From the world’s largest salt flat, some of the highest volcanoes, the famous death road and the highest navigable lake in the world, Bolivia is home to some of the most breath-taking landscapes, natural features and adventurous activities in South America. Being an adventure seeker myself, I was keen to visit Bolivia on my South American adventure.
Bolivia differs vastly from the other South American countries. If you’re expecting a luxurious trip, Bolivia is not the place; it is very remote, largely undeveloped and one the poorest country in South America. The altitude nearly killed me off, the food is very basic and the roads are something else. Nevertheless, if you’re willing to go basic, you will discover that the country is uniquely rich in culture, ethnic diversity and home to some incredible landscapes. It is also very inexpensive and therefore perfect for budget travellers and backpackers.
So, here is my travel guide for Bolivia. If you have considered travelling to Bolivia, I hope this guide inspires you to visit this fantastic country. I would say it was one of the best places I visited in South America!
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When is the best time to visit Bolivia?
I visited Bolivia in October and the weather was very clear, chilly on an evening but sunshine and warm during the day. Between the months of October and February are probably the perfect time. If you’re lucky enough to visit in February during the rainy season, you may be able to see the amazing effect of the rain on the salt flats. The water accumulates and reflects of the sky creating a fantastic mirror effect – the perfect photo opportunity.
Important things to know when visiting Bolivia
- People don’t speak English- except in very few tour agencies and some restaurants.
- The main language is Spanish, however due to the high percentage of indigenous cultures, a lot of people will speak Quechua or other indigenous languages. Try and learn some basic/ survival Spanish phrases before you go.
- Do not drink tap water or any water-based drinks.
- Be careful with the food, it is very basic and can often cause upset. Pack some Imodium!
- The buses are not great at all- they are super cramped, the roads are pretty horrific and often there are no toilets and when there are, they are usually locked or broken.
- Change your currency before leaving the country. No one wants to exchange for Bolivianos.
- The altitude can be a challenge. Not just the hikes, but also on the salt flats tour and in the cities. Read my guide on ‘Altitude sickness in Bolivia‘.
Safety
- Try and arrive during the day when using public transport and if you are going to take taxis, make sure to take reputable taxis only. Ask your hostel to book one for you- do not hail one on the street.
- Like other cities in South America, don’t walk alone at night and keep to the main tourist areas.
- Be careful with your valuables, keep them hidden using a money belt or wallet.
- Tours in San Pedro Prison are illegal- do not accept any offers to visit the prison. There is no protection of your safety if you do choose to visit.
- Watch out for scams which target tourists such as ‘fake’ police officers. They will ask you for your ID, try and fine you and insist that you pay them money. They may also try and steal your ID. If this happens, do not hand anything over without asking for a warrant.
- Bolivia is one of the world’s largest producers of Cocaine and as a result, it is readily available everywhere and you will probably be offered it whilst travelling in Bolivia. It is illegal and if you are caught with it, you could face a lengthy jail sentence. Local police are eager to find any reason to gain large amounts of money from tourists so be careful. You don’t want to be banged up in Bolivia!
How to get to Bolivia
Fly into the international airport in La Paz. There is also an airport in Sucre, although I think it is pretty far out of the city.
From Peru– take a bus from Puno to Copacabana. You can take the ‘Peru hop/Bolivia hop’. They have English speaking guides and are very simple and easy to use or a cheaper option is the local buses.
From Chile– If you book a Salt Flats tour it will usually pick you up in San Pedro de Atacama. You can choose whether you want to finish at Uyuni or go back to Chile.
I was in San Pedro de Atacama and began the salt flat tour from here, getting picked up at the hostel very early in the morning.
Daily budget
Bolivia was the cheapest country I visited in South America. Food is very cheap and so is accommodation and public transport. Depending what you have planned you may spend a little more. Some days you may splash out a little on excursions and a few alcoholic drinks, whilst other days you may have a chilled day, wander around and take a free walking tour. I am a very fussy eater and ate mostly at restaurants and in total I spent around £300 pound for 7 days, including transport from Chile and into Peru.
