The Tihauanaco ruins are a wonderful archaeological site containing some remains from a pre-Inca culture dated back to 2000 years ago. Close to La Paz, at an altitude of 3810 metres above sea level, the ruins are fascinating and full of mystery, as still little is known about this population, especially their technology and their distribution.

Unfortunately, the 90% of the site has been robbed and destroyed by the invaders, because ordered by the catholic religion. Most of the ruins was used to build a church in the modern Tiahuanaco, several buildings in La Paz and... terrible !... some has been crushed by dynamite to produce gravel for building the railroad.

Unfortunately, of most structures, we don't have more than the foundations. The same is true for the big pyramid Akapana, a huge contruction 16 meters tall and perfectly aligned with cardinal points.

In the front, the subterranean temple with monoliths in the middle. In the background, the big Kalasasaya temple.

The walls of the subterreanean temple are decorated with stone heads looking to the center of the temple itself, where the monoliths are placed.

Looking the Kalasasaya's main entrance from the subterranean temple. Either the door and the stairs are cutted from a single huge stone. The Idol behind the door, creates an harmonious geometry, elegant and relaxing to see.

The Gate of the Sun is a large monolith (a single block of stone), weighting about 10 tons. The symbol on the top represents the Viroacocha God, with sun rays spreading in all directions from his head, instead the other symbols all around are probably a calendar or something used to measure the time. The first day of each spring, the sun rises exactly in the middle of the door.

The walls are build with advanced tecniques, in order to improve their strenght and to eliminate the movements. In the upper-left picture, a sample of foundation, with water ducts. Top-right: a finished wall, made of stones nicely cutted and joint. Bottom pictures: small stones or copper plates was embedded in holes digged inside the blocks, to firmly tie the blocks between them.

A monolithic statue made of sandstone, fine decorated, but unfortunately a bit deteriorated by the time.

Another monolithic statue, the Idol, is instead much more well preserved. Its body is full of decorations and symbols, but for most of them, nobody has theories about their means. The statue is placed in the front of the temple's main entrance, as seen before.

Nobody knows what kind of instruments was used to make these perfect cuts inside the stones, I've also used a telephone card to check for the angles, and they are perfectly at 90 degrees. Amazing. The scratches on the borders was probably made by the thieves while exctracting something of precious contained in that space.

The day ends with a short bus trip back to La Paz. With an altitude of about 4000 metres, this hill is the highest point between Tihaunanaco and La Paz, thence it offers a nice WidevieW over the altiplano and to the Cordillera Real, characterized by snowy peaks often exceeding 6000 meters of elevation.

09.08.2003 - Santiago day tour

Guided day tour of Santiago, visiting Plaza de Armas, the downtown with its tall skyscrapers, and the outskirts.

10.08.2003 - Winery tour from Santiago

Chile is getting every year more competitive in the wine market, thanks to the quality and to the increasing quantity. A winery tour in a farm near Santiago lets to discover the wine production process and to taste excellent wines.

11.08.2003 - San Pedro De Atacama

The Atacama desert in Chile is considered one of the world's driest place where, in several areas, there are no registered rainfalls for many consecutive years. But this doesn't mean that there is no life or nothing to see...

12.08.2003 - San Pedro de Atacama and Salar De Atacama

Day tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Salar de Atacama, a huge salt flat surrounded by majestic volcanoes, where flamingoes have made their home.

13.08.2003 - from Laguna Verde to Laguna Colorada

Today the groups gets into Bolivia where an adventure by 4x4 begins. The today itinerary goes from Laguna Verde (green lake) to Laguna Colorada (red lake) driving off road or onto dirty roads, between spectacular lunar landscape of extreme high mountain.

14.08.2003 - Crossing Bolivian plateau by 4x4

The Bolivian desert expedition by 4x4 continues at altitudes between 3.500 and 5000 meters above sea level, in an incredible landscape of rocks sculptured by winds and other extreme elements.

15.08.2003 - Salar De Uyuni tour

With an average altitude higher than 4000 meters, the Bolivian plateau offers spectacular scenery, like the immense Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat. We make a stop at Isla Pescado (fish island) a small hill in the middle of the salt, where there are giant cactus.

16.08.2003 - Travel from Uyuni to Potosi

Travel by public bus service from Uyuni to Potosi, over partly paved roads at extreme altitudes, in the middle of the Andes.

17.08.2003 - Potosi city tour and silver miner excursion

Excursion to the interesting "museum of the coins" in Potosi, then tour into a silver miner where people work in terrible conditions, inside a mountain above 4.000 meters of altitude.

18.08.2003 - Sucre city tour

Travel by public bus service from Potosi to Uyuni, Bolivia, then short Sucre city tour and excursion to the "dinosaurs footprints" park, a vertical wall of rock where dinosaurs tracks were left impressed after a sudden catastrophic event.

19.08.2003 - La Paz city tour

Flight from Sucre to El Alto, one of the world's most elevated airports, near the city of La Paz, Bolivia. A short city tour of La Paz follows.

20.08.2003 - Tiahuanaco tour <YOU ARE HERE>

Excursion to Tiahuanaco ruins by bus, departing from La Paz. This archeological site is very interesting and belongs to pre-Inca time.

21.08.2003 - Travel La Paz - Puno via Copacabana

Travel by public bus from La Paz to Puno (Peru) via Copacabana. Today, we cross the border line between Bolivia and Peru, traveling along the Titicaca lake shores.

22.08.2003 - Titicaca lake cruise

Like the ancient Uros people, about 2000 Peruvians still populate the floating islands built of Totora reeds, over lake Titicaca in Peru. Everything, from homes to the floating islands itself, is built using Totora reeds, a plant growing along the shores of lake Titicaca.

23.08.2003 - Travel Puno - Cusco by train

Travel from Puno to Cusco by train, over one of the world highest railway. The entire journey takes almost 12 hours, but worth because of the beautiful scenery.

24.08.2003 - Excursions from Cusco

Cusco, in the middle of the Andes in Peru, is a city full of history and fascinating museum. The first day spent in Cusco is dedicated to an excursion to Sacsayhuaman fortress and to the temple of the sun.

25.08.2003 - Pisaq and Ollantaytambo tour

Drive from Cusco thru the Sacred Valley to Pisaq with its ancient ruins and the local handicraft market. Continue to Ollantaytambo where we spend the night.

26.08.2003 - Travel to Machu Picchu by train

Travel to Machu Picchu by train from Ollantaytambo. The narrow gauge railway finishes in Aguas Calientes where we have some rest and overnight.

27.08.2003 - Machu Picchu tour

Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca town, has been discovered only in 1911, although was always known by several local farmers. A tour of Machu Picchu gives the possibility to better understand the everyday life of who has lived here.

28.08.2003 - Cusco city tour and museums

Only one day in Cusco is never enough, so, in this second day, I visit several interesting museums and do more hikes in the city, where many modern buildings are built over ancient Inca walls.

29.08.2003 - Flight Cusco - Lima

Short flight from Cusco to Lima by a Lan Peru Airbus A320. This journey thru the Andes of South America is now about to finish.

30.08.2003 - Lima day tour

Excursion to a pre-Inca cemetery, before visiting Plaza de Armas and the interesting San Francisco monastery.

Collection of the best pictures

The most beautiful pictures from Peru, Bolivia and Chile are collected in this page. Click the highlighted links for additional travel information, for useful links and for a description of the photography equipment.