Overland circuit through the main area of production of coca leaves; the cloud forest knows as Yungas.

In the northern Bolivia highlands, the Andes are closely related with the Amazonian jungle just like they are related with the Pacific ocean in Chile. The upper part of the eastern slopes of this mountains have a microclimate known as the Cloud Forest (called “Yungas” in Bolivia) that remains cloudy almost 300 days of the year.

This land-belt works as a shield where most of the humid currents that rise from the Amazonian jungle are trapped thanks to a thermal inversion zone. The rising humidity is condensed and a cold mist covers the steep mountains, eventually this humidity turns into clouds and later to snow that covers the top of the mountains.

The whole area has developed a particular ecosystem of cold humid subtropical forests that house an abundance of exuberant vegetation and animals. We could say that forest and snow-caped peaks are almost touching each other. All the glaciers facing to the east, supply – through hundreds of small streams – water to the tributaries of the Amazon river that after about 8,000km (4,968mi) reach the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

In this program we drive from the highlands at the western side of the mountains, through mountain valleys and high passes, and down to the eastern slopes. We combine the driving with short excursions as we pass through innumerable ecosystems, which, little by little, separate the glaciers from the virgin rainforest.

Itinerary:

D1. Transp.to Chulumani. Hotel
D2. Transp.to Coroico. Hotel
D3. Transp.to La Paz

• Full tour to the main attractions in the Yungas, including: Chulumani & Coripata the main area of production of coca leaves, the touristic town of Coroico, and the afro-Bolivian town of Mururata.
• Extraordinary varied landscape between the mountain range and the cloud forest.