Exploring the Andes and Amazon Rainforest - 10 Days

Detailed Itinerary 

Day 1: Welcome to La Paz

Welcome to Bolivia! You will be met at the airport on arrival and transferred to your hotel for check-in and a trip briefing with one of your local bilingual guides. Keep in mind that at elevations this high, the oxygen levels are half of what they are at sea level. Take it easy and rest to let your body acclimatize, and don't forget to drink lots of water! 

Day 2: La Paz City Tour

Spend today exploring La Paz. Cross the city by cable car, meander through bustling markets and small residential streets, and sample local fare.

One of the best ways to learn about a culture is by cooking, and you will have a chance to participate in an Andean cooking class taught by students at the local culinary school in the neighboring city of El Alto. This school's purpose is to revive the recipes and methods for preparing traditional Andean foods, often fused with western practices, and to train the city youth to be chefs and entrepreneurs. ¡Buen provecho!

Day 3: Lake Titicaca - Copacabana - Isla del Sol

Get an early start this morning — you will leave La Paz this morning and head toward sacred Lake Titicaca. On the way there you will pass through El Alto, the second-largest city in Bolivia.

Once you leave the metropolis, you will travel through the altiplano, or high plain, and eventually reach Lake Titicaca, where you can enjoy the incredible scenery of small farms and fishing villages. Stop for a picnic lunch on your way to Copacabana, a small lakeside village with indigenous origins and important Incan ruins. Go for a stroll around town before you head to the beach to catch a ferry out to Isla del Sol, your final destination today. 

Day 4: Isla del Sol - Santiago de Okola

In the morning, go for a short but beautiful hike that leads to the island's small port. You will board the ferry once again for a trip to the farming and fishing village of Santiago de Okola. This village operates a small, community-based agritourism project, and visitors are welcome to stay and learn. You will be received by the community members, who will host you in their homes and show you their way of life.

The backdrop of the village is a ridge which forms the crest of a geographic feature known as the "Sleeping Dragon" — a great place to go for a hike after touring the community buildings and participating in a weaving workshop. This evening, enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal and sit by a welcoming bonfire under a magnificent star-filled sky. 

Day 5: Santiago de Okola - La Paz

You return to La Paz today, but that doesn't mean your stay at Lake Titicaca is completely over! Go for one last early morning walk along the lake before your departure. After eating breakfast with your host family hit the road for the trip back and reach La Paz by midday. 

In the afternoon, you are free to sightsee on your own, or you may choose to go for a guided hike in Hamputuri Valley. Alternatively visit the local museums, markets, and handicraft shops. 

Day 6: La Paz - Rurrenabaque - Madidi National Park

Today, fly from the chilly highlands of La Paz to the heart of Bolivia's Amazon Rainforest in a mere 45 minutes! Make sure to get a window seat for the best views. You will land in Rurrenabaque, where you will meet your guide for a quick briefing and any last minute preparations. From here, board canoes and head up the Beni and Tuichi Rivers towards Madidi National Park, one of the most biologically diverse places in the world. 

Around noon you will reach the eco-lodge and meet your hosts — members of the Tacana indigenous group and part of a community-based tourism project. Enjoy a delicious lunch and refreshing tropical juice as you settle into your temporary home. Then head out to the rainforest for a guided hike to learn about native uses for plants — from medical uses to building materials to edible plants. 

As the sun sets and you head back to the lodge, keep your eyes open for a glimpse of wildlife — you may spot the local monkey troop! Spend the evening enjoying a delicious dinner and relaxing to the sounds of the nighttime rainforest. 

Day 7: Madidi National Park

You will get an early start this morning for your excursion to the Cliff of the Macaws, one of the best places in Madidi National Park to view macaws, parrots, and other colorful birds. This moderately difficult hike will take you beneath 300 to 400-foot-tall trees — don't forget to look up!  From the Cliff of the Macaws, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Amazonian Basin and the many rivers that flow through it. 

From here, head down to the Tuichi River for a rafting adventure. With the help of your guides, build a traditional log raft and float downstream for a couple of hours until you reach the eco-lodge. A boat will accompany you the whole way to carry backpacks and anyone who does not wish to travel by raft. In the afternoon, relax in the colorful hammocks that are strung up along the water. Or, if you would like, join your hosts in making traditional handicrafts or go fishing. 

Day 8: Santa Rosa Pampas del Yacuma

Get another early morning start today before returning to Rurrenabaque. From here, head to the town of Santa Rosa, situated in the grasslands of Beni Pampas, and keep your eyes open for wildlife.  You might spot sloths, anteaters, birds, and others. From Santa Rosa, you will travel by boat down the Yacuma River to your eco-lodge accommodations. 

After lunch, embark on a river safari.  Cruise along the gallery forests that line the waterways of the Pampas, home to hundreds of animal species, for a chance to see caimans, capybaras, turtles, many bird species, and the unique freshwater Amazonian pink river dolphin.

Day 9: Beni Pampas - Rurrenabaque - La Paz

Early risers will love the rainforest mornings, which start before sunrise. Wake up at dawn and listen to the sounds of the rainforest as it comes to life. Howler monkeys and birds are the loudest, but you will hear and see others, too, if you listen closely. Return to the lodge for breakfast and then head back to the Yacuma river for a short hike and another wildlife excursion — this time for anacondas, caimans, turtles, and capybaras. In the afternoon return to Rurrenabaque for your flight back to La Paz.

Day 10: Departure

Thanks for visiting Bolivia! Spend your last day in La Paz buy any last minute souvenirs you might want, or just wander around the city to take it all in. Catch a flight to the airport, or stay and extend your trip. ¡Buen viaje!