Bolivia Experiences, Stories & Photos from a Backpacker

Experiences & Stories:

Bolivia is a country of amazing contrasts! From the rugged, rocky and cactus filled terrain of Tupiza where Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid once roamed to Uyuni where you will find the worlds largest salt flats to the jungle areas of Rurrenabaque, Bolivia has it all. Bolivia is not only one of the most authentic of South American countries, it is also the cheapest!

I have been to Bolivia 3 times during 2008 and 2009, each time entering and exiting at a different place. I have spent about 5-6 weeks here. Here are my experiences and story.

Argentinian Border, Villazon to Tupiza: The first time for me in Bolivia, I had spent roughly 7hrs on a bus from Salta in Argentina up to the border town of La Quiaca and crossed onto the Bolivian side and stepped into their border town of Villazon. The bus had left Salta at 10pm and it was now around 5am, it was freezing! "Bienvenidos A La Republica De Bolivia - Villazon - Altitude 3497 (meters above sea level)", the sign said. More

Tupiza: Tupiza will remind you of the scenery you have seen in the wild west movies, it is surrounded by the Cordillera de Chichas, a rugged, rocky, mountainous area of jagged edged hills and dusty canyons of cactus. Things to do here include horse riding, biking and hiking, there a few tour operators with guides around town. More

Tupiza via Atocha to Uyuni: The following morning, I made an early start towards the bus terminal in Tupiza just a few minutes walk away. I intended on getting a bus but it was full up, so the other and better option was to go by jeep, there was enough people who couldn't fit in the bus to fill the 10 spaces available in the jeep pretty quickly. More

Uyuni and the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats): I arrived in Uyuni in the early evening from Tupiza, found a room for myself in a hostel for about 40 bolivianos which was $5USD in early 2008. It was quite cold, Uyuni is at an altitude of 3675 meters. I went out to a restaurant and hung out with a whole bunch of people, some that were in the jeep from Tupiza that day and had a great meal. More

La Paz: La Paz, what an amazing place it is! I have been in and out of La Paz about 4 times in 2008/2009 entering and exiting from and to different places, and have spent about 3 weeks here all together. In my mind I call La Paz the mad house, it is like sensory overload on steroids. More

La Paz to Copacabana: I have travelled this leg in both directions, it is a nice bus journey that includes crossing Lake Titicaca briefly, it takes up to 3hrs. The bus doesn't leave from the main terminal, it leaves from up the hill quite a bit, take a taxi there. The bus climbs out of La Paz, the view of the city is awesome, stopping a couple of times at the top of the rim to pick up more people, the main road out of the La Paz area is busy, dirty and polluted with vehicle fumes. More

Copacabana: Copacabana is a little paradise on the shores of Lake Titicaca, just 2 and a half hours north of La Paz. The contrast between Copacabana and La Paz couldn't be greater. I have stayed in Copacabana on 2 occasions in 2008 and 2009 for 3 nights in total, backpackers pass through here for a break from city hopping, it is a great place to relax on a journey, say from La Paz to Cusco. More

Rurrenabaque: Going to Rurrenabaque and going on the pampas or jungle tour sounded like an awesome experience from what I had heard and read about it. A friend and I decided we would go on the pampas tour of the wetlands. We booked the tour in the foyer of Loki Hostel at Kanoo Tours in La Paz, it cost 1200 bolivianos and was for 3 days and 2 nights. More

Cochabamba: I spent 3 nights in Cochabamba, I didn't do a lot here apart from wander around the markets, eat too much fried chicken and see a lot of dead chickens in the meat markets. But I did visit the worlds tallest Jesus statue that towers over the city called Cristo De La Concordia (Statue Height - 34.2 metres, Pedestal Height - 6.24 meters). More

Santa Cruz: The first time I came to Santa Cruz was on a long 18hr bus haul from Salta in Argentina, I knew it was known as the 'city of rings' and that it would be quite warm, but that's about all. I also didn't realise that it was the weekend of the Bolivian vote of confidence referendum, 2008, for the president Evo Morales and that all shops, bars and clubs would be closed. More

Santa Cruz to Quijarro (Brazilian Border) on the Death Train: The Death Train (Ferroviaria Oriental) was due to leave Santa Cruz mid-afternoon and would take about 15hrs through the night and arrive at the border in Quijarro first thing in the morning, it cost between $15-20USD. The journey was quite comfortable and fun, the seats were not bad and there was food onsale on the train, some nice little chicken and rice meals for about 20 bolivianos, but better still was the food that the local children brought onboard to sell to the passengers when the train stopped at various places along the way. More

Argentinian Border, Yacuiba to Santa Cruz: When I crossed the border from Salvador Mazza in Argentina to Yacuiba in Bolivia, it happened to be Bolivia's National Independance Day. The streets were jammed with parades, a stage, marching bands, onlookers, stray dogs and chaos. The bus stood still for 4hrs before we were allowed to pass through the town, but we did get off the bus and walk around to watch the celebrations. More

Photos:

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Meal created by our chef at the lodge for our group on the Rurrenabaque pampas tour. Sunset at Lake Titicaca. The rough and winding road between Tupiza and Uyuni. A Hawk in a tree in the Rurrenabaque pampas. Potatoes for sale on the street in Cochabamba.
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Recommended Things To Do:

Ride horses in Tupiza where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid roamed and died in the early 1900's.

