This mountain bike circuit takes you to the discovery of some of the most interesting sites of the altiplano and the Bolivian Andes.
After the visit of the white city, we start by touring Sucre surroundings, at elevation permitting good acclimatization, before climbing to the Villa Imperial de Potosν and the famous salt desert of Uyuni.
The expedition continues on following the shores of lake Titicaca, and then around La Paz and its tortuous geography, before diving towards the tropical regions of the Yungas, via the famous Death Road.
This program is reserved to trained athletes in good physical condition, ready to take on the challenge.
Note: for your comfort and security, a private 4WD support vehicle will accompany you the entire circuit.

Airport pick up (flight number and arrival time to be confirmed) and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day open.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel.
Note: the mountain bikes will be left at the agency to be send to Sucre.

Departure from the hotel for a private transfer to the airport 2 hours before flight time. Flight La Paz-Sucre (50 minutes, time variable depending on the departure day/ FLIGHT INCLUDED). Reception and transfer to the hotel.
At 2 p.m., we meet in the hall of the hotel for a guided tour of the colonial city, World Heritage Site (Registered by UNESCO at the Patrimony of Humanity): Ethnographic textile museum, Casa de la Libertad (closed on Mondays), Recoleta convent and cathedral…
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel.

Note: The mountain bikes are sent by car from La Paz. We retrieve them in Sucre. During the whole itinerary, you have the option to stop and climb on board the 4WD support vehicle.

After meeting our guide / driver in Sucre, we depart in our 4WD. After passing the airport, we get on our bike and and follow the track starting at 2977 meters of elevation.
We climb to the church of Chataquilla (el. 3658 m.a.s.l. / 16 miles).
We then descend to el. 2910 m.a.s.l., and reach the village of Chaunaca (6 miles) and then puente Ravelo (el. 2890 m.a.s.l.) before climbing to the village of Potolo (el. 3075 m.a.s.l. / 11 miles).
Cold lunch. Dinner included. Night in the home of local host (basic comfort).
Note: During the whole itinerary, you have the option to stop and climb on board the 4WD support vehicle.

From Potolo, we head for Maragua, 31 miles away, following a succession of long uphill and short descents along the Potolo River (3643 m.a.s.l. / 31-mile).
To reach the village of Tinguipaya from Maragua, we climb up to the Furso Pass at 4147 m.a.s.l. We bike along the crest to another pass, at 4300 m of altitude.
We stay at an altitude of about 4000 m until we ascend to the last pass of the day, at 4320 m.a.s.l. (17-mile).
We leave our bikes to continue by 4WD through deep valleys until reaching the village of Tinguipaya (3200 m.a.s.l.) and then of Tarapaya, where we spend the night (hot water and private bathrooms).
Cold lunch. Dinner included. We spend the night at the cabañas (similar to lodges for 4 persons).

We take our 4WD to Potosi (paved road; 1/2 hour).
We dedicate this day to the discovery of Potosi, nominated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
At 9 a.m., we meet in the hotel lobby to visit the mines of Cerro Rico where we can meet miners in their environment. In the afternoon, we visit the Casa de la Moneda (closed Sunday afternoons and Mondays), where the Spanish minted the coins for the crown until the 19th century.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel.

From the outskirts of the city (in a spot called Cantumarca, at 3659 m.a.s.l.), we ascend to the village of Porco (el. 4231 m.a.s.l./ 24-mile). For 6 miles, we bike at an altitude of 4000 meters, until we reach the San Juan Canyon (el. 3830 m.a.s.l. / 12-mile). We clear a pass at 3971 m.a.s.l., 2-mile further, before going down again to a plateau and arriving at the village of Chataquilla (el. 3760 m.a.s.l. / 7-mile.). We enter the canyon of the River Yura before reaching the village of the same name by the end of the day (el. 3352 m.a.s.l. / 22-mile.).
Cold lunch. Dinner included. Night in a shelter (shower).

Departure with our 4WD from Yura. 5 miles to the crossing of the dirt track to Uyuni.
We ascend to the first pass (el. 4062 m.a.s.l. / 9 miles) before descending towards the village of Tika Tika (el. 3630 m.a.s.l. / 6 miles).
For the next 32 miles, we stay on the plateau of Ollerias at an altitude of about 3600 / 3700 meters before climbing to the village of Pulacayo (el. 4230 m.a.s.l. / 10 miles).
We then descend for 9 miles to Uyuni (el. 3700 m.a.s.l.).
Cold lunch. Dinner open (restaurant “La Loco” recommended). Hotel.

From Uyuni, we drive with our 4WD towards Colchani (½-hour), on the border of the Salar, where we can visit a familial salt exploitation.
On our bikes, we pedal through the Salar until we reach the Salt Hotel (el. 3670 m.a.s.l. / 7-mile, it is not possible to sleep there anymore). In our 4WD, we then cross the white stretch of salt leading us to the North and the village of Tahua, at the foot of volcano Tunupa.
Back on our bikes, we circumnavigate the volcano. A succession of short uphill and downhill at a constant altitude of about el. 3700 / 3800 m.a.s.l. (max el. 3830 m.a.s.l. / 28-mile).
We hike through the villages of Chilguilla, Alianza, Saitoco, Irpani, etc…
Cold lunch. Dinner included. Lodging at Doña Lupe and Don Carlos’s in the village of Jirira (showers).

