- City Tour (half or full day); Potosí is one of the three colonial cities of Bolivia.
During this city tour you will see the historical colonial centre of the city. You will visit La Casa de La Moneda, probably Bolivia´s best museum and the San Francisco or Santa Teresa Convent.
. In consultation with your guide you can adjust the tour to your personal preferences.
- Mine Tour Cerro Rico (3 to 4 hrs); before you depart from Potosí you will put on safety clothes and take a lamp and a helmet with you.
You will visit the miners market where you can buy some gifts like coca leafs, dynamite and pure alcohol for the miners (not included).
It is tradition to bring the miners gifts because you are entering their working area and the miners need those gifts because of their low wages. By car you will go to one of the many entrances of the famous silver mine. You will see miners at work, there is a miners-made museum and you will visit El Tío, the God of the underworld, where the miners offer to Pacha Mama, Mother Earth. You can descend to all levels you want, but normally the wider and higher shafts are chosen. You can leave the mine with an assistant-guide at any time, also if the group wants to descend further down.
You will have the possibility to be witness of a dynamite explosion and you can also visit an Ingenio, a place where the minerals are being processed for export.
- City Tour and Mine Tour Cerro Rico (full day); this is a combination of the tour through the historical and colonial center of Potosí and a tour to the famous silver mines at the edge of the city.
The description of both parts of the tour you can find above.
- Kari Kari Trekking; during this trek you can enjoy the typicial Altiplano landscape that has almost been unaffected through the ages and it´s flora and fauna.
After a hearty breakfast and a 15 minute bus ride you will arrive at the edge of the Kari Kari range, where the trek starts at 4,200 m. The hike climbs upward along a valley floor to the Lake of San Fernando, passing through tiny village's en-route. You will trek alongside the lake shore and pass various aqueducts. After lunch you will start climbing up to the peak of Apacheta, the highest point of the trek at appr. 4,900 m. The views are spectacular.
It is not necesary to climb to this altitude; you can continue the hike back to Potosí at a lower altitude as well.
For the two days Kari Kari trekking , click here.
- Tarapaya (half day); you will be brought from Potosí to the Tarapaya Lake by private transport. Tarapaya is an ancient bathing place that dates back to Inca times. It was the favourite place to hold for the last Inca, Huayna Capac, during his travels to the nearby Porco mine. This is a place where the Incas got their silver from.
Nowadays the big crater lake has the function of a public bathing area. From here you will have a marvelous view over the valley and the surrounding mountains.
At a small fee you can also make use of one of the private baths in the area, where you will spend about two hrs. The temperature of the baths is on average 30º C. There´s the oportunity to swim or to explore the surroundings with huge cacti and just enjoy the beautiful colours in the landscape.
- Kari Kari Trekking; during this trekking you can enjoy the typicial Altiplano landscape that has almost been unaffected through the ages and it´s flora and fauna.
After a hearty breakfast and a 15 minute bus ride wou will arrive at the edge of the Kari Kari range, where the trek starts at 4.200 m. The hike climbs upwards along a valley to the Lake of San Fernando, passing through tiny villages en-route. You will trek alongside the lake shore and pass various aqueducts. After lunch you will start climbing to the peak of Apacheta, the highest point of the trekking at appr. 4.900 m. The views are spectacular.
Then you will start descending into the next valley passing beautiful rock formations, streams and herds of lamas. On the bottom of this valley there is a small farmer´s settlement, where you will spend the night and your diner will be prepared in a traditional clay oven.
On the second day you will get to see an overwhelming panorama of the Kari Kari mountain range during the hike. The trekking will end with a visit to the thermal baths of Chaqui, famous for their medical effects. By local transport you will return to Potosí, where you will arrive in the late afternoon.
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