Peru · Bolivia · Private journey
Peru and Bolivia Tour: Andes, Titicaca and the Salt Flats
Photo by Simon P. Toaquiza.
From $3,600 per personland only · 4 or more sharing
See dates & prices- Lima to Uyuni
- 13 days
- 2 countries
- 7 bases
- highest point
- 3,810 m
- moderate pace
- Private
A Peru and Bolivia tour of thirteen days from Lima to Uyuni, crossing the Andes by land so the altitude has time to settle, with Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the salt flats in order.
Why this route runs south, not north
Most Peru and Bolivia itineraries start in La Paz because the flights are cheaper. We run it the other way, and the reason is altitude.
Landing in La Paz puts you at 3,640 m within an hour of getting off a plane. Landing in Lima puts you at sea level, and by the time you reach the salt flats on day twelve you have spent nine days above 2,800 m. The same trip, the same places, a completely different experience of them.
The one decision that changes the price
Between Puno and La Paz you can drive or fly. Driving takes a day and shows you the lake from the Bolivian side. Flying saves the day and costs more, because it means two internal flights instead of one.
We quote the land version because that is the one we would do. If your holiday is short, say so early and we will rebuild around the flights instead.
The salt flat you get depends on the month
The Uyuni salt flat is two different places. From May to October it is a dry white crust, and the whole Peru side of the trip is in its dry season too. From December to March a few centimetres of water turn it into the mirror, in the same months that Cusco is at its wettest. Read the best season for Bolivia before you fix your dates.
If you would rather give Bolivia more of the trip than Peru, our Bolivia tours page compares this route with the Uyuni salt flats tour, which enters the country from the lowland east and spends twelve days inside it.
The shape of it
Where this trip actually goes
Day by day
The 13 days, in order
Day 1
Arrive in Lima
Overnight: Boutique hotel, MirafloresStraight to Miraflores and the coast. Nothing scheduled. If you land early enough, an evening walk along the clifftop is the gentlest possible introduction to the country.
Day 2
Lima, on foot
Overnight: Boutique hotel, MirafloresThe colonial centre in the morning, the ceramics at Museo Larco after lunch, and an early night. Tomorrow you gain three thousand metres.
Day 3
Fly to Cusco, then straight down to the Sacred Valley
Overnight: Country hotel, UrubambaThis is the day most itineraries get wrong. Cusco sits at 3,400 m and the Sacred Valley at 2,800, so we take you down rather than leaving you to sleep high on your first night. The difference in how you feel on day five is considerable.
Day 4
Maras, Moray and the valley floor
Overnight: Country hotel, UrubambaThe salt pans at Maras and the agricultural terraces at Moray, both at a pace that lets you keep breathing. Afternoon free.
Day 5
Ollantaytambo and the train to Aguas Calientes
Overnight: Hotel, Aguas CalientesThe fortress in the morning, when the light is on the terraces, then the afternoon train along the Urubamba river.
Day 6
Machu Picchu
Overnight: Hotel, CuscoEarly entrance with your guide, then time on your own. We book the return train late enough that you are not watching the clock.
Day 7
Cusco
Overnight: Hotel, CuscoBy now the altitude is no longer a question. San Blas, the cathedral, the Qorikancha, and an afternoon with nothing in it.
Day 8
Overland to Puno
Overnight: Lakeside hotel, PunoThe route across the altiplano with stops at Raqchi and La Raya. A long day, but the landscape earns it and you arrive acclimatised.
Day 9
Lake Titicaca
Overnight: Lakeside hotel, PunoUros and Taquile by boat. Lunch with a family on the island, which is the part people remember.
Day 10
Cross into Bolivia, on to La Paz
Overnight: Hotel, La PazThe border at Kasani, Copacabana on the Bolivian shore, and the descent into La Paz in the late afternoon, which is one of the great arrivals anywhere.
Day 11
La Paz and the Valle de la Luna
Overnight: Hotel, La PazThe cable car network as transport rather than as a ride, the witches market, and the eroded valleys south of the city.
Day 12
Fly to Uyuni and out onto the salt
Overnight: Salt lodge, UyuniStraight from the airstrip onto the flats. The train cemetery, Colchani, and sunset from somewhere with nothing else in it.
Day 13
Sunrise on the salar, then home
Departure dayOut before dawn for sunrise on the salt, a mirror if you come in the wet season, back for breakfast, and the afternoon flight to La Paz for your connection.
What is included
- All accommodation in small hotels and one salt-flat lodge
- Private guide and driver throughout, English speaking
- Machu Picchu entrance and the train from Ollantaytambo
- Lake Titicaca crossing and the overland border formalities
- Two nights on the Uyuni salt flats with a 4x4 and driver
- All breakfasts, six lunches and three dinners
What is not
- International flights, which we quote separately
- Internal flights if you choose to fly a leg instead of driving
- Travel insurance, which we ask you to arrange before departure
- Tips and anything personal
Make it yours
This is a starting point, not a package
Every one of these days can move, and so does the length. Tell us what you have and we rebuild it around you, usually within a working day.