The final stop in our 67-day tour of Bolivia – the birthplace of the sun, and the highest navigable body of water in the world. Bolivia’s navy do their duty out on this lake (can’t get out of it even if you’re landlocked), which seems to be a prime job in a pristine location. We spent 4 days around Lago Titicaca with hardly a single cloud, and just the barest breath of wind. Isla del Sol is a place of cultural importance for both the original indigenous population (for whom this and other islands on the lake are sacred), and following on from them, the Incas, who believed that the sun god was born on the island and built temples accordingly.
Getting to Isla del Sol’s history and views generally requires a stop at Copacabana. While there isn’t a heap to do here, it’s worth staying a night before or after visitng the isla to store your bags. Lago Titicaca is at 3800m, so clambering around Isla del Sol takes a lot of effort even without a big pack – especially when arriving at the south port, where all of the homestays are directly up the ridgeline!
There’s also not a lot to do on the island apart from admiring the views and visiting a handful of historical markers. For us, that added to the allure; having had a number of full-on stops in Bolivia, we were looking forward to relaxing with some sweet views. Just keep in mind that the relaxing probably won’t include swimming – the water is bitterly cold, along with the air, even though the sun is strong!
Keeping it short and sweet
Getting there
Copacabana to La Paz only takes four hours, and the cheap buses run most of the morning (from next to the Cemetario General). Once in Copacabana, is a ferry in the morning to Isla del Sol, and again around lunch. If you need to get over there in a day it can be a bit tight, you’ll probably need to stay one night.
getting back
Copacabana connects to Puno (in Peru) for onward travel.
Where to stay
We stayed at a random cheap hotel in Copacabana, which was nice enough, and on Isla del Sol there are plenty of local families with homestays to choose from. We stayed at Inti Wasi, which is a huge yes as our room had an incredible view of the sunrise over the Andes, and the family were shy but quite lovely.
where to go
From Copacabana, ferry over to Isla del Sol or Isla de la Luna to see historical places are great views.
Fees
Copacabana and Isla del Sol are both quite expensive for Bolivian standards as they’re popular tourist locations. On the isla, you will need to pay tourist fees as you walk through the different villages on the island. There are 3-4 different payments, and there’s no signposting or information – someone will just run up to you with a ticket book and name a price. Keep the ticket with you always
walkies?
The daywalk around Isla del Sol (it’s quite small) is super lovely and can be done in a day; we would recommend it. You can make it into an ‘overnighter’ (albeit a short one) by staying at Challapampa (north) one night and Yumani (south) the other.
Recovery
Drink or dine on the ridge at Yumani for overpriced food but a wonderful view, or grab a few snacks and enjoy the sunset from the top of the hill. And go for a cold, cold swim if that’s your idea of relaxing…
tell me everything
It was finally time to leave Bolivia, having explored and eaten our fill of the areas around La Paz. Our last stop on the way to Peru would be the sacred Lago Titicaca. For our final morning in the capital, we set a new record for the number of salteñas eaten for breakfast and nearly missed the bus to Copacabana in the process. We’d already travelled along the bus route on the way to Sorata, but had missed the most entertaining (and confusing) part of the bus ride, where the main road is blocked by an arm of Lago Titicaca. We all disembarked onto a crowded passenger boat while the bus floated alongside on a rather dodgy-looking single vehicle ferry. Nevertheless, everyone and everything made it across without incident, and another hour later we arrived at the main body of Titicaca and the town of Copacabana.
Copacabana doesn’t boast a wealth of activities – there’s lots of tourist shops on the road heading down to the waterfront if you want knick-knacks, and there are plenty of coffee shops aimed at gringos. On the waterfront, to the left are a row of shops in shacks which all sell basically the same variety of freshly-caught lake trout. It’s a great place to sample the local cuisine, but it’s definitely a tourist setup, with prices to match. The beach itself isn’t very nice, with a fair bit of rubbish on the beach, inflatable obstacle courses in the shallows and tonnes of speed boats and jet skis making a racket further out in the water. A few streets back from the water is the main plaza and cathedral, which is quite pretty, and off from that stems the local market, with some restaurants that are more reasonably priced, but in general we found the quality of the food here to be below the normal Bolivian standard.
That evening, we did enjoy the walk up Cerro Calvario for the sunset – Lago Titicaca and its surrounds are so spectacular. There are no really large cities nearby so there’s no pollution; the air is clear and the water is a pristine blue and the snow covered Andes make an unreal backdrop. Unfortunately, apparently the lake mineral balance is worsening, and the water levels have dropped nearly a metre over the last few years due to glacial melting… but uhhh, it still looks good… Anywhooooo, the walk up to the summit is worth the effort for the sunrise and for the peaceful feel!
The sunset from Copacabana – pretty incredible
The main thing to do from Copacabana is get out to the lake. Staying a night means you can watch a sunset and sunrise, and leave the majority of your luggage at your hotel. The ferry leaves in the morning and the afternoon, but we’d say get on that morning one. El Isla del Sol is the largest island and main attraction, with two different villages with ports at the north and south ends, several homestays to choose from, and a day’s worth of archaeological sites and viewpoints to visit. El Isla de la Luna is much smaller, but also offers homestays and a historical site if you are really interested in Incan history and a more remote visit.
We only visited the island of the sun, spending two nights in the same homestay in Yumani. Yumani is more populous than Challapampa, and has better views and worse beaches. From Yumani, the homestays are all directlyup the ridgeline, which makes for great views from most of the accommodation options but a rough start to your stay. Leave most of your luggage in Copacabana.
Challapampa is much flatter and easier to access, with some really nice beaches. However, to reiterate, we aren’t sure if you’d really like to swim, as the air temperature is always low here, and the water’s maximum average is around 15°C. Even with the strong afternoon sun, it sounds like too much! The ferry can drop you in either village, so if you only have a day to spare it’s possible to get dropped in Challapampa and walk through the central part of the island to Yumani, then take the afternoon ferry back to Copacabana. We’d definitely recommend staying at least a night though – if you’re dropped at Yumani, you can walk to Challapampa and stay the night, or complete the whole loop in a day and sleep back in Yumani (gives you an option to leave your sleeping clothes at your homestay, too). Staying two nights will actually give you an opportunity to relax and enjoy a moment of slow island life.
When you land at either port, you’ll pay a tourist fee (~10bol) for that part of the island – there are at least three, maybe four different ‘areas’ of the island, where the local community charges you to visit their land (even if you are literally only passing through), so keep it in mind if you take the trail around the island. We got charged at Challa, and again in the centre of the island on the main track (when we were walking to the south). Each was 10-20 bol per person.
The day we arrived, we just enjoyed the views from our homestay which looked to the east over the Andes, and took a short stroll up to the mirador to the north of the Yumani ridgeline. South of Yumani is el Templo del Sol, which is one of the main attractions on the island, but we’d read that the entrance fee is not really worth it without a guide, or at least to find some relevant information online, as there’s not any information at the site itself.
We followed the trail around the island the second day. There is a track around the island which forms a loop; we walked anticlockwise, starting from Yumani and following the tracks on the eastern side of the island; they’re a bit random at times, heading alongside farmland and through other villages, but in general it’s easy walking and really picturesque. There’s a few homestays along a beach in a community called Challa, which is just over half way to Challapampa. Grab lunch when you read Challapampa, as there are a handful of basic restaurants on the beachfront opposite the mini-port. The track then continues on to the north towards a series of archeological sites. The first is a rock formation, but as with el Templo del Sol, there’s not a lot of information about the archaeological sites. Unless you’re aware of the significance beforehand, they just look like curious rocks. The final part is an out-and-back to the end of the island, but we were both uh… needing the loo… so we didn’t complete the full length, instead taking the direct way back to the south, towards Yumani.
View from near Challapampa – the water is a stunning colour
The beach at Challampampa – and a local resident
The central part of the track is well defined and doesn’t pass through any villages, just a few small stores. We think this part of the track is more popular with the people who are only staying a single day. It is also much hillier – expect a lot of ascent and descent, but great views to match. It took until the evening to reach Yumani again, where we got a few snacks from a store, and then a pizza for dinner. A great day!
The ferries leave in the morning back to Copacabana, and you can only get your ticket on the day, so arrive a little early to pick one up. Once you’re back in Copacabana, there are options; the buses onward to Peru leave a few times a day if you just want to go to Puno, but the overnight bus to Arequipa (where we went) or Cusco doesn’t leave until 6pm, so you’ll have some time to kill. Also note that the bus price increases a lot here – you’ll still pay in Bolivianos, but the price will be adjusted to match the Peruvian currency.
One of the biggest attractions of South America is the Amazon Rainforest. No matter if you’re an animal-lover, an amateur birder, a tree-hugger, or none of the above, the Amazon is a place of such wonderous natural beauty that it will certainly leave you in some kind of awe – as long as you get to see the real thing. Covering an area twice the size of India (what a CRAZY statistic), the internal parts of the Amazon are primarily in Brazil and totally untouched, but the fringes of the Amazonian bowl sit at the base of the Andes in Peru (2nd greatest in area), Colombia (3rd in area), Bolivia and Ecuador, all of which have access points, along with the northern countries of French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela (probably also with access points, but less travelled). Each port of entry can offer different experiences, pricepoints and slightly different likelihoods of seeing different wildlife.
With the dollar conversion for bolivianos being so strong, we decided to attempt the Amazon experience through Bolivia’s main jungle town, Rurrenabaque. Bolivia doesn’t have an amazing reputation for eco-tourism in the Amazon. Of course this can be an issue anywhere, but we’d read multiple blogs that commented on the general poor practice of Bolivian companies in the Amazon. We understand that over the years, practices have become more ethical, with more companies leaving nature as it is & appreciating whatever you can see; however, many companies still had one or two telltale reviews on Google – the guides bait animals by feeding them, or catch anacondas to get that good photo opportunity. It’s important to do your research to ensure the company you pick really is ethical.
Nevertheless, Rurrenabaque offers a unique animal-watching experience because you can see two different animal-dense areas. The first is the jungle (la selva), which is in ‘the Amazon’ as part of Madidi National Park. This is broken up into the secondary forest – closer to human habitation, smaller trees, more sparse undergrowth – and the primary forest – deeper jungle, huge trees, dense undergrowth, difficult navigation and far more spectacular flora and fauna. However it’s important to consider the realities – in the thickness of the forest, it is really difficult to see animals! This is where Rurre’s outdoor experiences offer something quite cool – the second animal-dense area is called the pampas, which is a large wetland area that also holds plenty of fauna, and it’s so much easier to spot them. This is particularly true in the dry season, as the tour route sits on the main river, and animals are much more likely to come to the river to drink and eat.
It’s common to take tours of 3 days in either, if you’re short on time or are only interested in one region. However, there are also plenty of tours of 5 days across both regions – which we decided on and thoroughly enjoyed.
Keeping it short and sweet
Getting there
Catch a 12-15 hour bus from La Paz – according to many, ‘the worst bus in South America’, thanks to a combinations of road and bus condition. It wasn’t truly terrible, but many people decide to fly instead to avoid the hassle. There are ‘cheap’ flights from La Paz, but that’s cheap for South America, not truly cheap! Return the same way.
Where to stay
There are a few hostels in town – get one with a pool and good mosquito nets!
where to go
Getting animal spotting! Take a tour of the Selva or Pampas or both
Fees
Rurre has fairly standard prices for Bolivia, though the restaurants with a menu del dia are harder to find – it’s a little more tourist-oriented. Madidi National Park has an entrance fee of around 400bol pp. Our 5 day tour was 3000bol pp – but they go for as cheap as 1600 pp with other companies.
walkies?
With a guide, as part of your jungle or pampas tour, totally! Rurre itself doesn’t have a lot to offer though.
Recovery
Staying an extra day after your tour at a hostel with a pool is a great way to chill out (while elements of the tours can be pretty luxe, you still need to decompress)
Picking a Tour
three days in either the selva (jungle) or pampas (wetland/flooded grasslands), or some combination of both. We think the combined tours (3/2 split) give enough time to enjoy different activities and see animals. Of course, personalised tours are available too for a extra $$$
Picking an Agency
Check the Google reviews to ensure the agency is ethical, alongside whatever else is important to you! We went with Mashaquipe Travels and they were awesome (albeit on the pricier side; but we’d been well below budget until then & could afford it).
Animals we saw
in the jungle: howler, cappaccino, spider (from afar) monkeys; small black caiman; so many birds & insects including macaws. In the pampas: ; cappuccino monkey; small black caiman; snakes; capybara; river dolphin; rhea
Animals we missed
anaconda (it seems reasonably common to see these otherwise); jaguar (very, very rare)
tell me everything
Let’s start with getting there. You’ll read horror stories about people getting stuck en route to Rurrenabaque because the bus service is so unbelievably bad. The companies are uncaring of the condition of their buses; they’re pretty dirty, and both the buses we took sounded like the engine was about to cark it the whole way (which does seem to happen quite often). The bus apps say it should be a 10 hour journey, but 15 hours is more realistic – especially in the wet season when the roads will be in poor condition. Despite that, we still had comfy seats that fully reclined, and with ear plugs and an eye mask you can conquer any journey. The only problem with the delays is that the bus ended up dropping us in Rurre too late to start our tour the same day – so we had a day to spend exploring this little town.
The first two things about Rurre – there are tuktuks! So grab one from the bus station into the main town, because the second thing is that it’s hot. Maybe not hot like India, but incredibly hot for two people who’ve been in the mountains for a month, and certainly too hot to walk 30 minutes from the bus station to our accommodation – something we didn’t realise until we were half way there.
Once we found a hostel for the evening, we got a feed at a nice cafe and then spent the day hopping in and out of the pool to stay at a reasonable temperature. During the day it’s alright, but watch out for the little bitey bugs from the evening onwards. We took a pleasant walk down the river in the evening, then ate outside somewhere for dinner… without bugspray on hand. Big mistake.
If a mosquito bites you, bite them back.
The tour started by motorboat, heading upriver into the jungle. The jungle lining the river is stunning to look at, and we spotted a small alligator hanging out on one of the beaches. The current is strong so going upriver is slow. The day was broken up by a visit to a local home, where we crushed sugarcane and drank the juice, and learned a bit about the villages in the jungle. The Mashaquipe lodge is about 3 hours upriver, so we arrived by early afternoon. We did mention we paid a bit more than we were expecting – and it showed, in the quality of the buildings and upkeep of the facilities. We had a room to ourselves, the bed was comfortable and the mosquito net didn’t have any holes. We had termites munching away in the corner of our room, but that’s all just part of being in the Amazon! What’s more, we were lucky enough that some wildlife decided to wander through the lodge grounds. We could see red howler monkeys from our bed, and there were cappuccino monkeys mucking around in another tree in the middle of the courtyard. It was such an awesome start.
Pampas vs Selva
In the pampas, you may see far more animals, but you won’t truly be in the Amazon. The tours are predominantly by boat – the two or three days you’ll spend motoring around, admiring monkeys in the bushes around you, birds flying above you, river dolphins hanging out around the boat, and caimans watching you from the edges of the river. Depending on the season and where your company is located along the river, you may take a walk on an island where anaconda tend to live. We did walk in the genuine swamp to get to an island – which was incredibly cool, even though we didn’t see any anacondas! However other than that, the tours are pretty light on activity.
The selva gives you an opportunity to see the real Amazon. We saw a small family living in the national park, just alongside the river, which was quite humbling. From the lodge, we saw monkeys (so lucky they were living there at the time!) but it’s only in the primary forest, so while it was beautiful, it didn’t compare to the flora we saw in the secondary forest. It really feels so ancient, and it is a privilege to experience walking through such ancient places.
That afternoon, Jhomar took us on a walk to teach us more about jungle-life. We learned about using different plants for medicines, the dangers and signs of different animals (lots of ants stories), the spiritual significance of certain trees and shaministic rites and a lot about his own upbringing – which was, literally, in the jungle. We had so many moments of insight and even though the walk was only a couple of hours, came away with so much respect for the land and the people who care for it.