Take a 3-4 day tour of the Salar de Uyuni, the worlds biggest salt flats, it is fantastic! See the train cemetery before you go.

Visit the tropical jungles of Rurrenabaque to see amazing wildlife and plant species.

The city of La Paz built inside a chasm at 3600 metres above sea level is an amazing place to spend a week!

Santa Cruz is known of as the city of rings because the roads form rings around the central plaza. Also known as a city of beautiful woman.

Eat fresh fish from Lago Titicaca, the beautiful town of Copacabana is a lovely quiet place to spend a night or two, explore the inca ruins, take a boat out to the 'Isla del Sol' (Island of the Sun), climb a small mountain before sunset and see this amazing lake from above!

The city of Cochabamba has the worlds tallest Jesus statue, it's taller than the one in Rio. You can climb up inside and out into his arms and look out over the city.

Head east from Santa Cruz on the 'Death Train' for Corumba Brazil to see the Pantanal.

Bike on Death Road with Gravity Bolivia.

See the silver mines of Potosi.

Visa Requirements:

Links:
Bolivia - Wikipedia
Bolivia Contact
Lonely Planet
Weather for Bolivian Cities
Art Prints and Posters
Infoplease
Travel Blogs
Sharing Bolivia
Biking Death Road
Newspapers
Backpacking South America
Blog: Inside South America

Find Accommodation:

Videos:

A Quartet of Buskers Play in La Paz

The Town of Atocha between Tupiza & Uyuni

Kids Swarm the Death Train Selling Food

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My Hostel & Hotel Reviews:

Hotel Fuentes, La Paz, Bolivia (Oct 2008 - 1 night) - It was a nice place to stay in the witches market with a basic clean room and shared bathroom. The doorman didn't mind me wandering in and out all night, but he didn't allow me to bring my mates in. Recommended though. photo booking

BH & H Hostel Concordia, Cochabamba, Bolivia (Aug 2008 - 3 nights) - It would have been good if they had known I was arriving. It would have been good if the price I payed per night was the price it said when I booked. It would have been good if the front desk remembered the amount I had payed them the previous night and not said that I had payed less than what I did the next morning. It would have been good if they had a computer there to record the details of their guests & not the book that they write things down in.

Jodanga Backpackers Hostel, Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Aug 2008 - 7 nights) - Probably the most well managed hostel I have been to! Its got many facilities and its very clean and the staff are very helpful and friendly. Not much of a party atmosphere but I guess it depends on the people who are staying. It would be nice if the music played over the speakers was different each day and also a bit more recent. booking

Loki Backpackers La Paz, La Paz, Bolivia (Apr 2008 - 7 nights, Aug 2008 - 5 nights, Apr 2009 - 2 nights) - It was good, it suits a group of people more than it suits solo people. They have nice food you can order from the bar and great meals each night for everyone at great prices. It is a great place to meet people and to have a party! photo booking

Hostelling International Salar de Uyuni, Uyuni, Bolivia (Apr 2008 - 1 night) - This was a nice place to stay in the center of Uyuni for 1 night before the Salar de Uyuni tour the next day. It's fairly basic, but right in the middle of all the tour agents, restaurants and shops. booking

Hotel Mitru Anexo, Tupiza, Bolivia (Apr 2008 - 2 nights) - I had a simple and quiet room. The hotel was in a good location near the train station, restaurants, internet cafe and tour operators. I believe it's sister hotel up the road has a pool that can be used. booking

Brisas del Titicaca, Copacabana, Bolivia (Apr 2009 - 1 night) - Had a nice room with a tiny bathroom overlooking the lake, bed was just ok, price was good. It is not much more expensive to stay by the lake than at the hostels in the area around the church at the back of Copacabana. photo booking

Hostal Maya Inn, La Paz, Bolivia (May 2009 - 3 nights) - A great place to stay near the witches market, has restaurants, internet, money changer and laundry downstairs. Room has bathroom and tv. Good price. photo booking

El Curichal Hostal, Rurrenabaque, Bolivia (May 2009 - 1 night) - Simple but good rooms, great outside hammock room with about 8 hammocks in a star shape and very nice owners, 2 minutes walk from the very center of town. photo

Indigena Ecolodge, Rurrenabaque, Bolivia (May 2009 - 2 nights) - This Ecolodge definitely has that jungle feel with its rooms, platforms and walkway bridges above water. There are dorms with about 8 - 10 beds with mosquito nets, infact every room at the place has mosquito protection, our cook made my group wonderful meals and our guide did a great job and was very enthusiastic when showing us around the pampas. This ain't the Hilton, this is the jungle! photo

Maps:

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Festivals and Holidays in Bolivia during September:

Month	Date	When	Festival / Holiday	Where / Location
September		First week of September	San Roque	Tarija
September		First week of September	Virgen de Guadalupe	Sucre

Yearlong Festivals and Holidays of Bolivia