BOLIVIA: ORCHID FESTIVAL 2017
ITINERARY DAY 1
SANTA CRUZ
At your arrival to Santa Cruz, we will be waiting for you at the airport to welcome you and take you to your hotel. In the afternoon, our tour begins at the historic center of this city, the architecture with eaves and columns give this part of the city a colonial touch. We will continue going around the town’s avenues called “rings”, passing by squares and monuments which make this city very different from any other in Bolivia. Includes: 1 night of accommodation at Cortez Hotel or similar, Private transportation, Bilingual guide service (SpanishEnglish), Entrance tickets, Transfer airport-hotel Meals: none
DAY 2
SANTA CRUZ – SAINT XAVIER – CONCEPCIÓN
We depart at hrs. 7:30 heading to the Jesuit Missions of San Xavier and Concepcion. On the way we will pass by several populations of the lower zone this such as: Puerto Paila, Pailón del (the first door of the Jesuit missions), San Ramon. At San Xavier where we will make our first missionary tour, we will visit its church, Misional Museum and artisanal center (only available on weekdays). We continue our trip to Concepcion, in its surroundings we will visit Santa Rita where you will learn about the chiquitana culture. Then we head back to Concepcion to enjoy a workshop for orchid’s fans, related to basic techniques to raise this flower. If you wish you can observe a street spectacle with orchids themes. Includes: 1 night of accommodation at Hotel Escondido or similar in Concepción, Private transportation, Bilingual guide service (Spanish-English), Entrance tickets Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
DAY 3
CONCEPCIÓN – SANTA CRUZ
After breakfast we will begin a hike to the Orchid’s Municipal Garden Center, where you can be part of an orchid’s conservation dynamic, you acquire a plant and you will seed it in the garden center, later it will be re-inserted in the forest. We go back to Concepcion to visit its church and Misional Museum. At the end of the morning we will enjoy an orchid’s exhibition and contest, where you will find different local, national and international varieties and species. In the afternoon return to Santa Cruz. Includes: 1 night of accommodation at Cortez Hotel or similar, Private transportation, Bilingual guide service (SpanishEnglish), Entrance tickets Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 4
SANTA CRUZ – SAMAIPATA – SANTA CRUZ
At 06:30 we will pick you up from your hotel and begin our beautiful trip passing by series of mountains, spaces fulfilled of diverse vegetation and enjoying panoramic views of the extreme of the Andes Range At 10:30 approx. we arrive to the archeological site called “El Fuerte” (Incas last vestige) where you will be able to discover the mystery of this enigmatic place. We will have lunch and in the afternoon we will visit Samaipata town, where the archeological museum is located, we will also visit a handicrafts center, the main square and its surroundings. At 15:00 we will get back on the road to Santa Cruz, on our way we will stop at the place called “Cascadas de las Cuevas” an exotic place with clear small waterfalls, where you can take a bath. Arrival to Santa Cruz at 19:00 approx. Includes: 1 night of accommodation at Cortez Hotel or similar, Private transportation Santa Cruz – Samaipata-Santa Cruz, Bilingual guide service (English-Spanish), Entrance tickets to attractions Meals: Lunch
DAY 5
SANTA CRUZ - LA PAZ – TIWANAKU – LA PAZ
Early in the morning, transfer to the airport to catch the flight to La Paz. Flight Santa Cruz – La Paz (not included) At your arrival to La Paz, we will be waiting for you at the airport to begin the tour across the immense Altiplano (High Plateau Ranges) enjoying the landscape characterized by Andean products fields and small houses made of mud bricks called “adobes”. Our destiny is the town of Tiwanaku, where we find the most important archaeological complex of the country. For a first approach to this impressive culture, we will visit the local museum as an introduction about Tiwanaku’s heritage. And then we go into our journey back to more than 3500 years ago, we will visit the archaeological site whose main attraction is the “Puerta del Sol” (Sun Gate) one of the most important archaeological pieces of the continent, a megalithic gateway carved from a single block of stone. We will also have the chance to visit the rest of the ruins of this enigmatic pre-Incan culture in terms of architecture and iconography: the Temple of Kalasasaya, which is believed to be a ritual platform built using huge blocks of red sandstone, the “Templete Semi-subterraneo” and the Akapana Pyramid, structures that make Tiwanaku one of the most popular places to visit in of Bolivia. Return to La Paz at 16:30. Includes: 1 night of accommodation at Ritz Apart Hotel or similar, Private transportation La Paz-Tiwanaku-La Paz, Bilingual guide service (English-Spanish), Entrance tickets to museum and archaeological site, Transfers according to itinerary Meals: Typical lunch
DAY 6
LA PAZ- COPACABANA- SUN ISLAND - LA PAZ
At 08:00 we will pick you up from your hotel and we are ready to begin our trip to the Titicaca Lake, we will travel through the Altiplano (High Plateau). After a 2 hour trip we arrive to the narrower section of the lake: the Strait of Tiquina, we will cross it at a rudimentary local ferry along with local people and later we continue towards Copacabana trough the road, before arriving to our destination we will enjoy the view of Major (Huyñay Marca - Perú y Bolivia) and Minor Lake (Chucuito- Bolivia). Arrival to the town Copacabana at 11:30, from its port we will get on board of a boat that will take us through the Titicaca Lake to the Sun Island, at its south part we will visit the Inca’s archaeological site of “Pilcocaina Palace” an ancient palace built exclusively for the Inca. Later we continue to Yumani, there we will visit “Escalinata Del Inca” (Inca’s stairs) which
leads us to the “Fuente de las 3 aguas” (the Fountain of the 3 Watersheds), the tradition dictates that if you drink from its water you will have eternal life. You will have some time to take pictures and enjoy a breath-taking view of the lake and the astonishing Royal Range of the Andes at the back-ground, we will go back to our boat to return to Copacabana and there we will make a quick visit to the town enriched by the combination of the Andean and the Christian points of view, we will visit the religious sanctuary in honor of Candelaria Madonna, an important pilgrimage site for Bolivians. Finally we will walk by the town and its handicraft stores. Return to La Paz city, arrival to your hotel at 21:00 approximately. Includes: 1 night of accommodation at Ritz Apart Hotel or similar, Private transportation La Paz-Copacabana-La Paz, Shared touristic boat, Bilingual guide service (English-Spanish), Entrance tickets to archeological site Meals: Breakfast, Typical lunch
DAY 7
LA PAZ
At the proper time, transportation to the airport for you to continue your trip to your next destiny. Includes: Private transportation hotel-airport Meals: None.
PRICE PER PERSON IN $USD, BASED ON 4 PAX Commission for TA
1408.00