The next highlight was dinner – and the food in general across the Mashaquipe tour continued in this manner. We had a buffet dinner, with fried chicken, local stews, fresh veg, and carbs galore. The food was fantastic and plentiful and as you can imagine, we ate far more than our needed share. All of this in the middle of the jungle! It was the best we’d eaten in months.
Day 2 saw us walking from the secondary forest on the river’s edge into the primary forest. The trail was fairly well trodden, but we had rain all day, which meant there was very little animal life to be seen (a combination of ducking the head to avoid the rain, and the fact that nobody is stoked to be getting soaked – including the local residents). After a couple of hours, we made it to the campsite in the primary forest, where we were to be sleeping on a mattress on a raised platform with a mosquito net. It’s not really roughing it (especially when there’s a lad cooking you an awesome lunch, dinner & breakfast), but it was a very cool experience. Once we set up our beds, chowed down lunch we had a little rest (some did see toucans in this period – but we missed them)… then returned to find leaf cutter ants all over our bags. They ate so many holes in one of Awal’s dry compression sacks ($rip$), were all over Emma’s backpack, and were really keen on the plastic sole of both of our boots.
Once we’d encouraged them off our gear, and ‘hid’ it off the ground, we headed out a night walk. We started just before sundown, enjoying the light in the trees and the density of the forest, but when we stopped and turned around, it got properly dark. We saw a few massive spiders and a caiman in a stream alongside the trail, but while our lightning-fast guide caught a few glimpses of other animals in the trees, we were all a bit too doddery to see much else. But seeing the jungle at night, and hearing the eerie noises that all the animals and bugs make, leaves a distinct impression.
The sleep that night was super peaceful, although one of the others heard something rustling in the bushes, we slept right through. We awoke early to wander through the bush, to hear the dawn chorus (which includes howler monkeys announcing themselves, though in a different part of the forest), though we didn’t spot any animals. After breakfast, the walk of day 3 was to the third camp, back in the secondary forest, stopping at a site for nesting macaws en route. This day we also saw spider monkeys feeding and disrupting some other birds from a distance – sooo cool! We were able to see the macaws from the top of the cliff, and after lunch, from a viewpoint at the base of the cliff. If you have the option, doing both is worth it. The colours of the macaws from above are incredible, the views of the jungle are unreal, and you can see them flying in from afar. From below, you can watch them scrambling into their nests together, possibly a peek of their juveniles, and watch how affectionate they are. They’re wonderful social birds, and their noises are so hilarious.
We didn’t stay at the 3rd campsite/lodging place (though lunch there was excellent, once again), but our last activity for the day was to build a raft and drift along the riverbank to the first lodging site. It turned into a combination of swimming, singing, and only at the very end, paddling to the riverbank, and it was an activity that we really ended up loving. Macaws flew overhead multiple times, and thankfully there were no caiman this time!
After another huge breakfast to start Day 4, we started the motorboat journey back down the river (much faster than the journey upriver) to Rurre and then onwards via car to the pampas. In the 2-hour car ride to the pampas, we saw rhea and capybara, and tried in vain to spot a toucan. Once arriving at the port, it’s onto another motorised boat, which you will spend most of your animal-sighting time on. The Mashaquipe lodge is only 20 minutes by boat from the main pier, though many other companies seem to be a couple of hours in the opposite direction. Already on the way to the lodge we spotted several monkeys and plenty of birdlife. Again, the lodge itself was ridiculously nice, especially perched right on the riverside with a deck to relax over the river, and all the rooms were massive (and we had a private bathroom! Serious luxury). Again, we were lucky enough that there were howler monkeys just living in the trees around the lodge, so we didn’t have to go far to watch the wildlife.
Mosquitos
Now, I (Emma) fucking hate mosquitos. They make me anxious, jumpy and incapable of concentrating. They also seem to love me – I’ll always have far more bites than Awal! The mosquitos in the Amazon are feisty, but if you’re there in the right season they aren’t actually heinously bad – we didn’t get a ridiculous number of bites over the time. They are also not unmanageable in the jungle, though in the evenings in the pampas they are out in force. There are a few tricks to minimising the onslaught.
Wear loose, flowing items, or waterproof clothes. They will happily bite through all sorts of material if your skin is in contact, so I ended up wearing my waterproof pants most of the time despite the heat, and spraying repellent on my clothes where they always touch (ankles and shoulders).
Deet is the best chemical repellent, though seriously watch how much you put on. If you have a cream or gel, also get a spray that you can put on your clothes.
Supposedly, mosquitoes are more attracted to dark clothes, so light colours are meant to help (idk tho).
When we checked, the Rurrenabaque area is not malaria prone – it’s best to check for updates, and still try to avoid getting bitten for other diseases, but it’s one less thing to worry about.
Day 5 began with a (bat in our room lol) sunrise boat ride – some gorgeous colours across the sky. Then back to the lodge for breakfast, and onwards for a real adventure. Jhomar knew an island that the previous season, had anacondas living on it. The only catch was that the island wasn’t accessible by boat… we were going to be slogging through swamp to get there. This was a bonkers experience. We all had poles to shoo away any caiman who happened to be in the water about us. The water was nearly up to Emma’s chest (okay, I’m short, but still!). The swamp plants were thick, so most of the time the going was slow as we stepped over concealed roots and thick vines. At one point, we heard a wee chirping sound, which our guide identified as a baby alligator calling for its mum… so we kept moving. Once on the island we walked quietly in hopes of the elusive snake. We didn’t see any anaconda, but Jhomar found an old jaguar den. He was seriously concerned there was actually a jaguar in there – we suppose if there had been, she would not have been happy to have people near her safe space. He also found cattle tracks – unfortunately, some livestock had obviously got loose and were using this little island for foraging, which he suspected had forced the anaconda to move onwards. It was a sorrowful moment, as for him this was another marker of how humans have continued to encroach on wild spaces in ways that they can’t see – but ways that seriously damage the homes of native animals.
We followed the cattle tracks back through the swamp to the ‘main’ island, which were far easier to follow, started a few lizards and frogs on the way back, but generally the mood was a bit more somber as we arrived back at the boat. We finished off with another tour around the laguna – a few dolphins to uplift the spirits, plus some capybara and vibrant birds. Then it was another (giant) lunch, and back to Rurrenabaque with a new appreciation for what nature this little pocket of the world holds.
Other notes & tips (on how to pick a tour)
Which tour operator?
We touched on ethics – though of course that’s something to check before any tour.
Mashaquipe only employs local guides from local tribes. The people of the land being able to showcase their own land is one of the best ways to really support ecotourism, because you know that they are the most likely to truly care. Our guide was so passionate about the jungle, he literally grew up in it, attends conferences about eco-tourism, and trains up other kids in his village to follow a similar path. We’d highly recommend their service.
The tours can be quite different too. We had time (and money) to spend five days across the pampas and selva. While the pampas are at a high standard, the selva experiences sound like they can be kind of… lame. Many of the cheaper operators will do a normal night in the selva, and a day & night doing a ‘survival’ experience, where you have to make your own shelter, find your own food… which didn’t sound super fun to us when there are so many animals to see. We’d also say it’s important to make sure some of the experience is in the primary forest, which really is the most impressive part of the jungle to visit. If you’re doing a combination of the selva and pampas (which we recommend).
Of course, it’s really important to read recent reviews. As we mentioned, not all companies are created equal, and many will handle or feed animals to get better tips. Please, do not fund this behaviour – it creates unhealthy reliance and relationships and disturbs the natural order. Observe from a distance, enjoy what you see (even if it’s only plants), and be appreciative of nature no matter what it gives you!
Other amazon options
We had an amazing time in Rurre, but you can see different animals in all sorts of different parts of the Amazon. There are blogs that make better comparisons, but the three locations that we were considering were:
Puerto Maldonado’s Tambopata in Peru is the best place to see giant otters (near the Bolivian border), and may be reached by road. It’s closest to Cusco.
Iquitos is Peru’s most popular destination for Amazon tours. Iquitos itself is quite big, but can only be reached by plane or 3 days on a boat. Just getting there can be an adventure!
Leticia is the Amazon port of Colombia – another day speed boat ride away from Iquitos, or a plane from Bogota. We had a friend who had a great tour here for a reasonable price, although the accommodation & food is far more basic (hammocks with mosquito nets).
Sajama National Park is a mountain-climbing, day-hiking, sun-kissed gem. It’s another high-altitude desert, so our memories are of beautiful, sunny days and freezing cold nights. The main village of Sajama is the starting point for two different day hikes and close enough to the thermal baths to walk (although, we did take a cab – by our last day we were a bit knackered…). This gives you great freedom to get outdoors right from your doorstep.
We read other blogs saying Sajama was deserted of tourists. While we’re sure that at one point it was, but it’s now quite a popular place – our homestay was full the whole time, but all were chilled out people who were just there to get outdoors. Whether you’re visiting Bolivia on a short trip, or spending two and a half months here, we do think that Sajama National Park is a worthy detour to get a taste for incredible landscapes and a closely knit Bolivian culture.
Keeping it short and sweet
Getting there
From La Paz, take any bus going to Oruro and get off at Patacamaya (~20bol pp). Alternatively, head to the bus station in El Alto (blue line gondola) and take a collectivo – the buses are quite slow, we left at 7am and only arrived at 12:10pm! Arrive at Patacamaya before 12:30 to get on the connecting collectivo to Sajama (only one per day, 50bol pp).
getting back
Return the same way, but book your collectivo ticket to Patacamaya the evening before. The office opens around 6pm and it gets full fast.
Where to stay
There are plentiful options in Sajama village, the easiest point to get to, but we recommend Mario and Ana’s homestay. They were awesome, the food was yum, and if you want to cook for yourself there’s a kitchen you can use (with a donation)
where to go
Staying in Sajama Village means you’ve got activities which start right in the village. However, if you want to see more of the park & an even smaller village, you can take a tour to Tomarapi
Fees
Sajama village is inside the national park – when you arrive on the collectivo, you’ll need to pay the park entry fee of 100bol pp, but it will be good for your whole stay.
walkies?
Hell yeah! Climb up to Wisalla peak (5050m) for incredible close-up views of Sajama. Take a long day-hike or do an overnighter to the Sajama geysers and Laguna Chiarcota (and jump over the Chilean border!). If you’re looking for a challenge, attempt Acotango (6052m, an ‘easy’ 6000+m summit), Pomerape (6282m, more technical), Parinacota (6380m, less technical) or the highest peak in Bolivia and the park’s namesake, Sajama (6,542m).
Recovery
Visit thermal baths after summiting or hiking for an outdoor hot spa with incredible views.
Tell me everything
Bolivia is filled with wonders, truly! Even though we visited Sajama as the Bolivian weather changes from wet to dry, as it’s part of the desert plateau we experienced days of cloudless sunshine and nights perfect for stargazing. We spent four nights in Sajama, and 2-3 days is the perfect amount of time to tick off all of the standard activities in this little village.
Sajama National Park is named so for the towering volcano right next to the village – the highest peak in Bolivia at 6542m. You can certainly attempt Sajama – but so soon after Huayna Potosi, we weren’t mentally ready for an even harder challenge. There are other summit options in the park – the three common peaks are Acotango (6052m, another ‘easy’ 6000+m summit), Pomerape (6282m, more technical) and Parinacota (6380m, less technical). While the national park is a popular place for mountaineering, and is a great learning ground, it isn’t compulsory!
If you are considering doing a summit, there are a couple of the day hikes around Sajama are good ways to acclimatise more. Sajama village itself is at 4200m, so sleeping a few nights and doing some daily walking will definitely help. The easy option is climbing Wisalla peak directly to the east of the village. The walk will take you up to ~5000m, there are a few ways up depending on whether you prefer doing a circuit or a simple up and back.
The longer option, best done on the second day of acclimatisation, is to visit the geysers and the lagunas. This is a massive loop if you start from town, but the best way to do it is to catch an early morning taxi to the geysers (they look the most impressive right after sunrise, due to the temperature differential, so getting there by cab is most efficient), then walking the rest of the loop. This track is incredibly lovely, a really varied daywalk with three different lagunas, high altitude meadows, lots of wildlife to spot, and plenty of peaceful spots to admire the views. If you’ve got the gear, you can turn this into an overnighter and camp by the first laguna, though by ‘the gear’ we mean stuff that is super, super warm! At 5000m it is below freezing every night. The last section of the track is a bit less interesting – once you exit the final valley, it’s about 8km over flat farmland, in, over and around fences to take the most direct route back to the village.
Wisalla peak – so close that Sajama (almost) looks climbable
Halfway through the lagunas loop – so beautiful!
If you’re so inclined, take your swimwear on the hike above – not for the lagunas (WAY too cold!) but for the thermal baths – with a small detour, these are on the way back, and can be a lovely way to relax after a hard day’s hike! Just note that after you’ll have to put the boots back on to make it down the road. There are a few different options for thermal baths – as they are natural, there are supposedly a few free pools on unclaimed properties. The two ‘main’ pools are privately maintained and will cost about 20bs pp. Rather than following on our hike, we took a cab the following day to relax, to the termas of Dona Ines – this had a stunning view of Sajama from the pool, plus lots of llamas chilling out all around us. Iconically Bolivia! The water is actually so hot it can be a bit much – our advice is don’t go in the middle of the day, because it’s really easy to keep jumping in and out and get sunburnt…
So unless you’re planning on summiting anything, two days is enough to pack in both hikes and the termas. We did it all over three days to just enjoy the peace of being in the desert. If you want to do summits, Mario from the homestay seemed super reliable and had a lot of gear, but when we visited he was booked up to the ears – he told us he was guiding 7 summits attempts consecutively! That’s basically no sleep for a week. You can also book the mountaineering expeditions from La Paz, if you prefer doing it a more ‘official’ way, but if you have a little experience or are attempting an easier peak, it’s totally fine (and more economical, probably) to sort it out in Sajama.
The hot pool (best visited NOT in the middle of the day) with an awesome vista above.
The local transport to Sajama is fairly easy to navigate, although we did have a little bit of a panic. Our bus leaving La Paz got stuck in heinous traffic up to El Alto, and then stopped at three different stops to wait for passengers – which delayed us by about an hour, and meant we only arrived in Patacamaya 20 minutes before the collectivo was meant to leave. Thankfully, we’d found the collectivo driver’s number online (well, through a series of online numbers), and so they knew we wanted a seat and were waiting for us. We think that catching the teleferico up to the main El Alto bus station and hitching a collectivo from there might be a better bet for a fast journey. Getting stuck in Patacamaya isn’t ideal, as there’s nothing there and there’s only one collectivo to Sajama village daily. If you are stuck in Patacamaya, there is an option to catch the bus that heads down the highway to cross the border with Chile. However, if you hop out at the junction, the dirt road to Sajama village is about 12km from the main road, so you’ll need to hitch, take a loooong walk, or get a cab.
However you get there, once arriving in Sajama there’s a fee to enter the national park of 100bs; this will cover the length of your stay.
We stayed at an amazing homestay run by Mario and Ana; Mario is a mountain guide, so this is a perfect place to stay if you’re keen on climbing mountains and supporting local guides. The food is great and the guest houses are amazing – they’re built in the traditional style with dome styled architecture and adobe (mud) walls. The adobe is a traditional method that is excellent at retaining heat, so they get toasty as in the night, but to capitalise on that the rooms are quite tiny. There are plenty of options in Sajama village, but we really enjoyed our stay here and would absolutely recommend it, they were so so lovely. They also have a separate kitchen which you can use if you prefer to cook yourself.
Sajama has a few shops with basic provisions – excellent for a post-hike icecream – but if you have specific tastes while hiking, make sure you stock up in La Paz. The homestays provide breakfast and dinner at a fee; they are usually a bit more pricey than your usual Bolivian menu del dia, but it’s convenient to eat in the house, plus it’s a nice way to meet and chat to other people. If you’ve a strict budget, a couple of the restaurants around the town do provide a slightly cheaper service, although the exact schedule is a little confusing.
