Bolivia really is South America’s adventure travel capital and LATAM’s best-kept secret and landlocked gem. Despite lacking a coastline, Bolivia is, in my opinion, South America’s most beautiful—and surprising—country. With a rich history, towering peaks, and one-of-a-kind landscapes topped off with the cheapest cost of living and travel on the continent, there is something here for everyone.
Huayna Potosi: South American adventure travel in the mountains
With the peak sitting at 6088m above sea level, Huayna Potosi is one of the few peaks at this altitude worldwide that you can summit with no technical experience. While the hike itself is brutal, adventure travel should be and the view from the top is mind-blowing. You will see the sun rise over the Amazonas, with Potosi Peak itself casting a shadow over the entire cities of La Paz and El Alto.
What are the tours like?
Most itineraries are two days and two nights and will only set you back £100, but it really does matter who you book with. You need to choose a provider that will give you the best chance of summiting. I strongly recommend Jiwaki.com.
I booked with them, and I don’t have a bad word to say about the experience. The accommodation was nicer than my hostel in La Paz (yes, even high camp at 5500 m), the food was tasty and fresh, and the guides became so much more than that; they closely monitored my performance and encouraged me, all while keeping me safe at altitude.
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Death Road MTB
If you’re an adrenaline junkie like me, you will love this. Situated very close to La Paz is the El Camino Del Muerte, which links the Yungas region of Bolivia with the capital. You will probably know this best from the Top Gear Bolivia Special, in which they dubbed this treacherous route “death road”.
You can expect to see sheer, unguarded drops of hundreds of feet to the jungle floor; parts of the road even have waterfalls plummeting from the cliffs above and flowing over the rocky surface of the road itself. This really isn’t for the faint of heart, for anyone who isn’t comfortable on a bike, or for someone who is deathly scared of heights.
However, if you manage to survive the 3000m of vertical descent down the world’s most dangerous road, you will be welcomed at the bottom with a treat. Most providers will book a swimming pool and buffet for their guests at the bottom, which after hours of downhill on rickety bikes is more than welcome.
Rurranbaque- Gateway to the Amazon
You really can’t visit South America without making a trip to the Amazonas, While Brazil or Peru might have the largest shares of the mythical rainforest, I believe that Bolivia is actually the best place to enter it.
Rurranbaque is the jumping-off point for two tours: the jungle tour and the Pampas tour. But what are the Pampas? Well, the Pampas is essentially a freshwater mangrove swamp, but more than that, it is teaming with life. You can expect to be face-to-face with enormous crocodiles, swim with freshwater dolphins, bump into anacondas, and even see the internet’s favourite rodent, the Capybara.
I only did the Pampas tour, and it was fantastic. We spent three days and two nights at our lodge with our guides, who were charismatic, funny, and taught us a lot about life here. The food was of very high quality, fresh, and in large portions, and it was honestly probably one of the best tours we did in 6 months.
What should I be aware of?
You have a choice of two routes to get to Rurranbaque: either a very expensive flight or a 17-hour coach ride down the new death road. I took the coach both ways, but you should know that Bolivian coach drivers, for good reason, have a bad reputation, and the road is frankly terrifying.
You should also be aware of food hygiene in the remote areas of Bolivia. We actually had no issues at our jungle lodge, but when we were back in Rurranbaque and waiting for our coach home, we ate pizza in a restaurant. This turned into the worst decision of my entire trip, as I had to endure food poisoning on a 17-hour overnight bus that didn’t even have a toilet.
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Salar De Uyuni and The Southern Landscapes
A trip to Bolivia without visiting Uyuni’s awe-inspiring salt flats would be like visiting Peru without seeing Machu Picchu. There are truly no words that can do watching the sun rise over them justice, but it nearly brought this stoic Englishman to tears.
It is possible to visit the salt flats on a one-day tour from Uyuni itself, but I’d recommend taking the three-day option that is widely offered. On this tour, you will traverse the southern circuit of Bolivia and see the Patagonian highlands and all of their geographic anomalies. I’m fairly well-travelled, but multiple times on these three days I was lost for words at the beauty in front of me.
If, like most people, you’ve never seen a bright red lake with thousands of flamingos, an erupting mud volcano that’s spewing out sulphur, or a free-standing rock that eerily resembles the World Cup, this is for you.
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What should I know?
The three-day tours have the option to start in Bolivia and finish in San Pedro du Atacama, Chile (or vice versa). I actually started this tour in San Pedro and finished in Uyuni, which I couldn’t recommend highly enough. We spent three days having our minds blown, only to have the best last.
The prices vary; I paid $300 with everything included when booking from Chile. I have since learned I massively overpaid compared to most who only spent $150–200, but we had a small group and were in an air-conditioned modern 4×4, so I’m not mad about it.
At points on this circuit, you will go above 5000m; you should not take this lightly. Even very fit people in my group struggled, so if you haven’t been this high before, pay attention to how your body feels. Make sure you speak to your guide if you start to feel unwell. Any reputable tour company will have the appropriate medical equipment to help you out, even if that’s just some coca leaves to help with headaches.
