Before I head to a new country, at minimum I like to research the highlights and create a frame for the trip. I always try to plan for unforeseen circumstances - like road delays and closures, rain, and stomach bugs - by building in a few unplanned days. If all goes the way I hope, these days turn into spontaneous day trips and side adventures.
Before I booked my trip to Ecuador for this December, I considered several other countries - Bolivia most closely. I went as far as to make an itinerary and budget for the trip. Since I won't be using it this year, I'll share it with you in the hopes that someone else finds my research helpful. I'll revisit this itinerary soon enough - I fell head over heels for Bolivia with its rugged mountains, vast Amazon jungles, and gravity defying lakes while I learned about it and mapped out my hypothetical adventure. This itinerary is best suited for at least 2.5 weeks: I planned for about 18 days.
Days 1-3: arrive in La Paz and acclimate / optional day hike
At 3650 meters (nearly 12,000 feet), La Paz holds the title of the world's highest de facto capital city (Sucre is the official capital). For this itinerary, consider making La Paz your base camp. The city rests in the western part of Bolivia, is the country's second largest city after Santa Cruz, and serves as a jump off point for many of the country's most touristed sights and activities.Days 1-3 should be spent in La Paz - acclimating to the altitude, exploring the city's architecture and heights (it's known as one of the most photographic cities in the world), and maybe taking a day hike to Valle de Luna.
Day 4: Mountain bike Death Road
"Death Road," or Yungas Road, winds 38 miles (61 km) from La Paz to Coroico, a city some 35 miles (65 km) northeast of La Paz. The ultra-narrow, extremely windy road runs down mountain cliffs and impossibly served as a two-lane road in decades past. The sheer number of motorist accidents and resulting deaths gave the route its moniker, "Death Road." In recent years, an alternative, safer road has been constructed and cars primarily use that. Today, Death Road is frequented by mountain bikers and adventure seekers.The full day tour takes you from La Paz up to the chilly start (wear layers!), provides you with a bicycle and allows you to cycle as fast and fearlessly downhill as you can handle before returning you to La Paz. The scenery changes between mountain peaks to the Amazonian jungle. The pictures from these trips are awe-worthy and jaw-dropping worthy and just plain incredibly beautiful. I can't handle how much I want to ride Death Road.
Days 5-7: Lake Titicaca
Rooted in Incan lore (the birthplace of Incan civilization) and rising higher than any other navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca is South America's largest lake and one of the world's most recognizable. The lake is an easy day trip from La Paz (a mere 30 miles), but to take it all in and experience the islands around it (particularly Isla del Sol and Isla del Luna - islands of the sun and moon), plan to stay at least 1-2 nights. Fun fact: Lake Titicaca has the original "Cococabana."Day 5 - getting to the lake
Day 6 - explore the islands
Day 7 - back to La Paz
Days 8-12: Visit the Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni)
I'll confess something to you: I didn't know anything about salt flats and Bolivia's famous salt flats and just how incredible and mind boggling cool and unique and what a natural wonder they are until I researched this trip. Bolivia's salt flats are the biggest in the world and are most famous not for their size (though, yes) but for their ability to turn the land into the sky and the sky into the land. When wet (rainy season is a good time to do this activity, though if the water is too high, parts are impassable), the water reflects the sky, and photos take on an other-worldly quality. By playing with perspective, you can seem to be holding a tiny person in your hands or walking on water.The majority of trips depart out of Uyuni, a tiny, dusty town with more tour vendors than locals, it may seem. To get there from La Paz, you can fly (easier, faster) or you can take a bus to Oruro and a train to Uyuni ( ~11-12 hours from La Paz but significantly cheaper). You can also depart from Tupiza, and the reviews I've seen on that trip are incredible because of the landscapes you pass - but it's further away and more difficult to reach. The tour also requires more time.
A typical tour is 3-5 days in a 4x4 with 6-7 people. Compare prices and plans (what meals are included, how many people are in the car, etc) with tour operators. Paying a little more might ensure you're in a better vehicle and have more to eat. Bring snacks in case.
Days 13-16/17: Off to Rurrenabaque and the Amazon
Rurrenabaque is the launching point in Bolivia into the Amazon basin. Brazil may get the most international credit for the Amazon and its tours, but Bolivia has it going on, too. Amazon tours (overnight in lodges, or tours down the river) are exponentially cheaper than in Brazil while essentially offering the same experience. Go on anaconda treks (shudder), fish for piranhas (shudder), swim with pink dolphins, and camp in eco lodges. Tours last as many days as you can spare. Check with tour operators in La Paz for deals that include your tour and your return flight.
Days 17-18: Return to La Paz, Buy a Llama Fetus, Return Home
Your stay in Bolivia wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Witches Market in La Paz. Buy dried frogs, potions, and, most famously, llama fetuses before heading home. Maybe your friends won't ask for souvenirs next time? ;)There are so many other things to see and do in Bolivia. I would be writing all WEEK if I tried to include all the museums, cities, activities, sights, hikes, and markets I want to visit in this crazy beautiful country. This itinerary is an open guide, an outline, a starting point to designing your own adventure in Bolivia!
Have you been to Bolivia? What would you add to this sample itinerary? What was the highlight of your trip?
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