If you are planning to visit Bolivia, you may be interested in what great places there are to see.
In this guide, you can find a list of places to visit in this amazing country as well as some useful tips for your upcoming journey.
Contents
- Where Is Bolivia?
- Is Bolivia Save For Travelers?
- Cities In Bolivia That Are Worth Visiting
- Copacabana – Watch The Sunset Over Lake Titicaca
- La Paz – Discover The City From The Air By The Famous Teleferic Cableway
- Cochabamba – All The Flavors Of Bolivia
- Sucre – Learn Spanish And Enjoy Outdoor Activities
- Potosi – The Faded Glory Of The Silver City
- Uyuni – The White Beauty Of The Salt Flats
- Tarija – The Best Place For Wine And Steak Lovers
- Altitude Sickness And How To Deal With It
- How To Travel In Bolivia
- Bolivia Safety Overview
Where Is Bolivia?
Bolivia is the real heart of South America and the country with an amazing culture.
Covering the Atacama Desert, Andes, and the Amazon basin, this country is known as one of the most diverse and perplex nations.
Bolivia has a rich variety of animals and plants.
Also, there is an amazing diversity of cultures within the country.
Local people are rather withdrawn and shy but still friendly and hearty so you can find lots of good friends there.
Is Bolivia Save For Travelers?
While different guides indicate some safety issues when it comes to traveling to Bolivia, the country is rather safe.
Most areas are pretty safe but maybe it is better to follow some basic precautions to avoid problems.
There are such rules as:
- avoid walking at dark unless you really need;
- inform somebody about your destination – your hotel or other travelers;
- don’t go hiking alone;
- book tours provided by verified tour agencies;
- use only registered taxis that have a special sticker on the front window.
Cities In Bolivia That Are Worth Visiting
There are lots of great places in Bolivia you should visit including big cities, popular destinations, and less visited areas.
While choosing the places within the main gringo trail, you can expect some excellent service, great accommodations, frequent transport and plenty of restaurants and cafes.
In our list, you can also find some less popular places as some of them are absolutely worth visiting.
We’ve gathered the list of 7 cities from north to south.
Copacabana – Watch The Sunset Over Lake Titicaca
Located at the shores of Lake Titicaca, a small city of Copacabana is a popular destination among tourists.
Most tourists go there to visit Isla del Sol where according to the legend the first Inca was born.
Every day, numerous boats take tourists to the island.
You can stay there overnight or take a boat back to Copacabana.
At the beginning of 2018, the part of the island where the sacred Incas ruins are situated was blocked.
If you are going to visit the area, make sure to check whether it’s available for visiting.
Speaking of Copacabana, it is also famous for its magnificent white cathedral as well as magical sunsets.
Useful tip: avoid visiting during the Semana Santa that is the Easter holiday week, as numerous local pilgrims come to the city.
La Paz – Discover The City From The Air By The Famous Teleferic Cableway
La Paz is known as the administrative capital of Bolivia and one of the most beautiful cities in the country.
While lacking the colonial charm of other Bolivian cities, La Paz has a bunch of amazing things to see.
As the city is surrounded by mountains, you can go hiking and exploring some great trails in the area.
Just keep in mind that the easiest peak is Huayna Potosi that is 6000 meters.
One other famous thing about La Paz is its public transport system.
To get from one place to another, locals use a network of cableway that is also known as Teleferic.
The system operates fast so usually, you need from 10 minutes to 1 hour to get from one place to another depending on the distance.
The price for one ride is as low as 0,3€ and to get a whole air tour over La Paz you need to pay about 3€.
Useful tip: rent a bike and go riding to the famous Death Road that is a popular tourist activity.
Cochabamba – All The Flavors Of Bolivia
Cochabamba is one of the less-visited cities in the country but it still worth visiting it while being in Bolivia.
It is known for its spring-like climate that remains unchanged all year round.
Moreover, the town has absolutely incredible local cuisine so visiting it you can enjoy some of the best Bolivian dishes.
While staying there, you should take a cableway to the hill near the city where a Christ statue is located.