We were also in Sajama for the town’s anniversary – in the morning, marching bands filled the streets, and in the afternoon, everyone filed along to the town hall for group feed and plenty of drinks. There was plenty of merriment and generosity – Emma poked her head in, looking for something to take for Awal to eat (sick & in bed! The cold is harsh on the body), and they piled up a plate of potatoes and lamb without question. So kind, and so humbling to see such a tightly knit community coming together!
We mentioned it in a previous post, but hiking in Bolivia is a little unusual. Poor trail quality, limited information online and from tour operators, human habitation everywhere. However, our experience with the Condoriri didn’t put us off – there is incredible beauty and a spectacular challenge in hiking at altitude in these less-travelled areas. The Illampu is particularly special because it circuits the Illampu mastiff – snow capped mountains are almost always on your right (going clockwise), with multiple peaks over 6000m sitting in the sub-range.
The Illampu Circuit itself is particularly strange because much of the trail is now a basic road – nothing paved, and it’s still very remote and with low populations, but we were passed by a few jeeps and a couple of diesel-spewing trucks on day three. It takes away from the serenity of nature when someone honks at you from behind. We understand that the main reason for the road building has been to facilitate mining in the mountains – an unfortunate example of ‘progress’, as in natural exploitation, changing the feel of a hike. While some of the passes are proper Bolivian track (inconsistent, unsigned, beautiful), there is a reasonable amount of walking along the rocky-gravel road. However, with the elevation changes, the gradual incline that comes with the road is quite welcome, and there are very few vehicles overall. And – the views are still incredible.
If you want something shorter in the range, you can also hike up to Laguna Chillata, which is an overnight glacial lake at the foot of Illampu. This can be connected into a mini circuit if you start at Lackathiya and walk along the side of the range.
Even if you’re not looking to hike, Sorata is a lovely place to visit. The town sits in an incredibly picturesque valley, and boasts a few homestays and basic restaurants. The climate far more mild than the plateau, though be warned that the descent into the valley is terribly windy – grab a front seat if you get carsick easily. And watch out for the tiny sandflies – they leave nasty bites!
Keeping it short and sweet
Description
Hike 5 or 7 days around one of the highest points and mythic figures of Bolivia’s section of the Andes, Illampu. The classic hike starts and finishes at the village of Sorata, beginning in the humid jungle of the town and ascending through alpine grass into high passes at and near 5000m. There are many hamlets on the route, including the village of Cooco where there are a couple of stores to restock basics. This does mean that the majority of the hike is now connected by road – in particular, the first and final days on the full loop are completely on the road – so we shortened the hike to 5 days by catching a cab, also avoiding about 1500m of ascent and descent.
Climate
Drier, clearer skies in winter (April – October), wetter and warmer in summer (November – March). Starts in humid jungle, quickly moves to alpine walking (above 3500m), therefore very changeable weather. Cool during the day, fairly cold at elevations at night.
Distance
69km (110km)
Elevation
3480m to 5050m (5 days) (2680m if starting/finishing at Sorata).
Costs
None!
Track
Predominantly on the road, with sections/options to walk offroad in some places. Non-technical where it is not on the road. Does disappear at times – GPS required.
Facilities
None. Bury your poop, filter your water, leave no trace.
Notes
Because the track is so well marked, and most of the trail is near roads, we believe there is no need for a guide on this hike.
Getting there
The track starts at Sorata. There are collectivos going from La Paz to Sorata all day, though the majority of people will leave in the morning, so that will be your best bet for getting there without waiting too long. Taxi to near the cemeterio general, and tell your driver that you want to go to Sorata.
Day 0
Sorata – Lackathiya (9.4km, 1500m ascent, 330m descent) – we skipped this day, but the track and the road are the same. If you take this route, there is a lot of ascent with a big pack. If you want to skip as we did, the taxi to Lackathiya was 150bol.
Day 1
Lackathiya – near Ancoma (13km, 1230m ascent, 1100m descent) where we started – from the village of Lackathiya begin ascending towards to the Illampu pass, initially through farmland, and eventually up a steep scree pathway. If you get good weather, enjoy views of the mastiff the whole way up. Then descend gently through the neighbouring valley, curving to the right as it opens up into a perpendicular valley and eventually meeting up with a road. Follow the road for a few kilometres before turning off into another adjoining valley, and make camp next to the river.
Day 2
near Ancoma – near Cooco (14km, 1060m ascent, 1140m descent) immediately ascend the steep wall of the valley to the southeast. This leads to a different gently climbing valley, so follow that until the next pass. The descent on the other side is very steep but the trail is generally well marked. Once at the base, follow the road until the village of Cooco. You can restock the basics here – we bought a little bread and fresh vege for the night. Then, continue through the village still southward – you can walk on the road or divert off onto a slightly older path for three kilometers before stopping for the night. There are plenty of spots to pick from.
Day 3
near Cooco – near Abra de la Calzada (16km, 1500m ascent, 660m descent) This is the biggest day for elevation, though the ascent is broken in two. Begin the day ascending to the pass in the current valley, predominantly along the road. Descend along llama tracks and the road (a combination is fastest) until you hit the bottom of the next valley and several farms. Continue south along the flat road, but eventually it starts switchbacking upwards. The best campsite (flattest) is right next to the road.
Day 4
near Abra de la Calzada – Laguna San Francisco (14km, 630m ascent, 880m descent) Finish what you started yesterday – immediately ascend to the highest point on the track, then descend gently next to a beautiful alpine lake. After this lake and before the lower, the track diverges from the road and begins to climb again along the side of another hill. Continue climbing into a saddle, then pick a trail until you hit the next ridge. The track descends through another sandy bowl, angle always to west and slightly north until you can see another lake – Laguna San Francisco. Camping can be a bit of a nightmare – or it was for us – as the base of the valley before the laguna is a massive bog. The marked camp spots here are a bit questionable, so you may have to pick your way up the valley (northeast) to a rocky outcrop that is drier).
Day 5
Laguna San Francisco – near Millipaya (17km (12km), 410m ascent, 1500m (940m) descent) Our last day – again start with a steep ascent up the side of the valley wall. Enjoy spectacular views to the north of the mastiff. Once the switchbacks of an old road even out, the trail evens out over a low saddle for your last pass. On a clear day, you’ll see Lake Titicaca, and the mastiff on the other side. The next part of the track winds up and down the foothills, changing from alpine grass to real grass, farmland and trees. The path winds fairly randomly (e.g. it’s non-existent – walk where you please) until you hit the road. From there, it’s about 6km of descent until Milipaya, where you should be able to find a taxi, or someone’s yard to camp in. We got picked up by a random couple about 1km down the road, and they served as our taxi back to Sorata. Locals are always keen to help and make some money at the same time so if someone drives past you, wave them down and have a quick chat to see if they’re interested to take you. We got into the tiniest jeep in the world but it worked out!
Day 6
near Millipaya – Sorata (18km, 1500m descent) If you decide to hike the whole loop, it’s another big day with a lot of downhill, again down the road. The change in scenery is incredible.
getting out
As above, the collectivos run from Sorata to La Paz all day and into the evening. You can get back to the big centre the same day that you finish, easily.
Tell me everything
We ended up staying two nights in Sorata before we left for the circuit. Because we were uncertain about the track, mostly misgivings about the altitude, we hired a guide… or tried to. This was a real palava – the three guides on the Sorata tourism website didn’t respond to my Whatsapp messages; there was nobody at the tourism office on the first day; we managed to find someone on the second day, one Don Julio, and all was well for a time. Then after we’d sent a few messages to confirm the route details, Don Julio called back, to check if we had a tent… for him! It turns out that while Don Julio was a local experienced in wandering the mountains themselves, he didn’t quite have the gear to get himself through as we were hoping. It was all in all a hilariously chaotic situation – his strategy was to walk with us to the campsites, then find someone at each of the hamlets that he could bunk with, before running to find us again in the morning. The first day, he actually told us he was just going to head home for the evening. While we committed to the first day of pay and guiding, we quickly realised that we could probably make do by ourselves, and also that the sleeping situation wasn’t ideal for anyone, and excused ourselves of his services for the remainder of the hike.
Don Julio did provide interesting information for the first part of the hike – hiking tourism used to be far more prominent in Sorata, but post COVID (and probably since the roads were built) the allure of hiking and tourism agencies have diminished. He used to be a porter for hikers and climbers in the area, and is a native of the mountains, so was very comfortable with the track we walked.
Day one started with the three of us taking a very bumpy road for over an hour up to Lackathiya – a small hamlet where there is also an unused tourism office, a relic of previous years. The track ambles over various tracks in farmland to the east for a while before beginning to ascend steeply to the Illampu pass. This used to be the only track to the mines in the mountains – so a highway, essentially. On a good day, there are incredible views of the mastiff, but we only had a few sneaky peaks before the clouds made their bed. Before the road was built, this section was the main connection into the villages in the range – it’s a fairly rocky climb, and if you’ve also taken a taxi, make sure you walk slowly to prevent the altitude from doing anything weird to you. Stopping for lunch at Paso Illampu should give you incredible views, before dipping down the other side through a much more shallow valley. Descend for some time before eventually reaching a perpendicular valley, tracing the valley wall, and meeting up with the road. It’s easy walking along the road for a couple of kilometers until Ancoma, where the ‘track’ dips behind a property and follows the adjoining valley. Walk until you find a suitable place to camp – the trail continues the next morning on the true right of the stream (straight up the valley wall, into a different adjoining valley for the next pass). We camped on the true right in an old stone walled pen, taking off our boots a little early to cross the stream. The weather cleared up a bit, so the view up the valley to the snow peaks was incredible that night and in the morning. This campsite is at 3800m, so it’s reasonably warm overnight, but still high enough to see you hurtling into the tent after sundown to escape the cold.
Day one’s campsite is at the bottom of the valley, and the track for day two starts by heading up the valley wall – about 100m. This is a rough start to the day, take the time to use switchbacks when you can. Because of the easterly angle of the next valley, you should get sun once you finish this particularly steep bit. It’s then a continuous trail up this new valley for a couple of hours – the path becomes more unclear as the valley lengthens, and is at times boggy, so pick your path. Once we reached the pass top (4400m), we took a break before a muddy descent on the other side. Make sure you descend on the true right of the river for the easiest (and eventually correct) path. A number of switchbacks gave us great views of the valley Coyoco sits in, but it’s rough on the knees. Once you make it to the bottom, follow the road until you reach the town. We picked up some extra bread here, the stores are pretty basic so don’t rely on them too much. After a break and a restock, cross the river at the bridge, following the road to the south. This climbs again with the track remaining as the road, although it splits into the new road and an older one, to the right. The right-hand ‘road’ leads to the campsite marked on the map, and is much more private (the ‘old’ road is eventually blocked for cars). There are a few random houses in this area and plenty of old stone ruins, though we didn’t see anyone around. Despite the proximity to the road, there were some nice grassy areas and a bubbling brook that we pitched up alongside, and we had a really lovely night’s sleep here, at about 3900m. One thing to watch out for is the prickly grassy mounds that exist around this altitude. We initially thought we’d picked a lovely soft spot, but the grass is so sharp it breaks off into anything in touches! Thankfully, we didn’t stick any holes into our groundsheet.
Day three is rough. Like, insanely so. The day starts with the remainder of a gentle (relative term?) ascent up the current valley. Continue along the old road until it meets up with the new; you’ll have to cross the river at some point, we did so at a vehicle ford. The present pass ends at 4500m, offering some lovely views of the massive valley as you tramp along. The other side descends more steeply – follow a mix of the road and llama trails into the base of the next river valley, about 4000m, then it’s back up again. This whole section is on the road, and is where we were passed by all the ‘traffic’ – a handful of jeeps and trucks. While it’s gentle (with lots of vehicle-friendly switchbacks), it’s a fiendish ascent of 700m until the campsite. We also had pretty average weather coming up here, with the clouds packing it in again and some light drizzle, so it wasn’t a great end to the day for us. The campsite for day 3 is a little strange – it’s a ‘laguna’ on the map but really a bog for the most part. There’s a sandy patch which is nice and flat for pitching right by the road, as you arrive at the laguna. There are a few rocky/uneven spots toward the other end of the laguna, though the running water is closer and it’s a bit more private it would be a much less comfortable sleep. This is the highest campsite – at 4750m – so be prepared for a cold night with frost.
Wake up the next morning ready to hit the highest point on the track. If you go for an early start, make sure you take care with any frozen poles – they’ll be much more prone to snapping. The highest point is called Abra de la Calzada, after which there’s an opportunity to diverge from the road and wander along the old hiking trail. This whole section has awesome views of the two lagunas below. However, there is a portion which traverses a boulder slope – which had suffered from a slip when we were on the trail, meaning it disappeared and turned into some dodgy path-picking. We had to scramble back up to the sturdiness of the road. And, once we’d got back on the road, it started snowing! Very cute at first, but it quickly became a bit problematic as the wind picked up and turned it into sleet. We hadn’t yet stopped for lunch, and with the sideways cold – now we couldn’t. We then lost trail again as it diverged from the road (cattle, llama tracks are everywhere!), and getting back on it meant sleet straight into our faces. We struggled on for about an hour, but thankfully the weather cleared up for our final climb onto the tops, which meant we could finally have some lunch before the wind picked up and got us moving before freezing. We had some lovely views over the tops, although our reactions were a bit dulled due to exhaustion. As always, the trail appeared and disappeared, but the general direction is clear for the descent into the Laguna San Francisco valley. This particular section on the mountain is very cool – it really feels like remote foothills, as you are finally completely away from the road.
However, the map had yet to give us the biggest lie! Laguna San Fransisco is a beautiful colour and looks like a lovely place to camp. As we descended, it appeared as a flat grassy old glacial valley, and the map told us the camping spot was right in the middle. Quite exposed – considering our experiences of mountain weather, we weren’t super keen to pitch up in such an open place. Then as we tried to explore the “track” to the campsite, we found the entire valley to be a bog. Fair warning – walking is really tough, and on the far side there are streams which can make your track impassable. We aren’t sure if it’s because we were so close to the rainy season, or if it’s always like that – but in our opinion, there was no way we could pitch up anywhere in the middle. Both sides of the valley were steep and full of thick alpine grasses and a variety of nettles – there’s an old stone hamlet on each side, but there’s no flat ground in either. It was one of those times where we were exhausted, underfed, over-altituded and filled with decision fatigue. Eventually we made our way further up the valley, after crossing, to a rocky outcrop, and were lucky enough to find a grassy spot (without bog!) to pitch up at. 5:30pm pitch and 6pm sunset meant a rushed dinner and a short evening to relax. If you’re doing this trek, learn from our mistakes! Head straight across the bog, don’t muck around with the map campsite, and head up the valley – the rocky outcrop is obvious from the top valley wall. There’s also a tepid stream (termas) on the way.
The final day begins with another ascent to the final pass. Head right up the valley wall along a mixture of old road and wide trail, and finally a gentle ascent through alpine grass. The pass is marked with a cairn shaped like a fullah with a hat on, and on a clear day you can see the spectacular blue of Lago Titicaca ahead, and the peaks on the right. The rest of the track descends randomly through farmland which gets progressively greener. Llamas turn into sheep into cattle as the pastures become lush. We lost the track a lot, ended up in several bogs, and generally were a bit irritated from exhaustion. However, luck stroke only a couple of kilometers after we reached the road. We were planning to walk to Milipaya, to then catch a taxi to Sorata, to then score a collectivo back to La Paz. However, a couple drove past us and offered us the lift to Sorata (for ‘un rojo’ – a 100 bol bill), saving us the 6km of walking down the road. So this walkie ended, with the kindness – well, opportunism – of strangers, and the chance to gaze at the changing scenery from the comfort of a seat rather than our two feet.
