- My Experience in the Amazon in Iquitos
- My Ayahuasca Experience in the Peruvian Amazon
- Chile – 17 Things To Know Before You Go
- Skip It: The Floating Islands in Puno
- Isla Del Sol on Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca
- Salar de Uyuni – One of the Most Unique Places on Earth
- Bolivia – Everything You Need To Know Before You Go
- What to Expect on the 4 Day Inca Trail Hike To Machu Picchu
- Peru – 23 Things To Know Before You Go
- South America – Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
- 14 Reasons Why You Need To Travel to South America
- How To Stay Safe in South America
Bolivia is the most indigenous country in South America and it has every kind of landscape you can imagine from the Amazon, the Andes mountains, valleys, geothermal vents, the world’s biggest salt flat- Salar de Uyuni, desert, to alpine lakes, which sometimes have hundreds of flamingos chilling in these lakes. The only thing Bolivia is missing is a coastline and ocean (which it once had, until it was lost to Chile).
Bolivia has some of the craziest, most unique and varied landscape I have ever seen in my life and I was constantly blown away by its beauty. It was like being on another planet. Bolivia is one of my favorite countries and I would love to go back.
I traveled Bolivia as a solo female traveler for 2 weeks and visited La Paz, Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, Potosi, Sucre and the 3 day tour around Salar de Uyuni and the surrounding area.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU TRAVEL TO BOLIVIA
IT’S THE CHEAPEST COUNTRY TO TRAVEL IN SOUTH AMERICA
Bolivia is the most natural resource-rich country in South America, yet it is also the poorest when it comes to its economy. You can get street food for $1-2US and a meal at a basic restaurant for $3-5US. If you’re on a budget and you want to see the Amazon, Bolivia is the place to do it.
THE MAJORITY OF BOLIVIA’S POPULAR ATTRACTIONS ARE AT VERY HIGH ALTITUDE
Which is challenging for anyone who is not used to that… which is most people. The highest altitude I experienced in Bolivia was 4800m. My first day in Bolivia, at 4200m, took the life, appetite and breath out of me. It’s normal to have a terrible sleep on your first night at very high altitude because one of the side effects of high altitude is difficulty sleeping, which is really stupid because one of the other main side effects is fatigue. If you ascend to high altitude too quickly, like I did, you will wake up with a vicious headache and you’ll feel like you have the worst hangover of your life, due to the lack of oxygen.
There are medications available to help adjust to the altitude, but do your research because the side effects can often make you feel worse (I opted out of taking any). I’ve literally never met anyone who had a good experience with altitude medication. See here for tips to help prevent altitude sickness.
HIGH ALTITUDE GETS REALLY COLD
Especially during the mornings and nights. And heating only exists in the most plush hotels, which also means you can’t expect hot showers.
PACK FOR ALL SEASONS
In just one day, you can travel from the freezing (or near freezing) highlands to a hot, humid jungle (cycling Death Road is an example of this). Pack plenty of layers because in the mornings and evenings at high elevation, temperatures can drop to around or below freezing, while the sun can be warm and pleasant in the afternoon.
DON’T FORGET TO WEAR SUNSCREEN
Even on the cold and cloudy days. You can still get a sunburn, through the clouds, because the sun is stronger at high elevation.
THERE ARE ONLY TWO SEASONS
Bolivia is in the southern hemisphere, which means the seasons are reversed. BUT because of its proximity to the equator, “summer” is the wet season from November to April, while “winter” and the dry season is from May to October. I traveled Bolivia in January and I didn’t find it to be too rainy.
“NO ONE IN BOLIVIA SPEAKS ENGLISH”
Laughed a travel agent in Chile, the day before I left for Bolivia on a multi day Salar de Uyuni tour with a tour guide that didn’t speak a word of English. And that was more or less my experience during my time in Bolivia; however, of course some Bolivians you’ll meet as a tourist do speak English. In general, it’s very worthwhile to learn some Spanish before you go to South America, and luckily, it’s a fairly simple, straight-forward language to learn.
IT’S ONE OF THE BEST COUNTRIES TO LEARN SPANISH IN SOUTH AMERICA
The cheapest and best place to take Spanish classes is in Sucre because they speak Spanish very precisely.
