Bolivia to Peru: Lakes, Salt Flats & Machu Picchu

The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

With tons to see and do in the "White City", get going.

With tons to see and do in the "White City", get going.

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Explore the markets and the city, or opt to visit a silver mine.

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Roads? Where this rough-and-ready vehicle's going, we don't need roads.

Spend three days in the stunning landscape between the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama Desert in Chile. Enter a world unlike anything else as we drive across the salt flats; the piercing blue sky contrasts against the blinding white of the flat salt beds. Take memorable photos of the unusual landscape complete with mountains and active volcanoes. Visit the coloured lagoon of Laguna Colorada and enjoy the uniqueness of this region.

Spend three days in the stunning landscapes between the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama Desert in Chile. The salt flats now cover a total area of over 12000 square km (7440 square miles) and is one of Bolivia's main salt mining centers. Driving across the salt flats is a fantastic experience, particularly for the contrast of piercing blue skies and blinding white salt on the flat lakebed. The area’s unusual landscape of mountains, active volcanoes and geysers is like nowhere on earth. Our groups like to get creative with photography, as the endless white of the salt flats creates some great depth illusions that are fun to play with in photos. The tour takes us through the impressive large red lagoon of Laguna Colorada. The region's volcanic activity is present as we pass by numerous geysers, boiling mud pools, thermal baths and Licancabúr Volcano. Surprisingly, both wildlife and flora manage to survive and even thrive in the desolate landscape; this includes vizcachas (of the rodent family), flamingos and assorted varieties of cacti.

Visit the Santiago de Agencha community, located two hours across the salt flats from Uyuni, a rural village surrounded by towering cacti and part of a small desert oasis. The community-owned salt lodge was renovated and expanded through a major project in 2016 funded by G Adventures’ foundation, Planeterra. With many of the village’s younger residences fleeing for economic opportunities, this lodge is seen by the community as a way to rescue their indigenous culture and provide opportunities for the future. Learn about their traditional agricultural practices, including their specialization in quinoa production, and take a guided walk with a community member to the sacred Jukil mountaintop for a beautiful view of the village below and the salt flats beyond. Meals of local ingredients grown in the village are prepared by ladies who were provided culinary training through the project. Leave Jukil Community Lodge knowing your visit is creating opportunities for a whole new generation of people in this community to improve their lives, and the lives of their children and grandchildren.

Spend three days in the stunning landscape between the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama Desert in Chile. Enter a world unlike anything else as we drive across the salt flats; the piercing blue sky contrasts against the blinding white of the flat salt beds. Take memorable photos of the unusual landscape complete with mountains and active volcanoes. Visit the coloured lagoon of Laguna Colorada and enjoy the uniqueness of this region.

Spend three days in the stunning landscapes between the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama Desert in Chile. The salt flats now cover a total area of over 12000 square km (7440 square miles) and is one of Bolivia's main salt mining centers. Driving across the salt flats is a fantastic experience, particularly for the contrast of piercing blue skies and blinding white salt on the flat lakebed. The area’s unusual landscape of mountains, active volcanoes and geysers is like nowhere on earth. Our groups like to get creative with photography, as the endless white of the salt flats creates some great depth illusions that are fun to play with in photos. The tour takes us through the impressive large red lagoon of Laguna Colorada. The region's volcanic activity is present as we pass by numerous geysers, boiling mud pools, thermal baths and Licancabúr Volcano. Surprisingly, both wildlife and flora manage to survive and even thrive in the desolate landscape; this includes vizcachas (of the rodent family), flamingos and assorted varieties of cacti.