Calling this a ‘walkie’ is really pushing our self-made definition, but our first attempt at mountaineering was an incredible experience that we wanted to share. It was an extraordinary challenge, an introduction to a bunch of new skills, and at the end of it, an unbelievable vista along the spine of the Andes. We have absolutely minimal experience with anything snow related – we’ve both been skiing once and have panicked memories of bruised knees and uncontrolled descents. We’ve never had an ice axe in hand or had to walk with crampons. However, that won’t stop you from summiting Huayna – just ensure you’re decently fit and well determined.
Keeping it short and sweet
Description
One of the ‘easiest’ 6000m+ peaks in the world. There are many agencies in La Paz running safe, guided ascents of Huayna Potosi over 2 or 3 days. As the base area of the Andes is already so high, at both the base camp and high camp you’ll sleep in a refugio rather than a tent, which helps make the final ascent that much easier. The distances themselves are minimal, and summit day is a non-technical climb through the snow of 700m – 800m, depending on what company you ascend with and which base camp they use.
Climate
Drier, clearer skies in winter (April – October), wetter and warmer in summer (November – March). High altitude mountaineering, so very changeable weather. Cold all the time.
Distance
5km
Elevation
4775m – 6088m
Costs
We went with Jiwaki (reputable, neon green) and paid 1000bol pp, plus 350 bol in tips. There’s also an entry fee to the Huayna Potosi area (20 – 50 bol, can’t remember exactly!)
Track
Ascending to base camp is rocky, only the last part is snowy. For the summit, you’ll be kitted up in waterproof gear, boots, ice axe and crampons.
Facilities
Flushing toilets and refugios at both camps.
Notes
While quoted as one of the easiest 6000m+ peaks, it doesn’t mean this summit is easy. The whole ascent is at a very high altitude, so you’re very likely to be impacted in some way, even with good acclimatisation. Do not forget your own snacks for the final ascent!
Day 0
Sorata – Lackathiya (9.4km, 1500m ascent, 330m descent) – we skipped this day, but the track and the road are the same. If you take this route, there is a lot of ascent with a big pack. If you want to skip as we did, the taxi to Lackathiya was 150bol.
Day 1
Travel from La Paz to Huayna Potosi basecamp; meet all your fellow mountaineers, start getting hyped! After lunch, you’ll get all your gear on and gear to the low-altitude glacier to practice your basic snow skills – styles of ascending and descending in crampons, working with the ice axe, and a little bit of fun abseiling and climbing an ice wall! Get an early night in the cosy base camp to acclimatise well.
Day 2
Spend the morning relaxing – you’re still at about 4700m, so just walking around can be tiring. To get to lunch, carry all your gear to the high camp – the refugios are less fancy than the base camp, but a damn sight better than sleeping in a tent! Get a very early night (like, 6–7pm) because you’ll be waking up at 1am the next ‘morning’ to make your ascent before the sun rises.
Day 3
1am start, out and on the mountain at 2am. You should be two people to one guide – roped up and harnessed in. Expect to see a trail of lights heading up the mountain, but unless you’ve got moonlight, you won’t really be able to see where you’re going. Trust your guide to know the trail, and focus on keeping yourself fueled and headache-free with sweets and water and big, deep breaths. The climb take 4-6 hours, depending on your speed, but if your body agrees, you should make it to the top to see one of the most incredible sunrises of your life. Descend in a couple of hours, booking it down to get out of the heating sun (and melting snow). You’ll have lunch at the refugio, then descend to base camp with the rest of your group. Jump in a van and have a nap (or not – the road is pretty horrendous) on your trip back to La Paz.
Tell me everything
You read about all kinds of activities on blogs on the internet, but some are still inspired by social media. Our aspirations to summit Huayna Potosi born on Instagram – the challenge thrown unknowingly by someone we’d met in Patagonia, in the form of a story picturing a stunning summit. When we enquired about the excursion, he said it was the ‘hardest thing he’d ever done’ – well, that’s a tagline if I’ve ever heard one, so we were absolutely intrigued at the possibliltiy of a new challenge and a new outdoor hobby. The same person highly recommended his chosen company – Jiwaki – for competitive prices, good vibes and good equipment and attention to safety… something that can be a little lacking for activities in Bolivia.
Step 1: Pick your agency and # days
Along the street of Sagarnaga in La Paz, there are an absolute plethora of tour companies offering excursions up Huayna Potosi. Excursions of 3 days are best if you have no experience with mountaineering, as the additional day gives you an overview of basic techniques (and a little fun in the snow). It’s also a better bet for summiting, as you have an additional night of acclimatisation. La Paz is at ~3600m, base camp at ~4700m, high camp at ~5200m and the summit at 6088m. The two day excursion will see you sleep at high camp, and ascend the next day – which is doable, but really only a good idea if you’re experienced and have acclimatised in some other way. Even though we had done the Condoriri (sleeping 4 nights at 4600m) a few days before, we struggled with the altitude on the ascent to the summit, both with nausea and general lack of focus.
We will also recommend Jiwaki. Their prices are great at 1000pp (but tip your guide well!) for three days, it seems to attract people with really good vibes (or at least, we got luck with a great group of people), the gear is good quality (we really wanted to steal the fleeces they lent out…) and the facilities are great. While the other agencies tend to share the refugios, Jiwaki is popular enough that only Jiwaki clients will be in the refugio – it’s a little more exclusive, which could be a good or a bad thing, but we thought it was still super social and it was nice that all the guides and helpers seemed to know each other and get along well. Whatever company you pick, as there are cheaper options, the absolute most important thing is the guide:client ratio. You should have at maximum two people to a guide. The advantage of only having two people to a guide is helping other people finish. If one in a pair needs to return, the other person can be hooked onto another group, giving three people to a single guide, which is the real maximum of safety. If you’re going much cheaper, it may be worth asking to see the quality of the gear.
Step 2: Start your tour!
You don’t need any specialty gear for Huayna Potosi – we had a lot of warm gear already, because we’re centring all this travel around hiking, but the company should supply you with legging thermals and fleece, snow jacket and pants, mittens, hard booties for the snow, crampons, ice axe, helmet… all of the essentials for climbing a mountain. They’ll also hire out sleeping bags and liners to sleep in. Keep in mind that you will need to carry all of this with you from base camp to high camp, so don’t bring too much extra stuff – your bag may be empty as hell when you arrive, but all the snow gear packs out big and isn’t very light.
If it wasn’t clear, we recommend the 3 day tour for two reasons – the first is that mucking around on the glacier with all your gear is fun! It’s a great way to get a taste of basic skills like walking up different steepness of ice with crampons, using the ice axe to help you ascend and descend, walking while harnessed up to others, and generally feeling like a bit of a badass. The activity ends with a bit of ice climbing – which is actually so hard! Emma found the technique of getting your crampons into the ice a bit beyond her, though Awal got a decent way up, but we both really enjoyed a little challenge and a different activity. It’s also great for bonding with/heckling at your newfound climbing friends.
Training using ice axe, crampons, walking, climbing an ice wall etc.
The second reason it’s a nice idea is that sleeping at altitude is the best way to acclimatise. A whole extra day is going to give your body more time to sort out its red blood cell count and adapt to the lack of oxygen in the air, which in turn makes it far more likely that you will make the summit. However, even if you don’t make the summit, getting onto the mountain and attempting it is an achievement; there was one fullah in our group who was mountain climbing and motorcycling his way around South America, living by this exact sentiment – you can’t expect to summit every peak, even as someone with more experience, so just enjoy every challenge and always, always listen to your body and respect your own limits. The mountains are not forgiving.
Whichever tour you take, it should be mentinoed that the drive from La Paz to Huayna Potosi is not a comfortable; the roads are fairly shoddy, so you’ll be bumping around a fair bit, and it’lll take a bt longer than you expect.
Day two of three is also fairly relaxed – you get a late wakeup, a big breakfast, and all morning to laze around and chat. Before lunch, you’ll head back out onto the mountain, ascending to high camp for lunch, dinner and an early night.. However, whereas the previous day you were all geared up, this day you get to ascend in your own selection of clothes – and most importantly, your own boots! We both found that walking in the multi-layered snow boots on day 1 (without crampons) was way more clunky than our usual hiking boots. Hefting all the snow gear up the hill can be a bit difficult if you’re not well balanced, so if you have the option to bring your own 50L (minimum) pack, we would definitely recommend it. The trail itself is very well trod, though ascending from 4700m under any conditions will always be a little hard on your lungs. Take it at your own pace and enjoy whatever views back over the valley you can get! It’s more relaxing at the high camp, until an early dinner and an early night.
Day three is the day! And it’s a long one. Apparently (news to us, but it makes sense in hindsight), any snow climbing is best done in the cool of the night. It’s not just to get you to the summit for the sunrise (although, that is fully worth it), but that once the sun rises, it will begin to melt the snow, which can then solidify into ice – either way, making walking very slippery. We were up at 1am for some semblance of breakfast, then on the trail before 2am. The ascent takes 4-6 hours, depending on your fitness and how your body goes with the altitude. The most important thing is just to be conscious of how you’re feeling – a little bit of sugar will always go a long way if you’re starting to feel a little funky.
We were lucky and had outstanding weather. Clear skies, no wind, but a little fresh snow from the evening before. This meant it never got too cold (we had friends who did it in some much colder conditions a couple of weeks later – their hair was freezing in the air!). However, even with all these perfect conditions – it really was a true challenge. We took lots of breaks – breaks with the bigger Jiwaki group when it was convenient, but also our own breaks to catch our breath, eat a little something or take a drink. We both got random bouts of nausea on the way up, but found that just putting one foot in front of the other, breathing deeply and consistently, were about all we could focus on. To be honest, it’s a little bit like meditating because of the brain fog. Our guide, Tio Silverio, offered encouragement, but in the end having each other’s support was the most important thing to getting us to the summit. Genuinely, most of it is just walking straight through the snow nice and slowly. There are a couple of steep sections where you need to walk on an angle, and another couple of sections where we had to use the ice axe – which was pretty cool. We felt pretty badass amongst the altitude fog.
It took us nearly six hours to reach the summit – not fast, but consistency is the key. Don’t worry about anyone else’s pace. Do your own thing. Rock your own vibe. The view from the summit on a clear day is mindblowing. The sun had only just risen when we reached the summit, so we still got some of that golden hour. You get a 360 degree view, of course, with the Amazon bowl stretching to the east (though usually covered in cloud), and the plains of Bolivia stretching westward below you. It’s such a crazy perspective being so high, made more mad by the elation of reaching the summit – though be warned, Awal gets vertigo in general, and it turns out that mountaineering and being up 2000m or so from our surroundings will trigger that… Some combination of the exhaustion and elation and the lack of oxygen meant that Emma was also a bit out of it. Our photos of our highest achievement are a little potato, but that’s just a good representation of how we felt!
Two essential things here for the ascent: bring your own snacks and store them somewhere accessible for the summit (any movements are difficult, and brain capacity is a bit low), and do not rely only on a bladder! We don’t actually travel with waterbottles, as our filters attach to our bladders – however, even in the mild conditions we walked in, the tubes on our bladders froze, meaning we couldn’t use them. Thankfully, there was a spare coke bottle at the high camp, which we used for the day.
After summiting, it was just a matter of absolutely booking it down. Our guide was keen to get us down quickly – to walk on a nicer trail, and because the summit area is fairly small, the companies seem to have some system to ensure not everyone is there at the same time. There’s a little flat spot below the summit, about 20 minutes downhill, so we stopped here and delayered, had a little more to drink, and then didn’t stop again before we reached the high camp. The trail was still in good condition as it was daytime but not heating up yet, and before most decending groups. We got there mostly without incident, although we all slipped down a few of the steeper sections and Awal did inexplicably faceplant on a flat bit around the glacier. Maybe he was just trying to keep our tio on his toes.
A third essential thing for the descent – while it’s a lot faster than the ascent, only a couple of hours, the brightness of the sun on the snow can still screw up your eyes. Make sure you have sunglasses (ESSENTIAL), and sunblock or a UV proof face wrap.
Once at high camp, it took another hour or two for the rest of our group to descend – while everyone made it to the summit, there were varying degrees of being affected by the altitude, so some people took longer than others. It’s common to get a little altitude cough from the dry, cold air, and the guides will tell you not to sleep while you wait – as you’ll wake up feeling totally hungover. Rest until everyone arrives, take a light ‘lunch’ (I think it must have been 10am) of soup and bread, then descend in normal gear again to the low camp. Then you’ll be heading back to La Paz – no matter what altitude you reached, with a sense of achievement and pride – because the mountains are ruthless, and we always have to respect them!
Hiking in Bolivia is… chaotic. It’s not an activity that’s popular amongst locals, and travel agents aren’t very forthcoming with information on how to navigate tracks unless you pay them for a guide. Trails aren’t marked, the paths that you may find are probably made by cattle, and will probably disappear after five minutes. People and their livestock live everywhere in the mountains, so you’ll likely be walking on someone’s land (even though they may not be nearby to care). It’s certainly not a hiking experience of isolation and peace, but there is still a lot to be enjoyed and incredible beauty to experience.
Since we’d arrived in Bolivia, we’d chickened out of multi-day hikes in both Sucre and Cochabamba, but La Paz is perched on the edge of the major heights of the Andes, and we were set on our first foray into high altitude hiking. We’ve had a taste of altitude sickness before, in Ecuador in 2022 where we took a tour up to Cotopaxi base camp (4900m). It was only a day, we didn’t even summit, but we’ve experienced the nausea and lack of focus that altitude can cause. We thought we knew what to look out for, but the Condoriri means five days of walking, eating and sleeping up high – the lowest point is right at the start at around 4400m, but you never sleep lower than 4600m, and the high point at Pico Austria is 5300m. It’s only 43km, but we’d read other blogs & AllTrails reviews saying to do it over 5 days – which seems ridiculous! But it is completely reasonable. We’d spent four days in La Paz acclimatizing, but nothing really prepares you for sleeping at 4600m four nights in a row. Every day was a struggle – sleeping was freezing – the trail was fairly non-existent on the first two days – and we both got mild altitude sickness.
For anyone else who’s trekking for the first time at altitude – or for the people who’ve done it and want to relive their first experiences – we think the key aspect to monitor at altitude is a lack of appetite. It’s easy to identify acute altitude sickness. If you’ve got serious nausea and certainly if you’re vomiting, get out of there. Dizziness, headaches, are normal for mild sickness – but the lack of appetite is the absolute kicker. The effect is twofold: not eating means you won’t have enough energy to tackle the remaining hiking. It also means you aren’t reducing your pack weight like you planned, so you’ll just lug around (already feeling drained) an extra few kgs until the end of the trek. To be fair, stuffing yourself doesn’t really work, because it brings on the nausea (worse). A shitty solution is having foods that are more bland – anything that’s easy to consume without thinking too hard.
Don’t let the warnings put you off. We seriously think hiking at altitude is some of the best. It’s an incredible challenge that is so satisfying to finish – hitting heights that you haven’t before, pushing through lower oxygen and steeper hills. And of course, being in the mountains – walking under snow-capped peaks, past massive mirrors that are glacial lakes, and amongst rocky outcrops and alpine grasses is all part of the beauty of the landscape.
Note: AllTrails does have reasonable trail descriptions in Bolivia, so you can use this alongside WikiLoc to gather more up to date information.
Keep it Short & Sweet:
Description:A high altitude three or five day hut-to-hut (with prior booking only) trek between glacial lakes and under the peaks of the Andes. The glaciers have mostly melted, so the lakes have been dammed for preservation. Unfortunately, this means there is a lot of debris from construction along the hike, and you’ll see many hamlets and sections which are connected by road. The trek is part of a greater trail that runs along the sub-range between Illampu and Illmani, and can be linked up with a summit of Huayna Potosi, if you have time to acclimatise.
Climate: Drier, clearer skies in winter (April – October), wetter and warmer in summer (November – March). Alpine walking (above 4000m), therefore very changeable weather. Cool during the day, fairly cold at night.
