BOLIVIA Recommendations

COPACABANA
The 411 - I HIGHLY recommend taking a boat out to Isla del Sol and spending a minimum of two nights on the island, walking from one end to the other, staying in villages. A very special experience.

SORATA
The 411 - Quaint village in an OUTSTANDING setting with the snow-capped Cordillera Real looming above. Definitely worth a few days soaking up the atmosphere in town + walking in the countryside. This is also a good base for arranging longer treks.

THE MAPIRI TREK (6 Days)
The 411 - THE most physically demanding thing I've ever done in my life - Hands down! For anyone who has ever DREAMED of an Indiana Jones type experience, this is the trek for you! A typical day was 8-13 hours with a fully-loaded pack (fortunately your guide carries most of the food). Beginning in the harsh, but beautiful, barren landscape of the Altiplano and trekking on stone Inkan trails for 2-1/2 days. You're at 4,000-4,500 meters the whole time so it's best to be acclimatized. I was fortunate to have good weather, so I had GREAT views the third day. The fourth day you descend into a region called the Palmalas which is so dense with wet vegetation that most of the time you can't see the ground and you have to hold your hands in front of your face for protection. Everything is wet and slippery, you're falling down, walking through mud puddles up to your shins, crawling on hands + knees through tree-root tunnels seemingly for hours on end... My guide had his machete out literally bushwacking our way through. Sounds like fun, huh?! It was definitely a love-hate relationship! You do that for another 2-1/2 days and then you're in the Yungas, which is completely different - A tropical rainforest with parrots, snakes, monkeys; Walking through beautiful open grasslands and then through dense copses of forest. Dusk was totally magical! The last day you keep going down and it was HOT, not much water (we'd actually run out) and you finally get to BATHE! Ultimately arriving in the little dirt town of Mapiri in the middle of nowhere and the first other people I'd seen all week. The experience is something I will never forget!

LA PAZ
The 411- Nice colonial town at a breath-taking elevation (the highest capital in the World). I headed on a mountain bike ride on "Death Road" from here - Exhilarating + recommended.

SALAR DE UYUNI
The 411 - The largest salt desert in the world. Blindingly white and spectacularly beautiful, it extends in all directions as far as the eye can see. The typical tour is 4 days and continues on to beautiful lakes where we saw many pink flamingos and on another day we got to enjoy sunrise while sitting in some natural thermal baths. Look around for the agency that lets you sleep in the "Salt Hotel" in the Salar. This is a great point for continuing into Argentina.

TUPIZA
The 411 - The little town where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were finally killed. In keeping with the western theme, I went on a 2 day horseback trip into the red canyons and cowboy towns of the area. Beautiful scenery and interesting rock formations, the only downfall is that if you aren't used to horses you may not be able to walk for a couple days afterwards :(

POTOSI
The 411 - An old mining town that was MUCH more beautiful and interesting than I expected. In it's day, it had one of the largest producing silver mines in the world and was the Las Vegas of the time with people gambling and building beautiful colonial homes + churches. The mines are still active, although they're now primarily extracting lead. I took a day tour that was crazy + fascinating as you're actually down there crawling around with a miners lamp, talking with the miners + watching as they rig up explosives! Friday is the best day to go as they pay homage to the "God of the Underworld". Also, make sure to go up the church tower for FANTASTIC views of town.

SUCRE
The 411 - Architecturally interesting, but more hip + touristy than Potosi. Still, a chill place to watch some weaving.

SAMAIPATA
The 411 - A wonderful, little sub-tropical town with lots of green, flowers and palm trees. There are national parks nearby, so I did two different day hikes - One to see condors (saw 4), and the other through a giant fern grove.
Sleep + Eat - There's a WONDERFUL place 10 minutes walk outside of town with camping + cabins. Finca La Vispera, I think it was called. The rooms are immaculately clean with views over the gardens and countryside. They prepare INCREDIBLE fresh, organic food in the restaurant. When you ordered a salad they actually go cut it from the garden, complete with edible flowers!

SANTA CRUZ
The 411 - Not much of interest here, but it's a pleasant enough place to sit in cafes reading or studying Spanish. They also have excellent ice cream - The coconut topped with brazil nuts was very tasty!


RECOMMENDED 2-3 WEEK ITINERARY -
Fly into La Paz and spend a couple days acclimatising yourself before doing anything. I liked Bolivia alot and would recommend every place listed depending on your interests.

APPROXIMATE COSTS (For Low Budget Travel)
Room - $2-5/1p
Meal - $1-4/pp
Beer - $1.50
Visa - 90 days FREE

What's to Like?
Mind-blowing + incredibly varied scenery, colonial architecture + indigenous culture, AND it's less touristed than it's neighbors.

What's Not?
I can't think of anything.

Will you Starve to Death?
Not so easy for vegetarians, but you'll get by. Practice saying "Tiene frijoles?"

Will you Dig It?
If you enjoy walking and adventure you most certainly will.

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