The Ultimate Andean Adventure: Peru, Bolivia and Chile

Today, we’ll transfer you to the airport for your short flight to Cusco. When you land, you’ll be transferred to Urubamba, a town in the heart of the Sacred Valley. We’ll arm you with a Boleto Turistico General while you’re here: a tourist ticket that grants you access to all the highlights of Cusco and the Sacred Valley. This afternoon, your adventure gets properly underway with a visit to the Maras Salt Mines in the company of a private driver. These thousands of salty pools make for an incredible patchwork landscape. You’ll also pass through the incredible concentric terraces of the Center of Inca Agricultural Research. When you’ve finished exploring, head back to your contemporary hotel to enjoy its beautiful surroundings before dinner. This evening, we recommend cosying up by the fire in the garden.

After a delicious Andean-style breakfast at your hotel this morning, you’ll head out with your driver to experience the flurry of bold colours and red ponchos at the region’s local markets. You’ll begin in Pisaq, where you’ll find fresh cheese, chicken, aromatic herbs, bread, vegetables and potatoes of all kinds sold at the market, along with centuries-old agricultural terraces and an Inca citadel. At the other end of the valley, you’ll visit the fortified site of Ollantaytambo, a magnificently preserved example of Incan town planning.

Today you’ll be privately transferred to Ollantaytambo station, where you’ll take the train to Aguas Calientes, the gateway to magnificent Machu Picchu. You’ll visit this incredible Incan citadel with a private guide, who will unravel the mystery and marvel surrounding this 500-year-old feat of engineering. Against a beautiful mountain backdrop, the scale, design and genius of Machu Picchu are truly astonishing. This afternoon, you’ll head to your modern and friendly hotel for the night. After a big day of exploring, we recommend a trip to the spa to rejuvenate before some tapas and pisco at the bar.

This morning, you’ll pay another visit to Machu Picchu and get a different perspective of the suspended city from the summit of Montaña Machu Picchu. After climbing to the top via stone and natural steps, enjoy panoramic views of the citadel along with its surrounding mountains, including Huayna Picchu and the Urubamba River. In places, the steps are high and irregular, and the hike should last around three-and-a-half hours with an approximately 2,100ft elevation gain. When you’ve had your fill of soaking up the spectacular views, you’ll head back to Poroy by train and then take a private transfer to Cusco. You’ll spend the next three nights here in a hotel full of Peruvian folk art that’s close to Plaza de Armas in the old town.

This former capital of the Incan Empire was founded by the Killke a century before the arrival of the Incas. It was then partially destroyed by the Spaniards, who constructed their own buildings on the remains of Incan constructions. Because of this meeting of architectural styles and influences, Cusco is a truly striking city.

While you’re here, you’ll explore it with a private guide, visiting the Catedral Basílica de la Virgen de la Asunción (16th and 17th centuries) and the Temple of the Sun (Qoricancha), on the foundations of which the Convent of Santo Domingo has stood since the 16th century. You can also visit the sacred site of Q'enco, located just under four miles northeast of Cusco, along with Puka Pukara, the ‘red fortress’; in the distance, the snow-capped peaks of Ausangate watch over you. Finally, complete your visit with a trip to Tambomachay, an Incan system of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls, and the incredible UNESCO-listed Sacsayhuaman Fortress, shaped like the head of a puma. If you like, we can also arrange for you to take a cooking class during your time in Cusco.

You’ll be privately transferred to the airport this morning for the next leg of your Andean adventure. The flight to La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, takes just over an hour, after which you’ll be met at the airport by your private guide and whisked away to the small town of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Your guide will show you around some of the area’s highlights today. You’ll visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, a stunning 17th-century shrine to the Virgen de Copacabana, the country’s patron saint. The statue was carved from agave wood by the sculptor Francisco Tito Yupanqui (1550-1616), descendant of the Inca Huayna Capac, and was an important part of the Christianisation of the Andes. You’ll then take a private motorboat to Moon Island, where you’ll climb along crop terraces to reach the fascinating ruins of Iñaq Uyu. Your archaeological exploration continues with a visit to Isla del Sol – the cradle of Inca culture – and Pillkokayna. After all that exploring, you’ll spend the night in a simple but comfortable ecolodge with a magnificent view of the lake.

This morning, your private guide will take you to La Fuente del Inca (a sacred spring) and the beautiful espalier gardens. You’ll then enjoy a traditional Apthapi lunch in a small bay on the island before returning to Copacabana. Back on the mainland, you’ll be privately transferred along the magnificent Cordillera Real to La Paz, where you’ll spend the next two nights. Your hotel will be located in the Rosario district, not far from the famous Witches’ Market or the Basilica of Saint Francis.

