Cruz Andina was the pick!
James did some extensive and very stressful research on which tour company to choose to take us across Bolivia. Cruz Andina was the first place choice. Our tour was 3 days and two night costing $180USD per person. This included all food and accommodation. There are however some entry fees so make sure you have Bolivanios (250B is our recommendation).
Our pick up from our Hostel was at 6:30am. We arrived nice and early near the boarder which was a perfect spot for breakfast To ensure a good spot in line. It’s May here in Chile and Bolivia It’s very very very cold crossing the border into Bolivia. I was wearing two thermals, jumper, scarf, beanie, woolen socks, mittens and I was still frozen. Would recommend wearing as many warm clothes as possible as there was a bit of a wait in line when organising to cross the boarder.
Top Tip:
Pack warm clothes! Puffer jacket and windproof jacket is a must.
We had a smooth transition with Cruz Andina. Travelling with a group of 6 is perfect. Ina and Ivan are from Bulgaria and Valerie and Christoph are from France. Luckily Valerie has a good understanding of Spanish as our guide Hernam cannot speak any English.
We passed through two lagoons; Blanco and Verde, both of which were stunning. On the way to the hot baths we stopped to enjoy the Salvador Dali dessert.
The thermal baths of Polque are just what you need to fully warm up! Costing only 6 Bolivian each its well worth a soak in the pools overlooking a spectacular view. After our relaxing swim our talented tour guide cooked a great feast for lunch.
Make sure you carry cash as every banos (toilet) has a charge.
Geyser Sol de Manana: these sulpher ponds bring back memories of Rotorua. Our guide Hernam would always provide some information about the area. He explained that the massive pipes transport the gas from the volcanos to the towns for electricity! We are at quite high altitude. At this stage we are higher than Mount Blanc approx 4,902M
Flamingos!
The flamingos at the Laguna Colorada. The photos don’t even do this view justice as the view wraps around the 60km loop of the Laguna. A track up towards the water shows off the strong mountains of Bolivia. Once you loop back down you are able to see the flamingos, who are surprisingly bigger than I imagined. I’m seriously amazed at how our driver navigates his way through this national park! There are no designated roads, so he chooses from an abundance of other tracks.
At 7:00pm we arrived in Villa Mar and stayed in a hostel. A very small town of 300 locals. Hernam explained that the government pumps a lot of money into maintaining this village by supplying electricity, water and a school. Thankfully there was hot water for a shower at the end of the day! James and I shared with our French friends, we were lucky as most rooms had 6 people! We slept at 4,053m which gave everyone a little headache.
Top Tip:
Make sure you have altitude pills, they do help!
100 Days of Travel 