Safari-Wild Drive-To-Ness

Author: Creswell James

  • Uyuni Solonchak

    Uyuni Solonchak

    Uyuni Solonchak

    Uyuni is the largest salt marsh in the world. It covers 1,2106 km2, five times the area of Luxembourg.

    The huge mountain lake of Minchin almost completely dried up 25,000 years ago, leaving behind a couple of small ponds and two giant salt marshes: Uyuni and Coipasa.

    The desiccated Uyuni Salt Lake is the main attraction in Bolivia. A visit to the salt marsh is included in almost all tours. Hundreds of tourists come here every day to see the ethereal scenery. Most people seek to get to Uyuni in the rainy season – from late January to February – during this time the salt desert is covered with a layer of water and becomes a giant mirror in which the blue sky is reflected in contrast. But even in the dry season, the Uyuni salt marsh is incredibly beautiful, and there are even more photo opportunities in the borderless, blindingly white desert.

    About 20 tons of salt is extracted here each year, and the total salt reserve of Uyuni is estimated at 10 billion tons. The value of the salt mine is not exhausted by the salt. There are about 100 million tons of lithium in Uyuni, which is up to 70% of the world’s reserves – enough for all the smartphone batteries that will be produced in the next 100 years.

    Uyuni is a fantastically beautiful place, one of the most incredible places on our planet, where the sense of space is erased. Most tourists come to Bolivia to see exactly this cosmic landscape and to feel like an inhabitant of another planet.

    The sun, the bright blue sky and the endless salt flats even without filters will make your shots ethereal and vivid. And even if you find yourself here out of season when the salt marsh is completely dry, your photos will still be fantastically beautiful! This is why Uyuni is one of the favorite places of photographers all over the world.

    In addition to visiting the salt lake, you can also visit a number of unusual places around Uyuni – from the “train cemetery” to geysers, thermal springs and pink flamingo habitats:

    Colchani, a salt mining village
    Salt is the main source of income for the people of Colchani. Guides take tourists here to show them how salt is harvested, processed, and packaged and how they build houses out of salt blocks. Colciani is also known for its souvenir market, where you can buy unique items in the traditional Bolivian style, which are not sold outside of Uyuni.

    Volcanoes and Glaciers
    This region has many glaciers and volcanoes to climb: Licancabur volcano (Licancabur, 5960 meters), Candelaria glacier (Nevado Candelaria, 5995 meters), active Ollague volcano on the border with Chile (Ollague, 5865 meters).

    The active volcano Uturuncu (Uturuncu, 6020 meters) is a great opportunity to add the ascent of 6000 meters to the piggy bank of your achievements. And during the ascent to Tunupa volcano (Tunupa, 5432 meters) from the village of Kokesa you can also visit the caves with pre-Inca mummies. The ascent and descent usually takes 10 hours.

  • Lake Titicaca

    Lake Titicaca

    Lake Titicaca

    Titicaca is a lake in the Andes, on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It is 3,811 meters above sea level and is the highest navigable lake in the world. Its total area is 8,300 km2. Twenty-five rivers flow into it. The winding coastline of Lake Titicaca forms numerous peninsulas and bays.

    Around the lake and on the islands there are many settlements of the Aymara and Quechua peoples. Part of the population lives on floating reed islands (Uros).

    Lake Titicaca has about 40 islands, some of them belong to Peru and some to Bolivia.

    The most interesting islands for the traveler in the Peruvian part of Lake Titicaca:

