10-day Bolivia tour: La Paz, Uyuni salt flats & silver mines

Ten days crossing Bolivia's colonial towns, working mines, and white salt desert

A 10-day tour through Bolivia starting in La Paz and ending in the Uyuni salt flats, with guided stops in Sucre and Potosí. You walk La Paz's markets and plazas, descend into active silver mines, hike across the vast white expanse of Uyuni, and visit flamingo lagoons and geysers in the Eduardo Avaroa reserve. The itinerary includes eight nights in hotels and hostels, nine meals, and hotel pickup from La Paz.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel to Copacabana and Isla del Sol

• Hotel pick up at 7:00 a.m.
• Arrive Copacabana at noon
• Taste traditional lunch
• Boat to Isla del Sol
• Walk Inca Stairway
• Drink from Fountain of Eternal Youth
• Dinner and rest at local hostel

Day 2: Visit Pilcocaina and return to La Paz

• Breakfast
• Walk to Pilcocaina Temple
• Photograph lake views
• Return to Copacabana
• Visit Copacabana temple
• Lunch in Copacabana
• Bus to La Paz
• Night stay in La Paz

Day 3: La Paz city and markets tour

• Pick up at 9 a.m.
• Visit Plaza Murillo with guide
• Enjoy traditional mid-morning snack
• Visit San Pedro Prison
• Explore local marketplaces
• Learn about Andean potatoes
• Visit Witches' Market in El Alto
• Return downtown via cable car
• Free afternoon and night stay

Day 4: Free day in La Paz and night bus

• Free day to explore La Paz
• Night bus to Sucre

Day 5: Arrival and rest in Sucre

• Arrive early morning in Sucre
• Free day to rest
• Night stay in hotel

Day 6: Sucre market and park tour

• Pick up at 9 a.m.
• Visit Sucre's main local market
• Enjoy traditional Tojori breakfast
• Visit obelisk and Bolivar park
• Take local transport to viewpoint
• Visit La Recoleta
• Afternoon bus to Potosi

Day 7: Potosi silver mine tour and travel

• Pick up at 9 a.m.
• Visit silver mines at Rich Hill
• Tour galleries and miners' statues
• Meet miners and observe work
• Afternoon bus to Uyuni
• First night in Uyuni

Day 8: Uyuni salt flats and island tour

• Pick up at 9 a.m.
• Tour starts at 10:30 a.m. office
• Visit Uyuni train graveyard
• Visit Colchani settlement
• Explore Uyuni Salt Flats
• See Los Ojos de Agua Salada
• Visit salt hotel museum
• Lunch
• Visit Isla Incahuasi and hike
• Take perspective photos
• Watch sunset over salt flats
• Night at salt hostel La Escondida

Day 9: Chiguana Desert and lagoons tour

• Breakfast at 7:00 a.m.
• Visit Chiguana Desert
• Drive Pasito Tuntun rocky road
• See Andean flamingos at lagoons
• Lunch at Hedionda lagoon
• Enter Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve
• Visit Siloli Desert and Rock tree
• Stop at Red Lagoon viewpoint
• Night at local hostel Hayllajara

Day 10: Geysers, lagoons and return to La Paz

• Early breakfast at 5 a.m.
• Visit Sol de Mañana Geyser
• Walk fumaroles and steaming craters
• Bath in open air hot springs
• Visit Dali Desert
• See Green Lagoon
• Picnic lunch roadside
• Pass Valley of the Rocks and Alota
• Visit San Cristobal Village
• Return to Uyuni by 6:30 p.m.
• Night bus back to La Paz

The experience

The tour opens with a half-day walking tour of La Paz, where your guide takes you through Plaza Murillo and the city's markets (the potato sellers' street with its endless varieties, the Witches' Market tucked into El Alto, and the San Pedro Prison) before a cable car ride back downtown. You'll spend three nights in La Paz across the first three days, with a free day to explore on your own before an overnight bus to Sucre.