Visas
Fortunately, UK citizens do not require a visa to enter Bolivia for tourism, however certain countries do. When I visited back in October 2019, American citizens required a visa and it was expensive. This has recently changed in December 2019 and now visas are no longer required for Americans. Certain countries can stay for up to 90 days without a visa, other countries can obtain a visa on arrival and others require you to organise one in advance. Depending on which country you are visiting from, these can range in price. Check out this website for the latest visa information and to see which category you are: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Bolivia.html . This also differs depending on which type of visa you wish you gain.
7-day itinerary
Salar de Uyuni (3 day tour)
The main reason I planned to visit Bolivia was to see the spectacular salt flats in Uyuni, one of the most impressive landscapes in the whole of South America. I was previously staying in San Pedro Atacama, Chile in ‘Rural Hostel’ and I booked a 3-day tour directly with the hostel. There are hundreds of agencies offering tours in San Pedro so no need to book in advance- one/two days before is ample time. The tour picked up at the hostel at 5am on the first day and you had the option to be dropped off at Uyuni on the third day and carry on from there or come back to the starting point, San Pedro. It is possible to do a whistle stop tour of the salt flats in a day; however, the 3-day tour is fantastic and enables you to see more impressive landscapes, rural villages, the sunrise over the salt flats and sleep in a salt hotel.
This tour really was the highlight of my trip to Bolivia and if you do anything in Bolivia, it should be this! Navigating the salt flats would be impossible alone so it is definitely necessary to take a tour. Read my article ‘3-day salt flat tour’ to find out more information about the tour and see the awesome pictures!
Accommodation and food: Included in the price of the tour. Night 1- Siloli desert- Tambo Loma Hotel- basic dormitory accommodation. Night 2- we stayed in a ‘salty’ hotel and each room had a private bathroom.
Where to next?
Around 2pm we finished the tour in Uyuni and our guide helped us find the booking office of the company ‘Cruz de Sur’ to book our transport to La Paz. The next bus to La Paz was a night bus leaving approximately 9pm. There is literally nothing in Uyuni expect the salt flats, so we had a long afternoon waiting in a coffee shop for the bus to La Paz.
We booked the ‘semi-cama’ option and it was very comfortable and you also got an evening meal (spaghetti napolitana). It took around 9/10 hours to reach La Paz. There was also a movie on board (in Spanish) but still something to pass the time! We arrived in La Paz around 6am the following morning.
La Paz (2 nights)
La Paz is officially known as the highest capital city in the world ranging from 3100m to a staggering 4058 m above sea level – it will take your breath away…literally! If you’re visiting Bolivia, the capital is worth a visit. There are plenty of things to do here such as visiting the markets, going hiking (Valle de Luna and Muela del diablo), checking out the viewpoints from the impressive cable car system, taking a walking tour, watching the incredible cholitas female wrestlers and of course, riding the famous death road. Read my article ‘Biking the Death Road’ to find out more information about this thrilling activity.
I only spent two days in La Paz due to having limited time. I wish I had spent a couple of more days there now so I could have explored the city more. More reason to visit again! On day 1, I did a free walking tour organised by the hostel. It was fantastic and one of the most interesting walking tours I have ever done. We explored different areas of the city, visited and learned about the witches’ market, the notorious San Pedro prison and about the culture and unique traditions. I was fascinated by the stories about the prison from the guide and could not wait to learn more. The prison is a very unique correctional facilities and differs significantly from other prisons around the world. It is controlled by the prisoners and more of a community, with families and children living inside. If you wish to learn more about the prison, I would highly recommend reading ‘The Marching Powder’. It is a true story written by an Australian author about a British-Tanzanian man named Thomas who was incarcerated in San Pedro. It is an international bestseller and a truly incredible read!
Day 2- I had organised to ride the El Camino de la Muerte (death road). I booked this excursion at the hostel with a highly reputable company for a reasonable price. What a fantastic and exhilarating day! I loved this excursion and would highly recommend for any thrill seekers! It is a 53km downhill mountain biking adventure where you fly down hair pin bends whilst observing the fantastic scenery over the mountains. Read more about my adventure here.
Accommodation: Wild Rover hostel 2 nights. Clean and modern hostel with dormitories and private rooms. Central location. Great vibe, very social and lots of backpackers. Although it is a party hostel with live music, drinks and events, you can still get a good night sleep and find chill people. It also has a booking agency where you can book all of your excursions for a great price.
Where to next?