Total Distance: 43km
Elevation: Highest point 5300m at Pico Austria (slight detour), otherwise ~4400m – 5100m
Costs: On day 3, before ascending Pico Austria, you need to pay if the collector arrives before you leave (this is the starting point for many day hikes). May need to pay fees to camp on other nights if there are shepherds/land owners around (very variable, we didn’t encounter anyone on night 1 or 2). If using refugios, fees vary.
Track: Non-technical, except for some of the rock scrambling around Pico Austria. Unmarked and inconsistent track. GPS essential. Some places require very steep ascents to make up ground if you lose the track. Many animal tracks make the path confusing. Each ‘campsite’ is at a hamlet of some description, so you’ll always be around some evidence of humanity.
Facilities: Hand-pour flushing toilets at the refugios (the refugios & toilets may be locked – see below).High altitude makes ascending more difficult than usual.
Notes: Always carry small change on these types of treks. If anyone wants to charge you they will not (or, they will say they do not) have change. Be mindful of your body with the altitude at all times. While a guide is absolutely unnecessary on this track, get in touch with an agency to help you book the refugios (or at least open the toilets for you if you’re happy to camp).
Getting there: Taxi to the north side of the Cemeterio General; take the bus going towards Cochabamba (20BOL pp); disembark at Palcoco (~1 hour); take a taxi to the trailhead (150BOL to Condoriri (2N 3D), ~300BOL to Laguna Karakota (4N 5D) (~1 hour for either)
Day 1: Laguna Karakota – Laguna Ajwani (10km). After arriving (probably around mid-morning), at the end of Laguna Karakota, ascend with the ridgeline. The path is not clear – pick your own way. At some point a path should appear and will turn eastward after about 3km, around the curve of the hill. The path continues into a bowl between the mountains, before reaching a high point and descending into the neighbouring valley. There is a road and a small settlement. Cross the stream at an appropriate place and then ascend steeply up the opposite side until about 4500m, then follow the elevation. The trail should eventually turn to the right, alongside a small stream. You may need to pass across a fence to reach a few deserted buildings and a dam. There was a number on the outside of a dorm room here: 71268235, but it and the bathrooms were locked.
Day 2: Laguna Ajwani – Laguna Juri Khota (8.3km). This day is more marching through a combination of dry alpine grass, across gravelly tops, and also through boggy wetland. The elevation is similar – ascend to start, drop down into the neighbouring valley, cross the stream, and head up the opposite side to the next laguna and your dam and campsite. This one had an unlocked toilet, a big locked new dorm, and some old concrete dorms which were unlocked. There was no contact number, but someone came the next morning to charge us for the Pico Austria walk.
Day 3: Laguna Juri Khota – Laguna Chiar Khota (6.1km+1.3km to Pico Austria). While the distance is small, do not underestimate this day. The highpoint of the trail is 5100m, but Pico Austria is at 5300m, and walking gets quite hard at that altitude. The trail is well marked with cairns as you ascend into the rocky saddle of Pico Austria. There are a couple of sketchy bits of moving around rocky ledges, so take your time and possibly rethink it if it’s rainy and certainly if it’s icy. The descent on the other side to the refugio is a very easy trail. Because Pico Austria is a popular trek, this refugio appears to always be open, so you should be able to get a mattress inside if there is space (20bol per person). If doing the 3-day trek, you can start with this day, or start at Laguna Chiar Khota (possibly leaving bags at the refugio) and climb Pico Austria as an out-and-back trail. This one-day ascent of Pico Austria is quite popular.
View from Pico Austria
Day 4: Laguna Chiar Khota – Unmarked Refugio (12km) There are a few options on this day for both camping and trail. We ascended via Paso Condoriri, then skirted around the next pass (trekking adjacent to Laguna Pouchinta, rather than upwards). There is a hamlet at Laguna Sura Khota, but no clear refugios which were open and no nice camping spots (a lot of rubbish). We continued up the hill, through a fence and along another road to find another refugio at a very small hamlet (halfway to Maria Lloko), where another group were staying – so we were able to use the facilities. Mario Lloko is at a higher altitude, and the campsite didn’t look amazing.
Day 5: Unmarked Refugio – Road End (6km). The advantage of continuing further the previous day is reducing the distance on your final day – and therefore how early you need to wake up. The trail follows the road for a few kilometres before starting up the hill and towards the final pass. At the other side of the pass is a road, and the end of your trek if you’ve arranged a ride. Otherwise, you’ll need to continue another 6km down the hill until you reach the main road between Huayna Potosi and La Paz.
Getting out: Pre-arrange a taxi from the closest road end, get lucky and meet a group trekking alongside you and jump in their car, or walk all the way to the main highway between Huayna Potosi basecamp and La Paz. For the last option: you must arrive before 11:30 to have a good chance of getting in a returning vehicle with one of the tour groups. After midday most of them will have departed.
Tell me everything:
As noted above, getting information about hiking in Bolivia is a bit of a nightmare. There are no hiking guilds, no government departments, and it’s not a super popular activity with the locals. There are plenty of agencies in La Paz who will offer you packages, but there is no need for a guide on this hike, unless you are interested in chatting to the guide while walking, and you’re in a big enough group to make the guide and cook fees worthwhile. It is worth noting that the hike will probably be more difficult than you expect – only because of the altitude. Keeping a light pack goes far in having a good time, so if you want to go unguided but are worried about gear, you should try to book refugios to save on tent and mattress weight. The travel agencies in La Paz can be a bit cagey, but if you ask directly and with confidence (there should be enough information here for you to know what to ask for! If not, leave a comment) for the refugio owners’ numbers, we assume they would be more forthcoming.
It’s also pretty cold at night at the altitudes you’ll be sleeping at, so having a refugio is a nice way to get another barrier between you and the frost. We actually slept inside 3 nights out of 4 – on the first night, none of the facilities were open, but on the second night, the doors on an old concrete dorm were only tied shut (rather than padlocked), and the toilet was open for use. We ‘pitched’ by setting our groundsheet down in one of the dorms, and our mattress on top – being in an enclosed space kept the warmth in much better. On nights 3 and 4 the refugios were open, and we paid a few bolivianos for our own room and a straw mattress each – and an extra blanket to throw on top of our sleeping bags. So cosy!
Getting to the start of the Condoriri requires a few different modes of transport, but the most annoying part is bartering with the taxi drivers once you arrive at Palcoco. Our hostel was very helpful in getting us this information – of course, you could take a private taxi to the start of the hike (as you’ll need to taxi at either end, anyway), but you can get a fair way via bus, which should cut your costs down. First taxi to the north side of the Cemeterio General; tell the driver you want to go to Cochabamba (also – take this bus if you want to go to Cochabamba, they’re cheaper than the ones from the main bus terminal). It should be about 20BOL per person. Tell the driver you want to go to Palcoco for the Condoriri trail. When you get off, you’ll be on a random bit of highway, but there should be a few taxi drivers waiting around. Now, these guys are used to taking people to ‘Condoriri’, which is the trail for Pico Austria, but if you are doing the 5 day hike you want to go to the far end of Laguna Karacota. It really is about the same distance from Palcoco, but because the latter is less popular (I guess from the Condoriri they can score a return ride) they tried to charge double to get to the Laguna. We spent a bit of time haggling but eventually settled on 220BOL. We arrived late morning, around 11am, to a construction site.
In this part of the Andes there used to be a great number of glaciers. Because of rapid global climate change, they are melting off, but the lakes that they form are essential to the lifestyle of the people in the valleys below. As part of maintaining the landscape, unfortunately, the government has had to build dams along the range. This means there’s a lot of really ugly concrete amongst what was once beautiful and untouched lagunas. However, it seems necessary for the lives of the local people. At any rate, the start of the hike was, for us, in the middle of a construction site, which also made us a little uncertain. We eventually found the trail, and although it didn’t appear for a while, the initial ascent provides increasingly incredible views of Laguna Karakota. We had incredible weather for this whole hike – very lucky with blue, blue skies and little wind. Once the trail appears, it’s reasonably easy to follow across the saddle and down into the next valley. Then it disappears again as you cross the base of the valley and begin ascending, just keep an eye on your GPS and it should reappear eventually. The last ascent takes you next to a small stream and into a property of some kind – we think it was an old dorm designed to house workers who built the dam (it was certainly abandoned), and a refugio. The number for the refugio was scrawled on the wall, and both the refugio and the bathrooms (down the hill) were locked up tightly. We slept in our tent outside the refugio – not the best place, but at least the ground was flat. We both had a bit of altitude sickness so had a really small dinner, and crawled into bed as soon as we could to ward off the bitter cold!
Day 2 is pretty similar to day one – up to the next saddle, down into the neighbouring valley, across a stream, and then back up the other side towards the next laguna and your campsite. However, for us it was a little less straightforward. As we climbed to the first saddle from the campsite, we had a little mishap with the reading of the map and getting our bearings, and ended up well to the right of the track. While we could’ve doubled back a little, we could see a track in the distance, and decided to go with it. Instead of skirting around the right of the main peak, we walked further to the north, walked up a different scree saddle, and ended up having to make a very sharp descent into the valley. We probably were on a random llama trail – a classic mistake, but thankfully we were still able to get down on the other side. It didn’t add too much time but it was a little stressful – better practice reading topo lines a bit more.
Another thing to note in the wet areas near the river – there are lots of hairy caterpillars! They’re weird little guys, but their crawling is a little creepy and they look like the type that would give you a rash if they touched your skin. Thankfully, they aren’t near the campsites, only in the low areas.
Once you’re out of caterpillar world and up the ridge, the next campsite awaits – this one is situated next to a stunning long lake and really gives you the idea of sitting at the foot of mountains – you’ll be able to see tomorrow’s challenge, Pico Austria. The campsite had a new big refugio (locked), and a small concrete dorm which was unlocked. There was a bathroom behind the main dorm which was only covered by a curtain, so I assume it’s always unlocked. We were a bit whacked by this point – having had the extra km or so with the detour, and generally being fatigued from the altitude and lack of food. However, we still arrived pretty early, set up in the open concrete area with our groundsheet, had a nap to stave off the altitude headache (it’s kind of like a hangover), enjoyed the sunshine, and tried to eat a decent meal before the sun set. The only problem with this campsite – was there was some asshole animal (rat or fox – who knows) who decided to scrape around in the discarded metal outside in the middle of the night, which woke us up a few times.
Day 3 started in a less-than-ideal way; Emma found that the zip holding her pack frame closed had burst, making the whole thing a lot less stable. While not a trip-ending event, it’s pretty annoying to have a 4-month-old 500NZD Osprey Pack break mid-hike, so we had a slow and unsuccessful morning while we tried to get it back together. This was also the first morning we saw anyone else interested in hiking – first of all, a fellow arrived on a motorbike, and once we were done with our pack disaster, came over to say hello and ask for payment for a ticket for the next part of the trail – we paid 20bol each. Once we got started, it turned out that he was probably there to get payment from a van of other hikers, so if we had’ve been a bit earlier in getting our shit together he probably would’ve missed us altogether!
This day really is a stunner, but it’s tough. At barely above 6km (7km, including the summit of Pico Austria), it’s short day in theory, but you’ll be hitting the highest altitude on the track today – so take it easy and take it slow. Eat and drink often. Today’s the only day it gets a little technical – it gets a little steep on the scree ascending to the upper lake (note, on the map it says you can camp next to this lake – but the campsites are tiny and it’s very rocky, so it might be a tough pitch. Past the lake, there is a little bit of rock climbing and scrambling – keep your cool and get your hands and feet set before you move too fast (especially with weighty packs!). Keep an eye out for cairns on this section of the track, as there’s no path to follow. It is, however, an incredible day. Once you get to the lake, you can see Condoriri and the snowy peaks to either side. The trail up to Pico Austria is tough but getting a true view of Condoriri (with the birdlike perspective!) is awesome. You’ll also get your first shot of Huayna Potosi, on a clear day.
This section is quite busy with day hikers, but the funniest thing (if you’ve got your big backpack on) is how interested and impressed all the guides are – every one asked us where our guide was, realised we were carrying all our own gear, and made a whole lot of impressed noises – hilarious, but also a great way to make a good impression (and some chatty friends!) fast.
View from Pico Austria
The track down to the refugio from Pico Austria is easy, with a well worn track, but longer than you’d expect. The descent can be tough on the knees so if you weren’t convinced by poles we would say 100% yes right about now. The refugios here are busy – there are a few different buildings – and lots of overnighters or day trippers or people heading up to Condoriri (at the laguna above) in the high season pass through here. We were able to snag a room with a couple of mattresses, and have a cosy night cooking and eating inside. We were absolutely stuffed after this day, so we were in bed very early – and seriously considering taxiing back the next morning.
We started day 4 slowly, uncertainly, but once a tour group of four, who had been staying in the same refugio as us, started up the trail to Paso Condoriri, challenge mode was on. It was actually an excellent decision too – the track up to the pass was icy and filled with mischievous llamas, and the views over the mountains on the way up and at the pass were incredible. The descent on the other side got a bit muddled, as (again) there are plenty of animals tracks mixing and mingling. The trail will cross over the river at the bottom, and we scrambled up the ridge to meet up with the road (we aren’t sure, but we think you can skirt around it and still meet up with the right place – it’s probably easier). The trail continues along the road for a while, before turning off and passing by the small Laguna Puchinta. There’s an alternative route that continues upwards, runs up to another saddle, and meets up with a big descent on the other side. We were able to see the track from the laguna, but decided that was a biiiiig no. The lower track is reasonably well marked and follows the curve of the hill, sometimes on quite loose scree. It ascends a bit, before dipping back down towards the Lagunas Sura Khota and Wichu Khota. There’s a hamlet between these two lakes, and we’d read that there are refugios here too; however, nothing was open, even though one local pointed us in the right direction. There was flat ground, but the vibe was a bit weird, and there was no running water. We were pretty keen to continue on to somewhere nicer, but we weren’t convinced by anything the map was telling us now.
Yet we were in luck! We didn’t realise, but somehow we’d overtaken the group of 4 and their guide and cook. As we sat at the ‘refugio’, a bit desolately, we spotted them coming down the hill. Not that we were waiting (we were waiting), but instead of turning towards us they continued along the other side of the lake. In comes a bit of hope and the smell of a little opportunity. We picked up our weary bodies and followed – under the pretense of walking toward the next campsite on the map, Maria Lloco, but really with the hope that they might stop at another refugio with a spare room. We eventually caught up to them, and we just want to acknowledge – we have really got so lucky so many times on this trip. We had a friendly chat about the track, the refugios at the lagunas, the general scenery… and their guide (our new mate Vladdy), who recognised us from the day prior, said we’d be able to stay in their pre-booked refugio – and that they’d have space for us in their vehicle going back to La Paz the next morning. An absolute stroke of kindness and good timing – we have been so thankful for such people!
We again got our own room at the refugio, comfy straw beds and an extra blanket. This refugio was next to the road, halfway between the lagunas and Maria Lloco (see the image of the map for the marking). We don’t really know who to contact for this one, but there are a few houses around here so you might just be able to knock on a door and ask to stay. The refugio is in a gorgeous spot surrounded by snow capped mountains and right next to a burbling stream. The tour group actually caught some trout for their dinner with the help of the refugio owner, which was a hilarious scene.
Refugio for our last night
The great thing about the stay at our random little refugio was the proximity to the road. We still had one more pass over 5000m to walk over (normal by this point – how did it end up like this?!), but it was only going to be 6km, and now we conveniently had a guide to follow. The track followed the road for the first few kms, before starting to ascend (a bit randomly) up the side of the mountain to the pass. Although the group had acclimatised a couple of days less than us, they also weren’t carrying anything, so we struggled a little to match their pace. However, it was totally worth it – where we were intending to walk all the way to the main road (another 6km) to wave down a taxi, the vehicle was waiting at the road right on the other side of the pass. The group of four were actually using the 3-day Condoriri to acclimatise for Huayna Potosi – so we first drove to basecamp, waited for the day’s hikers to return, then got back in the van back to La Paz. We ended up heading off at about midday; it’s really early, but we really recommend if you don’t have a pre-planned ride, try to get to the highway by midday at the latest – all the hikers get down at about the same time, and if you can’t get on one of those vans it’s really hard to find another shared ride.
