The centre of town is home to the colonial heartland, government buildings and churches, as well as chic shopping districts, which have a nostalgic Parisian feel. The bohemian quarter of San Telmo is full of quaint old houses interspersed with antiques shops, tango bars and classy restaurants. Slightly further out of the centre is the Recoleta district, even more evocative of the French influence, where Evita Perón was laid to rest.

You’ll be staying within walking distance of the historical centre.

Also of interest are the bohemian, arty La Boca, which was settled and built by Italian immigrants and has streets lined with brightly painted corrugated iron-clad houses, the chic district of Recoleta with its Italianate and belle époque architecture and Puerto Madero, the refurbished port district where former dock installations and features have been preserved alongside a string of  restaurants and loft conversions.

At the southern end of the gorge is pretty Purmamarca, at the foot of the famous hill of seven colours. The hill's deeply-defined strata seem constantly to change colour according to the light conditions. Purmamarca is a relaxing place to explore - its dazzling white 17th century church dominates the village square peppered with handicrafts stalls.

An hour beyond Purmamarca is Tilcara, one of the region's most important settlements where you will have the chance to stop and visit the pre-Inca Pucara fortress which has great views across the town and valley beyond. Just south of Humahuaca village, the Tropic of Capricorn passes though the village of Uquia. Onward to the village of Humahuaca itself, 2,940m above sea level on the Rio Grande. It has an attractive colonial cathedral which affords views of the fantastically coloured hills that surround it.

Upon arrival in Uyuni you will be shown around this isolated, chilly highland town, including a visit to the “train cemetery” full of abandoned, rusting engines evocative of more prosperous and dynamic times.

Conditions permitting, travel on to the foothills of the Tunupa Volcano and the village of Coquesa with its ancient fort and petrified mummies. The road takes you deep into the salar to the Isla de Pescadores, a small volcanic island covered in giant cacti.  Return to Uyuni.

At an altitude of 4,090m Potosí is the highest city in the world. Its former wealth lay in its silver; today it lies in its history and the grand buildings born from a city that was quite literally founded on a mountain of wealth - the Cerro Rico (Rich Hill) with its rich deposits of silver.

Today only the atrophied remnants of the city's former wealth remain; ornate churches, monuments, neat cobbled streets and the Casa Real de la Moneda (Royal Mint), one of South America's finest colonial buildings. The tunnels which honeycomb the Cerro Rico, are as dark and poisonous as the city's gruesome past.

Sucre lies in a remote valley at, for Bolivia, a relatively benign altitude of 2,800m.  Provincial in outlook, it is nevertheless the legislative capital of the country. Its gentle climate, and innate conservatism has helped preserve many of the churches, cloisters, museums and mansions that make this Bolivia's most beautiful city. There are some nice cake shops and ice cream parlours too, and an optional visit to a weaving project where local artisans are being given assistance to create high-quality craftwork reflecting their Andean traditions.

Walk on to the renowned, baroque-style San Francisco Church, and the quirky, colonial Plaza Murillo, before heading on towards the cobbled Jaen Street to visit the Costumes Museum and the Gold Museum to discover more about Bolivia's rich culture and background.