itinerary for highlights of chile and bolivia - tour ... · landing at la paz airport. land at la...

Expat Explore - Version: Mon Jul 13 2020 09:38:45 GMT+0200 (South Africa Standard Time) Page: 1/8

DAY 1: Arrive in Santiago

Welcome to Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city! Make your way to your hotel to meet up with the rest of your Expat Explore tour

group. Get to know each other over an included welcome dinner, and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime..

Experiences

Welcome dinner. This welcome dinner is the ideal opportunity to sample your first Chilean meal and get acquainted with your tour

mates. These fine folks will be adventuring alongside you for the next 18 days, so buddy up!

DAY 2: Santiago City Tour

Itinerary for Highlights of Chile and Bolivia - Tour Santiago to La Paz • Expat Explore

Start Point:

Hotel in Santiago,

Address to be confirmed

Welcome meeting at 18:00 hrs

End Point:

Hotel in La Paz,

Address to be confirmed

10:00 hrs

Included Meals

Breakfast: Lunch: Dinner:

Accommodation

Hotel Providencia Panamericana


Grab breakfast and embark on a tour of Santiago with a local guide. Encounter the downtown area, the famous Alameda Avenue,

Plaza de Armas, Santiago Cathedral and the Central Market. Not to mention the Bellavista district and San Cristobal Hill! Lunch will be

included on the go. This evening, you are free to enjoy dinner wherever you choose.

Experiences

Santiago City Tour. Set off on foot for a tour of Chile’s vibrant capital city! Your local guide will show you Santiago’s highlights and

share the city’s rich history with you. See Santiago’s downtown area, visit Saint Lucia Hill and traditional neighbourhoods around the

city centre. Stop by top attractions including the busy Plaza de Armas, the Santiago Cathedral, and the La Moneda Palace. The views

alone would be enough to keep you captivated for hours with the Andes Mountains providing an incredible background to the city.

DAY 3: Santiago: Free Day

Take the day to explore at your own pace, or join in on an optional excursion to the UNESCO World Heritage-rated quarters of

Valparaíso, and Viña del Mar. The scheduled trip will depart after breakfast and head for the Pacific coast, where the vibrant city of

Valparaíso awaits. The town is studded with funiculars that link the port and hills with its colorful, clifftop homes. Next, we head

north to visit the resort city of Viña del Mar, famous for its gardens, beaches, and museums. Lunch is included in the optional

excursion; dinner can be enjoyed wherever you please.

Included Meals


Accommodation

Hotel Providencia Panamericana-


Optional Excursions

Valparaiso and Viña del Mar Day Trip: US$ 65

* Stated prices and availability are subject to change.

DAY 4: Santiago - Flight to Calama - San Pedro de Atacama

Make your way from Santiago to Calama via a short flight. Disembark in northern Chile and travel from Calama to San Pedro de

Atacama via coach. Keep an eye out for the wonderful desert scenery along the way. Take an orientation tour and enjoy some free

time over lunch before booking in at the hotel. Next up is a trip to the nearby Moon Valley. Enjoy your own time this evening or join

the group for dinner and/or a mesmerising stargazing experience.

Experiences

Moon Valley afternoon and sunset visit. Pay a visit to the El Valle De La Luna (Moon Valley) just outside San Pedro de Atacama. From

here you can appreciate the incredible views of this region and see the sun set like never before. Elevated 2,250 metres above sea

level, the valley contains the Salt mountain range, deep valleys, salt caves and a variety of rock and stone formations. The scenes you’ll

lay eyes on here closely resemble the surface of the moon - which explains the romantic name.

Optional Excursions

Stargazing Tour: US$ 50


DAY 5: San Pedro de Atacama - Bolivian Desert

Included Meals


Accommodation

Hotel Providencia Panamericana-

Included Meals


Accommodation

Hotel Don Raul


Rise with the dawn to take a road trip to the Bolivian border. Enjoy a packed breakfast on the way and jump straight onto rugged 4x4

vehicles upon arrival. Travel deeper into Bolivia through Eduardo Avaroa National Park to drink in the beauty of its striking vistas and

natural fauna. Pack your swimsuit - there may be some time to stop over at the Polques hot springs to take a dip. Tonight we stay with

a local family who will dish up tasty traditional foods and teach you more about their way of life.*

*Please be aware that the remote location limits accommodation options. Homestays are fairly basic, with multi-share rooms, limited

hot water and less extravagant amenities. We afford our gracious hosts the respect they deserve and request that our tour members

do too.

Experiences

Visit the Laguna Hedionda and see the Ollague Volcano. With your 4x4 vehicles roaming the desert in convoy, allow your local guide

to point out some of the region’s most spectacular lagoons and vistas. This day includes views of the famous Ollague Volcano which

sits on the border of Chile and Bolivia at a height of 5,868 metres above sea level. We’ll stop at several lakes, including Laguna

Hedionda which hosts a large population of bright pink flamingos!