    Taquile or Intika (Taquile o Intika) is located opposite the Chucuito and Capachica peninsulas. Its area is 5.72 km2. The island is famous for its ethnic cultural values – the people of the island preserve the ancient traditions, especially that of weaving. The island was declared a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO in 2005 for the art of weaving.
    The floating reed islands of the Uros (Islas flotantes de los uros) are more than 40 man-made islands created by the Uros Indians from the reeds growing on the lake. Legend has it that the Uros Indians were forced to flee here to escape the Pachacutec Inca who pursued them. This people pass their legends and traditions by word of mouth, keep them and follow them. The main activity of the Uros Indians is fishing and hunting. From the reeds they build not only islands, but also houses, boats, make souvenirs. This type of reed is also used for food.
    Amantani is the largest island in the Peruvian part of Lake Titicaca. Its area is 9.28km2. It is located opposite the Capachica Peninsula in the province of Puno.
    The Archipielago de Winaymarca is a group of islands and islets in the southern part of Lake Titicaca, called Huinaymarca, south of the Copacabana Peninsula, which is shared by Peru and Bolivia. The archipelago on the Peruvian side includes the following islands:
    Anapia, a 3.4 km2 island with the city of Anapia, which is the capital of the Anapia island region of Yunguyo province. It is the second largest island of the Wayñamarca archipelago.
    Caana
    Suaana
    Yuspique is the largest island of the archipelago. Its area is 3.20 km2. It is part of the island region of Anapia.
    The Rock of Ccaño (Islote de Ccano)
    The Rock of Huatacaana (Islote de Huatacaana)
    The Rock of Iscaya

    The funerary towers of Sillustani (Chulpas Sillustani)
    The Chulpas Sillustani are located on the banks of the Umaio lagoon, 34 kilometers from Puno. The Aymara buried their rulers in round towers, up to 10-12 meters high, made of huge stone blocks. The body of the dead chief was mummified and placed inside the pyramid in a fetal position. They buried their belongings, food, drinks, jewelry, weapons, animals and other important things to ensure the ruler had no need of anything in the afterlife.

    According to archaeological research, the chulpas on the banks of the Umayo Lagoon date back to the 13th to 15th centuries.

    Aramu Muru Portal (Aramu Muru)
    Aramu Muru is a giant rock wall with indentations carved in the stone, which form something resembling a gate. Local shamans believe that this wall is a portal for communication with the souls of dead ancestors and extraterrestrial civilizations. The exact purpose of Aramu-Muru is not known to us.

    The interest of travelers to Lake Titicaca is not primarily related to its beauty, sights and rich flora and fauna, but to its historical significance and legends associated with it.

    Legends of Lake Titicaca
    Pre-Indian civilizations and the Incas themselves associated the origin of the human race with this place. The Incas considered the area of Lake Titicaca their ancestral home. There are many legends about how the ancestral deities appeared here.

    According to one legend, the first Inca ruler Manco Capac, son of the Sun and the Moon, and his wife Mama Oylla, came out of the waters of Lake Titicaca and founded the city of Cuzco.

    Another legend has it that the Inca progenitors, four brothers and their four sisters-wives, emerged from a cave on one of the islands of Lake Titicaca. One of them was Manco Capac, who founded the city of Cuzco and started the empire.

    But these places had been inhabited long before the beginning of the Inca civilization. About 200 years B.C. the Tiahuanaco or Tiwanaku civilization emerged on the shores of the lake and built its city 20 km. southeast of the lake. Over time, the city grew to 450,000 m2 and had everything: religious, administrative, military, residential buildings, food storage facilities, and craft quarters. By the 9th century A.D. the civilization, for reasons unknown, had fallen into decline and gradually disappeared. But its fame was so loud that it reached the Incas, who admired it and tried to restore the monuments. What the city was called in its heyday is unknown. It is now called Tiahuanaco, after the culture that created it.

  • Iquitos City in the Amazon Jungle

    Iquitos City in the Amazon Jungle

    Iquitos City in the Amazon Jungle

    Iquitos is one of the most interesting places in the Amazon rainforest.

    Because of its unusual location (it is deep in the impenetrable jungle), it can only be reached by boat or plane.

    Iquitos has about 440,000 inhabitants, making it the largest city on Earth that is not connected to other cities by land.

    In the past, Iquitos was the main center of communication between European countries and Peru – it was much easier to reach Iquitos by Amazon river than Lima.

