A traditional Bolivian dance mask

Often overshadowed by its high-profile neighbours, Chile, Brazil and Peru, Bolivia is a traveller’s dream – cheap, beautiful and full of culture.  

The two main overland routes into Bolivia are equally stunning. From Chile, an old train chugs away for three days over a barren altiplano (high plain) ringed by smoking volcanoes to border town Uyuni, built on the edge of a vast salt plain. Or from Peru you arrive at the majestic blue waters of Lake Titicaca, the Incan birthplace of the Sun.  

If you choose to fly into the capital La Paz, be prepared for immediate dizziness and shortness of breath due to the city being built at an altitude of 3,600 metres. It’s flanked by the impressive Illimani Mountain, Bolivia’s second highest peak at 6,439 metres, which can be climbed by mere novices if you’ve got the time and stamina.  

Bolivia is a mountain climber’s paradise, boasting an impressive count of 6000 plus mountain peaks to conquer, although its glaciers and ice fields are shrinking rapidly due to global warming. Its mountainous landscape, dotted with traditional villages dating back to Incan days, attracts scores of adventurous types who enjoy hiking, climbing, mountain biking and rafting.  

For a comparatively small, landlocked country, Bolivia is also home to a surprising number of superlatives. Bolivia has the world’s highest city, the world’s largest salt flat, the world’s highest navigable lake and the world’s most dangerous road.  

It’s impossible to be bored or sometimes even relax in Bolivia whose people held onto their native Indian and Incan roots and still live off the land on subsistence farms. You’ll come to love the women’s bell-shaped skirts, shiny black plaits and babies slung casually over their backs in colourful blankets. You’ll also come to love the men’s intricately woven jackets and bright pointy hats, but not their habit of chewing coca leaves constantly to boost stamina and reduce hunger.  

One trait the Bolivians definitely inherited from their Spanish conquerors is the love of a good festival. Bolivia has a string of festivals based loosely around Catholicism with troupes of dancers and musicians parading flamboyantly around village and city squares. The parades are akin to a religious mardi gras parade, and locals take full advantage of the festive spirit to soak ‘gringos’ to the skin with water balloons and shaving cream! 

Bolivia will definitely keep you on your toes.   

Survival guide

Bolivia is landlocked. The lush jungles of Brazil and Paraguay flank its northern and eastern borders, Argentina and Chile stand guard to the south, and Peru stretches along its western edge.  

The small country has been described as ‘the Tibet of South America’ thanks to its high altitude plains called the ‘altiplano’, which occupy most of the west and are scarred by huge lumbering mountains which join with the Andes as they march into Peru. To the east, beyond the mountains, Bolivia descends into the green tangle of the Amazon Rainforest. 

Due to its varying terrain, the climate changes dramatically from the crisp alpine air of the altiplano to the steamy humidity of the jungle. The main tourist season is during winter (May – October) with clear dry, days, however temperatures can be artic at high altitude so be prepared. If you want to avoid the crowds, summer is the time to go although it’s also the rainy season which transforms the lowlands into a miserable, insect-infected, wet swamp and the roads into muddy nightmares.  However, it’s warmer at high altitude and if you’re lucky enough to see the Salar de Uyuni under a foot or two of water, it’s an unforgettable sight.  

Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, although it’s one of the richest in terms of natural resources. A successive string of corrupt governments have battered its economy and left two-thirds of Bolivia’s nine million population below the poverty line.  

Although Bolivia was colonised by the Spanish for 400 years, it has held onto its native Indian roots with more than 50% of the population still speaking native languages and upholding traditional beliefs and values. 

As in any third word country, diarrhea is a common ailment so bottled drinking water is best. Also avoid dairy products made from unboiled milk, like the blocks of cheese for sale at most markets. Altitude sickness is common so slow down if you’re visiting La Paz or Potosi and take time to adjust to the thin air. Recommended vaccinations include Hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid.  

The Boliviano is the official currency and worth roughly 0.13US cents, so dollars go a long way. Food is cheap but boring – meat, rice and vegetables. Accommodation is also cheap but again basic with many locals opening their homes to earn an extra buck.