To kick off today, you’ll visit some of this exciting city’s great monuments: Palacio Quemado (‘burnt palace’), so called after it was set aflame during an uprising in 1875; the La Paz Cathedral; the Basilica of Saint Francis, a beautiful example of Andean Baroque architecture; and finally the Witches’ Market, frequented by the Aymara indigenous people. You’ll then head outside the city to the Valley of the Moon, full of intricate clay formations and chimneys that resemble the magical craters of the moon. If you like, we can also arrange for you to visit the Tiwanaku pre-Columbian ceremonial site.

Today, you’ll be privately transferred to the airport for your one-hour flight to Uyuni. Your private driver will be waiting for you when you land to transport you to the world’s largest salt flat: 4,085 square miles and 64 billion tonnes of salt. Resembling an immense sheet of mirror under blue sky, it’s both dizzying and mesmerising. As you drive, you’ll also come across the Incahuasi volcano (house of the Inca) and its giant cacti. Your journey then continues west to the village of San Pedro de Quemez, where you’ll spend the night in a comfortable volcanic stone refuge.

You’ll travel to the Paseo del Leon today, where cushions of green Yareta plants contrast with the striking ochre canyon. You’ll also come across small lakes with vibrant waters before arriving at the Siloli Desert, located at 14,927ft above sea level. This splendid high plateau landscape is home to some incredible rock formations and perched at the edge of the Eduardo Avaroa wildlife reserve. Tonight, you’ll sleep in a hamlet hotel with stone walls, watched over by the Uturuncu volcano, 19,750ft above sea level.

Early this morning, you’ll start as you mean to go on by heading to the Sol de Manana geothermal site in the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve. Here, a hundred mud lakes hiss and smoke through the icy air. Your day continues from one exceptional natural site to another: Salvador Dalí Desert, Laguna Verde, Licancabur volcano, and finally Laguna Colorada and its flamingo colonies.

You’ll then continue on to Hito Cajon, a border post between Bolivia and Chile. Here, we’ll help you out with customs formalities before privately transferring you to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. You’ll spend the next four nights in an adobe brick hotel with simple yet comfortable rooms. After a day full of adventure, relax with a cocktail or indulge in a massage before an excellent dinner at your hotel (accompanied by some equally excellent wine). There’s also a swimming pool, jacuzzi and yoga classes to help you unwind.

The Atacama Desert is one of the driest in the world, full of red rock and clear blue skies. The oasis of San Pedro, meanwhile, is home to a church that’s one of the oldest in the country. You have three days to explore this incredible region at your own pace with a hire car. Don’t miss visiting the R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, which documents the history and culture of the Atacama people, or the pre-Columbian sites of Quitor and Tulor. You can also explore the salt lakes that feed large colonies of pink flamingos. Like the Dead Sea, the Laguna Cejar is so salty that you can float with ease on its surface. West of San Pedro in the Los Flamencos National Reserve, the Valle de la Luna is arid and magnificent, full of moon-like dunes, mountains and rocks. If you can face the early start, the geothermal site of El Tatio is particularly impressive in the morning.

In addition to your free time exploring, we’ll arrange for you to spend an evening stargazing with a night sky expert. Clear skies and a telescope mean you can make some sense of these enormous and magnificent starry skies.

Today, you’ll drive to Calama’s airport to return the hire car and board your two-hour flight to Santiago. When you land, we’ll whisk you away by private transfer to your accommodation in Valparaíso. You’ll be staying in Cerro Alegre, in the former home of the English marine painter Thomas Somerscales (1842-1927) near the port. This charming residence has been beautifully restored, and it’s the perfect place to nibble on homemade cakes and tea.

This legendary Chilean port is surrounded by slopes covered in colourful residential houses and steep, busy streets. You can explore their heights using the historic ascensores (funiculars), the first of which was built in 1883.

We’ll arrange for you to go on a guided walk through the city’s vibrant streets to take in some street art while you’re here. As you wander from the hills of Alegre and Concepción to the popular old port district, you can familiarise yourself with some of the artists and stories behind the city’s most beautiful murals, as well as visiting the main art galleries. This relaxed tour offers a great overview of the contemporary art scene in Valparaíso. Afterwards, you’re free to explore this quirky city at your leisure, sample some fresh seafood and sip on a craft beer with ocean views.