Thursday, December 03, 2015

Suggested Two Week Bolivia Itinerary

If you have around two weeks for a Bolivia holiday, here is my suggestion on what to see and do. You will cover all the main highlights, including Lake Titicaca, the Amazon Jungle, the Salar de Uyuni and the historic cities of Potosi and Sucre.

Starting your Bolivia trip in the sky-high city of La Paz, I suggest spending a couple of nights here. As La Paz is at an altitude of around 3660m it does take time to get used to the thin air. The beautiful San Francisco church and the famous witches market, where you can buy anything from the usual tourist tat to dried llama foetuses, will keep you busy for a day. Another day on your Bolivia tour you can arrange a cycling adventure down the world's most dangerous road (well worth it if you have the nerves).

Copacabana is only a 4 hour bus ride from La Paz and is a great place to spend the night and explore the beauty of Lake Titicaca and the Isla del Sol.

Back in La Paz you can continue your Bolivia holiday by organising a 3 or 4 day adventure to the jungle and pampas around Rurrenabaque. It's about a 20 hour bus ride from La Paz, so the 1 hour flight is a much better option. Wildlife spotting opportunities here are great, with monkeys, sloths, caiman, capybaras and anacondas often spotted.

From La Paz you can then catch the night bus south to Uyuni. From Uyuni you can organise day trips to visit the world's largest salt flats. The Salar de Uyuni is simply stunning and a must see place on any Bolivia holiday. If you have an extra couple of days, you can organise a 2 night 4x4 trip taking in the salt flats as well as the surrounding volcanoes, coloured lakes, hot springs and geysers.

Back in Uyuni it's a 6 hour bus ride to the highest city in the world, Potosi. Potosi was once one of the richest cities on earth due to the abundance of silver in the surrounding hills, and while here on your Bolivia tour you'll have the opportunity to visit one of the current silver mines and experience what life is like for the miners.

After a couple of nights in Potosi it's a 3 hour bus ride to Sucre, Bolivia's official capital city, and a definite 'must see' on any Bolivia holiday. Sucre is a beautiful city, with a wealth of churches and museums, excellent accommodation and plenty to see and do in the surrounding area, such as the dinosaur park which is home to the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world.

Last up is Bolivia's largest city, Santa Cruz. There is a relatively large international airport for returning home or flying back to La Paz. But before you do, as the climate is lovely and warm, I'd recommend spending a day or two here just relaxing and doing any last minute souvenir shopping you may need before your Bolivia tour ends.

Trek through the snow-capped Andes, go island hopping on Lake Titicaca, try an Amazon jungle lodge adventure and follow the Inca trail to epic Machu Picchu. Build your own Peru and Bolivia adventure.

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