heading to Sucre by tour van where we will check in to the hotel for the next two nights.

Cerro Rico (Rich Hill), helped finance all of Spain and is one of the highest producing mines in the world for silver. It is estimated that 8 million Inca slaves died in the mines. It has been continuously mined since 1545 and allowed Potosí’s population to swell to the largest in the New World. By the early 1800s, most of the deposit had been depleted and the city shrank from about 200,000 to only 10,000.

It is still mined by about two dozen small-scale cooperatives for tin, zinc, lead and silver. Each miner buys a small stake in a portion of the mine and works it. Often, several tons of worthless rock must be removed to get enough metal for a small profit. Not much, if any, wealth is created here for the miners and life for them is very hard. Poor working conditions have dropped the average miner’s life expectancy to about 40. Men and boys use hammers and bars to create holes for dynamite and then the debris is removed by wheelbarrows. Miners use acetylene gas headlamps instead of battery powered lamps because they burn out when there is not enough oxygen and warn the miners that they need to get out not to suffocate. Breathing is made even more difficult by the pulverized rock dust in the air and very poor ventilation and temperatures consistently over 100°F. 70+ hour shifts are not uncommon. There are roughly 3,000 children 6 to 16 years old, called peones, working the mine. To learn more watch the documentary Devil’s Miner (2005).

Sucre street

Church of San Felipe Neri

AM

Breakfast

Explore the city on your own

PM

Farewell dinner (~5:30pm)

Accommodations

Hotel

Included Meals

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Optional on your own

* Time-specific activity

Enjoy breakfast and then Bolivia’s most beautiful city is yours to explore! Enjoy your last day in Bolivia (unless of course you decided to stay longer). We hope that you join us for a farewell dinner, so we can all share the memories of the last couple of weeks (meals included/beverages not included).

Things to do in Sucre:

Parque Cretácico – a giant natural wall of dinosaur footprints (5,000+) with tours every day except Monday – a short cab ride out of town

La Recoleta – a beautiful viewpoint over the city – great for sunsets

Museo del Tesoro – mining history and precious stone showcase

Casa de la Libertad – where Bolivia signed its independence from Spain

Museum of Indigenous Art – especially weaving, including demonstrations

Ethnographic and Folklore Museum – Bolivian culture

Cathedral Museum – religious artifacts

Oratorio de San Felipe Neri / Church of San Felipe Neri – a building composed of many architectural styles, including Byzantine, Gothic and Moorish

Plaza de Mayo Park, Simón Bolívar Park and Mercado Central – great places to stroll around

AM

Breakfast

Shuttle to the airport

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

After breakfast, catch a shuttle to the airport for your flight home.