Train Cemetery. A visit to the Train Cemetery allows us to wander amongst these huge, abandoned carriages - some of which were

imported from as far away as Britain, over 100 years ago.

DAY 6: Bolivian Desert

Included Meals



Tuck into a hearty breakfast before continuing onwards with the 4x4s to explore southern Bolivia. Encounter three striking lagoons -

Laguna Hedionda, Canapa and Honda respectively. Enjoy a picnic lunch and continue onwards, glimpsing the majestic Ollague

Volcano along the way. Stop over at the Uyuni Train Cemetery where abandoned trains tell the story of the mining economy collapse

of the early 1900s. Spend a final night in the desert at the home of another local family.*

*Please be aware that the remote location limits accommodation options. Homestays are fairly basic, with multi-share rooms, limited

hot water and less extravagant amenities. We afford our gracious hosts the respect they deserve and request that our tour members

do too.

Experiences

Visit the Laguna Hedionda and see the Ollague Volcano. With your 4x4 vehicles roaming the desert in convoy, allow your local guide

to point out some of the region’s most spectacular lagoons and vistas. This day includes views of the famous Ollague Volcano which

sits on the border of Chile and Bolivia at a height of 5,868 metres above sea level. We’ll stop at several lakes, including Laguna

Hedionda which hosts a large population of bright pink flamingos!

Train Cemetery. A visit to the Train Cemetery allows us to wander amongst these huge, abandoned carriages - some of which were

imported from as far away as Britain, over 100 years ago.

DAY 7: Bolivian Desert - Uyuni

Included Meals


Accommodation

La Magia de San Juan


Ready, set, let's go on a full-day trip into the heart of the magnificent Uyuni Salt Flats. Follow your local guide into the vast expanse of

the Salar de Uyuni - one of the largest salt flats in the world. Make your way to the village of Colchani, where the locals will teach us

more about the important salt economy. Next, travel to the cacti oasis of Incahuasi Island. Disembark at the hotel in Uyuni this

evening and take some time to spend at leisure.

Experiences

Uyuni Salt Flats Day Trip. Join a local guide to explore the Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni) with the assistance of a 4x4 vehicle.

Welcome to the world’s largest salt flats and one of Bolivia’s most famous tourist attractions. When it rains, the flats become a lake

and creates the world’s largest mirror - bright, endless and spellbinding. Take time to wander about on the flats and take the most

amazing photos. On the way there and back you can see magical landscapes made up of colourful lakes, local fauna, flora, mountains

and rock formations.

DAY 8: Uyuni - Flight to La Paz

Enjoy breakfast and wave farewell to Uyuni as we board a plane to travel north to La Paz, the highest administrative capital in the

world. Embark on a city tour with a passionate local. This guided foray features some of the city's major attractions, including the

Witches’ Market, the San Francisco church, as well as the Moon Valley with its spellbinding geological rock formations.

Included Meals


Accommodation

Hotel Girasoles


Experiences

Landing at La Paz airport. Land at La Paz Airport. Experience a breathtaking flight! Fly from the world’s sixth-highest airport in Uyuni

(3,954m) into the world's fifth-highest airport at La Paz (4,061m). Take in the scenery below as we pass over lakes and the Andes

Mountains before touching down under the shadow of Mount Illimani, which stands high over La Paz at 6,438m

DAY 9: La Paz

Spend another day in pretty La Paz. Explore some more of the local attractions on another tour. This includes the famous cable car

('the subway in the sky'), as well as the Teleferico Viewpoint. Grab lunch from a local vendor and eatery and explore some more at

your own pace afterward. Sit down to an optional farewell dinner with the group this evening if you wish.

Experiences

La Paz City Tour: EJoin an expert local guide on a city tour of La Paz which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site! See the top attractions

and learn all about La Paz’s history. Wander through the Mercado de Bruja (Witches Market) and discover the colourful powders and

natural herbs on sale. See Plaza Murillo, the 16th century San Francisco Church and more! Ride the cable car above the city to reach

Teleferico Viewpoint. Take in the sweeping views of the city and surrounds from here.

Optional Excursions

Tiwanaku Archaeological Site: US$ 55


DAY 10: La Paz - End of Tour

Included Meals


Accommodation

Hostal Naira

Included Meals


Accommodation

Hostal Naira


Your Santiago to La Paz tour ends today. Enjoy one last breakfast with your tour mates and be sure to take each other’s details so you

can share photos and memories once you arrive home. We look forward to seeing you back on an Expat Explore coach tour soon!

Experiences

If you would like to extend your stay in La Paz after the tour, please contact us to confirm the hotel. By this point you will have enjoyed

10 incredible days exploring the very best of Chile & Bolivia. A true delight!

Included Meals


itinerary for highlights of chile and bolivia - tour ... · landing at la paz airport. land at la...

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