Visit the Santiago de Agencha community, located two hours across the salt flats from Uyuni, a rural village surrounded by towering cacti and part of a small desert oasis. The community-owned salt lodge was renovated and expanded through a major project in 2016 funded by G Adventures’ foundation, Planeterra. With many of the village’s younger residences fleeing for economic opportunities, this lodge is seen by the community as a way to rescue their indigenous culture and provide opportunities for the future. Learn about their traditional agricultural practices, including their specialization in quinoa production, and take a guided walk with a community member to the sacred Jukil mountaintop for a beautiful view of the village below and the salt flats beyond. Meals of local ingredients grown in the village are prepared by ladies who were provided culinary training through the project. Leave Jukil Community Lodge knowing your visit is creating opportunities for a whole new generation of people in this community to improve their lives, and the lives of their children and grandchildren.

Spend three days in the stunning landscape between the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama Desert in Chile. Enter a world unlike anything else as we drive across the salt flats; the piercing blue sky contrasts against the blinding white of the flat salt beds. Take memorable photos of the unusual landscape complete with mountains and active volcanoes. Visit the coloured lagoon of Laguna Colorada and enjoy the uniqueness of this region.

Spend three days in the stunning landscapes between the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama Desert in Chile. The salt flats now cover a total area of over 12000 square km (7440 square miles) and is one of Bolivia's main salt mining centers. Driving across the salt flats is a fantastic experience, particularly for the contrast of piercing blue skies and blinding white salt on the flat lakebed. The area’s unusual landscape of mountains, active volcanoes and geysers is like nowhere on earth. Our groups like to get creative with photography, as the endless white of the salt flats creates some great depth illusions that are fun to play with in photos. The tour takes us through the impressive large red lagoon of Laguna Colorada. The region's volcanic activity is present as we pass by numerous geysers, boiling mud pools, thermal baths and Licancabúr Volcano. Surprisingly, both wildlife and flora manage to survive and even thrive in the desolate landscape; this includes vizcachas (of the rodent family), flamingos and assorted varieties of cacti.

Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Get out and explore the markets and ruins of this fantastic city.

Spend the day soaking up the thrills, the atmosphere, and the adrenaline pumping activities that La Paz has to offer.

Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Enjoy a visit to this spectacular pre-Colombian archaeological site. It was the capital of an empire that extended into Peru and Chile from 300 to 1000 AD. Check out the fantastic buildings, architecture, sculptures and carvings firsthand and get a taste of an era long gone.

Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Ready for a little more ink in your passport? Grab your bags and get ready to check another country off your bucket list.

Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Board a boat on Lake Titicaca and head to Taquile Island for a delicious Peruvian lunch at a restaurant followed by some shopping at the local weaving cooperatives. (Taquileños are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing, men are taught how to knit around age five and they create the majority of the textiles.) After, enjoy an overnight stay with a host family and a chance to learn about life on the islands.

In the aymara community of Luquina Chico on Lake Titicaca, 40 families welcome you to experience their way of life. Thanks to the support of G Adventures and Planeterra, the local families here have strengthened their communities, preserving traditions and creating opportunities for future generations. Split into smaller groups and get a taste of local life firsthand as we move into family homes for the night. Play soccer with the children, enjoy some dancing, watch dinner being made, learn about regional cuisine, and dress up in local clothes for an unforgettable evening with the whole village, enjoying traditional music and dancing. Lend a hand the next morning, and help out with chores like feeding animals, harvesting local produce, or bringing back buckets of water from the well.

Take a tour of these unique islands. Learn about the buoyant totora reeds that grow in the shallows of Lake Titicaca used to make everything from the islands themselves to the boats the islanders use for transportation (if constructed well, they last up to six months ). Find out from locals how the islands are constructed; as the layers closest to the water start to rot, they are replaced with fresh reeds on top.

Enjoy some free time exploring the area.

Spend the morning with the homestay families, then depart after lunch. Visit the floating islands of Uros on the way back, and learn about the unique lifestyle of the locals. Meet residents and learn how they built the islands with totora reeds, which are also used to make their homes, boats, crafts (and are also edible!).

Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

There's so much to the colonial city— go see for yourself.

Make stops along the way as you pass through this gorgeous valley, descending in elevation the whole way.

