19 Day Highlander 2 Guided Motorcycle Tour in Bolivia

Overview

Samaipata, Florida Province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia This tour is specially designed for those who want to see most of Bolivia's highlights and ride a lot of off-road, but nothing too difficult for the average motorcyclist. You will pass the Ruta del Che (Che Guevara Trail) heading to an indigenous market, the capital city, the oldest operating silver mine, salt flats, lakes, mountains, and more. This is a tour filled with extremes, on a selection of the best motorcycle roads available!

Highlights

• Starts and ends in Samaipata
• Tour the Lake Titicaca area, the world's highest navigable lake
• Ride to the archeological Inca site of “El Fuerte”, a UNESCO World Heritage
• Ride to Salar de Uyuni, the enchanting largest salt lake in the world
• Traceback some of the revolutionary heroes, Che Guevara's paths
• Services of a 4x4 assistance vehicle with a motorcycle trailer
• 18 nights accommodation
• Airport transfers

Itinerary

1. Day 1: Airport pickup at Viru-Viru, Santa Cruz

   - Altitude: 400 meters You will be picked up at the airport of Santa Cruz, Bolivia from where you will drive to the small town of Samaipata (120 kilometers, three hours). There, you will check into a comfortable hotel and spend the rest of the day relaxing and discovering. If your flight arrives late, you need to spend the night in Santa Cruz. In that case, the following day is considered day one.

2. Day 2: Samaipata

   - Altitude: 1,650 meters You will with the briefing where you learn more about safe riding, the route, the local traffic rules, and about each other. To get used to your bike, you will go for a ride to the archeological site of “El Fuerte”. Classified World Heritage by UNESCO, it is an old Inca town built around the, much older, largest stone sculpture in the Americas. For some people, it is an ancient Alien landing field!

3. Day 3. Samaipata - La Higuera (175 kilometers / 109 miles)

   - Altitude: 1,900 meters - Terrain: 50% off-road Leaving early in the morning, you will stop in Vallegrande to visit the hospital's laundry, where revolutionary hero Ernesto Ché Guevara´s lifeless body was presented in 1967 to the world. After lunch, you continue your ride towards the tiny mountain village of La Higuera, the place where Ché was captured and executed. On the road, you observe condors, the world's biggest bird. After your first special drive, you arrive at the end of the afternoon in La Higuera. In the evening at the campfire in the courtyard of your hotel, you will listen to Do

4. Day 4: To Sucre (310 kilometers, 192 miles)

   Altitude: 2,700 meters Terrain: 50% off-road After visiting the historic school building where Ché Guevara was executed and the related sites, you will leave towards Sucre. On the suspension bridge over the Rio Grande, you'll have a snack stop. Pasing the picturesque village of Villa Serrano, you will reach Tarabuco. After lunch, continue to Sucre the capital of Bolivia. The rest of the afternoon and evening is for exploring this beautiful colonial city. The entire city center is painted white and is classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

5. Day 5: Sucre - Potosí (155 kilometers / 97 miles)

   - Altitude: 4,100 meters - Terrain: 0% off-road You leave Sucre after breakfast. On smooth tarmac, you start to climb towards the altiplano (high planes) until you reach a strange bridge, which you will intend to ride. The mining city of Potosí is at a 4,100-meter altitude, the highest city in the world, and also classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. During the ascent, the guides will give you instructions about altitude sickness. In the afternoon, you visit the miner’s market where we can buy anything, ranging from coca leaves and dynamite. Then continue to the mines where you will get “gea

6. Day 6: Potosí - Uyuni (205 kilometers / 128 miles)

   - Altitude: 3,700 meters - Terrain: 5% off-road Crossing incredible canyon scenery, passing tiny villages, watching for vicuñas (family of camelids), emus (ostrich family bird), and thousands of lamas, you arrive at the small mining village of Pulacayo. Here, you will walk a little around the ancient railway station, and the mine entrance and you climb the train wagon with which the American outlaws Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid arrived in Bolivia. Next break is Uyuni, where you visit the train graveyard, a fantastic collection of discarded railway material dating back to the 19th century

7. Day 7: Salar de Uyuni day trip (195 kilometers / 122 miles)

   - Terrain: 90% salt-road The Salar de Uyuni is a dried-up salt lake, the size of a small country (11,000 square kilometers). Since the largest salt lake in the world has no references, whatsoever, and because there are only two colors in the world (blue sky and white salt), there is no perspective. Your brain will have a meltdown and you can take the weirdest photos (crazy photos with crazy bikers). On your way, you will visit the cactus island “Inca Huasi”, the salt market, the flags monument, the salt hotel, and the Dakar monument.

8. Day 8: Salar de Uyuni - Oruro (320 kilometers / 199 miles)

   - Altitude: 3,700 meters - Terrain: 0% off-road In the morning, you will leave Uyuni behind you. Passing scenic altiplano desert landscapes and several small villages, you make your way to Oruro, famous for its markets and grill restaurants. So “grill” will be your treat in the evening. But before, you will observe a strange phenomenon. More should not be divulged here!

9. Day 9: Oruro - Copacabana on Lake Titicaca (360 kilometers / 224 miles)

   - Altitude: 3,800 meters - Terrain: 20% off-road To avoid the chaotic traffic in the city of El Alto, you will leave Oruro early in the morning by the newly built motorway. Conditional to your arrival time nearby El Alto, you will evaluate taking a shortcut toward Lake Titicaca. Crossing the crystal blue waters to the peninsula of the famous Copacabana on a pontoon, you will enjoy views of snow-capped mountains over the clear blue lake. Your hotel has a marvelous view of the lake. Guess what is going on for dinner?

