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Étaperia

Bolivia in 13 days: Uyuni, Sud Lípez and Sajama, day by day

Thirteen days to finish high: the train cemetery, the Uyuni salt flat and Isla Incahuasi, sunset on the salar, the flamingo lagoons, the Árbol de Piedra, Laguna Colorada, the Sol de Mañana geysers, Laguna Verde, the ascent of Uturuncu at 6,008 m, El Sillar, then Sajama before the return to La Paz.

Compiled by Kylian, updated on Oct 25, 2026

A llama at the edge of Laguna Colorada, the red lagoon of the Bolivian Altiplano, beneath a volcano
  • 13 days
  • 26 places
  • 12 nights
  • fast pace
Start
Uyuni
End
La Paz, El Alto airport
Main transport
A six-day 4x4 circuit with Tupiza Tours, from Uyuni to Tupiza, then private transfers to Oruro, Sajama, La Paz and El Alto, and 4x4 outings with a guide from Hostal Sajama
Recommended season
Dry season, May to October: clear skies and passable tracks, but nights of -10 to -20 °C (14 to -4 °F) in Sud Lípez in June and July; from January to March the salar becomes a mirror, but some southern tracks and Uturuncu become difficult, and Isla Incahuasi is closed from January to April

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 13 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 18 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The itinerary preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 2

Salar de Chiguana and the lagoon route

Full day

Salar de Chiguana

Smaller and darker than the Uyuni salt flat, this one is crossed by the railway line linking Bolivia to Chile.

Ollagüe and Tomasamil volcanoes

On the Chilean border, Ollagüe, 5,868 m (19,250 ft), often lets a plume of steam escape from its flank. Tomasamil stands beside it.

Lagunas Cañapa, Hedionda, Chiarkhota and Honda

The volcano route links high-altitude saline lagoons where three species of flamingo feed. The Hedionda gets its name, “the stinking one”, from the sulfur smell of its waters.

Good to know

Approach the flamingos slowly and quietly. The wind picks up in the afternoon: bring a windproof jacket and a hat.

Hotel · Night 2

Hotel Jardines de Mallku Cueva

A 12-room hotel built against a rock wall near Villa Mar, at about 4,050 m (13,290 ft), lower than most accommodation in the Lípez. Rooms with hot water 24 hours a day and electric blankets, buffet breakfast and a lounge with a fireplace and free coffee and tea.

Address
· Mallku, Villa Mar, Colcha K, Nor Lípez
Website
· mallkucueva.com (new tab)
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €3.00 per day of travel

Billed in euros. If your card is in another currency, your bank converts at its own rate.

  • Secure payment through Stripe, bank card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the terms of sale, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 13 days

Buy

A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 2 business days.

The day-by-day rundown

11 stops, 1,250 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 The Salar de Uyuni and Isla Incahuasi Cementerio de Trenes Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 Salar de Chiguana and the lagoon route Salar de Chiguana Free
  3. Day 3 Árbol de Piedra and Laguna Colorada Desierto de Siloli and Árbol de Piedra 4,500 m Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Geysers, Laguna Verde and Quetena Chico Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 Ascent of Volcán Uturuncu Volcán Uturuncu 6,008 m Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 From the Sud Lípez to Tupiza Laguna Morejón, Torreón and Ciudad Encanto Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Drive to Oruro Oruro 3,735 m Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 Sajama National Park Sajama National Park Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Sajama geysers and hot springs Géiseres and aguas termales de Sajama 4,400 m Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 Laguna Huaña Kota and Termales Doña Teodora Laguna Huaña Kota 4,350 m Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  11. Day 11 Back to La Paz Back to La Paz Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  12. Day 12 Buffer day in La Paz Buffer day in La Paz Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  13. Day 13 Flight home Flight home Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

1 day is free to read above. The other 12 unlock when you buy. Buy the itinerary, €39

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Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • The highest stage of the trip, between 3,650 and 6,008 m (11,980 and 19,710 ft). From May to October, clear skies and passable tracks, but nights of -10 to -20 °C (14 to -4 °F) in Sud Lípez in June and July, and strong afternoon wind all year round.
  • The night of day 59, at Laguna Colorada, is the coldest of the circuit, often below -10 °C (14 °F): a warm sleeping bag, hat and gloves. On the salar the glare is very strong: sunglasses are essential.
  • From January to March the salar floods and becomes a mirror, but some southern tracks and Uturuncu become difficult, and Isla Incahuasi cannot be reached from January to April.

Transport and permits

  • From day 57 to day 62, Tupiza Tours' Tupiza Uyuni + Uturuncu 4x4 circuit, done in reverse, from Uyuni to Tupiza, with a Spanish-speaking driver-guide and oxygen on board. The guide's six-day version, with an extra night at Villa Mar, is not in the catalog: ask for it as a tailor-made option when booking.
  • The last day of the circuit means about ten hours of track to Tupiza, and day 63 means 8 to 9 hrs by road to Oruro. Then 4 hrs to Sajama park on day 64, and 4 hrs 30 to 5 hrs to La Paz via Patacamaya on day 67.
  • Day 68 is a buffer day in La Paz, to absorb a delay or a road blockade before the flight on day 69. The climb from the center to El Alto airport can take over an hour at rush hour: allow plenty of time for the transfer.

Formalities and safety

  • US and UK citizens need no visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days per 12-month period (US citizens since December 2025). Passport valid for at least 6 months after arrival, with two blank pages. Form 250 on entry and exit, to be kept for the airport, and compulsory registration within 48 hours with the Dirección General de Migración (SIGEMIG portal), or a fine of about 300 Bs. Other nationalities should check with their foreign ministry.
  • On the full circuit this stage comes after two months in the country, and Uturuncu is still a demanding climb: headache, nausea or breathlessness at rest mean going down and giving up the summit. Insurance covering high altitude, SPF 50 sun cream, and protection for lips and eyes.
  • Bookings to make: the Tupiza Tours circuit (days 57 to 62), with the compulsory mountain guide for Uturuncu, Hotel Jardines de Mallku Cueva at Villa Mar (day 58), which has only 12 rooms, and Hostal Sajama (days 64 to 66), in high demand in high season, which also runs the outings to the lagoons, geysers and hot springs.

Budget and meals

  • Boliviano (Bs), cash essential: there are no ATMs between Uyuni and Tupiza or at Sajama, so take enough cash from Uyuni. The currency market has been unstable in recent years: check rates and exchange conditions before you leave.
  • Allow 20 to 40 Bs for a neighborhood almuerzo and 60 to 150 Bs in a restaurant. Meals are included on the 4x4 circuit.
  • The Tupiza Tours circuit includes a driver-guide, oxygen, water, meals and shared accommodation. On top come the site entry fees, including 150 Bs for the Reserva Eduardo Avaroa, and the Uturuncu mountain guide, paid at the start of the circuit, then entry to Sajama park (100 Bs), the hot springs, paid showers and sleeping bag rental.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening and says where you spend the night, with the address and booking link for each place to stay. Timed-entry tickets are flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Module, classic or complete itinerary: which one should I choose?

A classic is a short trip built to stand on its own, designed for a first visit to the country. A module covers one region in depth. The complete itinerary crosses the whole country, and buying it also unlocks each of its modules in your customer account.

Can I get a refund if the itinerary doesn't suit me?

No. It is digital content delivered right away, and you waive your right of withdrawal at checkout. To judge before you pay, every product page gives one full day for free and the list of every stop. After purchase, the guarantee applies: a closed hotel or a permanently closed place is corrected within 7 days, otherwise you get a refund.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Complete Bolivia itinerary: 69 days, hotels and bookings

The complete itinerary

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