BOLIVIA, EMOZIONI D'ALTOPIANO date fisse italiano collettivo

Welcome upon arrival and transfer to the hotel. Breakfast. Lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon visit to Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the largest and most influential city in Bolivia, located in the east of the country. Also known simply as Santa Cruz, this city is an important economic, cultural and commercial centre with a unique history and atmosphere. The city is a commercial and financial hub, known for its growing economy and its global market-oriented outlook. The 'Plaza 24 de Septiembre' is the heart of the historic centre of Santa Cruz, surrounded by colonial buildings and ancient trees. The city offers a variety of restaurants, cafés, shops and shopping centres, reflecting the vitality of urban life. Visit of luoghi e dei monumenti più risaltanti come l’antico quartiere con i suoi marciapiedi esageratamente rialzati e circondati da portici. Al suo interno si trova la Piazza Principale e la Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, costruita nel 1609. In seguito, passeggiata per La Recoba, il mercato dell’artigianato.
Accommodation Cortez.

Breakfast. Airport transfer. Flight to Sucre (not included). Arrival at Sucre. Meeting with the guide. City tour. The political, religious, and administrative center of Bolivia under Spanish rule is still today the official capital. Sucre, at 2,790 meters, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most beautiful and refined city in Bolivia, a masterpiece of colonial architecture preserved in an exemplary manner, overflowing with churches, palaces, and museums. It is also the main market for the traditional Quechua communities living in the surrounding mountains. Visit of museo tessile ASUR, che espone una mostra di tessuti indigeni. Il belvedere della Recoleta che domina tutta la città. In seguito, la Piazza Principale dove si può ammirare la facciata della cattedrale, la Prefettura, il Municipio e la “Casa de la Libertad” dove fu dichiarata l’Indipendenza della Bolivia. Proseguimento verso il parco Bolivar, dove si trova il Palazzo di Giustizia. Si conclude con la visita sui tetti del convento di San Felipe Neri per godere di una altra impressionante veduta della città. Lunch at a restaurant.
Accommodation Samary Hotel Boutique.

Breakfast. Departure for Potosì. In the morning, visit to Potosì. UNESCO World Heritage cultural and natural site, Potosi is the highest city in the world, at 4,100 meters above sea level, on a desolate and windswept plateau. A fascinating and tragic city, its existence is owed to Cerro Rico, the mountain that contained the most phenomenal silver vein ever discovered in the world. The mines turned Potosi into one of the richest and largest cities in the world, with around 160,000 inhabitants in the 17th century, larger than Madrid and on par with London. However, this wealth was tragically acquired through the forced labor of millions of indigenous people and African slaves. It is estimated that approximately nine million people died in the mines during the three hundred years of Spanish rule. Today, it is a treasure trove of colonial art and architecture. Visit of “Real Casa de la Moneda” o Antica Zecca, uno dei pregevoli monumenti dell'America Ispanica, e dove i nativi e gli schiavi africani coniavano le monete con l’argento estratto dal famoso Cerro Rico, durante la dominazione spagnola. Si prosegue con una passeggiata per la Piazza Principale e le vie per ammirare le facciate delle chiese di San Lorenzo e San Francisco. Lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon, continue to Uyuni. Arrival at Uyuni.
Accommodation Jardines de Uyuni.

Breakfast. Full day tour of Salar de Uyuni. The Salar de Uyuni, located at an altitude of 3,656 meters, covering an area of ​​10,582 square kilometers, is the largest salt flat in the world. It is not exactly a lake: the water is covered by a thick crust of salt, capable of supporting the weight of a car. Harsh and inhospitable, this perfectly flat expanse, with snow-covered mountains delimiting the distant horizon, resembles an extraterrestrial landscape. When it is covered with water after the rains, from December to April, the Salar becomes a huge mirror that reflects the sky so perfectly as to eliminate the horizon line. In this extreme environment, tenacious forms of life survive, such as cacti and flamingos, as well as isolated communities of Quechua and Aymara campesinos. However, the importance of the Salar is becoming predominantly commercial: in this region, one of the most remote on the planet, the second largest lithium deposit in the world is found, essential for powering batteries for a large number of portable electronic devices and also for cars. Along the route visit to Isola Incahuasi (prima erroneamente chiamata Del Pescado), situata nel cuore del Salar e popolata da cactus giganti. Dall’alto c’è una vista impressionante dell’area circostante. Lunch during the visit. Continue to Colchani. Located in the southwestern region of Bolivia, Colchani is one of the gateways to the Salar de Uyuni. The town is known for its traditions of salt extraction and processing. Here, visitors can observe the process of salt mining and production, as well as purchase handmade crafts made from salt, such as sculptures and jewelry. Dinner at the hotel.
Accommodation Luna Salada.