10. Day 10: Day trip to the Island of the Sun and the Island of the Moon

    Exchanging your bikes for a boat, you will visit two legendary islands from the Inca times. On the Island of the Sun, you make a short hike with fantastic views of the snow-covered mountains that border Lake Titicaca. On the Island of the Moon, you will visit the ruins of the moon virgin’s temple.

11. Day 11: Lake Titicaca - La Paz (145 kilometers / 91 miles)

    Altitude: 3,600 meters Terrain: 0% off-road In the morning, you will leave lake Titicaca behind, stop at the La Paz view point and arrive in La Paz, the defacto capital of Bolivia at noon. In the afternoon we start to a round trip over La Paz and El Alto by funicular, unique in the world. Actually there are 7 lines in service. Don´t worry: Made by Doppelmayr, Austria. It is possible to visit the witches market where you could buy anything ranging from magic potions and amulets to mummified llama embryos. In the evening, you can witness the changing of the guards at the presidential palace.

12. Day 12: La Paz - The Death Road - Coroico (85 kilometers / 53 miles)

    - Altitude: 4,650 to 1,750 meters - Terrain: 80% off-road From La Paz, you ride to Coroico on what was once officially the most dangerous road in the world. Plummeting down into the tropical Yungas region, the views are magnificent and if you keep your speed down, you have a very good chance to arrive safely in Coroico. For the really brave, you can finish today’s ride with a 500-meter zipline adventure, sitting or in a spider position. From here, it only takes a 45-minute ride to the hotel's pool.

13. Day 13: Coroico - Chulumani (78 kilometers / 49 miles)

    - Altitude: 1,700 meters - Terrain: 100% off-road You leave Coroico and follow narrow unpaved mountain roads through the Yungas, well known for its coca leaf plantations. Passing small picturesque mountain villages and on the end, a very scenic real-death road, you arrive in Chulumani around noon. Time to soak in the swimming pool, explore this bustling agronomic trade center of the Yungas, or just relax.

14. Day 14: Chulumani - Quime (195 kilometers / 122 miles)

    - Altitude: 3,030 meters - Terrain: 100% off-road Again, today is an entire day of narrow, unpaved roads following deep ravines, crossing rivers, and passing tiny settlements. Late in the afternoon, the last hour before arriving, you ride on the edge of a small curvy gorge road with a splendid view. Quime is a small cradled mining town in between massive mountains. Your dinner and hotel are basic and very Bolivian.

15. Day 15: Quime - Cochabamba (315 kilometers / 196 miles)

    - Altitude: 2,500 meters - Terrain: 10% off-road After a Bolivian breakfast, you leave Quime. At a traditional sanctuary, you sacrifice cigarettes, alcohol, and of course, coca leaves to the patron saint of the place. On curvy roads with amazing views, you climb to a 4,400-meter altitude, before you descend to the valley of Cochabamba, surrounded by huge mountains. After you have mastered the traffic, you rush straight to the plaza, from where you cuddled the bustle. At one plaza corner is the best-known coffee “cortado” café, and for dinner, you will enjoy the best-known “Pique Macho”, a trad

16. Day 16: Cochabamba - Totora (145 kilometers / 91 miles)

    - Altitude: 2,800 meters - Terrain: 0% off-road In the morning, you will visit the largest “Christo” sculpture of South America. With almost 40 meters in height, it is a bit higher than the famous “Christo de Rio de Janeiro”. After this, you will leave the big city to have a fresh fish lunch and pass beautiful valleys. You make your way to Totora, a small colonial town in the mountains, where time stands still for 100 years, a paradise for photographers.

17. Day 17: Totora - Samaipata (265 kilometers / 165 miles)

    - Altitude: 1,650 meters - Terrain: 40% off-road This last day starts with an 80-kilometer (roman!) stone road, which feels like Ben Hur! Passing the valley of Rio Mizque, the scenery becomes one of the rough and colorful mountains and the road becomes challenging. In the afternoon, you arrive back in Samaipata, on a marvelous motorcycle road through the mountains. You leave your bikes behind and hurry to jump into the hotel's pool.

18. Day 18: Samaipata - Santa Cruz

    Late in the morning, you will set off for Santa Cruz where you can relax, hang around the plaza, and do some souvenir shopping. In the evening, you will have a farewell dinner.

19. Day 19: Departure

    Always a sad moment when one says goodbye. But who knows? You would not be the first to come back for more.

Ride Details

Terrain

40% off-road

Bike

rental bike (Suzuki DR650SE 2018-2024)

Mileage

2,970 kilometers / 1,846 miles

Daily rides

78 - 320 kilometers / 48 - 199 miles

Riding gear

not included: helmet, boots, pants, jacket, and gloves

Meals

all meals

Accommodation

During this tour, you will stay in various hotels along the route. Most will be nice and comfortable, some will be less nice. Bolivia Motorcycle Adventures always tries to maintain a standard of clean rooms with private bathrooms that have hot showers, but please understand that this is Bolivia and sometimes there just is no good option.

Food

During this tour, you will be served daily meals according to the itinerary. All meals are included, and generally, it will be nice and tasty, but again, this is Bolivia and sometimes there just is no good restaurant in the area.

Getting There

This tour will take you to most of Bolivia's highlights through off-road trails with varying intensities. You will visit among others: Tarabuco, Sucre, Potosí, Salar de Uyuni, Lake Titicaca, Chacaltaya Mountain, Totora, and more. [+](https://www.tripaneer.com/bolivia-motorcycle-adventures/21-days-highlander-2-motorcycle-tour-in-bolivia# "Zoom in") [−](https://www.tripaneer.com/bolivia-motorcycle-a