We ended the hike still with half our food – a solid 4kgs or so of uneaten food, just weighing us down. Even though we’d worked through the appetite struggles by night 3, there’s only so much you can consume during the day. But what a learning experience it was – with stunning mountains and weather, friendly people and overwhelming kindness. While it’s not the most disconnected hike out there, it’s beautiful and it’s tough and it’s so very Bolivia.
Have you ever wanted to explore a city – yet still wake up amongst great snow capped mountains? Felt the urge to wheeze your way up (and down) every street? Thought to commute by the absolute best method in the world – telēferico? La Paz holds potential for all that and more. Bolivia’s capital – the highest in the world – has something for everyone, from mountain summits to wrestling extravaganzas, street market chaos to fancy cafes and restaurants. We spent over a month jumping to and from La Paz, always revisiting between sights to recover for a day – recovery meaning grabbing coffee, boba and as many saltenas as it’s possible to consume at breakfast.
La Paz is a ridiculous logistical nightmare. It sits in a narrow, rocky valley, hemmed in on one side by the heights of the Andes. La Paz extends massively eastwards and upwards and to the plains where sub-city El Alto lies, and downwards to the south into lower, milder elevations – and more posh suburbs. The demographic changes massively with altitude, which is a curious and somewhat controversial facet of the city’s layout. Whatever biases it represents, the vistas are spectacular – the best way to get an idea of the craziness of the geography is to catch the telēferico (gondola) around the city. As its purpose is to more effectively navigate the steepness of the city, the lines take you to all the good viewpoints. The carriages (what else do you call them?!) are clean, the lines are efficient, it’s smooth and quiet, and for foreign currencies, it’s incredibly affordable.
Being the nation’s de facto capital, La Paz can also be tumultuous – fireworks on the weekend = party, but fireworks in the week = protest. Although we were always safe, there were protests where tear gas was used while we were in the region, and it’s quite common to have the road blockaded between La Paz and Cochabamba.
Bear in mind that we visited Bolivia while the Blue Dollar was particularly strong – so our experiences of eating in more upscale restaurants and cafes was very affordable, and we were more flexible than usual with taking tours.
Keep it Short & Sweet:
Getting there: if you’re starting your South America journey in Bolivia, this is where you’ll probably land (though, El Alto is technically not La Paz). By bus, La Paz is very well connected – as the financial capital and largest city, it only makes sense!
Where to stay: Central suburbs, Rosario or Centro Historico, when first arriving. Universo Hostal for a quiet vibe, Wild Rover (not that we stayed there) for an iconic La Paz hostel experience. Stay in Sopocachi if you’re staying longer or looking for a more authentic time, we wholeheartedly recommend Raven Hostal.
Where to go: Take a walking tour – exploring Mercado Rodriguez, the Witches Market and the Centro Historico is best with a guide. Visit the El Alto market at 16 de Julio, then go experience a Cholita Wreslting match. Bike down Death Road for an adrenaline rush, or use La Paz as a base to explore many other areas of Bolivia.
Fees: Despite being a bigger city, La Paz has prices at both ends of the range and we found it very comparable to the normal Bolivian prices – upmarket tourist areas and gringo-centric cafes charge a premium, but local restaurants with excellent menu del dias and cheap produce at markets will exist just a few blocks over. If you’re on a budget, just keep hunting.
Walkies? Yes! Huayna sort-of fits the walkie category – and check out the Condoriri Trek nearby, or the Illampu Circuit & Sajama National Park further afield. Nearer to La Paz but dependent on the wet season is also the El Choro Trek (we didn’t complete this). Closer day walks in the valley of the moon & the dead are accessible by pupblic transport.
Recovery: Eat salteñas from Los Castores or Salteña Mania. Relax with views on the teleferico (not at rush hour though!)
Tell me everything:
Our arrival into La Paz was ungracious – travelling by overnight bus from Cochabamba only takes 7 hours, so it’s a leave-late-arrive-early situation no matter what departure time you select. We walked 10 minutes in the wee hours of a Sunday morning and arrived at our hostel doors unhassled and sleep-deprived. Thank god for South America’s chill hostels for relaxed check-in times – by 6am we were in a proper bed (and a proper bed – it was at least a super king!) and ready for a decent sleep in. We stayed at Universo Hostel, which isn’t on any websites, but the rooms are so incredible, the staff are ridiculously helpful, the location is central but not hectic, and the beds – well our bed – we still remember as the best bed we’ve slept in (at time of writing – in 9 months). It’s a pretty quiet vibe, there aren’t great common areas, but if you’re looking for something cheap and quiet, it is perfect. We stayed there two separate times before moving suburbs.
We also stayed in the Greenhouse Hostel (good social vibe, but 0% recommend unless you’re looking for a bargain – the rooms were a bit dirty and small, and the guys owning the place were unfriendly, and we’re pretty sure they tried to scam us), and Raven Hostel in Sopocachi. Raven was incredible – really good vibes, super friendly staff, and also really amazing rooms. It’s a bit pricier, but the facilities are extraordinary and it’s in a great location.
Now – why to move? The area around Universo Hostal is central as it gets – Sagarnaga is the key road for tourism, lined with tour operators and international food options. A visit is essential to organise tours in and out of town. One of La Paz’s main tourist attractions, the Witches Market runs parallel – shops filled with stillborn llama fetuses, items for offerings, and charms and potions for whatever you can imagine, next to stores packed with knick-knacks and ponchos. Sagarnaga ends at the Basilica of San Francisco, which marks the start of the Centro Historico – a great place to check out some old churches, refreshed museums, parliamentary locations, and a plaza that’s seen some serious history – we definitely recommend getting an overview with a walking tour. Sagarnaga and the Centro Historico sit on either side of the valley, and La Paz’s main road sits in between them. Combine steep hills, a single key thoroughfare of the city, old architecture and therefore street layout… and we have some serious crowding and traffic issues! There are plenty of cool hostels on both the western (Rosario) and eastern (Centro Historico) sides of the highway, but the chaos and clustering of tourists and locals in the area can be a bit overwhelming at all times of day. Sopocachi is about an hour’s walk to the south, it’s a little lower in altitude, a little warmer, and a lot more relaxed. If you’re planning to stay in La Paz for a while, we think you’ll end up here naturally.
Activities in La Paz
We’ve already alluded to a few key spots to visit – Sagarnaga, el mercado de las brujas, centro historico. We also loved the sprawling Mercado Rodriguez on a weekend – there is so much produce to sample, and it’s a wonderful way to interact with locals. Most of these sites you would explore if you took a walking tour – and the history of La Paz is quite interesting, so we absolutely recommend it. We went with Red Cap Tours, which we found pretty great.
We visited the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, which was quite cool – although most of the plaques were only in spanish. We never made it to the Coca Museum, but this shouldn’t be something you also miss – as such an essential and unique part of Bolivian culture.
Going further abroad, it really is easiest to use the teleferico. Traffic is heinous, and while taxis are cheap and respond to bargaining, getting stuck for an hour is not great fun. Looping around the teleferico is a chill activity – just don’t go at peak hours as the carts can get really full. If you started the loop at Prado (midway between Sopocachi and central), you’d travel via:
(prado) celeste > (del poeta) blanca > (villarroel) naranja > (central) rojo > (16 de julio) plateada > (faro murillo) morada. There are other lines – the two majors are the verde line taking you down into the gentrified lower suburbs, or the azul line which traverses El Alto.
The teleferico is by far the best way to get to El Alto if you want to explore. Thursdays and Sundays are the best days – for the El Alto market, South America’s largest outdoor market, which sprawls over streets and streets, selling all kinds of goods (and snacks). In the evening on both days, you should also be able to catch Cholita Wrestling – Lucha Libre, but with women in traditional dress. It’s a pretty amusing spectacle, and while it now caters in its majority to tourists, it began as a form of protest for the rights of indigenous women – so its roots are in a pretty special place.
Going wider afield, but still in the city – a half day trip to the Valle de la Luna or a full day to Valle de las Animas can get you off your arse and on your feet for some more crazy rock formations. Buses or collectivos can take you to both locations – just check in with your hostel for the exact location.
Activities Around La Paz
There are two main excursions out of La Paz. A one day adventure cycling down Death Road (though we’ve also heard that staying a night in Coroico and exploring some of the lower elevation is a good way to tack on some more exploring) is one of the most popular activities in La Paz. Named Death Road for the ridiculous number of accidents which occurred along its length, this was previously the main road towards the Amazon, but since a new (safer) highway has opened, it has been closed to general traffic and opened up as an adventurous downhill biking experience. We didn’t actually spend the money on this – but it’s done by basically all travellers, so take from that what you will!
The other is Huayna Potosi – one of the ‘easiest’ and most accessible 6000m+ summits you can do. It’s super popular; there’s a trail of lights heading up the mountain every night to hit the sunrise summit. It’s also very affordable, and a really incredible first-time mountaineering experience. Experienced (or time-poor, though we wouldn’t recommend it) climbers can do this in two days, but the three day option gives you an extra day for acclimatisation, which really makes summiting a lot more likely! We’ll make a separate post dedicated to Huayna – while it’s not quite a Walkie in our traditional sense, it was a pretty special experience!
Other Destinations
In the end, we visited La Paz six separate times – staying between two and four nights depending on how much recovery we needed. We returned after the Condoriri Trek, Huayna Potosi, Sorata & the Illampu Circuit, Sajama and Rurrenabaque. Because a lot of that was recovering from hiking, we didn’t do a lot in La Paz in the days that we were there. But we could always find a good spot to eat a Saltena, or drink a coffee, or somewhere to wander about and watch the people of the city go about their days. It’s a place that holds a special place in our memories, for the people we met and the experiences we had.
Two essential pieces of information for this post: first, that the currency in Bolivia is going through some crazy times, so visiting with foreign currency in hand means that everything is half the price*. Second, that we absolutely adore eating. Here we have cheap cafes, markets and restaurants, and two hungry kiwis who’ve spent the last 2 months cooking for themselves almost exclusively in Argentina and Chile.
Across our next three stops, PotosI, Sucre and Cochabamba, we didn’t do a lot. Although there is a lot to be done across all of the cities, we mostly enjoyed just being present. Visiting markets, wandering streets, appreciating the performances of marching bands that seem to be a constant in Bolivian life, and nibbling on food in plazas or cafes.
Bolivia is full of complex and sometimes uncomfortable history. Potosi and Sucre are two places where the Spanish were particularly present, which has impacted the development of these cities and its people. If you want to understand more about Bolivia, taking walking tours and visiting museums in both of these cities is a must.
* See our general post about Bolivia for a full description on how the currency discrepancy works.
Keep it Short & Sweet:
Potosi: Now a small town with a decreasing population, Potosi once fueled the Spanish presence in Bolivia through the richness of the Cerro Rico silver mine. The town exists with incredible, if disturbing, history. Take a walking tour (Mariam from Koala Tours was excellent) for a detailed, local view. Many tourists take a tour through the mines of Potosi – now bereft of silver, local workers still try to exploit it for less valuable metals. Conditions are still pretty dire and while companies claim to give back to the community and the families of miners, many are questionable. We were not convinced that this is a good way to support, and if you’re interested in doing this kind of exploration we urge you to complete research thoroughly.
Sucre: Bolivia’s capital, nicknamed the White City for the preservation of its historical centre in traditional colonial white, is a beautiful place to park up and take a break from constant travel. There’s not a lot to do here, but the vibes are great, there are plenty of lovely hostels to pick from, and if you have the time, it is an excellent place to take a week or four of Spanish classes. The quality of classes in Sucre are really high, there are plenty of schools to pick from, and the prices are much better than other places in the country. There’s a sizable rich immigrant population, and the large number of gringos has led to considerable gentrification of the centre – take your pick of cafes to complete your homework.
Cochabamba: ‘Cocha’ has a little bit of everything, but is prized as Bolivia’s gastronomic centre. The country’s third-largest city has a large, fun historical centre, with multiple markets to explore, and a beautiful plaza to hang out in. The city sits in a valley of towering peaks, so there are a few high altitude day hikes that you can tackle. Easier to achieve but also enjoyable is the walk up to Cristo de la Concordia, a massive monument to Jesus with incredible views over the city. Cochabamba is a good base to visit Torotoro and the national park there, or the Canyon Tuta Wallpas (though we didn’t make it to the latter, it seems to be growing in tourism but is still off the beaten path!)
Tell me everything:
Potosi
We travelled to PotosI immediately from Uyuni – as we mentioned, Uyuni is very much a tourist town, with people visiting almost exclusively to see the Salar. We read it’s pretty seedy and there isn’t a lot to do other than the Salt Flats – so we were straight on the next bus, along winding roads up to 4000m and PotosI.
PotosI is centred around an old, Spanish centre. The plaza is lovely, with an ancient cathedral and old government buildings surrounding the corners. Because of the historical concentration of wealth in the town, there are plenty of fancy facades to admire, and historical names have resided in many unassuming buildings. The streets are narrow and winding in this mountainous town, which makes exploring a breathless exercise – again, the altitude here can mess you up, so take it easy!
The best SalteNas in Potosi can be found at la SalteNeriael Hornito. Get in early as they are super popular, and do sell out. They are spectacular. Also try the K’alaphurca, a local delicacy of beef & corn soup – what’s special about it is they throw in a fire-hot rock in before serving, which initially keeps the soup splattering all over you, but does ensure that it doesn’t cool down too fast in the freezing air. We ate at Restaurante Tambo SeNorial, which was a lovely traditional restaurant with a cute vibe.
We stayed at Hostal Los Faroles – a really lovely homestay with a delicious breakfast and large, comfortable rooms. It’s really well placed (right next to the market). We took our walking tour from Koala tours, with Mariam – she was so awesome, even though it was just the two of us and her, she was really detailed and when we started asking questions about food she got us a few treats to fuel us on the way. We really recommend asking for her if you are in Potosi!
It’s popular to take a tour of the mines in PotosI – we didn’t think this was a super ethical thing to do, so preferred the Walking Tour only, although Koala Tours has great reviews for the mine tours, you can never be 100% sure where your money is going. If you’re going to take one of these tours, make sure you do your research before, understand the history of the mines and the current working conditions, and make sure you are comfortable with the impact you’re having.
We also visited the National Mint of Bolivia, where the silver collected in the mines was minted into coins during the Spanish rule. The tour was really interesting but in Spanish, so we missed quite a lot of content – there was meant to be an English tour, but it never happened and we just got lumped into a Spanish one. Still – worth it for the history!
Because PotosI is in the mountains, you can imagine that there should be some nice hikes to gorgeous viewpoints. There are, although the ‘niceness’ of the hikes seem debatable, as PotosI is an industrial/mining town outside of the city centre, so the walking is mostly along rough roads. However, on these hikes you have to be super, super careful of dogs, which can be really aggressive in this area. We met one guy who actually got bitten on the way to Laguna Kari Kari, and Emma was exploring PotosI a few blocks to the east of the city centre, and got barked at (almost to the point of snapping) by a dog. It was totally out of nowhere – I was stopped on the roadside, there were other people out, I was checking my phone – and this dog wandered out of the corner of my eye and turned on me – at least it was a busy road, so I could run behind a moving car, but it was so bizarre and pretty scary!.
We spent a couple of days in PotosI – eating treats and exploring, before moving on to Sucre. This trail also takes you down more of the historical trail of the Spanish. The altitude of PotosI makes it a pretty undesirable place to live; it’s cold all year round, and bitterly so in winter. Sucre, sitting at about 2800m, is much more mild, with cool nights but warm days, and consistently pleasant weather. It’s also still close to PotosI (today, only a 4 hour bus ride), so the Spanish had much of their government working here.
