.Santa CruzBOLIVIASucre..TarabucoPotosí..La PazPuno..Cusco.Machu Picchu.LimaPERULake TiticacaAMY INGHAMISTOCKPHOTO.COMcrillon tours131Essentials Climate Varies according to elevation. Winter months, June-August, generally offer clear skies and warm days (until the sun goes in). The altiplano is cold, even more so during the winter. Rainy season November?March.Festivals La Diablada (Oruro's Carnival) 04?07 March 2011; Virgen de la Candelaria (Copacabana) 01?02 February 2011. Travelling from UK Time difference (GMT) -4hrs Travel time 20hrs Highlights of Bolivia with Peru 17 days, 14 nightsSanta Cruz 1 night, Sucre 2n, Potosí 2n, La Paz 3n, Lake Titicaca 1n, Cusco 4n, Lima 1n.Day 1 Fly from the UK arriving the following day in Santa Cruz, capital of Bolivia's eastern lowlands. Day 2 At leisure. Day 3 Morning free to explore. Afternoon flight to Sucre, a serene colonial city of cobbled lanes and attractive plazas. Day 4 Full day excursion to the market at Tarabuco, one of the most authentic in Latin America. Day 5 Scenic drive past the snow-powdered Andes to Potosí. Afternoon city tour and visit to the Imperial Mint where the silver mined in Cerro Rico, the conical hill dominating the cityscape, was converted to currency for the Spanish court. Day 6 Morning visit to the drift mines that burrow deep into the hill. Day 7 Transfer to Sucre for flight to La Paz, Bolivia's exuberant high-altitude capital. Day 8 Half day excursion to the pre-Columbian temples at Tiwanaku, standing on the lonely steppes of the altiplano. Day 9 Day at leisure in La Paz. Day 10 Drive to Lake Titicaca, via Uros Iruitos floating islands, cross the border into Peru. Overnight at the lakeside town of Puno (p124). Day 11 Full day journey through Peru's Central Valley to Cusco (p116). Day 12 Full day excursion to the fertile Sacred Valley of the Incas, including the ruined temples and fortresses at Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Day 13 Afternoon tour of the city and Inca sites nearby. Day 14 Full day trip by train and bus to Machu Picchu (p116). Day 15 One hour flight to Lima, Peru's monumental capital. Tour of the city's colonial highlights. Day 16 Fly to the UK, arriving day 17.Prices from £1,930pp based on two sharing, excluding transatlantic flights. Regular departures from the UK 3UYUNI SALT FLATSThe route south to Chile passes through a landscape of salt pans, volcanoes, geysers and wind-eroded rock formations. This remote area has only a rudimentary transport and tourist infrastructure, which adds to its appeal.4THE SOUTHERN ANDESThe sunny Andean foothills are the setting for colonial Sucre. Higher on the plateau, the mining town of Potosí retains the grandiose buildings of an affluent past.5SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRAThe eastern lowland grasslands are dominated by Bolivia's second city; not far away are the Jesuit missions of Chiquitano and eco-diverse Amboró National Park.020 8747 8315 / journeylatinamerica.co.uk bookings, consultant advice and additional information how about?» A few days in Buenos Aires on your way to Bolivia (p152). » Trekking along the original Inca Trails in Peru (pp118-119). » Visiting the Jesuit Missions from Santa Cruz.100 Miles200 KMBRAZIL

ISTOCKPHOTO.COMISTOCKPHOTO.COMCRILLON TOURSFrom the altiplano to the jungle At the foot of Mount Illimani in a bowl denting the high, flat plains of the altiplano, squats La Paz which, with its indian markets flowing out on to the narrow streets and its quaint colonial squares, is alone worthy of a few days' exploration.Roads and air routes fan out in all directions, so it's easy to make excursions into the contrasting areas of the country. To follow are a couple of our favourites.The four day Choro Trek is mostly downhill from La Paz to the small subtropical town of Coroico. The walk starts at La Cumbre, the pass which slices through the barren mountains of the Cordillera Real and makes way for an Inca paved road descending through increasingly succulent vegetation, finally reaching citrus groves and coffee plantations. If you don't want to hike, you can visit this area?the Yungas?by road, a heart-stopping route carved out of the cliffs?you can even cycle down it, if you dare.The bio-diverse rainforest area of Madidi Rainforest Reserve is reached by a short flight from La Paz to tropical Rurrenabaque. A 5-hour canoe trip upstream on the Tuichi river delivers you to Chalalán Lodge, a small, friendly lakeside property developed with the local indigenous community. There's misty cloud forest, lowland rainforest and savannah grasslands. You may see, or hear, howler monkeys, toucans, macaws, hoatzins and caiman. Guided jungle walks, bird-watching and canoe trips are offered.Lake Titicaca, (see pp124-125) the sacred waters of which are shared with Peru, is just 2 hours' drive from La Paz. Many visitors enter Bolivia via the scenic boat and road route from Peru; comfortable catamarans and hydrofoils ply the route. posada del inca, sun island It's a steep climb up to this rustic farmhouse-style hotel at the highest point on craggy, vehicle free Sun Island. But it's worth the effort -you've come here to enjoy the views of shimmering lake and the citrus sunset splashed across the vast dome of a cobalt sky. You'll appreciate the serenity of this, the birthplace of the Sun God, inhabited by a few indigenous families cultivating potatoes and tending their sheep and llamas. At the hotel you'll receive warm hospitality and will be served wholesome country meals.132 Bolivia