Why Bolivia: Because it is an unspoilt country rich in culture and physically very beautiful. Sandwiched between the better known and more accessible countries of Argentina and Peru, Bolivia is an unmissable destination for travellers with enough time on their hands to indulge a comprehensive South American itinerary, and also a worthy destination in its own right.
Capital: Sucre
There are no direct flights to Bolivia from the UK, however Aerosur now flies to Santa Cruz from Madrid, Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Miami. There are also regular flights from Madrid (Barajas) and other European/non-European countries to the international Airport in El Alto, La Paz. We recommend if you are flying straight to Bolivia where possible you fly to Santa Cruz and then move onto Sucre and La Paz allowing your body to acclimatize to the very high altitude in La Paz. It is also possible to enter Bolivia overland from the North via Peru and from the South via Argentina.
Time: GMT minus 4 hours
Try not to miss: Uyuni is a one horse town in the high Altiplano, but is also the gateway to the largest and most spectacular salt flats in the world that cover an area of some 12,000 square kilometers. Allow at least one full day to explore this bizarre landscape with your guide and four wheel drive vehicle, although some of our guests prefer to spend up to 3 full days here.
Potosi is town of contrasts and once reputed to have been the richest city in the world. Valuable minerals have been mined here more or less continuously for the last 500 years and it is said a bridge could be built from Potosi to Madrid from mined silver alone. A visit to the cooperative mines provides a fascinating insight into the miner’s lifestyle, whereas the colonial side of town contains some fine architecture, including the coin museum and Bolivia’s only pedestrian street.
Sucre is actually the capital city of Bolivia, and at an altitude of some 2,500 meters nearly 1500 meters lower than La Paz or Potosi. Reaching this beautiful colonial city and its stunning main square surrounded by buildings of great character and antiquity is akin to entering another world, specially if the visitor has come down from the high Altiplano. We recommend a stay of at least two nights in this most charming and beautiful of all Bolivian cities.
The extraordinary high altitude city of La Paz is a sight to behold, especially at night when millions of twinkling lights appear hemmed in by the steep mountains that form that natural boundary for the city. The Tiwanaku ruins lie between La Paz and Lake Titicaca, a legacy of one of the oldest civilizations in the Americas whose culture collapsed around a thousand years ago due to a prolonged drought.
Travellers passing through Bolivia en route to Peru will visit Lake Titicaca last of all during their tour of this country. Lake Titicaca, which is the highest navigable lake in the world and falls within the boundaries of both Bolivia and Peru, was home to a race of people who lived on reed islands in order to evade the all conquering Incas. We recommend a hydrofoil cruise and overnight stay on Sun Island at the charming posada de Inca eco lodge, from which base the island can be explored.
Most visitors to Bolivia concentrate on the high altitude sights and cities described above, however a visit to Santa Cruz is to experience the tropical climate of the lowlands, from where Jesuit settlements are accessible. The Madidi National Park in the north west of the country includes a large sector of pristine Amazon rain forest within its 4.5 million acres that is home to 44% of all new world species of mammal and more than a thousand species of bird. We can also arrange the best golden dorado fly fishing in the world in the Bolivian Amazon, please contact us for details.
Visas: No visa is required for visits of up to 90 days for UK citizens.
Please contact us to discuss your own unique, tailor-made itinerary