Sucre
In Sucre we were planning to finally take a bit of a break – we could stay in affordable hostels, do a mix of home cooking and eating out cheaply at the market – and most importantly, we could finally, officially learn some Spanish. We’d both been learning haphazardly on the road, using reels, podcasts, conversations and Google Translate to pick up words and grammatical structures, but really nothing beats some structured classes. There are plenty of Spanish schools in Sucre – pick based on your preferred style of learning and the Google reviews, although almost all are favourable. We decided to go with Spanish Friends School – they had a good deal including a private room and the private classes for a week, and they were one of the few schools which offered a focus on speaking rather than technicalities and grammar – which is exactly what we were looking for. While initially, Awal wasn’t super interested in the classes (as he’d been leaving the learning and talking mostly to Emma), the price was so reasonable that we decided ‘why not’, and doing a class together (and having shared homework) is always a fun way to bond.
Unfortunately, we also both got food poisoning during this week. Emma was first, and was up all Monday night, and was totally wrecked on Tuesday, so we had to postpone the day’s classes until Saturday. Awal’s reaction was more mild, but lasted longer – he felt ill, though never actually threw up, throughout Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. What’s more – we were cooking for ourselves at the time, so it was our own fault that we got so sick!
Classes were in the morning until 1pm, so we had the afternoons to ourselves – more practice, or feeling unwell, eating, and a little bit of exploring. In total, we spent two weeks in Sucre – a few days before the classes, and a few days after. The Freedom House National Museum is a great place to visit for some history. There aren’t a lot of plaques, so make sure you take a guided tour – they have them in English in the afternoon, though it’s best to check in person when exactly they run. The Mirador de la Recoleta is a great place to visit for stunning views over Sucre. Adjacent to it is the Museo de Arte Indigena – also a really cool museum which focuses on detailing, preserving and revitalising indigenous art forms. There’s a store out the front with beautiful works of art from the artists participating in the revitalisation, particularly of weaving, and you can have a complimentary tea in the garden afterwards. It’s a great spot.
While we stayed at Spanish Friends School for the classes, we preferred staying at Hostel Pachamama – we got a room on the top level of a three storey complex, with a lovely view over some of the city, in a beautiful courtyard filled with blooming flowers. The family living there was incredibly lovely and welcoming, and we were always stoked to hang out with Mango the dog!
Special food mentions in Sucre:
Wawa Pizza for affordable, delicious pizzas
Bienmesabe for really flavoursome, healthy Venezuelan-style arepas. Really great for post-food-poisoning stomach.
The Mercado Central for all the different typical local foods – they aren’t as cheap as if you find a small specialty shop, but the convenience is worth it.
SalteNeria el Patio – delicious SalteNas and an amazing setting to eat them in! Don’t spill the juice!
Cafe Mirador San Miguel – have a drink at the top of the bell tower at sunset for a stunning view. The cakes are pretty tasty.
And of course, SOMOS, our favourite cafe and consistent haunt in Sucre. Get a cinnamon roll! We’re still dreaming about it.
Our favourite experience in Sucre was a totally random one. Our friend Guilherme was also in Sucre learning Spanish. He was immersing himself properly, going to community events wherever he could find them, and kindly invited us along to a painting workshop at the cafe at the Mirador de la Recoleta. We learned to paint with instant coffee, practiced our Spanish and met some other locals – one of whom, Elida, invited us over for coffee the next afternoon. We were a little hesitant – without Guilherme, whose Spanish was already skyrocketing, we were both a little shy and uncertain in casual conversation. But politeness and a desire to connect pushed us through the nerves. We turned up with some treats to share, and ended up having an incredibly lovely afternoon. Elida’s two dogs were hilarious – a silly boxer and a big german shepherd – her son was hanging around as well, and he had a little english, so when our Spanish fell short we could use some Spanglish. We had Colombian coffee and cake and chatted about our trip and life in Bolivia. Eventually, Elida’s granddaughter woke up from a nap, so her daughter brought her down to say hello – and then another of her friends came over, just to visit. It ended up being eclectic, wholesome and such a lovely time – one of those unexpected interactions that makes you love a place so much.
Our two weeks in Sucre came to an end – our Spanish was better, we’d met lots of new people, made some amazing connections, eaten incredible food, and in general had time to recharge and relax from constant movement. Our next stop – Cochabamba, Bolivia’s gastronomic city.
Cochabamba
Cochabamba was a bit of an unknown to us, but we luckily picked an awesome hostel called El Pueblito – owned by Sergio. Sergio was a real king – he let us check in at 6am, and gave us sooo many tips on how best to enjoy Cochabamba. Cocha is a newer city – think upmarket restaurants, big boulevards, malls. There’s still a real sense of Bolivia as you know it in the historical centre – tight streets and a chaotic market spread over several blocks. But modernity is prevalent. One of the benefits of this is the bike path, which extends over much of the city, including past the iconic monument of Christ and around Laguna Alalay. Renting a bike or spending a few hours walking (or running!) along the bike lanes is a great way to see some of the city safely and without worrying about traffic.
If you’re looking to do something more active, there are a few day hikes in the hills surrounding Cochabamba. The city sits in a valley at about 2500m, but the surrounding hills rise up to over 5000m. One peak that you can climb is Tunari, to the north west of the city. It can be reached via public transport by taking a trufi to Quillacollo, and then another minibus to the trailhead, going towards Piusilla. We didn’t end up completing the hike, but it sounds like an awesome adventure for a day – even if you don’t make it to the top (with that altitude, watch out!), the adventure of getting there and back is definitely worth it.
There are some other treks in the area too. We’d read about the Circuito de 20 Lagunas, an overnighter to the north of Cochabamba, but getting there required a taxi and was a bit pricey. We’d also read that some of the trails are now mostly mountain roads, rather than tracks in the hills. Instead of exploring this area, we decided to move on to Torotoro – a small town with an increasing popular national park, a couple of hours (and a very windy road) away from Cocha.
When we stayed in Cochabamba, there was actually a real lack of hostel options – there only seemed to be El Pueblito and another in the middle of town. This should give you an indication of the number of backpackers this town sees. However, despite not being a popular tourist centre, as above there is still a bit to do – and it’s a great launching pad to get to Torotoro if you want to explore canyons and caves.
Torotoro exists as a tourist location to service its National Park. In the way that these things go, this means it’s a little bit of a tourist trap, but we do think that the excursions are pretty cool and it’s worth a visit (especially in the current Bolivian economy). The National Park access system is a little strange. It’s impossible to enter without a guide – which makes sense, as the two main tours are canyoning and caving. You must get a group together before booking a tour – splitting the tour cost across your whole group. If someone wants to join after you’ve signed the paper and paid, it’s strictly not allowed. Staying at a popular hostel is your best bet for meeting a group – or finding some people in Cochabamba before you arrive. Of course, people will always be on the lookout, so you can loiter outside once the offices open to try find some random friends.
On top of the tour/guide payment, you must pay entry to the national park – which is 100Bs pp, although the ticket lasts four days, so if you are planning to take multiple tours you won’t have to pay again. The tour guide office and the ticket office are adjacent to each other, and you can get all the information you need there.
As mentioned, the two most popular tours into the National Park are a hike into the El Vergel CaNon, or a caving experience in Umajalanta. We only did the former, as we are both a little claustrophobic, and we’d read a few things mentioning that the quality of the guides is quite varied – not what two first-time, nervy people are keen on. The hike to El Vergel was a half-day activity, but we really enjoyed the wander round the park, and then the descent into the canyon, jumping across rocks, and finally the view across the canyon – it was a really enjoyable morning. The tour cost 250Bs for the group. The caving tour cost 700Bs, but it is more of a full day excursion. For people who are hoping to cram both into a trip – catch an early collectivo from Cochabamba to Torotoro, drop your bags off at your chosen hostel, and head to the offices. Head out on a tour of the canyon that afternoon. That night, meet some people at your hostel who are keen to jump on the caving tour the next day. Book the tour the next morning – spend the day squeezing through little holes and having a real adventure – then return to Torotoro. Either stay another night, if you’ve got time and prefer to relax, or jump on the next collectivo back to Cochabamba, as they run pretty constantly.
From the collectivo stop at Cocha, we walked straight to the bus terminal and booked our bus onwards – our next stop would be La Paz, the highest capital in the world!
The Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats) is Bolivia’s major attraction. The greatest salt flat in the world brings in thousands of tourists annually, both in the dry season for blinding white perspective, or in the wet season to see the world’s largest mirror. Both are famous for the extraordinary photos that arise from them, but it’s not just the Salar that is popular. While you can ‘just’ tour the Salt Flats, the surrounding desert offers plenty of sights to see.
Otherworldly rock formations standing randomly amongst otherwise empty desert. Snow-capped volcanoes rising up far above your bumpy 4×4 route. Toxic lagunas of all kinds of colours – pretty means don’t touch. Flamingos and alpacas galore! All await on a multiday tour of the Salar de Uyuni.
Keep it Short and Sweet:
Touring the Salar & Surrounds:
Start from: Uyuni (cheapest (BOB) – salar first), San Pedro de Atacama (more expensive (CLP) – salar last), or Tupiza (more expensive as there is an extra day – Salar last)
Booking in person is cheapest, and the tours leave from Uyuni/San Pedro daily – the market is smaller in Tupiza.
Be aware of the altitude – if you can acclimatise beforehand, that’s best!
Bring your own snacks – you’ll get hungry
Be ready for lots of driving and viewpoints, but not a lot of walking.
Tell Me Everything
Tours of the Salar begin in three different locations, Uyuni (Uyuni), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), and Tupiza (Bolivia). Generally, people will take the tour from Uyuni to San Pedro (or vice versa) to combine it into the rest of their travel, although you can return to your start point – but the costs may be different. This tour takes three days. The tour from Tupiza to Uyuni (which we took), takes four days, but only the first, and part of the second day, is really very different.
So which tour is the cheapest:
Tours from Uyuni will give you the best chances of getting a good deal – there’s lots of competition and the Bolivian exchange rate is very favorable to foreigners. Tours from San Pedro de Atacama will be more expensive, as the Chilean Peso is much stronger, and Tupiza will be slightly more expensive, as there is an extra day involved and there is less competition amongst tour operators.
However, the great thing about starting from either San Pedro or Tupiza – your tour finale is the Salar. While everything included in the three/four days is cool, nothing comes close to the beauty and otherworldly feeling of the salt flats, so finishing off on that high is, in our opinion, the best way to complete your little adventure.
Additionally, Uyuni is not a lovely place to be – it’s not a wealthy city, although during the age of silver mining in Bolivia, it was a central point for the movement of the metal throughout the country. It’s cold and dusty, with people really only arriving with the aim of touring the Salar. We left immediately after our tour, preferring to catch the bus to our next stop (Potosi) and rest there, rather than risking a bad experience in Uyuni. If you start from the other two cities, you can do the same, but it’s nearly impossible to book a same-day multi-day tour (as they start so early), and if you book a same-day single day tour you’ll be pushed for time… so staying a night is basically unavoidable.
How to Book a tour and whats included:
Booking the tour itself is pretty easy, just check in with some operators for prices on Whatsapp (or in person – you may get a better deal, though we’ve generally found that the Whatsapp prices are fair – much fairer than those online, for sure!), make sure their Google Reviews aren’t horrific, and confirm that they’re able to start on your preferred day – you may have to shop around to find a combination of best price and starting date, as they’ll only send a car out with 4 people minimum. Of course, if you’re on a very tight schedule you’ll probably want to book online in advance for peace of mind, but as always this costs far far more than it needs to.
As far as we know, all the tours go to the same attractions – it’s just the hostel at the end of each day that differs. Whatever you pick, there is very little walking involved, only short opportunities to stretch your legs by wandering the shores of some lagunas or around windswept rocks. We found that the food on the tour was somewhat lacking – good quality, but low quantity. We heard that this is pretty consistent across the different tour companies, so bring your own snacks! One thing that they may be relying on is the altitude. The tour takes you up to nearly 5000m on one day, and you sleep at over 4000m most nights, so there is a real chance of altitude sickness – if not serious (one guy on our tour spent a whole day wiped out – it seemed like food poisoning, but could’ve just as easily been the altitude. He didn’t eat anything!), often one of the minor symptoms is reduced appetite. Do take it easy and go hard on the sweet treats, coca and water – altitude sickness can really ruin your trip. Don’t push yourself on the walking parts, just enjoy stretching your legs, and always, always be realistic with how you’re feeling – altitude sickness is no joke and can be fatal!
While it’s a lot of time driving, it’s a nice way to bond with some people over your country’s most iconic tunes, stare at incredible moonlike landscapes, practice your Spanish with the tour guide, and really experience some 4×4 adventure. For parts of the Salar, especially the route from Tupiza, there is no true road – paths will disappear into the dunes, or your driver will be picking one of many tracks winding all over desert hills. It’s a pretty humbling experience, as you’re entirely reliant on the memory of your driver and their skill at handling an old Toyota in these freezing sands. Google Maps isn’t helping anyone!
We really thought that the build up of the tour, through the desert scenes and alpine grasses, checking out alpacas and llamas and flamingos and rheas (seeing them run – simply hilarious), made seeing the Salar at the end that much more exciting. The whole tour is worth the time and the money. However, if you really are on a short holiday and don’t have that much time, and just want to check off the Salar, that’s okay too – as mentioned many times, it really is the highlight. Make sure your tour gets you either a sunrise or sunset on the Salar, as the flatness makes it a stunning place to watch from (and if you’re there when it’s wet, the mirror effect with the sun is truly incredible).
Mirror effect on salt flats
If there is water in the Salar, you may need to hire some gumboots – when we were there in April, it was so deep that Emma’s gumboots were almost not tall enough (short person problems). Basically, if the whole Salar is covered, there will be deeper and shallower sections, which are inconsistent, and the cars driving around create lovely wee waves that will send you jumping for higher ground. It’s important to have protection because the salty water can really irritate your skin. If the water is low enough to use your own boots, probably in the shoulder seasons, take care to clean them afterwards to prevent damage.
Another curious thing about the Salt Flats – they are a highway, as the salt is mined in parts of it, and it’s an easier, flatter path to enter Bolivia from Chile. Expect to see some big trucks randomly moving though, plus locals using it to get from place to place. However, the composition of the salt flat does make this complex. It’s not the most stable of ‘roads’ due to the compacting and crystalline patterns of the salts. There are sometimes massive pockets under the top layer of salt, which can cause a vehicle to sink entirely! The salt itself is problematic too – it can do some major damage to cars if left to marinate on the metal, so it’s important to clean it all off once you’re off the flats.
A Day by Day Summary of a Tour From Tupiza:
Day 1: Lots of driving! We didn’t stop a lot – first, to enjoy the view of the hills around Tupiza. Then to watch some wild alpacas. There was a ghost mining town with a pretty crazy story to it. All day the views are great, but it is a long one!
Day 2: Is inside the National Park. More llamas and flamingos today! Plus rheas and foxes on the roadside, if you’ve got your eyes peeled. Visit lots of lagunas of all different colours, take in desert vistas, listen to bubbling geysers and top it off with a relaxing stop at natural thermal baths. The views from the baths are pretty special too – Instagram worthy, if you’re going for that kind of thing. It’s a stunner of a day!
Day 3: Start the day off by checking out some eroded rocks just sitting in the middle of the desert – if you’re good at taking photos, they’re great material, otherwise they’re just so curious to look at and consider just how they ended up like that! More lagunas await – we loved the vibe at Laguna Negra, which is one of the few lagunas which isn’t full of toxic chemicals. This means no flamingos, but a great variety of other birds – including Emma’s favourite, the Giant Coot, which builds a nest of reeds on the surface of the water and makes a call like a crazy person laughing – it’s incredible to hear. The last stop of the day is the train graveyard… we remarked that it’s impressive that they’ve managed to turn a bunch of useless junk into a tourist destination. It’s not super interesting for those who aren’t train spotters (and we think it’s also a great place to get tetanus, so watch out for the sharp edges), but it’s nice to wander around before settling in for one last night.