Visit the Ccaccaccollo community centre which G Adventures travellers' donations helped create in 2005, thereby enabling local women to sell traditional textiles to travellers. See local weaving and dyeing techniques used to create garments and souvenirs, and learn how the Planeterra weaving co-operative has impacted the community and those who visit it. This includes the purchase of alpacas to provide a steady supply of wool, looms, and sewing machines as well as several training courses on production, sales and small business management.

In the rural village of Cuyo Chico in the Sacred Valley, a group of families joined together to create a small business based on their traditional adobe ceramic crafts. Using clay from their surroundings, they mold bowls, plates, and all manner of decorations. Learn about the ceramics process as well as the traditional adobe brick-making that forms the basis of houses throughout the valley, all while taking in a spectacular view of the Pisac Ruins. After the demonstration, peruse the items for sale directly from the artisans in their shop.

Visit a community located at the base of the Pisac ruins that specializes in pottery. Interact with the locals while they give a demonstration and later pick up a craft from their shop.

Contribute to sustainable tourism in Huchuy Qosqo, a small village of 65 families in the Sacred Valley, by eating at the Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn how the resident-run restaurant was kickstarted by G Adventures and the Multilateral Investment Fund, to become a successful farm-to-table program that boosts the local economy and several spin-off microenterprises.

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Get your blood pumping on this first day of hiking the Inca trail. The trekking is fairly easy and serves as good training for the next few days. Pass rambling rivers and a small village, and enjoy scenic mountain views; it’s just a taste of what’s to come.

The first day of the Inca Trail will get your blood pumping and give you an idea of what's to come.

Enjoy G Adventures-supported handmade biodegradable soap products, for use on our treks. This G Adventures for Good project empowered local Cusqueña women to start their own business in order to reduce the environmental impact of treks in the region. Planeterra provided $10,000 of seed funding for two young entrepreneurs to register their biodegradable products in order to sell them to the tourism industry. "Esencia Andina" is now a successful business that produces biodegradable soaps, detergents, and natural products for travellers, guides, porters, and cooks on our treks.

Trek over progressively spectacular and steeper terrain on your way to Warmiwañusca (aka Dead Woman’s Pass), the highest point of the trek at 4,198m (13,769ft). Be prepared to face strong Andean weather (blazing sun or cold winds) around the pass. Take the hike slow, and drink lots of water along the way – amazing views are waiting as a reward. Enjoy some ample time to rest and relax after reaching the camp; most campers arrive around early afternoon.

This is the highest point of the trek at 4,198m (13,769ft). Most hikers reach camp by early afternoon, with ample time to rest and relax before the last full day of hiking. Take it slow and drink lots of water.

Cross two passes and more ruins along the Inca Trail on the last full day of hiking. Traverse Runquraway at 3,950m (13,113 ft), and then reach the second pass at 3,700m (12,136 ft). Spot the gorgeous Cordillera Vilcabamba and the Urubamba Valley in the distance on a clear day. Camp at either the Phuyupatamarca ruins or the Wiñay Wayna ruins.

The last full day of hiking on the Inca Trail has you crossing two passes and more ruins. Cross Runquraway at 3950m and then the second pass at 3700. With clear weather the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the Urubamba Valley are both visible int he distance. Camp at either the ruins of Phuyupatamarca or closer to the Wiñay Wayna ruins.

Wake around 03:30 to reach the Sun Gate as early as possible. Head to the checkpoint and join the lineup to wait for the gate to open. Catch the first views of the breathtaking ruins of Machu Picchu (fingers crossed for a clear day). Hike down to Machu Picchu (about 45 mins) for a 1.5 hr guided tour of the site, and free time to explore. Opt to visit the Inca Bridge (a 15-min walk one way) for no additional charge, if time allows. Catch the bus outside the Machu Picchu gate after your visit for a 25-min downhill ride to Aguas Calientes. Eat and relax before the train ride back to Cusco this evening.

Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.

Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Finish up anything you didn't get to the first time around.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.