Tiwanaku & Puma Punku - The Ancient Civilization - Everything Included!
La Paz, Bolivia
- 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Pre-dating even the Incas, the UNESCO–listed archaeological site of Tiwanaku shines a light on an ancient civilization lost in time—but visiting independently means missing the site's historic significance. On this tour, begin with pickup at your La Paz hotel and explore with your guide. Gain valuable insight into the meaning behind relics like the Gate of the Sun, the Kalasasaya Temple, and the Puma Punku complex.
- Hear the secrets of the UNESCO–listed archaeological site of Tiwanaku
- Your guide sheds light on a civilization pre-dating the Incas
- Admire highlights like the Kalasasaya Temple and the Puma Punku complex
- Hassle-free round-trip transport from selected La Paz hotels
What's Included
- Professional bilingual guide (English and Spanish)
- Transport round trip.
- Lunch.
- Hotel pickup (selected hotels only) (or meeting point)
- Drop-off San Francisco Church.
- Entrance Fee to Tiwanaku.
- Drinks
- Hotel drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Tiwanaku
4 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Puma Punku
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Adult pricing applies to all travelers.
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Anonymous
Excellent tour! Theodoro was the perfect guide! He was very passionate, knowledgeable, and informative about the Tiwanaku civilization. He is fluent in English and very funny as well. I learned a great deal and had a wonderful time. The lunch a ride to and from La Paz was perfect as well. No issues at all. I would highly recommend this tour and the guide Theodoro as well! Thanks again Theodoro!
Reviews
3.9
based on 76 reviews
jacksfn, Oct 2025
The guide was great and the whole experience was well worth the trip! The ride was also better than expected.
Pablo_Q, Jul 2025
Doble check your pick up time you chose, they change and leave you behind, they did it to me, caused me additional cost, waiting to return to the USA to present my case.
Amanda_P, Jun 2025
Great tour to start the Bolivian trip.
The tour guide has an amazing knowledge.
I would definitely recommend it.
Peter_G, May 2025
Guide had the knowledge of a Univ Professor! Fascinating ancient pre-Columbian history we never learn about in school.
Susan_F, Jan 2025
The first was safety.
- The van kept shutting off while driving as well as not starting properly.
- They probably realised halfway through picking up the tourists that they didn’t have enough space for everyone and had to get another taxi. However, this still left us with 15 people cramped in a van for a two and a half hour drive. The van was way overloaded and didn’t seem to be getting very far when headed up to El Alto.
- The driver kept overtaking on blind corners and driving in an unsafe manner.
Our second concern was that we weren’t able to understand much today.
- Our tour guide spoke very little English so we ended up basically giving ourselves a tour using whatever plaques had some translations on there.
- We realised he wasn’t going to translate anything for us when he asked everyone what their lunch options were and didn’t check in with us until we realised this was for the lunch today and asked him to include us as well.
Keith_S, Dec 2024
This was a great way to get out of La Paz for the day. The monuments and history at Tiwanaku were really interesting.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject.
The tour lasted three hours and was solely led by the guide, and so felt like a lecture. There was no free time to explore for yourself at any of the points of interest.
The minibus that picked us up was dirty, smelled of gas fumes, and had no seatbelts. Some of the seating was not adequate for adults travelling for 2hrs each way on bumpy unsurfaced roads.
The lunch spot was a welcome break (from the sun and standing and listening); the food options were traditional and tasty.
I wouldn’t recommend this tour to others based on the points above (lecture, minibus safety). I would encourage others to visit the site for themselves or with an alternate tour.
Marcello_B, Sep 2024
The guide was very competent and friendly, in spite of his weak English we enjoyed the visit. The lunch was good, in a proper restaurant. The driver was also very skilled in the awful traffic of La Paz and El Alto.
CASSANDRA_S, Jul 2024
We thought it was going to be way better for the price we paid. I believe we could have paid 1/2 the price and gone with a taxi.
MariaDolores_P, Jun 2024
It was an interesting tour with a small group and knowledgeable tour guide.
Learned a lot about Bolivian culture and history.
Julie_D, May 2024
The departure was a but chaotic but nothing terrible. Overall it was a very interesting trip. The sites we visited had a lot of history and our guide was knowledgeable.
DAVID_S, May 2024
My pick up was on time but due to the rush hour traffic the rest were chaos, and after a hour in the bus I was almost back to where I started.
I guide was very monotone and not very engaging, a little more enthusiasm wouldn’t have gone a miss as to be fair there is not a lot to see and I could have got out of it what I wanted in an hour (with no lunch)
The food was good and plenty of options but my fried chicken did have a tiny bit of blood in it, fortunately it was spotted before I ate it but everyone else’s co looked ok.
Again the drive back was through rush hour and prolonged. Not the tour company’s fault.
The drop off was at one place maybe thdd ed pickup should have been too. But that is easy for me to say as the drop off was quite near my hotel,
Aurelien_T, Mar 2024
Really interesting site and definitely a must do in Bolivia but the pace was too fast and the whole tour felt rushed. Otherwise good.
Rainer_G, Feb 2024
Very interesting tour. Our guide was a little infected by von Däniken, talking about levitation, telepathy, and trade networks to Egypt, Mesopotamia and India. Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing the fabulous masonry skills of the Tiwanaku people who seemed to be less engaged in warfare the the Inkas or Mayans.