Sucre, Bolivia's most colonial city, gets a morning tour starting with a traditional Tojori breakfast in the local market, then a walk through Bolívar Park (known for its dinosaur-themed attractions) and La Recoleta, a hilltop complex where history and tradition meet. From there, a three-hour bus ride takes you to Potosí, where you descend into the Rich Hill silver mines. Inside the galleries and lower levels, you meet working miners, see the mineral veins and rock formations, and observe the statues they've built to represent the gods of the mine. An afternoon bus carries you to Uyuni for the final stretch.

The Uyuni portion spans three days and covers the salt flats at 3,650 meters, starting with the train graveyard and the settlement of Colchani. You drive across the white expanse, stop at the salt-water eyes and a salt hotel that now serves as a museum, then hike Isla Incahuasi (Fish Island) to see giant cacti and petrified coral rock formations. The second day takes you south into the Chiguana Desert and along rocky roads to three Andean lagoons (Cañapa, Hedionda, and Chiarcota), where three species of pink flamingos live. You enter the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, cross the Siloli Desert at 4,550 meters, and stop at the Red Lagoon before staying at a local family lodge. The final day starts at 5 a.m. with a visit to Sol de Mañana Geyser at 5,000 meters, where you walk past fumaroles and steaming mud craters, then bathe in open-air hot springs. You continue through the Dali Desert, see the Green Lagoon at the foot of Licancabur volcano, and return to Uyuni by evening before an overnight bus back to La Paz.

What’s included

• Eight nights in three-star hotels and local hostels.
• three breakfasts, five lunches, and three dinners.
• hotel pickup in La Paz.
• guided walking tours of La Paz, Sucre, and the Uyuni salt flats with a live guide in English or Spanish.
• entry to the Potosí silver mines with time spent with working miners.
• visits to the train graveyard, Colchani settlement, and the salt hotel museum.
• hikes on Isla Incahuasi and through the Chiguana Desert.
• access to three Andean lagoons and the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve.
• a visit to Sol de Mañana Geyser and open-air hot springs.
• overnight buses between La Paz, Sucre, and Uyuni.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

AgesAdult (18 to 60 years) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 46 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 31

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Andes 2 Amazon

Is this one for you?Hotel pickup in La Paz means you don't need a car or local transport to start the tour. The itinerary handles all movement between towns and sites, so it works whether you're arriving from elsewhere in Bolivia or flying in fresh. The 10-day length fits the full route from the city through the colonial towns and into the high-altitude reserves without rushing any section.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's included in the 10 days across accommodation and meals?

Eight nights in hotels and hostels, plus nine meals: three breakfasts, five lunches, and three dinners. The rest of your meals you arrange on your own.

Do I need my own transport to get to La Paz, or is pickup included?

Hotel pickup in La Paz is included on the days when guided tours start. You'll need to arrange your own way to La Paz before day one, but once the tour begins, transportation between towns and to each day's activities is covered.

What happens inside the Potosí silver mines?

You descend into the active mines at the base of Rich Hill and walk through different galleries and interior levels where miners work. You'll see mineral veins, rock formations, and statues the miners have built to represent their gods, and you spend time with the miners to observe their daily work methods.

How high is the Uyuni salt flats, and what's the Dali Desert?

The salt flats sit at 3,650 meters. The Dali Desert is a high-altitude landscape scattered with boulders that inspired Salvador Dalí's artwork. You'll visit it on the final day before returning to Uyuni.

Can I see flamingos on this tour?

Yes, on the second day in Uyuni you visit three lagoons (Cañapa, Hedionda, and Chiarcota), where three species of Andean flamingos live. You'll also see pink flamingos at the Red Lagoon viewpoint in the Eduardo Avaroa reserve.

What's the earliest start time, and how early do I need to wake up?

The earliest wake-up is 5 a.m. on the final day in Uyuni to visit Sol de Mañana Geyser at 5,000 meters. Most other days start between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. with hotel pickup.