It is 4 meters higher than the famous statue of Christ located in Rio de Janeiro.
One other great place you need to visit while staying at Cochabamba is the Botanical garden.
Useful tip: make sure to visit the National Park Torotoro that has beautiful rock formation, dinosaur footprints, and fossils, some of which date back 300 million years.
Sucre – Learn Spanish And Enjoy Outdoor Activities
Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia and it has an incredible colonial architecture.
It is one of the most amazing capitals in the world as well as the most beautiful city in the country.
Sucre is often called the white city and you need just one glance to understand the reason.
If you want to learn Spanish, Sucre should be #1 in your list of places to see in Bolivia.
There are lots of great language schools that offer affordable Spanish courses for travelers.
Just keep in mind that the city has a perfect warm climate so don’t forget to spend some time outside the classes to explore it.
Useful tip: Sucre is located at the altitude of 2800m so its a perfect place to acclimatize for the higher cities.
Potosi – The Faded Glory Of The Silver City
Silver is the main aspect of the history of Potosi.
Back in the boom years, Potosi was the wealthiest and of course, the largest cities in the Eastern hemisphere.
Unfortunately, as soon as the silver dried up, the city started to go into decline and nowadays most citizens are very poor.
Most locals work at mines of Cerro Rico extracting other types of metals to make their living.
The reason to visit this city is, of course, local mines.
There are numerous tours offered there but one of the best is provided bu the Big Deal Tour.
All tours there are guided by miners while the income comes to local communities.
The historical center of Potosi is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Useful tip: the mine tours are difficult and challenging because of the lack of air and narrow shafts so make sure you have some coca leaves in your pocket and get acclimatized to the altitude.
Uyuni – The White Beauty Of The Salt Flats
The Salar de Uyuni is exactly the reason who so many tourists visit Bolivia every year.
The city itself has nothing special to offer to tourists but there are amazing salt flats in the area.
To explore it, you can apply for one of the guided tours offered by local agencies.
You can take a 1-day tour to learn about the flats or apply for a 4-day tour so you can also explore two volcanoes and several beautiful lagoons.
Just make sure your guide can speak English well especially if you don’t know Spanish.
Useful tip: look for photos of other travelers so you can get some inspiration and good ideas as the area offers lots of freedom when it comes to beautiful shots.
Tarija – The Best Place For Wine And Steak Lovers
While being not so popular among tourists, Tarija is the most popular vacation spot among locals.
It has a peaceful atmosphere, excellent food, great wine, and a very good climate.
Vine tours are very popular among locals and tourists.
You also should visit the Cordillera of Sama Biological reserve that is known for beautiful nature and flamingoes living there.
Useful tip: visit the restaurant El Fogon del Gringo where you can have delicious steaks, side-dish, and salad buffet bar, and a bottle of wine for only 25€.
Altitude Sickness And How To Deal With It
The most part of the territory of the country is occupied by the Andes so most cities lie high in the mounties.
As a result altitude sickness is a common problem among tourists.
To avoid it, you need to begin your journey with cities that lie in lower areas.
Make sure you have enough time to say in these cities as it will help you acclimatize.
Only after it, you can head to higher cities such as Potosi, La Paz, Copacabana, and Uyuni.
The symptoms of altitude sickness include a headache, shortage of breath, fatigue, and weakness.
To reduce the mild symptoms, you need to drink plenty of water, coca tea and chew some coca leaves.
If you experience more serious problems, you need to ask for medical help immediately.
How To Travel In Bolivia
Bolivia has a quite well-developed transport system as there are lots of tourists every year.
There is a variety of cheap buses but usually, they ride pretty slow due to the roads’ condition and mountain terrain.
If you want to save some money, you can take night rides so as not to pay for hotels.
Just keep in mind that night rides can be pretty exhausting.
If you have enough money and don’t want to waste your time on long bus-trips, Bolivian airlines will the best option for you.
Most cities have airports so you can get almost anywhere around the country much faster.
Bolivia Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Bolivia Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: HIGH
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