Charlene_S, Jan 2024
Unfortunately the worst tour that I have ever had in South America. I bet the small ruins and the museums would have been a little bit more interesting if the tour guide was more enthusiastic. The place has not a lot to offer, but the tour guide seem rushed and not super excited to answer any questions. Do not expect much about the lunch neither. However, the worst thing about the whole tour was that the tour guide got off the bus 20 mins prior to our arrival. We were left on a crowded plaza without any directions or instructions how to get back to our places safe. Definitely not professional at all, if they going to drop us on certain place at least the tour guide should be there with us to provide guidance. The tour guide name was Leo.
Matthew_D, Jan 2024
The site itself was interesting. The tour was not the best. The group was big and for both Spanish and English speakers. This meant that the guide was constantly switching between languages making him hard to follow. The guide was knowledgeable, but seemed uninterested in the subject. At times the day was rushed.
Wojciech_D, Nov 2023
Interesting place, good organized tour, really fantastic guiding
To be recommanded to all La Paz visitors
Karen_B, Oct 2023
Overall tour was good, the guide was great and had a lot of knowledge, my only negative was the pace of the tour and day which was very slow
James_L, Sep 2023
The ruins were very cool to see in person and was not too crowded. The views of the surrounding mountains were also very beautiful and made for some great pictures. Also the ride to and from La Paz was not too long. Very good trip!!!
Stephen_M, Jul 2023
Nice day getting out of the city. Tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Groups are definitely combined from all sorts of agencies, the guide knew that this tour was fully inclusive of tickets and lunch. Starts with a couple of museums next to the site. Guide went into detail about all displays there. Then we had a good walk through the site with disruptions of everything we were seeing. Lunch was solid at a local restaurant and included the chance to try llama. Drive each way was about 2 hours in a comfortable mini bus. Very good value for money and a nice day out.
Pamela_M, May 2023
The pre-Inca ruins are worth a look. The two hour bus ride out, and then back again, is bumpy and difficult. A tour around the ruins does make it worth it, however. Our guide, Theodore, attempted to give information about the ruins in English and Spanish. He was a bit difficult to hear, and it was awkward having to say everything twice. I requested an English speaking guide, but most of the group was far more comfortable in Spanish. The lunch afterwards was tasty and quite safe for Americans to eat.
Anonymous, May 2023
Excellent tour! Theodoro was the perfect guide! He was very passionate, knowledgeable, and informative about the Tiwanaku civilization. He is fluent in English and very funny as well. I learned a great deal and had a wonderful time. The lunch a ride to and from La Paz was perfect as well. No issues at all. I would highly recommend this tour and the guide Theodoro as well! Thanks again Theodoro!
wen_y, May 2023
Very knowledgeable and passionate tour guide, great cozy local lunch, excellent for value of money .
Troy_A, Apr 2023
The statue if Pachamama was amazing to behold in the dim light of the museum. Temple with over 100 faces was mesmerizing. Omar our guide was very knowledgable and made the day enjoyable.
Stella_H, Apr 2023
The guide Theodore was excellent and very knowledgeable. Other than that:
1. I was driven there in a pick-up truck.
2. Another couple was sitting in the back seat with me and we were squashed.
3. It took forever to get out of La Paz and get going.
4. At Tiwanaku we had to wait for the arrival of a mini bus with other travelers to join our group.
5. Instead of returning to La Paz at 4:30, as was stated in the tour, we were back after 5:30.
It was a very long and tiring day!
CANAN_S, Jan 2023
The guide was awesome. He managed the trip so well. Despite of late pick up caused by the travel agency, I enjoyed the day very much.
MARIAALEXANDRA_V, Jan 2023
The most boring tour ever. The tour guide is literally an energy vampire...sucking the life out of us. All the group was dead bored by the end.
Its a shane that such an interesting civilization be presented in such a bad way.
He said several times how when it rains is good for him cause the tour is shorter..i actually felt bad that i take out of his time. He doesnt know how to talk properly and present the sites in a coherent exciting story. Definitely niot fit to be a guide.
James_A, Nov 2022
The site itself is interesting, and well worth a visit. It was great that everything was included with no hidden costs. We had a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. The included lunch was reasonable.
Less good was having to contact the company the day before because they hadn't sent us pick up information. The minibus was very cramped and uncomfortable. The day is also quite long as the guide explained everything in two languages. Separate guides might be better.
Claudio_M, Jul 2022
The tour is amazing! Our guide Teresa was awesome, she explained to us so many things about this pre-Inca site. The remains of the site (e.g. the monoliths, the sun gate…) are just gorgeous and Teresa described them to the smallest detail. Also, thanks to Teresa we learned so much about the traditions and the culture of the pre-Inca populations that lived in these areas. I totally recommend the tour!
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Once more we thank you for sharing your experience with us and look forward to serving you again soon.
Regards,
byron2204, Sep 2025
Very good experience, very cultural, everything in time, the excellent guides had a setback but the guides knew how to help me in that situation
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EmersonLuis_P, Aug 2025
Excellent walk. Very well informed, rich in details and explanations of the guide. Beautiful place full of cultural attractions and emotions.
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