    Iquitos was originally a village inhabited by a wild tribe with the same name. The city was founded in 1757, but it began to grow and become rich in the XIX century, during the “rubber rush. It began to produce rubber from natural raw materials – a tree growing in the Amazon jungle.

    The magnates who owned the rubber factories built themselves luxurious mansions, which still give the city its unique style.

    However, the rubber boom is over, and at the moment one of the city’s main sources of income is tourism. The city is also frequented by groups of students and scientists studying the nature and inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest.

    Iquitos is often referred to as the “gateway to the Amazon” because of the ease of touring from here to the wild Amazon jungle, so for most tourists Iquitos is nothing more than a starting point for visiting the jungle. However, if you have the time, we recommend stopping here for 1-2 days to explore this distinctive city.

    When traveling to Iquitos, you should keep in mind that the city is located in the Loreto region, one of the poorest regions of Peru. And the main “symbol” of poverty here is the district of Belém, where the struggle for the lives of local residents is striking in the first place.

    Most of the houses in this area are built on rafts drifting on the water. Locals call it the “Venice of Peru,” although the only thing it has in common with Venice is the water beneath your feet.

    The area was formed in the early 20th century, rickety huts on stilts rise high above the water – during the dry season residents use two floors of buildings, during floods the Amazon water floods the lower level of houses and the only means of transportation in the area are boats and canoes.

    The area is terribly unsanitary, with families using the river for laundry, washing, and swimming.

    The Belém market is perhaps the main attraction of Iquitos. Along with the usual rice, potatoes and fruits we are used to, all sorts of exotic goods are sold here. The market has a reputation for being black, and many of its products are sold illegally, such as skins and meat of wild animals of the Amazon jungle.

    A number of medicinal tinctures and herbs can be found in the market. The smell of coriander is easily accompanied by the smell of sewage, and the skull of a monkey and the paws of a jaguar can lie next to fresh fish.

  • Sacred Valley of the Incas

    Sacred Valley of the Incas

    Sacred Valley of the Incas

    The sacred Valley of the Incas in the Andes, the Urubamba Valley, is the birthplace of the Inca civilization. Thanks to its good location, the valley was fertile and climatic, even at a time when other regions of modern Peru were plagued by years of drought. Researchers believe that it was the ease with which the valley provided its population with food that enabled the Inca tribe in the 11th century to free some people from agriculture, begin to conquer the surrounding areas and establish the Great Empire of Tawantinsuyu (Tawantin Suyu, Tawantinsuyu, Tawantinsuyu in Quechua, means “four sides of the world united together”).

    The archaeological complex of Pisak is one of the most important in the Valley. It is located 33 kilometers from Cusco on the Vilcabamba Range. In the Inca architectural tradition, cities were built in the shape of a sacred animal or bird – the outline of the Pisac resembles a partridge. Pisac consists of two parts: the city proper and the temple and agricultural terraces. This town is also famous for its astronomical observatory. The Incas buried their dead in a rock next to the city – mummies have been found here, sitting in the fetal position (a pose in which the dead were placed for birth in another life).

    In addition to the part of the city preserved from the Incas and located high on the mountain, there is the colonial part of Pisaca. It is a town built by the Spaniards in the valley of the Vilcanota River (which is known as Urubamba in its lower reaches). It was built as a reservation where the conquerors settled the Indians to control them and convert them to Christianity.

    This town is about 90 kilometers from Cuzco. Inca Pachacutec conquered this settlement, destroyed the old buildings and built new houses and a ceremonial center. The town is on the way to the jungle and from here the Inca resistance leader Manco Inca Yupanqui retreated with his treasures and ancestral mummies to the legendary city of Vilcabamba (which was never found).

    Ollantaitambo is significant in that it is one of the very few Incan cities still inhabited. Some of the buildings in the modern city date back to the late 15th century. The layout of the city and the organization of life are also interesting: the main part of the city had a trapezoidal layout with four longitudinal streets that were crossed by seven shorter parallel streets.

    All the buildings in the southern half of the town were a kind of dormitory: four one-room “apartments” connected by a common patio (courtyard). Several families lived there. The town still has a water supply system built under Pachacutek.