Breakfast. Airport transfer. Flight to La Paz (not included). Arrive at La Paz. Meeting with the guide. City tour. Few cities in the world boast a more spectacular location than La Paz, situated over 3,500 meters above sea level, in a narrow canyon on the high plateau. Chaotic and polluted, the city presents strong contrasts: the bell towers of colonial churches, modern buildings, the steep slopes of the surrounding hills covered with shantytowns, and the magnificent icy peak of Mount Illimani. Although it is not the capital (that honor belongs to Sucre), La Paz is undoubtedly the political and commercial center of Bolivia, but always with its dual identity, that of the Aymara indigenous people who make up the majority of the population, and that of the European descendants of the colonizers. Visit of "Plaza Murillo", la antica Piazza d’Armi o maggiore, dove si vedono il congresso, il Palazzo Presidenziale e la Cattedrale. Poi, si prosegue fino al "Mercato delle streghe" dove si vendono tutti quegli elementi utilizzati per la medicina locale. Al termine discesa fino alla Chiesa di San Francesco, un gioiello dell'arte barocca mestiza, la cui facciata è decorata con motivi indigeni. Si scende fino alla Valle della Luna, situata a 12 km dal centro di La Paz, e il cui nome si deve all’aspetto lunare che ha assunto in seguito alle erosioni eolica e idrica delle fragili formazioni sedimentarie che formano una specie di stalagmiti. Lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon, continuation to un indimenticabile viaggio in funivia, iniziando con una panoramica corsa sul teleférico. Scivola nel cielo in una cabina sospesa, immergendoti in un'esperienza di trasporto locale unica. Mentre sali, meravigliati davanti alla straordinaria vastità di La Paz, con il suo paesaggio urbano esteso e lo sfondo montuoso mozzafiato. Goditi viste panoramiche senza pari che mostrano la grandiosità della città e la sua bellezza naturale.
Accommodation Ritz Apart Hotel.

Breakfast. Departure for Copacabana. Panoramic visit. The town of Copacabana is the main Bolivian center on the shores of Lake Titicaca, a few kilometers from the Peruvian border, and the most important pilgrimage destination in the country, as it is home to a sacred image of the Madonna, the Virgen de Copacabana. Everywhere you can see the "cholitas," Aymara women dressed in typical voluminous colorful skirts and curious bowler hats that are their usual headgear. Departure for Isola del Sole con barca a motore. Visit of Isola del sole, questo posto è molto conosciuto perché era un importante centro cerimoniale sul Lago Titicaca: qui si svilupparono le culture più avanzate del Sudamerica come i Chiripa nel 1200 AC, la civiltà dei Tiwanaku intorno al 1000 AC. La civiltà Inca fu l'ultima prima dell'arrivo degli Spagnoli. Lunch at a restaurant. Return to Copacabana.
Accommodation Gloria Copacabana.

Breakfast. Departure for Tiwanaku. Visit of the museo regionale che ospita una collezione corrispondente a diversi periodi. Si prosegue con la visita del sito dove si possono veder gli edifici più significativi come la piramide di Akapana, costruita con 7 terrazze sovrapposte. Il tempio di Kalasasaya, al cui interno si possono osservare la famosa “Puerta del Sol” e monoliti che rappresentano sacerdoti indigeni. Il tempietto Semi-sotterraneo, con il suo cortile a quasi due metri sotto il livello normale del suolo, con le sculture di teste incastrate sullo i suoi muri. Lunch at a restaurant. Continue to La Paz.
Accommodation Ritz Apart Hotel.

Breakfast. Airport transfer. Flight to Santa Cruz de la Sierra (not included).