Early departure for our long crossing of the Altiplano (8 to 10-hour journey). On the way we stop at the enormous meteorite crater of Tambo Tambillo. At around noon, we arrive in the village of Challapata, where the dirt road ends and the pavement starts. We follow this road to Oruro. On the way, we skirt the shores of lakes Poopo and Uru-Uru.
At around noon, we arrive in the village of Challapata, where the dirt road ends and the pavement starts.
Lunch on the way (included). Dinner open. Hotel.

We depart from the hotel at 9 a.m. with our private 4WD for the village of Achacachi, located 50 miles from La Paz (2- hour), near Lake Titicaca. As we exit the village, we mount our bikes and head in the direction of the Huata peninsula. After a succession of uphill and downhill and the crossing of the villages of Santiago de Huata and Vichi, we climb to Estancia Jankho Amaya (last uphill-about 400 meters of elevation gain). We then descend towards the Tiquina Straights, separating the larger part of Lake Titicaca from its smaller counterpart. We cross the Straights on a barge, then head for Copacabana by car (the most courageous can continue on their bikes). We climb the hill of the Way of the Cross to watch the sunset (don’t forget your headlamp for the descent).
Cold lunch. Dinner open. Hotel / lake view.

From Copacabana, we head on our bikes towards the extremity of the peninsula and the village of Yampupata (accumulated elevation gain of 800 to 900 meters / 10 miles). From Yampupata, our private motorboat takes us to the North of Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) and the vestiges of Chinkana, an Aymara word meaning “the labyrinth” (2½-hour). We discover the Sacred Rock of the Incas, from where God Viracocha gave birth to his son Manco Capac, the first Inca. We then follow, on our bikes, the trail of the crests, heading north / south for about 2 hours (short up hills and down hills / altitude between 3900 and 4000 meters / 5-miles).
Cold lunch. All included. Lodging at María and Ismael’s house (basic comfort).
Note: from the pier all the way to the Chinkana site, steep uphill of a few hundred meters where we will need to carry our bikes on our backs.

Meeting in the hall of the hotel at 8 a.m. Our private transport takes us to the agency, where we get on our bikes. Descent to the South part of La Paz followed by the ascent of the Obejuyo pass and the entrance into the canyon de las Ánimas. We admire the impressive Illimani, symbol of La Paz and one of the giants of the Cordillera Real.
We then enter the canyon de Palca, with its interesting rock formations carved by erosion.
Return to La Paz, in the support vehicle, in the afternoon, by way of the village of Ventilla. This paved scenic road offers beautiful view of the Cordillera.
Cold lunch (included). Dinner open. Hotel.

Departure from the hotel at 9 a.m., in a private vehicle, for Chacaltaya, which used to be the highest ski resort in the world (el. 5300 m.a.s.l.). In fact, it is more a curiosity than a ski resort, the way we understand it in our countries. One and only slope and a ski lift dating from the turn of the 20th century, this is what you will find
From this altitude, the view over La Paz and the Altiplano with majestic Huyana Potosi as a backdrop reaching more than 6000 meters in height is mesmerizing. Short hike possible to the summit (el. 5400 m.a.s.l.) for those who feel strong, then, mountain bike descent to La Paz.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel.

Departure at 8 a.m. from our hotel in a private 4WD, in direction to the Cordillera Real. After passing La Cumbre, a pass at 4750 m of altitude, the Andes abruptly drop below our feet. A few hundred kilometers lower as the crow flies, is the Amazon Basin! Welcome to this incredible intermediate region called the Yungas, named after an ancient pre-Incan tribe that used to live on its steep slopes.
Our exciting mountain bike descends starts at the Cumbre. As we drive down the winding road, the scenery becomes more lush, the air more humid, the wind yet warmer... more than 3500 meters of elevation loss to reach Yolosa (el. 1100 m.a.s.l.) in just a few hours!
To end the day, a steep 7-kilometer uphill (650 m of elevation gain) takes us to the village of Coroico, the “pearl of the Yungas” (possibility of ending in the assistance 4WD).
Cold lunch (included). Dinner open (restaurant El Cafetal recommended). Hotel / swimming pool
Death road access fees are 25 Bolivianos per person and due before the descent.

In the morning, 4WD expedition followed by a hike to the Vagante River at the bottom of the Coroico Valley. We find ourselves surrounded by lush vegetation, waterfalls and icy torrents.
Later on, we continue on our mountain bike and by 4WD and cross the Yungas, from north to south, on very steep mountain slopes. Successions of short ascents and descents via a route seldom traveled. Coca terraces, coffee plantations and orchards line our journey to the village of Chulumani (3/4h on a dirt road).
Lunch on the way. All included. Hotel / swimming pool.

In the morning, we head for the Eco-lodge of Apa Apa where fresh tropical fruit juices and home-made ice-cream await us. Guided visit with a naturalist guide in the Apa-Apa forest. After lunch we star tour journey back to Paz in our private vehicle, following the Unduavi River up-valley. It surely is the most beautiful valley of the area. We spot, perched high up on a promontory, the shadow of a medieval castle. Paraguayan soldiers, held prisoners during the Chaco war (1932), erected this building to satisfy the whim of the Bolivian president.
We pass the waterfall of “Bridal’s Veil”, named after the cloud of steam it produces, the valley becomes narrower and we begin our climb towards the Cordillera. Here we need to trade our sandals and bathing suit for much warmer clothes!
Lunch included. Dinner open. Hotel.

Pick up at our hotel in a private vehicle, 3 hours prior to flight departure time, for transfer to airport / international flight number and time to be confirmed.