    Near the town there are terraces for farming, and on the slopes of the mountains around Ollantaitambo there were granaries that can still be seen today. They were built at high altitude, where the strong wind and lower temperature meant that food and grain were better preserved and protected from rotting.

  • The Magic of Machu Picchu

    The Magic of Machu Picchu

    The Magic of Machu Picchu

    You will visit the main attractions of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, learn how the Incas worked the blocks of stone to build the grand Sacsayhuaman, walk the streets of Lima and Cusco, and, of course, see the pearl of South America – the amazing Machu Picchu!

    This tour can be complemented by other excursions: to the Amazon jungle or Nazca Lines, for example. Or make it part of a combined tour by combining Peru with a visit to other Latin American countries.

    Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries Lima was considered the most beautiful city of colonial America, for which it was nicknamed the “City of Kings”. Beautiful houses with Baroque facades were sprouting up around the main square, where the Spanish nobility lived, life was in full swing and commerce was thriving. It was in Lima, in 1551, that the oldest university on the continent, the University of San Marcos, was founded. Some of its past glory can still be seen today in the central districts of Lima, although many of the buildings were completely destroyed by the terrible earthquake of 1746, which killed almost a tenth of the city’s population.

    The tour begins in the archaeological park of Sacsayhuaman.
    Saxayuman, located on a mountain above the main areas of Cusco, was one part of the city during Inca times. And while Cusco itself was designed in the shape of a cougar silhouette, the head of the cougar was Sacsayuman. Even though the Spaniards dismantled the buildings and took the stones to build their churches, the ruins of the area are still stunning today! The walls are 6-9 meters high, consisting of perfectly matched stone blocks, each weighing from 128 to 200 tons!

    The tour will continue in Cusco at the temple of Coricancha.
    In Inca times, the Coricancha (Quechua for “Golden Fence”) was the richest temple. It was built in honor of the sun god Inti, so its walls were lined with gold plates inlaid with precious stones. It was here that the mummies of Inca nobles were kept and used during religious ceremonies. After the conquest, the Spanish built the Church of Santo Domingo on the ruins of the Temple of the Sun, but fortunately, some parts of the original temple have survived and can still be seen today.

    First you will go to Maras, the thousand-year-old salt mines that still produce salt of excellent quality. The contrast of the white salt against the green fields of the valley makes the picture even more fascinating.

    Then Moray awaits you, colossal concentric terraces resembling an ancient amphitheater. This place served the Incas as an agro-cultural laboratory, whose purpose was to adapt different varieties of cereals, vegetables and even fruits on terraces of different heights, thanks to the arrangement of which the Incas reproduced 20 different microclimates.

    You will reach the archaeological site of Ollantaytambo. The Inca Pachacutec conquered this settlement, destroyed the old buildings and built new houses and a ceremonial center. The town is on the way to the jungle and from here the Inca resistance chief Manco Inca Yupanqui retreated with his treasures and ancestral mummies to the legendary city of Vilcabamba (which was never found).

    Ollantaitambo is significant in that it is one of the very few Incan cities still inhabited. Some of the buildings in the modern city date back to the late 15th century.

    Cusco is a magical city, the former capital of the Inca Empire. Take a stroll through its charming streets, visit the local cafes and restaurants where you can taste fried guinea pig-queen or river trout, check out the streets of the San Blas neighborhood where the workshops of skilled artisans are located. Cuzco – the city you can’t help but fall in love with!

    The most famous Rainbow Mountains are in China. Few people know that Peru also has such mountains. Vinicunca is the Quechua name for the mountains, which literally means “rainbow mountains. The colored layers of these mountains were formed millions of years ago from red sandstone, which under the influence of climatic conditions, groundwater, and mineral admixtures have been colored in yellow, green, white, and other colors.

  • “An Undiscovered Planet” – Going to Bolivia

    “An Undiscovered Planet” – Going to Bolivia

    “An Undiscovered Planet” – Going to Bolivia

    Along the way, you will enjoy panoramic views of the majestic chain of volcanic formations and the rainforests that surround them. You will pass through forests with countless plants and animals in their natural habitat. You’ll see monkeys, lots of lizards basking in the sun, and you can watch condors soar over the valley’s reddish gorges. Then you will return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you can swim in three beautiful waterfalls with refreshing water (1 hour walk). Here you can stay as long as you want. When water levels allow, you can swim in these natural pools.

    Afterwards a short walk along the Elvira River awaits you. You will be able to admire the wild orchids (blooming period June-November). Return to the lodge and at the appointed time transfer to the Santa Cruz Viru Viru airport and fly to Sucre, the capital of Bolivia.

    Sucre is a modern and very lively city with colonial decorations. The conquistadors chose the ideal place for construction: a picturesque valley in the mountains at an altitude of 2800 meters with a very mild and warm climate. The view of Sucre is pleasing to the eye: neat narrow streets, old houses with white walls and red tiled roofs and green mountains surrounding the city. In 1991, Sucre was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and was placed under protection.

    The next stop is Cactus Island.
    In the days of the Incas, when lama caravans and messenger-chasers crossed the Altiplano, this island in the middle of the salt desert served them as a refuge for a little rest.

    The island is covered with a forest of giant cacti, and its summit offers truly magical views of the salt marsh and mountains around it.

    Uyuni is the largest salt marsh in the world. It covers 12,106 km2, which is five times the size of Luxembourg. The huge mountain lake of Minchin almost completely dried up 25,000 years ago, leaving behind a couple of small ponds and two giant salt marshes: Uyuni and Koipasa. The desiccated Uyuni Salt Lake is Bolivia’s main attraction. Hundreds of tourists come here every day to see the ethereal scenery of the salt marsh. People most often seek to get to Uyuni during the rainy season – from late January to February – during this time the salt desert is covered with a layer of water and becomes a giant mirror in which the blue sky contrasts. But even in the dry season, the Uyuni salt marsh is incredibly beautiful, and there are even more photo opportunities in the borderless, blindingly white desert.

    The scenery of Eduardo Avaroa National Park is beautiful and mesmerizing. One place is even called “Salvador Dali’s Desert” – because the views are as surreal as that artist’s paintings. There are so many colors here: colorful fields of quinoa, red, yellow and green lagoons with pink flamingos, snow-white mountain peaks and dark volcano tops.

    Herds of wild vicuñas, pet llamas and alpacas with colored pompoms and tassels in their ears graze in vast desert fields, wild foxes and – quite surprisingly! – wild ostriches. Flora and fauna have adapted to the harsh local climate: piercing winds, scorching sun, and freezing nights. Some months the temperature at night drops to -25C.

    Just as water sharpens stone, gusts of wind have changed its shape over the centuries. Photos of the famous “stone tree” can often be seen on postcards and in guidebooks. The huge block of stone standing on a thin “leg” is amazing.

    The largest of the colored lagoons, Colorada Lagoon, covers 60 km2, with a maximum depth of only 80 cm and an average depth of 20 cm. The rich red-orange color of the lagoon is given by seaweed and plankton, which also provide food for numerous flamingos.

    The Valley of Geysers Sol de Man’ana.

    Here it smells of sulfur and the ground is covered with bubbling puddles of mud in puffs of steam. But the view of the dawn valley with columns of steam shooting out of the ground here and there deserves an early ascent.

    Then you can rest and warm up in the pool of hot thermal springs Polkes. After resting, the Green Lagoon and the Salvador Dali Desert await you.

    It is named after the great artist because the views are as surreal as his paintings. There are so many colors: colorful fields of quinoa, red, yellow and green lagoons with pink flamingos, snow-white mountain peaks and dark volcano tops. Herds of wild vicuñas, pet llamas and alpacas with colored pompoms and tassels in their ears graze in vast desert fields, wild foxes and – quite surprisingly! – wild ostriches.