Day 4: The Salar. Wake up before the sunrise, and be out on the Salar for the changing colours of the sky and some unbelievable reflections. Take breakfast with your group in the salt house, then spend some more time mucking around, taking photos, videos, wading through the flats, and generally enjoying this special experience.
If you’re starting from San Pedro de Atacama, cut out day 1 and the schedule should look basically the same. Reverse that – and it’s the tour starting from Uyuni.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy the Salt Flats, totally dependent on your trip length and the time you have available, but if you have the flexibility, visiting Tupiza in the first place (as detailed in our last post) and starting the tour from there is a great option to experience a little more about Bolivia and still end your tour at the Salar.
Bolivia is a seriously underrated destination. We were just planning on ‘passing through’ and ended up spending 2 months there. It is filled with an incredibly special culture, marked by a strong blend between pre-Hispanic indigenous groups and Spanish, catholic influence. Pachamama is as important, as figures from the bible; pagan rituals are as impactful as Sunday mass. The mountains and the jungle are sacred in many areas, with tribes continuing on with their traditional rites. Communities maintain strong bonds, celebrations are common, and the people are so varied – from the altitudes of the altiplano to the heat of the jungle plains, ways of life change immensely. It’s a country that has so much to offer, but that is best explored with time and plenty of patience.
Many travellers don’t dedicate a lot of time to Bolivia – they’re in and out with a few key sights – Salar de Uyuni, Death Road, La Paz’s night life and teleferico, maybe a quick stop at Copacabana and Isla del Sol on the way to Peru. But there is so much to see in Bolivia, with some truly awe-inspiring mountains, so many quirky cities, a really pleasant climate (god, we miss the cold), and an incredible culture.
We’ve read some blogs that interpret Bolivianos as colder, less welcoming than other South American countries. We think that this is a miscommunication. Across the board, our feeling is that Spanish is a language of love, of welcome, of hospitality. But so often our sense of warmth is linked to a feeling of hospitality, and that can really be a Western Thing – experiences in the traditional settings of cafes and hostels and restaurants. But Bolivia is far from the Western World – and more so than its neighbors. It receives less tourism, and it’s less influenced by international parties. Its indigenous roots have more of a say in the overall country of the culture. It’s different. And a western mindset is different to the people – maybe it makes them uncomfortable, maybe it makes them shy. Understanding that and being open to that is important to making yourself recognize the hospitality in Bolivia. Making all efforts to speak Spanish – visiting local markets with real local people – being respectful of people’s dress and culture – there are a myriad of ways to engage in a scenario where you are speaking to a local as an equal – rather than as a foreigner.
Hands down, the kindness, smiles and hospitality we received in Bolivia was second to none when compared to the other beautiful south american countries we visited.
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Altitude & Coca Leaf
One thing that can really mess up your time in Bolivia is the altitude. If you are coming by land via Brasil or Argentina, you should be travelling a route that ascends gradually – this is perfect for acclimatizing. If you come through Peru, Copacabana and Lago Titicaca are high, but if you’ve already been to Cusco or Huaraz, you should be somewhat acclimatized. If you travel across the desert from Chile – well, that’s a high altitude journey in its own right, so take care. And if you’re flying directly into La Paz, don’t forget that you’ll be resting in the world’s highest capital city. Seriously – altitude sickness feels shit, can ruin your trip plans, and, worst case, genuinely cause fatalities – so don’t go messing around when you first arrive! Our advise is to take 2-3 days walking around the city, drink lots of water and eat alot during the day. Your body will be working on overtime as there is less oxygen in the air so you need to fuel it properly. Dont try walk superfast up the hills, listen to your body and try keep your heart rate in zone 2.
Coca leaves are the Bolivianos’ answer to the altitude. Coca tea, coca leaf for chewing, coca lollies – all are widely available and are touted to be an excellent way to stave off altitude sickness. While we’re not sure at the effectively against altitude sickness, there is no doubt that coca leaves have a real impact on your system, and it’s a huge part of the local culture (there is even a specific coca museum in La Paz!). Purified cocaine is made in a pretty complex process from the plant, but the leaves themselves have only a small amount. Consuming coca leaf is similar to drinking coffee – it helps you focus, keeps you more awake, leaves you on a little buzz. It also tastes fantastic! It’s easy to spot locals munching on leaves – the normal thing to do is to shove leaves into your mouth (don’t chew them too much), until you have a little ball in the side of your check – 10-20 leaves should do the trick. Then you just… leave them there, letting the coca-juices mix in with your saliva and slowly make its way into your system. Don’t swallow the leaves!
Pro tip from Awal: If you’re feeling a bit tired on a hike, put some coca leaves in your mouth and watch the magic happen. I dont know if this was placebo but i was boosting up the hill for several hours.
The Blue Dollar
Up until at least August 2025 (as of writing), Bolivia’s economy is a bit… fucked. In the same way that Argentina had the Blue Dollar rate for many years (the ‘tourist rate’), Bolivia now faces the same situation. Today, the Bolivian dollar is officially valued at 7Bs per USD – but to someone in Bolivia, the dollar is actually for 13.5Bs. Why? Some weird economic thing, where the trust in the Boliviano currency is so low, the locals tie it instead to a cryptocurrency. Awal can explain…
But while this is rough for locals, who are constantly seeking USD to exchange, it means that as a tourist – you have a real advantage. Bringing in physical USD (or euros – there is also a Blue Rate) will mean you can exchange your cash at any casa de cambio and more than double the official value of your money. Official exchange houses may display the official dollar – but if you enter and ask, they will give you the blue dollar rate. There are plenty of people exchanging cash on the roadside too. This makes travel in Bolivia at this time incredibly cost effective. Double your money – half the cost of everything. This is a major reason we could spend so much time in Bolivia; we could do so much, for sure good value.
Its important to recognize that although this is incredibly advantageous to yourself, locals do not feel the same way. Its important to remain respectful towards locals, especially with regards to comments made. Saying things like ‘omg thats so cheap’ is incredibly disrespectful when general locals are really struggling to make ends meet and can only earn in BOL. This topic is the top of every locals mind and once you get to chatting to a couple of locals, the topic will come up.
A scenario to explain how this is impacting the locals is to use your hostel for example. Booking.com will take a cut from the booking made, the price advertised on booking.com will likely be bolivianos, even if it is advertised in USD, the hostel will use a conversion close to the official exchange rate, something like 7-9bol max. This means that when they pay their commission to booking.com, they will pay in USD, which they can only exchange at a rate of 7bol, when compared to the 14bol you exchanged for. YES, this is an unrealized loss, but the feeling of ‘missing out’ when you’re trying to run a business is a tough one!
Accommodation:
Your best bet for booking accomodation is to message the hostel directly on whatsapp and locking in a price in Bol. The last thing you want to do is book on a platform like booking.com, show up and have a disagreement on the exchange rate used. You will definitely feel like you are getting ripped off even if the hostel is using a slightly higher rate than the official rate as their standard practice.
In our experience, booking through what’s app gets you a better price anyway as there isn’t a 10% commission added on top, with regards to these booking apps.
Safety
We found Bolivia overall to be incredibly safe. People were welcoming or shy and very rarely did we feel watched. Homelessness and substance addiction wasn’t prevalent in the places we stayed or explored, even though it was readily available. Obviously, this is our personal experience – the political climate can change drastically over the months and years. And we travel as a couple – which generally makes a lot easier, we know. But truly, the most concerning thing in Bolivia is the number of stray, feral dogs. The dogs around towns and on the surrounding hiking tracks can be a major issue – having a few rocks in your pocket (or a pair of hiking poles) is the best deterrent, as unfortunately they seem to only respond to aggression.
Climate
The altiplano holds the major part of Bolivia’s main attractions, and many more besides, High altitude means freezing nights, cold days (even with sun), and a much higher chance of sunburn. Lots of layers and good sun protection is important. Don’t expect to walk about in your shorts and jandals – your gringo ass will stick out like nothing else.
While still on the altiplano, towns like Sucre and Cochabamba are in valleys at far more reasonable altitudes – and to match, there is more mild weather.
Bolivia also stretches out to the east into the plains towards Brasil, and north into the Amazon. These regions are hot, humid and full of biting things.
Being near to the tropics, Bolivia experiences a pretty mild temperature change between summer (Dec – Feb) and winter (Jun – Aug), but the more distinct difference is the amount of rainfall. The summers are wet and the winters are dry. The shoulder seasons are the best for the Salar – getting a combination of wet and dry across the desert gives you the best of both worlds (although – when it is completely full of water, it is a real spectacle). The dry season is the best for hiking, and although it will be a little colder it’s always tit-freezing cold on the mountains, so it’s no big deal.
Getting Around
Bolivian bus terminals are an experience. There is no quiet terminal; upon entry you’ll be assaulted with the cries of sellers and their wares – namely, the titles of cities that companies run to, at full volume. This can make it easy to find the company you need, but always check around the terminal (or on an App like busbud, although it may not have all the optional) for the closest leaving time – and to check you aren’t getting a cheeky tourist tax throw on top. Because of the Blue Dollar, we definitely recommend buying tickets in person or via WhatsApp rather than reserving and paying online. All Bolivian terminals also have a fee associated with them, so you’ll have to pay a few BOL as you leave the terminal. This also means that the bus will stop a minute outside the terminal to pick up locals who don’t want to pay the tax – fair warning to take scheduling in Bolivia with a grain of salt.
Overall, buses are the way to go in Bolivia. Flying around is always an option, but it’s pricey, and the bus system is great. Even the bus we took to Rurrenabaque (often travellers’ ‘worst bus experience in South America’) was reasonably comfortable, although it was delayed a few hours due to awful roads. The buses consistently have fold out leg rests, even if they’re older, which makes a huge difference to comfort. Most of them don’t have seat belts… but that’s just the culture. We met one traveller at the terminal in Potosi who said he will only go on a bus with seatbelts, I think the brother is still looking for that bus!
We’ve heard that there can be blockades which can really mess with your travel plans, usually in major cities like Cochabamba and La Paz. We didn’t experience this at all, but that’s pure luck. Keep up to date through your hostel.
If you’re planning to drive through Bolivia yourself – fair warning that the fuel situation in Bolivia is complex and rather dire. The supply of gasoline is inconsistent and seriously inhibits foreigners, both in terms of price and availability. The locals will get served first and only if there is more to go around, foreigners will get fuel at an inflated price.
Taxis are a fine way to get around in Bolivia. Uber isn’t really a thing, but with the Blue Dollar again – taxis are fine and economical. Just check with your hostel or a friendly local what the price should be, and try name your price rather than letting the driver do so. Never ask ‘how much?’, always say the price and then stick to it. Because youre a tourist, you will likely pay 10-20% more – if you are good at haggling – so just take it.
Food
Bolivian cuisine may not be the most inspired – but there are some gems out there to be found.
If you’re on that shoestring budget, finding a menu del día is key – ask your hostel for the economical options in town (we learned not to use the word ‘cheap’ – it doesn’t have the same connotations in spanish), or spend some time wandering the streets. Google Maps will often not show you what you want! They’re also rarer in the night, it’s more commonly a lunchtime offer.
If you want to cook (although, it’s often just as economical to eat a menu del día), the quality of produce is excellent, and the markets in Bolivia are so so fun. We’d definitely recommend picking up produce and staying in a hostel with a good kitchen for at least a couple of nights, to make the most of all the amazing fruits and veges to eat.
We’ve got a few core memories of Bolivian foods: namely, Saltenas, Bolivia’s greatest gift to the world. Saltenas are a Bolivian creation; while the name alludes to the Argentine city of Salta, the story goes that the creator moved from Salta to Bolivia, and the idea was first birthed in Bolivia itself. I don’t think there’s much of a contest from Argentina for the rights to a Saltena (they seem to prefer their empanadas), but my god – a Saltena takes the crown on all stuffed pastries. The filling is sweet, spicy and liquidy – the act of eating a saltena successfully is honestly an art, and if you’re not careful you’ll lose all the tasty juice and burn your hands while you’re at it. The pastry is short, not puffy, but also a little sweet, and pleated like a dumpling or curry puff to make a cute wee package.
Other outstanding foods that come to mind include papa rellenas (stuffed, deep-fried mashed balls), charqukan (a dried meat typical of the altiplano, served with mote and chuno), and anticuchos (pieces of heart skewered and cooked over a grills). Both papa rellenas and anticuchos can be found in Peru, although the style is slightly different.
Soups are another staple of Bolivian food culture. With your menu del dia you’ll receive some soup to start, most often with pasta (fideos) or quinoa. However, our personal favourite is Chairo, which is a rich beef stew.
Another major, major prevalence in Bolivia – potatoes. There are so many different varieties of potato in the region. We think that the most curious one is ‘chuno’, which is a potato that’s dried to last multiple seasons. They must be rehydrated for hours before they can be eaten, and this results in a really curious texture but a lovely flavour. They’re also black – which is kind of wild.
I wouldn’t say that we’re connoisseurs of fried chicken, but I think we’re pretty close – and the quality of the dirty bird in Bolivia is OUTSTANDING! Whether youre buying it from the side of the road, from a chinese restaurant or a chicken shop, Awal will be the first to tell you that Bolivia has consistently the best fried chicken in the world. It’s consistently fresh, crispy and never too oily. Chicken shops are everywhere, and our favourite thing about it was something we’ve affectionately named ‘the holy trinity’ – with your chicken, you’ll receive fried rice, some noodles (well, pasta), and fries. It’s a meal that’s cheap, massive, delicious and an absolute recipe for gaining some weight.
The last point on the food list is an honorable mention; not Bolivian cuisine. We spent two weeks in Sucre, and so got to know it’s cafe scene pretty well… and we’ll never forget SOMOS, a cafe near Parque Simon Bolivar which served excellent coffee and the most exquisite cinnamon rolls – as i said, not a Bolivian staple, but a pastry that i will dream about my whole life. Don’t miss it if you’re there!
Availability of International Goods
Because Bolivia had no port and a fraught relationship with the USA, many international brands simply cannot be found in Bolivia; or if you can find them, they’re hellishly expensive. Expect to live without a few of the classic haunts, and don’t plan to do any branded shopping in Bolivia.
Navigating While Hiking
Tracks are not well defined in Bolivia – trail management is not a thing. This is an iconic part of the Bolivian trail experience, but don’t let that put you off. A bit of bush bashing or back-tracking never did anyone any harm! Mostly…
We also found that (at least in the altiplano), the ‘tracks’ that we walked tended to be near mountainous settlements. People live traditional lives all over the place in Bolivia, so you’ll never be far from a random homestead… or a misleading cattle track. Our best advice is to check your GPS regularly, and trust your trailfinding instincts a little less than usual – cattle, sheep, goats, llamas – they’re all out there walking tracks that will not take you where you’re planning!
Rubbish
It’s not the worst place in the world, but Bolivia, like many places in South America, does have a considerable amount of rubbish that piles up around the place. While there are often signs which state ‘no botar basura’, it is not followed or punished. There isn’t the culture in the local populace to maintain the environment trash-free.There’s not much that can be done, so fair warning.
Keep it Short and Sweet
The altitude is no joke – take it slow and always listen to your body.
Make sure you know if the Blue Dollar is operating when you leave; bring in physical cash accordingly. Check our budget post for an ideal of how much you might need.
Always make your own assessments and read the latest political news, but in our opinion, Bolivia is a safe place to travel.
Take clothes for all seasons – but mostly for the cold! The altiplano is frigid att night.
You could travel by plane, but the bus system in Bolivia is great and works fine.
The local food can be tasty! It’s generally not full of flavours – spices are lacking! – but they do the basics well and there’s definitely stuff to appreciate. If you’re vegetarian, it’s a little difficult…
Hiking is amazing in Bolivia, there are so many mountains and gorgeous views. However, the tracks are not necessarily easy to follow, and we didn’t come across any trails where you actually completely avoid people – there are people living all in the mountains.
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