Andes & Altiplano Adventure (Peru & Bolivia)

Fifteen nights from La Paz in Bolivia to Arequipa in Peru, taking in the Death Road, the Uyuni salt flats and Machu Picchu, with a change of motorcycle at the border. The hire is included, on Suzuki or Kawasaki singles in Bolivia and a Honda or CFMoto in Peru.

La Paz opens it at 3,600 metres, with a day trip over a 4,700 metre pass and down the Death Road to Coroico, a one-lane gravel road cut into the Yungas with several hundred metres of drop and no barrier.

Potosi follows across the altiplano by way of Challapata, a colonial silver city that was once among the richest places on earth, then Uyuni and the crossing of the salt flats, which the operator’s founder rates among the three greatest single days of riding anywhere. Oruro comes next, known for its carnival, with vicuna and alpaca on the plains.

Puno follows, with the Tiahuanaco and Puma Punku sites optional before the border, where the bikes are swapped, and a boat on Titicaca. Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu come next, then Cusco with a walking tour, Chalhuanca by way of Abancay, Nazca with an optional flight over the lines, Chala on the edge of the Atacama, and Arequipa for the farewell dinner. Prices are quoted in US dollars. Two countries means two sets of paperwork and two fleets, which is why the bike changes hands halfway and why this costs more than either country alone. The compensation is a route that no single-country itinerary can match: the Death Road, the largest salt flat on earth and Machu Picchu inside one trip.