Penny
25 September 2016
What to expect on your first trip to Bolivia
Most first-timers to Bolivia say they have a love-hate relationship with this troubled country. Bolivia is the least developed country in South America. And it's true: there are many dangers but there are also some pretty wonderful and unique opportunities. It is a country with hundreds of worthy tourist attractions, but a nation not quite set up for tourism yet. Here are just some of the things to expect:
Gob smacking scenery
Just. Wait. For. It. When you step out on the flooded Salar de Uyuni (Salt flats of Uyuni), where the entire landscape is a huge mirror only reflecting occasional clouds and pink flamingos. When you get your first glimpse of the huge bowl of a city La Paz is – tucked away in the Andes. Or that moment you land in a tiny plane on a grass runway in the middle of the amazon. Prepare for mind-blowing scenes – photos just don’t do justice, sometimes it’s better to put the camera away and just absorb it.
Salar de Uyuni while flooded
Perfect photo ops
Having said that – photos can be super fun in such bizarre landscapes! Get some good ideas for your Salar de Uyuni pics here:
Funniest Photos of Salar de Uyuni
Taking the Best Perspective Photos at Uyuni
Árbol de piedra (Stone tree)
The most dangerous everything!
The most dangerous encounter you’re likely to have is a constant battle with nature: altitude in the Andes, glaring sun in the salt flats and mosquitos, piranhas, alligators, bird eating spiders (I repeat… BIRD EATING SPIDERS!) in the Amazon.
Maybe you’ll be lucky and avoid the worst, but stay wise and be prepared for anything – don’t skimp on insurance out here. Use common sense; listen carefully to guides and locals (and wear a hat in the jungle… trust me on this one: insects + scalp = nope).
On top of that, Bolivian tourism seems to get a kick out of making everything the most dangerous ever! It started with the most dangerous road (a must-do bike riding tour) then expanded to the most dangerous Vindaloo, and the most dangerous prison tour. Not sure about these claims objectively but that curry certainly FELT extremely dangerous!
Death Road (Photo courtesy of Millie Caddy)
Check out the top gear boys trying to navigate this terrifying stretch – wait till the end to see Jeremy Clarkson negotiate a jaw dropping cliff edge scuffle with another car.
Zebras on the roads
Bolivians are simultaneously the best and the worst drivers in the world. So much so that the Bolivian government has been leading a strong campaign to educate drivers as to what the heck a Zebra crossing is! To assist in this aim, helpful young students donned with full Zebra costumes often assist pedestrians to cross the road. Make sure you give them a big smile and a gracias for their efforts.
Shadowy figures
The first time you see balaclava-clad men sitting in the street with baseball caps pulled down over their eyes, your first reaction will probably be a bit of shock – it’s a confronting image. You need not be afraid of these men, they conceal their identity not because they are committing a crime but because they don’t want to be shamed for their stigmatised profession as lustrabotas (shoe shiners). If you want to help them in their plight, buy a copy of their newspaper (kind of like The Big Issue): Hormigon Armado.
A good time!
You’re going to find a zestful nightlife, fabulous hostels/ hotels and really world-class tours (Salar de Uyuni, Rurrenbarque, Death Road). Almost everything is at an absolutely bargain price so everyone’s travel budget allows for a bit (or a lot!) of fun and luxury, and you’re going to come across some perfect surprises. (E.g. The best pizza I ever had in my life was a tiny ‘hole in the wall’ place in Santa Cruz - of all places!)
A walk on the wild side… if you dare
Remember those unique opportunities I was talking about? If you’re a bit curious of what it might be like to walk with a puma around in the jungle, take care of a jaguar or swim in the Amazon River with pink dolphins then Bolivia is the place for you, my friend.
Inti Wara Yassi runs 3 wildlife custody centers in Bolivia which you can volunteer at and work extremely closely with a huge variety of animals – mostly rescued from the horrendous animal smuggling trade. The famous park is Ambue Ari, which is the closest to La Paz and has the most comfortable amenities (hot water, electricity). If you want to go a bit further out Jacj Cuisi (7 hours north of Santa Cruz) is an almost entirely big cat dedicated center, where most volunteers are assigned a big feline to take care of, involving daily walks through the jungle with a puma, jaguar or ocelot attached to you with a carabiner. Staying out here is pretty rough though – you’ve been warned.
Simon the toucan in the Bolivar hostel in Santa Cruz!
Salar de Uyuni when it's dry - at sunrise!
The shortlist (with helpful links):
Yes!
- Death Road mountain bike tour (Not so dangerous on a safe bike and with the right tour guides, be sure to use Gravity who have the safest bikes and best track record).
- Salar de Uyuni To get the full experience most travellers either start or end at the Chilean border near San Pedro de Atacama - an entirely different and equally remarkable landscape. This is generally a 3 day tour.
- Rurrenbarque
- Madidi national park
- La Paz
- Sucre
- Santa Cruz
- Isla del sol / lake Titicaca
- Oruro carnival
- Potosí
No
- Potosí mines (Seriously dangerous and horrifying tours – read: dynamite going off underground without proper safety measures, or any warning! Here is a video of the tour if you really need to satisty your curiosity).
- Floating Islands – kind of interesting for 10 minutes bouncing up and down on the reeds but after that it’s just an eventless tourist merry go round for a whole day.
- Bolivian buses – Roads are mostly unpaved and unmaintained, this coupled with frequent drunk drivers and long road blocks due to protests makes these journeys nerve-racking to say the least. Bus routes between major cities are usually okay provided you book with a reputable company.
- San Pedro prison tour – if you can get in at all … but just no.
- Uyuni (the town next to the Salar, it's fine to stop for a pizza but you don't need to spend a night here).
Want to be able to explore Bolivia? Get some Spanish going!
If you can't speak a lick of Spanish, there's no way around it, you're going to struggle a bit - especially if you want to take a walk on the wild side or get off the Gringo Trail.
But learning some useful Spanish doesn't have to be a huge commitment! You could:
- Take a 5 week Spanish for Travel course
- Or a one off 4 hour session of Spanish in a Hurry
If you can't get yourself into a classroom we also have:
- Spanish in a Suitcase (E-Book)
- An online class
- Spanish in a Minute - a free podcast
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