As I was travelling from Bolivia to Peru, I decided to stop in Copacabana on the way. Located on one side of Lake Titicaca, Copacabana is one of the last destinations in Bolivia before crossing into Puno, Peru. The following day I took a taxi to the bus station ‘terminal de buses La Paz’ and then booked a bus with a friend to Copacabana. There are several companies that run services throughout the day and depending on the level of comfort you wish to have; the prices differ starting from $5.00 up to $20.00. You can book your tickets online to secure a seat in advance using https://www.ticketsbolivia.com/buses_paso1.php .
There is no direct service, so we first had to take the bus to Tiquana strait. Here we were instructed to get off and get a separate ferry across the lake. Most companies don’t include the cost of the ferry in the price but it is very cheap (30p). The ferry takes about 10 minutes and when you reach the other side, the bus driver will direct you onto the next bus. In total the journey takes around 4 hours.
Copacabana, Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna, Lake Titicaca (1 night)
Lake Titicaca is situated on the border between both Bolivia and Peru. It is the highest navigable lake in the world at an altitude of 3821m. Copacabana is a pretty little lakeside town on the Bolivian side. In my opinion it is far prettier than Puno (Peru side) so I would recommend visiting this side if you wish to see Lake Titicaca.
I spent a few hours in Copacabana before taking a short boat ride to the Islands. It is a small port village with a population of around 6000. There are some restaurants and shops to visit whilst waiting for the boat to the islands. Daily public boats leave at 08:30 and 13:30 and cost 25 bolivianos (£3.00) one way. There are over 40 islands on the lake, but the largest islands are Isla del Sol and Isla de Luna. These islands were ancient holy sites for the Incas and some of the ruins are still there.
We choose to stay one night on the Isla del Sol to be able to take in the sunset/sunrise views over Lake Titicaca. The island is very remote and basic, with no luxurious accommodation options- no WIFI, very limited electricity and hot water and no public transport. It is a great place to visit if you wish to disconnect from the outside world and experience an alternative way of living.
We did not have any accommodation booked prior to arriving at the island but had found a small homestay which had availability for a very cheap price. When we arrived at the island, we realised the accommodation we were planning to stay in was at the very top of a huge hill, maybe 4000m above sea level. With no public transport (only donkeys and llamas) and carrying huge rugsacks, we hiked up the steep hill to find the accommodation. It took us a long time to get up to the top, at times it felt like we were hardly moving! If you’re acclimatized and take your time, you shouldn’t have any problems but remember Altitude is serious… read about my altitude experience in Bolivia here.
We spent the afternoon and evening strolling around the island, enjoying the magnificent views and watching the sunset over Lake Titicaca. The views were fantastic and for me it was definitely worth staying on the island overnight to see this!
We also enjoyed dinner and drinks at a restaurant overlooking the lake. The following morning, we left the accommodation and hiked back down the hill… much easier than the hike up thankfully. We bought a one-way boat ticket back to Copacabana and travelled back there.
Where to next?
Arriving in Copacabana around midday, I booked a direct bus to Cusco. There are three companies that offer a direct service: Transzela, Huayruro Tours, and Trans Titicaca. To tell you the truth, I totally regret booking the cheapest bus and as a result, this bus journey was probably the worst bus journey of my life, nevertheless I eventually made it to Cusco early hours on the morning.
Read here for more information about my bus experience.
Bolivia is a fantastic country to visit, very affordable and as stated before, full of culture and unique landscapes. At the time when I was travelling in Bolivia, there was a lot of political unrest and protests were happening in different cities. I was advised by many locals to leave the country before the protests began as the roads would be closed and it would make the journey to Peru significantly more difficult. As a result of these protests, I left Bolivia after 7 days and travelled to Peru. If I had more time and circumstances were different, I would have liked to explore some other cities in Bolivia.
Most backpackers visit Bolivia only to see the salt flats or bike the death road, however there are a lot of other cool things to do and places to visit in Bolivia. Here are some other recommended places to visit in Bolivia.
- Sucre
- The mining town of Potsi
- Santa Cruz- great base for exploring the Amazon rainforest.
- Climb the Huyana Potsi (6088m)
Further reading for Bolivia.
If you’re looking for more specific information about Bolivia, read my other articles: