Bolivia is slowly making a name for itself in the tourist world, it's a hidden gem with heaps to do.
Copacabana:
We only spent the day in this hippy lakeside town but we loved it. We did the Bolivia Hop tour from Puno, Peru to La Paz and this was a neat pit stop. The town had tons of restaurants with gorgeous views of Lake Titicaca. We went to a terrace restaurant that had delicious sandwiches but was more on the pricier side of $10 per person. We got on a boat to Isla Del Sol and it was stunning. Locals lived on the island and there was a couple little cafes but you mostly go there for the views.
With the hop on hop off bus, you don't have reserved seats so lucky for us, the bus to La Paz was full. Our tour guide accommodated and got one of his buddies to drive us in his gimpy little van. You have to go across another lake to get back to mainland Bolivia so we got on a boat while the van was on a wooden board and eventually made it to La Paz. It was definitely a fun experience riding with a local and he brought us right to our hostel.
La Paz:
La Paz is the highest altitude city in the world, so I do not recommend doing stairs here. It's Bolivia's capital city and it's thriving with stuff.
We stayed at Wild Rover hostel for $10 a night and wild is an understatement. This hostel is definitely for party people and no one else, we had a lot of fun staying here though and planted ourselves for a week.
Food around here was generally cheap especially at the local restaurants. We ate at the hostel a few times but it was a price jump to do that. The bar in the hostel was the place to be and there's a few bars around the corner that you can go hang out at.
We went to the park by the jail where inmates come out and tell stories and take you on a little walking tour around the area. We met crazy Dave who was.. crazy.
Death Road is the famous bike trail in Bolivia and is considered the most dangerous road in the world. To understand a bit more, the Yungas Road or “Camino de las Yungas” was built in 1930 by Paraguayan prisoners during the Chaco War into the side of the mountain. This gravel road stretch between La Paz and Coroico is 69 km long. It climbs up to 4,650 meters (15,260 feet) at La Cumbre Pass and ends in the Amazonian rainforest, in the town of Coroico at 1,200m (3,900 feet). Until 2006, it was the only road that connected the capital to the Yungas region. It costs about $52USD with No Fear Adventure travel agency which is located in La Paz.
Don't forget to also venture around the city and check out "The Witches Market"
Salar De Uyuni:
Also known as "Salt Flats" we did a Salt Flat tour with Bolivia Hop for $150 each. That included our bus from La Paz to Uyuni, a tour guide (not English), transportation in the jeep around the flats, a trip to the abandoned train graveyard and our bus back to La Paz.
You've probably seen photos of this breathtaking landmark either as the salt making delusions or the mirror effect. To get the mirror look go between December-March and for the fun delusion photos go April-November (when I went). I definitely need to go back during the wet season the photos look incredible.
The tour was a full day and worth every penny.
Overall summary for Bolivia:
- Prepare for altitude sickness
- They use Boliviano currency and Bolivia is very affordable
- Protests and strikes happen very often
- Buses and cabs are best ways to get around
- Fake police scams (yes people dress as police and ask for passports or to get into unmarked vehicles)