15 Day "The Sky's The Limit" Guided Adventure Motorcycle Tour in Bolivia

Overview

Prepare yourself as you take this chance to join Bolivia Motorcycle Tours as they take you off the beaten path where you can experience some of the very best that this land of geographical extremes and cultural diversity has to offer. This motorcycle tour will present you with wondrous scenery that will make your holiday photos pop!

Highlights

• 13 days of riding
• Starts and ends in El Torno, Santa Cruz
• Discover Cochabamba and follow the Dakar route to Isla Incahuasi
• Stop at the imperial city of Potosí, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site
• Admire what the town boasts as the world´s largest charango in Villa Serrano
• View the memorial room in the schoolhouse where el Che was executed
• Embark onto the exciting and infamous “Death Road”
• 14 nights accommodation

Itinerary

1. Day 1 (Sunday) - Arrival: Welcome to Bolivia

   Bolivia Motorcycle Tours will personally pick everyone up at the airport and settle you into a hotel in Santa Cruz. After dinner, you will have an informal orientation and prep session and a good night’s sleep.

2. Day 2 (Monday) - To the Garden of Eden (185 kilometers / 115 miles)

   Take the bikes on a 70-kilometer (43 miles) round-trip practice run up to the “Jardin de las Delicias,” where you’ll encounter a series of breathtaking waterfalls on the edge of Amboró National Park. Hanging bridge, dirt roads, stream crossings, hiking, swimming, and a picnic lunch are just part of today's adventure. Cap off the riding portion of the day with a ride up some curvy new slab to the mountain village of Samaipata where you’ll spend the night.

3. Day 3 (Tuesday) - Jumping Off Day: Samaipata to Cochabamba (360 kilometers / 225 miles)

   Leave your quaint hotel in Samaipata and take the mountain route 360km up to Cochabamba, central Bolivia’s green farming valley. You will maneuver the way up a picturesque older highway with a mix of dirt and pavement riding.

4. Day 4 (Wednesday) - The Big Climb Begins: Cochabamba to La Paz (380 kilometers / 235 miles)

   Up, up you go, a mountain highway will wind you through the Andean valleys up to the Altiplano (high plains), then down into the surprising urban canyon of La Paz, one of Bolivia’s capital cities.

5. Day 5 (Thursday) - The Death Road Loop (185 kilometers / 115 miles)

   Climb to the summit pass at an elevation of nearly 3 miles (4,700m/15,500ft.) and then plunge down the infamous “death road” to sub-tropical Yolosa (975m/3,200 ft.), for quick lunch before hopping back on the bikes again as you take the new highway back to La Paz.

6. Day 6 (Friday) – The Great Altiplano: La Paz to Oruro (225 kilometers / 140 miles)

   After climbing up out of La Paz it's an easy ride cruising along the Altiplano (High Plains) region on tarmac to the city of Oruro, the capital city of the department of Oruro.

7. Day 7 (Saturday) - Oruro to Uyuni (320 kilometers / 200 miles)

   Leaving Oruro, you will head straight south, along the way expect to see plenty of wildlife, namely llama, alpaca and the occasional vicuña. It’s a long(ish) day in the saddle but the roads are in good shape, so you’ll make good time. As you near your destination, you’ll get your first glimpse of the worlds largest salt flats and visit the old train cemetery.

8. Day 8 (Sunday) - The Flats: El Salar de Uyuni (195 kilometers / 120 miles)

   It’s often cold in Uyuni, so you’ll sleep in a bit before heading out. Today you will ride the salt flats following the Dakar route to Isla Incahuasi, the only island in the salt lake with ancient cactus plants, some over 500 yrs old. Lots of photo ops, lunch in the Salt Hotel.

9. Day 9 (Monday) - To the Silver City: Uyuni to Potosi (205 kilometers / 125 miles)

   Leaving the salt plains you'll climb higher to the imperial city of Potosí, capital of 17th century Spanish America! The whole city is an architectural treasure listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. At over 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) it sits in the shadow of El Cerro Rico, the huge dome holding the richest silver mines in the history of the New World.

10. Day 10 (Tuesday) – El Cerro Rico

    You will explore the city of Potosi and the historic silver mines of Cerro Rico. Photo ops everywhere! From expansive mountainscapes to claustrophobic mine shafts.

11. Day 11 (Wednesday) - Potosi to Sucre (155 kilometers / 100 miles)

    An invigorating cruise over the mountain highway before descending to the city of Sucre, Bolivia’s judicial capital. It’s also known as “la ciudad blanca” (the white city) for the whitewashed walls of its pristine old city center. Its many churches and mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries still adorn the downtown streets. You will arrive with plenty of time to explore the downtown area for a tour of the “Casa de la Libertad.”

12. Day 12 (Thursday) - Charango and Che: Sucre to La Higuera (285 kilometers / 180 miles)

    Today, you will take the back roads to La Higuera, the lonely village where revolutionary Che Guevara was executed in 1967. The road to La Higuera is a pilgrimage of sorts for the admirers of el Che. On the way, stop to check out the market in Tarabuco and then again for lunch in the town of Villa Serrano to admire what the town boasts as the world´s largest charango. Reaching La Higuera in the evening you stay at the rustic Casa del Telegrafista, once home to the telegraph operator that informed the authorities of el Che’s presence.

13. Day 13 (Friday) - Che's Memorial: La Higuera to Santa Cruz (285 kilometers / 180 miles)

    After a wonderful breakfast, you will visit the memorial room in the schoolhouse where el Che was executed. The days route takes you through the mountains of Vallegrande and down the old highway. By late afternoon, arrive once again to your hotel in Santa Cruz where your journey began.

14. Day 14 (Saturday) - City Streets of Santa Cruz

    It’s a decompress day before returning to life as usual, so you will relax the pace. Spend the day exploring the city, it’s day of sight-seeing - last minute souvenir shopping, open markets and good food are a few of the options. To cap off the day and the tour, you’ll celebrate with a “farewell” dinner in the evening.

15. Day 15 (Sunday) - Departure

    You will be taken from the hotel to catch your flight home at the airport. You’ll want to stretch out your sore backside before you board your flight and flip through your pics as you grin (and groan) thinking of all the fun that was had. From here it’s time to start planning your next adventure!

Ride Details

Terrain

20 - 30% off-road

Bike

rental bike (Yamaha T7, included)

Mileage

2,770 kilometers / 1,720 miles​​

Daily rides

155 - 380 kilometers / 100 - 235 miles

Riding gear

not included: helmet, gloves, boots (minimum)

Meals

all meals are included (except snacks and alcoholic drinks)

Accommodation

You will be accommodated in various places along the route. Lodging is typically based on double occupancy. Participants that come alone will usually need to share a room with someone else. There is also an option for single occupancy for an additional cost.

Food

All meals are included except snacks and alcoholic drinks.

Getting There

You get things started by taking the "old," less traveled road to city of Cochabamba, known for being the culinary capital of Bolivia. From there, the real climb begins and the air gets thin, with landscapes of snowcapped mountains in nearly every direction, before you descend into the quaint village of Quime. You'll see your fair share of dirt roads the next couple of days, including riding the i