Bolivia

Visit Bolivia

Authentic, magical, and full of surprises. This country too often in the shadow of Peru deserves a lot alone, we stop there. Between the cities perched at more than 4000 meters above sea level, salt desert, crazy landscapes one by one, this is undoubtedly one of our favorites.

We traveled with family in Bolivia for 3 weeks with our backpacks. Be ready to discover a country that will not leave you indifferent as the meetings are strong …

Things to do and see in Bolivia

Uyuni salt desert

Sleeping in the Siloli desert

Approaching volcanoes

Enjoy La Paz by cable car

Taste the Coca

Going down the road of death by mountain bike

The dunes of Lomas de Arena

Ruins of Samaipata

Mercado de Cochabamba

Car ceremony in Copacabana

Tiwanaku Archaeological Site

Make a Lama selfie

Visit Sucre

Average costs while travelling in Bolivia

Accommodation

Half as expensive as its neighbor in Peru, Bolivia offers good housing with hot water! In addition to hotel offers, there is also Airbnb mainly in major cities that allows the same time to meet locals.

Dormitory for a bed : $ 3.30 – $ 6.70
Standard double room : $ 14.50
Basic hotel with private bathroom : $ 20.00
Chic hotel with luxury breakfast : $ 44.50 – $ 56.00

Food

The food in Bolivia is quite varied although often based on rice. For carnivores, you can taste llama or alpaca. Quinoa is also a great specialty of the country and much cheaper than at home. As in many Latin American countries, at lunchtime you can find almost everywhere “menus del dia” at a very good price.

Menu del dia : less than $ 2.20
A basic dish in a restaurant : $ 3.00 – $ 5.50
More dish worked in a more chic restaurant : $ 7.80 – $ 10.00

Transport

Folk bus stations offer transport for the whole country, at discounted prices. The buses are rather comfortable and reliable. However, domestic flights are preferable for long journeys. In town, Collectivos (think screaming to stop the driver) and taxis take over. Do not hesitate to ask if you are lost, we will help you with great pleasure. Ask for the price before getting into the taxi, it avoids disappointments.

Bus in town : $ 0,20 the trip
Regional bus : around $ 2.00 per hour
Collectivo (micro) : $ 0,40 for about 45min

Suggested daily budget – 45 and 55 USD (Note: This budget is calculated on our experience. We travel to the economy, while keeping a minimum of comfort (single room). 3 weeks in tourism mode.)

Tips for travelling to Bolivia

Tourist but magical We usually advise against visits that are too touristy or too well-known, but for the salt desert, it's different! Feel free to put the price in the complete package in 4x4 with a small meal at lunchtime and an aperitif at sunset. It's magical, grandiose and very well organized so as not to meet too many people.

Domestic flights In Bolivia, do not hesitate to take domestic flights for your travel. They are generally not too expensive and avoid long bus connections on roads that are sometimes poorly maintained or non-existent ???? (dirt road). Latam, or VivaAir, are two very good companies.

A little comfort Hot water in Bolivia is in almost all hotels. To achieve this feat, they have a heating system directly integrated into the shower head. It's surprising to see electrical wires tinkered with just above your head, 10cm from the water. But we have to admit that it's working pretty well. The less pressure you put on, the hotter the water will be.

Take the buses In Bolivia, you can take buses at any time of the day or night and without prior reservation. Bus stations are a spectacle in themselves that sometimes put your nerves to the test. Practical for some trips, do not hesitate to take companies recommended by tourist guides (e.g. Cruz del Sur) at the risk of finding yourself with a hen on your knees, or people in the hold (true story...).

WHAT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE

We travel all year round with them, here are our essential accessories.

Digital nomad in Bolivia

We are not going to go four ways: Digital Nomad in Bolivia, it is frankly not the right plan. Few adapted infrastructure, almost nonexistent coworking and very unstable wifi in the hotels, just enough to make Skype without the video. In short for 3 weeks it was frankly galley to maintain our activity.

The “least worst” is to take a local SIM, 4G is almost always better than wifi. Choose the Tigo operator that has excellent coverage all over the country. On the other hand for the foreigners, it is a little galère. You must provide your passport and have your card validated at an authorized office (there are many). Count $ 9.00 for the SIM + 4Gb of internet.