BUT SPANISH IS OFTEN NOT THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE
So sometimes communicating is difficult, but certainly not impossible. Many Bolivians speak their indigenous languages, usually Quechua or Aymara, which explains why English is not widely spoken.
BOLIVIAN CULTURE IS VERY RICH
It is the most indigenous country in South America. Bolivians maintain many of their traditions and it’s common to see traditionally dressed men and women in the towns and cities.
IT’S THE CHEAPEST PLACE IN SOUTH AMERICA TO VISIT THE AMAZON
Bolivia shares the Amazon with 8 other South American countries.
UNTIL RECENTLY, THE VISA FOR AMERICANS TO VISIT BOLIVIA WAS $160US
Lucky for Americans, they can now travel to Bolivia without a visa.
LA PAZ’S SAN PEDRO PRISON IS FAMOUS BECAUSE OF THE BOOK “MARCHING POWDER”
The prison is located in the city centre of La Paz and it’s unique and fascinating because it’s like a society within itself as it contains shops and restaurants run by the inmates. The inmates must buy or rent their accommodation, as well as pay for their own food and medical. Their wives and children voluntarily live with their imprisoned family members because they can’t to afford to live without them. But the family members are allowed to come and go.
San Pedro prison is also one of Bolivia’s busiest cocaine laboratories and a significant part of their income comes from selling cocaine to visiting tourists. Until 2009, illegal tours of the prison were very popular and lucrative, but they were shut down by authorities; however, now there are just a few extra illegal tours, if you have the money. Marching Powder is a non-fiction book about what life in like inside the prison.
CASH IS KING
Aside from nicer hotels and restaurants, cards aren’t used for day-to-day transactions.
BUT PAYING WITH CASH ALSO HAS ITS CHALLENGES
No one has change and no one wants to accept bills with a small tear. But it’s totally fine if they give you a ripped bill as change, of course, so feel free to speak up.
ALWAYS CARRY SOME TOILET PAPER WITH YOU
Most public toilets and some accommodations don’t supply toilet paper. They often don’t have soap either, so also carry hand sanitizer. You also can’t flush the toilet paper because the pipes can’t handle it. There is usually a garbage where you can dispose of it.
SUPERMARKETS ARE RARE
Instead, there are a lot of markets and small stalls along the streets where you can buy everything. So if you want to buy milk or shampoo etc, you decide which lady on the street or market to buy it from 🙂
SERVICE IS RARELY DONE WITH A SMILE
In my experience (along with many other travelers) the locals aren’t overly friendly; especially at restaurants, guesthouses and tour guides.
YOU MUST TRY THE SALTEÑAS
Which is like the attractive little sister of the empanada. It’s a baked slightly sweet pastry with a savoury filling.
EAT THE “MENU DE DIA” FOR A CHEAP LUNCH
Which is a 3 course meal for lunch for a few dollars.
LA PAZ HAS GREAT NIGHTLIFE
Loki and Wild Rover are two great party hostels with really fun bars. But those hangovers at high altitude are something else 🙃
SALAR DE UYUNI AND THE SURROUNDING SIGHTS ARE SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE IN THE WORLD
You absolutely must do the 3 day/2 night Salar de Uyuni tour because you see much more than just the salt flat. The beautiful scenery will constantly blow your mind. It’s like being on another planet. On a budget tour of Salar de Uyuni, you can expect cold showers and bedding that isn’t regularly washed.
And many stunning alpine lakes
You can often find hundreds of flamingos in the lakes
Unusual rock formations
It’s time to add Bolivia to your bucket list.
More information On SOUTH AMERICA
What To Know Before You Go to South America
14 Things I Love About South America
How To Stay Safe in South America
What to Expect While Traveling in Developing Countries
Bolivia seems to be so understated. We’re visiting for the first time early next year, and I have to say out of all the countries we’re going to, I’m most excited about Bolivia. Lovely post, thank you for sharing.
Oh yay! You’re going to love it. I’m so excited for you!
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You have now inspired me to see Boliva. It is now on the top of my list of places to visit. I Have read some of your other travel experiences/destinations. You have a way of making the reader feel like they are there