The featured route
Waterfalls → Pantanal → Bolivia → Peru
This order saves you money while unfolding history and culture in front of your eyes. It gives you something far beyond a journey — an experience that touches your spirit. Prepare yourself to arrive at these great archaeological sites and truly understand what they mean. That discovery is what sets you free.
Why starting in Bolivia is cheaper
- Bolivia shares borders with both the Salt Flats and the Atacama, and its currency is the weakest of the three. The same day costs less on this side of the line.
- The 3-day Uyuni → San Pedro de Atacama crossing: USD 130-180 from Uyuni, USD 230-300 bought in Chile. Identical vehicles, identical route.
- Titicaca from Copacabana: USD 20-25 for a guided Isla del Sol day, against USD 45-60 for the same day sold from Puno.
- Beds, food and transport in Bolivia run roughly half of Chile and a third under Peru's tourist corridor. Sleep cheap here, spend it in Cusco.
Bolivia is safe for the informed traveller
Bolivia's reputation is worse than its reality. Registered taxis only, cash withdrawn in daylight inside a bank, no passport or wallet handed to anyone on the street, and a hand on your bag in the big markets — follow those four rules and the country is calm, warm and extraordinarily hospitable. The genuine risk here is altitude, not crime: arrive, rest 24 hours, no alcohol on day one.
The route, stop by stop
- 01
Waterfalls — Iguaçu
Start at sea-level lungs and 275 waterfalls. Two countries, one canyon, and the easiest acclimatisation you will get on this route: none needed yet.
- 02
Pantanal
The largest wetland on earth and the best wildlife odds in South America — jaguar, tapir, giant otter, caiman by the thousand. Go before you climb.
- 03
Bolivia — La Paz
The highest capital on earth, and the cheapest base of the whole trip. Rest two days here and the altitude stops being a problem for the rest of the route.
- 04
Uyuni Salt Flats
Twelve thousand square kilometres of salt, and the 3-day crossing that ends in Chile. Bought in Bolivia: USD 130-180. Bought in Chile: USD 230-300.
- 05
Atacama (Chile)
The driest desert on earth, entered from the Bolivian side so you never pay Chilean prices for the hard part.
- 06
Titicaca — Copacabana & Isla del Sol
The lake where, in the Inca telling, the sun was born and Manco Capac walked out to found Cusco. Bolivian shore, Bolivian prices.
- 07
Peru — Puno
The hub. Buses leave every hour for every direction that matters, plus the Titicaca train to Cusco. Change your money here, not at the border.
- 08
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
The Inca capital. Every archaeological site, viewpoint, valley and lake on one city ticket — and the place where booking 60 days ahead decides your trip.
- 09
Aguas Calientes & Machu Picchu
Cloud forest at the top edge of the Amazon: hot springs, orchids, spectacled bears — and the site itself at 05:30 before the crowds.
- 10
Nazca → Lima
Down the desert coast: the Nazca Lines from the air, Huacachina, Paracas and Pachacamac, finishing in the best food city on the continent.
Transport — Puno is the hub
- Puno → Cusco — buses roughly every hour, 6-7 h, USD 15-25 direct; tourist bus with stops at Pukara, La Raya, Raqchi and Andahuaylillas USD 45-60.
- Puno → Cusco by train — PeruRail Titicaca, departures 07:30 on selected days, 10 h, USD 300-380 with lunch and an observation car.
- Puno → Copacabana — 3-3.5 h, USD 8-15, 07:30 and 13:30 plus hourly combis. Puno → La Paz 7-9 h, USD 12-25. Puno → Arequipa 5-6 h, USD 12-20.
- La Paz → Uyuni — night bus 9-10 h, USD 12-30, or a 55-minute flight from USD 55. Uyuni → Atacama 3-day crossing USD 130-180.
- Cusco → Aguas Calientes — train from Ollantaytambo USD 60-130 each way, first departure 05:05, last return 21:50; or the Hidroelectrica van plus a flat 10 km walk, USD 35-60 return.
- Flights — Lima–Cusco USD 60-140, Lima–Juliaca USD 60-130, Santiago–Calama USD 70+. Buses Lima–Nazca 7 h USD 20-35, Lima–Cusco 21 h USD 30-70.
Currency — the sol, the boliviano and the peso
Peru uses the sol (PEN), roughly 3.7-3.8 to 1 USD — so USD 100 is about S/ 375. Bolivia uses the boliviano (BOB), pegged near 6.9 to 1 USD. Chile uses the peso (CLP), near 950 to 1 USD. Change dollars in Puno or La Paz rather than at borders or airports, carry clean small USD notes, and expect cash-only in Bolivian villages, on Isla del Sol and on the Uyuni crossing.
Inca gods and the older layer
On this route you cross the theological heart of the Andes. Viracocha the creator was said to rise from Lake Titicaca and make the sun, moon and stars; Inti the sun was born on Isla del Sol, where Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo emerged to found Cusco. Pachamama is the earth mother still fed today — drivers pour the first drops of any drink onto the ground before they drink, and every August the whole altiplano makes offerings because she is said to be hungry. Add Mama Quilla the moon, Illapa of thunder and rain, and the achachilas, the mountain protectors: Illimani over La Paz, Tunupa over the salt, Salkantay over Cusco. Under the Inca layer sits an older one — Tiwanaku, whose Gate of the Sun predates the Inca by a thousand years, and the Aymara world that never stopped being Aymara.
Natural medicine of the altiplano
The Witches' Market on Calle Linares in La Paz is the pharmacy of the Andes, run by yatiris — Aymara ritual specialists who also read coca leaves. Coca leaf, chewed or as mate, for soroche and appetite. Muña, the Andean mint, for the stomach. Chachacoma and wira wira for the lungs and chest at altitude. Eucalyptus rub for cold and congestion. Sangre de grado resin for wounds, uña de gato for inflammation, maca for stamina. Buy from the stall holders, ask before photographing, and never photograph the llama offerings — they are ritual objects, not souvenirs.
Start preparing 6 months out
This route runs from sea level to 4,900 m. Six months out, build lung capacity: 3-4 cardio sessions a week of 30-45 minutes running, cycling or swimming, plus stair and hill work carrying a 6-8 kg pack. Add leg strength twice a week — squats, lunges, step-ups — and core work for the long descents. In the final 8 weeks, do one long walk a week of 12-18 km on uneven ground, in the exact boots you will travel in. Shift your body clock in the week before you fly: Peru is UTC-5, Bolivia and Chile UTC-4. Plan two acclimatisation days in La Paz, Puno or Cusco before any hard walking, and no alcohol on arrival days. Clothing: thermal base layer, fleece, down jacket, waterproof and windproof shell, gloves, wool hat, thick socks, plus shorts and a sun shirt — you can be burned, soaked and frozen in the same day. SPF 50, wide hat and sunglasses are equipment, not extras.
Peru & Bolivia tour booking
Prices are confirmed direct with us — no public tour price lists. Machu Picchu entry tickets must be reserved at least 60 days in advance.
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Bolivia — local agencies and their prices
- Uyuni: Red Planet Expedition (Av. Ferroviaria, Uyuni, +591 693-77 000) — 3-day crossing to Atacama USD 175-195; 1-day salar USD 40.
- Uyuni: Hodaka Mountain Expeditions (Av. Potosí, +591 728-64 662) — 3-day crossing USD 150-170; sunset and stars USD 45.
- Uyuni: Quechua Connection (Av. Arce, +591 672-32 000) — 3-day crossing USD 130-150; Tunupa volcano day USD 45.
- La Paz: Gravity Bolivia (Linares 940, +591 231-3849) — Death Road USD 95-125; Chacaltaya + Moon Valley USD 45.
- La Paz: Andean Summits (Sagárnaga, +591 224-2106) — Tiwanaku day USD 35-45; Huayna Potosí 2-day climb USD 230-280.
- Copacabana: Titicaca Tours (Av. 6 de Agosto, +591 719-72 341) — Isla del Sol guided day USD 20-25; Amantani-style homestay USD 35.
Prices are per person, shared service, and move with season and fuel — confirm on the day you book. For Peru, all tour bookings go through us on the button above.