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TIHUANACO
Archaelogists
generally agree that the civilization that spawned Tihuanaco rose around
600 BC. Whether it was or not, Tihuanaco was certainly a great ceremonial
center. At its height it was a city of possibly 20,000 inhabitants,
encompassing approximately 1.6 sq. miles (2.6 sq.Km). This civilization might
have disappeared due to long periods of geological droughts that affected
South America some 2,000 years ago. Later on, their knowledge and science
were inherited by the Inca Empire, Although only a very small percentage
of the original site has been excavated, Tihuanaco does include the most
imposing megalithic architecture of pre-Inca in South America.
LAKE
TITICACA
Lake Titicaca is unique in that it is the
highest navigable lake in the world (over 12,500 ft/ 3,750 mts.). The
clean, clear air often allows one
to see for more than 100 miles. Tourists will enjoy horizons adorned by
blue skies, gorgeous clouds and some of the highest snow peaks in Bolivia.
This is a perfect location
for photography.
A
dozen of those snow peaks visible belong to the Cordillera Real including
Illimani, Huayna Potosi, Illampu and Ancohuma, with heights of more than
20,000 ft./12,500 mts. above
sea level. Near these
mountains and the lake, indigenous peoples still inhabit the area
preserving their cultures and traditions that have been maintained for
more than 4000 years.
AMAZON:
MADIDI NATIONAL PARK
Madidi
National Park was created in 1995, in the northwest of Bolivia. It protects a full array of ecosystems, from the high Andes to the
Amazon basin, a vast wilderness of 4,500,000 acres, that encompasses
unparalleled biological diversity, ranging from cloud forest to dry
tropical forest, humid lowland rainforest to savannah, wild rivers to
lakes.
This
park is home to more than 1000 species of birds, 44% of all New World
species of mammals and an estimated 38% of neo-tropical amphibians.
It is also a critical global hotspot for endemic plants.
Our
clients will get to visit the heart of Madidi National Park, where the
Tuichi River is located, with a final destination of the Chalalan Lake and
Ecolodge. The scenery in this
region has been shaped by ancient geological and glacial processes
resulting in spectacular landscapes.
CHALALAN ECOLODGE
One
of the many communities we support as operators support, is the village of
San Jose de Uchupiamonas, a Quechua-Tacana ethnic group. This community
owns and runs the Chalalan Ecolodge. The Ecolodge has been built using the
philosophy of minimum impact, using local materials and traditional
techniques. The design also includes the treatment of all waste waters and
the use of solar energy.
The San Jose community hopes that by participating in responsible tourism, it can be successful in the preservation of thousands of hectares of pristine rainforest that belong to them and were inherited from their ancestors. Therefore, their operations were developed under standards that respect local culture, traditions and the amazing natural surroundings.
SPECIAL ANDES-AMAZON (ATAA 100)
Day 1: Arrival in
La Paz.
Welcome at El Alto airport; transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon city tours.
Day
2: La Paz – Tihuanaco – Copacabana.
Morning
departure to the Tihuanaco ruins. Then you depart to Copacabana. During the
drive you will be able to see the magnificent, Lake Titicaca. At the half
way point, you will take a ferry the Strait of Tiquina. You will reach
Copacabana in three hours, Hotel registration and walking tour of
Copacabana to visit the cathedral, main plaza and “Horca del Inca.
Day
3: Copacabana – Isla del Sol.
In
the morning you will walk to Yampupata for 4 to 5 hours and then take a
boat to the Island of the Sun. Accommodation at a local hotel and in the
afternoon you will venture out to look at the sun setting over the
beautiful lake and island.
Day
4: Copacabana – La Paz.
After
breakfast you will take a boat to Copacabana. After lunch you return to La
Paz. Transfer to the hotel.
Day 5: La Paz – Rurrenabaque. Transfer from the hotel to the airport. Flight
to Rurrenabaque. Transfer
to the hotel, where you have lunch. Free
afternoon to explore this colorful town on the bank of the Beni River.
Dinner.
Day 6:
Rurrenabaque - Chalalan - Madidi National Park.
After
an early breakfast, you travel up the Beni River in a dugout canoe, passing
through the spectacular Cañón del Bala (Bala Gorge).
The wild and scenic Tuichi River is your gateway to Madidi National
Park, and your access to the Chalalan Ecolodge, our well-designed and
comfortable accommodation. The
river trip to Chalalan takes about 5 hours followed by an easy 30-minute
hike from the river’s edge to the lodge, which is nestled in the
rainforest on the shores of Chalalan Lake.
After checking in, guests will have the opportunity to explore
several short forest trails, including a stop off at the “Mirador“
(lookout), which offers spectacular views of Chalalan Lake and some of the
mountain ranges in the area.
After
dinner, an optional night walk or canoe trip on the lake to look for
wildlife such as caiman, frogs and nocturnal birds.
Day 7: Chalalan -
Madidi National Park.
After
breakfast, you will take an early morning trek through the forest. If you
are alert, you may observe macaws, guans, and a variety of other birds, as
well as brown capuchin and squirrel monkeys, or with more luck cross herds
of white-lipped peccary or tapirs. Our
local guides will share their extensive knowledge of plants (including
their traditional medicinal uses), natural history, and animal behaviour.
After lunch at the lodge and a relaxing afternoon (a swim in the
lake is recommended), you can walk another of Chalalan´s trails, to
observe some of the amazing variety of birds found in the area.
After dinner, learn about the San Jose community, its history,
stories and traditions.
Day 8: Chalalan -
Madidi National Park.
Today
you will go on the longest of our hikes, passing through primary rainforest
and gallery forest on your way to the Rayamayo and Eslabon Rivers. On this
5-hour trip, you explore some of the rainforest further from the lodge, and
hence with luck, you can see howler and spider monkeys, and a variety of
other wildlife, as well as learn more about the ecology of the forest.
Boxed lunch. Return to Chalalan in the afternoon. Participate in,
and learn about, the making of traditional Tacana handicrafts, for example
chonta seed rings. Dinner tonight is “dumoquavi”, a traditional dish
(river catfish wrapped in leaves), a delicious feast and a great way to
spend your last evening in Chalalan!
Day 9: Chalalan – Rurrenabaque – La Paz.
After
an early breakfast, you walk to the Tuichi River, where you board the boat
to return to Rurrenabaque. The
return trip (down-river) is fast; it takes only about three hours.
Transfer to Rurrenabaque airport and flight to La Paz. Transfer to your
hotel.
Day
10: La Paz. Transfer
to the international airport. End of our services.
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PRICE FOR SPECIAL ANDES AMAZON (ATAA 100)
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Price
per person US$ |
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2 PAX
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3
PAX |
4 PAX
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5
PAX |
6
PAX |
7 PAX |
8 PAX |
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1160
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1090 |
1010
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950 |
890
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880 |
790 |
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THE
PRICES INCLUDE: |
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Accommodation:
in La Paz (3 nights at Hotel Paris or similar), Copacabana |
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Island
of the Sun and Chalalan. Return flight LPB-RQE-LPB, bout transport,
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meals,
airport transfers and local guides. |
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THE
PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE: |
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Alcoholic
beverages, personal expenses, tips, laundry, medical insurance
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phone
calls local or international and airport taxes (US $2 and US $25
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respectively) |
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DEPARTURE
DATES 2002
May
7 / 16
June
18 / 27
July
23/ 01
August
20 / 29
September 17 / 26
