Places to discover

Best places to visit in Bolivia

To travel to Bolivia is to choose a destination in which mass tourism and all-inclusive package deals have no role to play. And so much the better! Most travellers do, however, combine a trip to Bolivia with a trip to Peru and are happy enough just to visit the area around La Paz. That's such a shame! With its virgin Amazon rainforest, the huge mountains of its Altiplano, and the arid plains in its east, Bolivia has scenery and landscapes unlike anything else in the world to offer. And that's without even mentioning its indigenous culture, which is so much in evidence everywhere in the country and so highly respected. It really is delightful!

What better way is there to get the most out of a travel destination than by swapping tips and ideas about what to see and do there? Evaneos' community of seasoned travellers have provided reviews of both the essential places to see and visit in Bolivia and their favourite off-the-beaten-track and out-of-the-way places.

La Paz, Bolivia's capital, is a charming, atypical and cosmopolitan city, and well worth spending several days exploring. The 4x4 tour of the Uyuni salt flat and Sud Lipez Province is definitely something every self-respecting adventurer should have on their to-do list. On your return, make a stop at Potosí mines, which were once a source of great wealth for Latin America.

To finish off this high-altitude excursion, spend some time in the Amazon rainforest atRurrenabaque, where you'll have the opportunity to see all kinds of jungle animals, including everything from caimans and monkeys to pink river dolphins. And why not reach to this region via the famous 'Death Road', Coroico, perhaps even descending it by bicycle?

Those with enough time on their hands should definitely go to see the giant tree ferns of Amboró National Park in the east of the country, which so many tourists miss the opportunity to visit. Something tourists normally don't miss, however, is the chance to let their hair down and enjoy themselves to the sounds and rhythms of the Diablada at the Oruro Carnival, the most famous in South America after that of Rio de Janeiro, and the opportunity to tour round the Jesuit missions of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

And when you've done all this, you will no doubt head next for Lake Titicaca and Peru, to visit an area which, with its wonderful landscapes and scenery, really is one of the essential places to see in South America.

What a programme! We'll leave you to browse the Evaneos website and find out more about all these sites for yourself. A word of warning however: they are all so wonderful that you might have difficulty deciding which to visit!

Pulacayo is a town located very close to the Salar de Uyuni salt flat and is home to train cemetery, formerly used to transport silver to Chili.
Challa is a village on Isla del Sol, on the banks of the mythical Lake Titicaca.
Challapampa is a village located in the north of Isla del Sol, on the banks of the mythical Lake Titicaca. It's the entrance point for the ruins of Chincana.
Salar de Coipasa is a salt desert located north of Salar de Uyuni, in the department of Oruro.
The Tunupa volcano is north of Salar de Uyuni and south of Salar de Coipasa
Surrounded by giant cacti, Isla Incahuasi is a must-see stopping place during a visit to Salar de Uyuni.
The Alcaya archeological site is located in the south of the department of Oruro . This open-air museum houses mommies in a remarkable state of conservation.
Sat at 3,600 metres above sea level, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world! Yes, Sucre has been upstaged, but it's still the constitutional capital of Bolivia!
An hour by road from the Bolivian capital, Chacaltaya is a mountain in the Cordillera Real range, situated in the department of La Paz.
El Choro is a pre-Columbian trail which connects the Cordillera Real to the tropical rainforest of the Yungas.
The gateway of the Amazon, Rurrenabaque, or Rurre for everyone else, is the ideal starting point for a journey in the jungle or the pampa.
Just 45 minutes from the town of Uyuni, Isla Incahuasi is essentially a hill covered in cacti. From the top, the view of the salt flat's white horizon is superb.
Chiguana is a desert not far from Salar de Uyuni, in Bolivia, in the region of Nor Lípez.
A city with Andalusian flair, located in the extreme south of Bolivia, Tarija has the highest vineyards in the world. This is where your Bolivian wine journey will begin.
About 50km east of Sucre, the village of Tarabuco is known for its craft market, one of the most traditional craft markets in Bolivia.
Pampas del Yacuma is a tropical zone located in the department of Beni, approximately 300 km from the Bolivian capital.
In the department of Cochambamba, on the banks of the Chapare River, Villa Tunari is a town surrounded by tropical forest.
Chachacomani is a high altitude mountain located in the Cordillera Real in the heart of the La Paz region.
After a freezing night on the banks of Laguna Colorada, you can visit the Sol de Mañana Geysers very early in the morning when they are most active.
Incahuasi can be found on the way to the famous Salar de Uyuni.