Overview
This 3-day package tour covers the most iconic highlights of western Bolivia in a single, expertly guided programme — the colonial city of La Paz, the mystical shores of Lake Titicaca, the sacred Isla del Sol, and the pre-Columbian ruins of Tiwanaku. Everything is arranged from the moment you arrive: airport pickups, hotels, inter-city transfers, boat trips and bilingual guides.
Day one is devoted to La Paz itself — the world’s highest administrative capital, set in a dramatic canyon at 3,600 metres. The itinerary takes in the Valle de la Luna’s extraordinary eroded formations, a ride on the Teleférico cable car with panoramic views over the city’s hillside barrios, the colonial Plaza Murillo, and the celebrated Witches’ Market, where medicinal herbs, dried llama foetuses and ritual offerings have been sold since pre-colonial times.
From La Paz, the tour continues to Copacabana on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca, then crosses by boat to the Isla de la Luna and the Isla del Sol — the largest island on the lake and, according to Andean cosmology, the birthplace of the sun and the first Inca. The final day visits Tiwanaku, the most significant pre-Columbian archaeological site in Bolivia and one of the great ceremonial centres of the ancient Andean world, before returning to La Paz.
Destination Type
Departure & logistics
price includes
price excludes
Hotel pickup in La Paz and departure through the wealthy southern zone of the city, where architecture shifts dramatically from the densely packed barrios above. First stop is the Valle de la Luna — a surreal landscape of eroded clay spires and pinnacles that look otherworldly at any time of day. The guide explains the geological processes that created these formations over centuries of wind and rain erosion.
From the Valle de la Luna the tour boards the Teleférico — one of the world’s highest and longest urban cable car networks, completed in 2014. The ride provides an extraordinary aerial perspective of the city: the wealthy southern suburbs below, the sprawling city of El Alto on the plateau above, and the entire canyon in between. Back on the ground, the historic centre: Plaza Murillo (Government Palace, Cathedral, National Congress), the colonial streets of Jaén, and several important museums. Late afternoon: the famous Witches’ Market (Mercado de las Brujas), where Aymara medicinal traditions and ritual offerings are sold by the yatiris. Note: guides will respectfully explain these traditions but will not encourage purchases of lake frogs or any threatened species. The day ends with a scenic 3.5-hour drive to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca for dinner and overnight.
After breakfast in Copacabana, the group boards a boat for the Isla de la Luna — a smaller island of great spiritual significance in the Andean world, home to the ruins of the Convent of the Virgins of the Sun and commanding views over the entire southern lake. A brief community visit follows, with the opportunity to try quinoa and other traditional foods prepared by local families.
The boat continues to Isla del Sol — the largest island on Lake Titicaca and the sacred centre of Inca cosmology, where the sun god Inti was believed to have been born. The group explores the Inca ruins of the island’s northern sector, visits the sacred Fountain of the Inca, and walks a section of the ancient stone trail that crosses the island. In the evening, arrival at the Eco Lodge on the island’s southern shore in time for the world-renowned sunset over the lake. Dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, the group walks down the famous Inca stairs — hundreds of ancient stone steps carved into the hillside that descend to the island’s port, passing terraced gardens used for farming since Inca times. Boat back to Copacabana, where the vehicle awaits for the drive to Tiwanaku.
Tiwanaku (or Tiahuanaco) is the most important pre-Columbian archaeological site in Bolivia and was the ceremonial capital of a major Andean civilisation that flourished from around 300–1000 AD. The site includes the Akapana Pyramid, the famous Puerta del Sol (Gateway of the Sun) decorated with the Staff God figure, and the Kalasasaya temple enclosure. The Tiwanaku guide — a specialist in the site — explains the astronomical alignments, the hydraulic engineering, and the political structure of this pre-Inca state. Lunch at the site. After the visit, drive back to La Paz for hotel or airport drop-off.
Our team replies within a few hours. We also speak Spanish and English.