The complete itinerary
Complete Bolivia itinerary: 69 days, hotels and bookings
69 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel.
69 days €119
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Bolivia itineraries, day by day
The most dizzying country in South America: the Uyuni salt flat, the largest in the world, turned into an infinite mirror in the rainy season, the red and green lagoons of Sud Lipez peopled with flamingos, La Paz hanging at 3,600 m beneath its cable cars, the sunny side of Lake Titicaca and Aymara markets overflowing with colour. Rough, authentic and cheap, Bolivia is the Andean adventure in its purest state.
- Capital
- Sucre, seat of government in La Paz
- Currency
- Boliviano (BOB)
- Language
- Spanish, Quechua, Aymara
- Direct flight
- No direct flight, via Madrid or Lima
- Time difference
- -5 hr in winter, -6 hr in summer
Itineraries
Our trip ideas in Bolivia
Or take it one module at a time
Module
Bolivia in 9 days: Lake Titicaca and the Amazon, day by day
Nine days between two worlds: San Pedro cave, the Strait of Tiquina, Copacabana and its basilica, the sacred north and the ridge of Isla del Sol, the temple of Iñak Uyu on Isla de la Luna, then the flight to Rurrenabaque, the río Tuichi in Madidi, the macaw cliff and the pampas of the Yacuma.
9 days €39
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Module
Bolivia in 11 days: Cochabamba, Torotoro and Samaipata, day by day
Eleven days in the central valleys: La Cancha and the Santa Teresa convent, the Cristo de la Concordia, the Palacio Portales, Tarata and the potters of Huayculi, Umajalanta cave, the Ciudad de Itas and the dinosaur footprints of Torotoro, Incallajta, El Fuerte de Samaipata and Refugio Los Volcanes.
11 days €39
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Module
Bolivia in 11 days: Sucre and Potosí, day by day
Eleven days in the colonial south: the Casa de la Libertad, the cathedral and the Virgin of Guadalupe, the rooftop terraces of San Felipe Neri, the Recoleta viewpoint, the dinosaur wall of Cal Orck'o, the Castillo de La Glorieta, the Icla canyon, the Hacienda Cayara, the Casa Nacional de Moneda and the mines of the Cerro Rico.
11 days €39
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Module
Bolivia in 12 days: Amboró, Santa Cruz and Chiquitos, day by day
Twelve days in the eastern lowlands: the red cliffs of Refugio Los Volcanes, Plaza 24 de Septiembre and the cathedral of Santa Cruz, the South American wildlife zoo, the Biocentro Güembé, the dunes of Lomas de Arena, three days in the forest on the northern side of Amboró and six churches of the Jesuit missions of Chiquitos.
12 days €39
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Module
Bolivia in 13 days: La Paz, the Yungas and the Cordillera Real, day by day
Thirteen days to get used to the altitude: La Paz by Mi Teleférico, the Valle de la Luna, Plaza Murillo and the Mercado de las Brujas, the Valle de las Ánimas, Tiwanaku and Puma Punku, the Death Road by mountain bike, three days on the Camino del Choro, Coroico, the Zongo pass facing Huayna Potosí, and Sorata.
13 days €39
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Module
Bolivia in 13 days: Uyuni, Sud Lípez and Sajama, day by day
Thirteen days to finish high: the train cemetery, the Uyuni salt flat and Isla Incahuasi, sunset on the salar, the flamingo lagoons, the Árbol de Piedra, Laguna Colorada, the Sol de Mañana geysers, Laguna Verde, the ascent of Uturuncu at 6,008 m, El Sillar, then Sajama before the return to La Paz.
13 days €39
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The right season
When to go in Bolivia?
From May to October, the dry season brings skies of absolute blue over the Altiplano: the ideal window for Uyuni in its white-desert version and for Sud Lipez, with freezing nights in June-July. From January to March, the rains turn the salar into a perfect mirror, the other face of the trip, at the price of tracks sometimes cut. April and November make excellent compromises.
- January : Pleasant
- February : Pleasant
- March : Pleasant
- April : Ideal
- May : Ideal
- June : Ideal
- July : Ideal
- August : Ideal
- September : Ideal
- October : Ideal
- November : Pleasant
- December : In-between
- Ideal
- Pleasant
- In-between
- Avoid
Quick guide
Understanding Bolivia
Getting around
Three-day 4x4 tours are the norm for Uyuni and Sud Lipez. The overnight cama buses link the cities; La Paz's cable car network, the longest urban one in the world, is an attraction in itself.
Money
The boliviano (BOB). Cash is king everywhere, withdraw in town before the remote areas. Uyuni tours are negotiated and often paid in cash. Among the cheapest budgets on the continent.
Language
Spanish, with Quechua and Aymara very much alive on the Altiplano. English is rare: basic Spanish is close to essential.
Useful apps
Offline maps (the signal vanishes fast), a translator, the Mi Teleférico app in La Paz and a head torch on your phone: power cuts happen.
Accommodation
Salt hotels at the edge of the salar, spartan refuges of Sud Lipez, colonial hotels in Sucre and Potosí. Comfort is simple at altitude, the blankets numerous.
Etiquette
Respect the Pachamama and her offerings, always ask before photographing, cholitas especially, and chew the coca offered against soroche without ceremony.
Must-sees
The iconic places
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Salar de Uyuni
Potosí
10,582 km² of pure salt: a white desert in winter, a perfect mirror between January and March. Sunrise from the cactus island is unreal.
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Sud Lipez
Altiplano
Blood-red Laguna Colorada, emerald Laguna Verde, geysers and flamingos at 4,500 m: three days of 4x4 out of this world.
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La Paz
La Paz
The highest capital in the world, the witches' market, wrestling cholitas and cable cars flying over an endless urban canyon.
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Isla del Sol
Lake Titicaca
The sacred island of the Incas on Titicaca: terraces, ridge paths and sunsets over the Cordillera Real, without a single car.
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Sucre
Chuquisaca
The constitutional capital, white and colonial, the gentlest of Bolivian cities, UNESCO. Perfect for catching your breath and learning Spanish.
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Valley of the Moon
La Paz
A labyrinth of eroded clay spires at the gates of La Paz, worth wandering at sundown when the ochre catches fire.
Pick a point on the map, or browse the list below.
Also on the map
- Incahuasi : The salar's giant cactus island
- Laguna Colorada : The red lake of the flamingos
- Laguna Verde : The emerald at the foot of Licancabur
- Copacabana : The sanctuary of Lake Titicaca
- Potosí : The Cerro Rico and its silver mines