Bolivia

Quick Facts

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Capital

La Paz (administrative)

Capital

Sucre (constitutional, judicial)

Population

8,300,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

Spanish, South Bolivian Quechua, Central Aymara

Calling Code

+591

Nationality

Bolivian

Local name

Introduction

Laguna Colorada, Southwest Bolivia

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Feed the adventurous spirit in you and travel to Bolivia! Though comparatively underdeveloped, Bolivia is recognized as one of South America's most spectacular destinations.

The nation's rich cultural heritage remains intact amongst the indigenous people, a large majority of who retain traditional beliefs and practices. Travellers can visit the ancient remnants of past civilizations, or simply enjoy the land's diverse scenery: from the rugged Andes mountains in the west, to the untamed jungle wilderness hugging the Amazon through the northern and eastern stretches; from the Gran Chaco desert area in the southeast, to the world's highest lake, Lake Titicaca, on the border with Peru.

Brief History

Geography

Bolivia, together with Paraguay, is one of the two countries in South America totally bordered by land. It has a very diverse geography, with elevation being a major factor between the lower eastern parts and the higher western parts of the country. About half of the country is in the Amazone basin and Gran Chaco, which is shared with Paraguay. The former is much more humid than the latter and has a very diverse ecosystem with thousands of plantspecies, trees, flowers, birds and butterflies. The swampy areas see a diverse fauna system, with animals like the anaconda and the capibara, the largest rodent in the world.

A small central corridor of the country is formed by the mild (weatherwise) Central Highlands and more northerly the Yungas which form a transition zone between the Amazone basin and the higher altiplano and Andes. The Altiplano in the west is a high, flat and dry area, on the edges of the Altiplano are the Andes mountains with many summits, among which are severals volcanoes, over 6000 meters and a few even over 6500 meters. On these highlands are mammals like vicunas and guanacos, wild members of the family of the llama and alpaca, which are the domesticated ones. One of the most interesting areas on the highlands is the immense Uyuni Salt Flat, with salt as far away as you can watch

Bolivia shares international borders with Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile.

Regions

Although there are over a hundred provinces in Bolivia, it is easier to use the 9 departments:

• Beni in the northeast
• Chuquisaca central south, including the capital Sucre
• Cochabamba centre of the country, including the city with the same name
• La Paz in the nortwest, including the city with the same name
• Oruro in the west, including the city with the same name
• Pando northest department
• Potosi southwestern part, including Uyuni
• Santa Cruz biggest department, in the east/southeast, including the city of Santa Cruz
• Tarija south, along the border with Argentina

Cities

• La Paz
• Santa Cruz
• Sucre
• Cochabamba
• Oruro
• Uyuni
• Potosi
• Tupiza
• Copacabana

Sights and Activities

Salar de Uyuni and Southwest Bolivia

Driving for hours on a perfectly flat salty plain is one of those experiences a traveller to Bolivia can enjoy. There are lots of tours from Uyuni but also from Tupiza in the south of Bolivia and even from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, which is the best way to see the salt flats as well as the extremely beautiful southwest of Bolivia, where lakes in the colours red, green, white and turquoise against a backdrop of high snow covered volcanoes make you feel as if you were out of this world. Few people live here and public transport is close to nonexistent, which makes a tour maybe the only feasible option unless you want to bike it! The flats are on an elevation of about 3600 meters but during a tour you will visit areas up to 5000 meters, so bringing a warm sweater, sleeping bag and mountain sickness pilss are recommended. During most of these trips you sleep in sleeping bag accomodation with shared facilities. Rooms are rather dark and cold, but only add to the experience. Typical prices for these trips are around 120 dollars per person (3 1/2 days), including accommodation, full board, a guide/driver and a great experience. Add a few dollar for a tip or the option of staying in a cheaper salt hotel. If you like you can start this trip in Uyuni, but end in Tupiza or San Pedro, or the other way around of course, which makes a trip also a good option for moving on further along your route.

Events and Festivals

Weather

The weather in Bolivia is as varied as the geographical situation in the country. Especially the differences in elevation are very important for the temperatures.

Generally speaking, the months of November until March/April are the warmer but wetter months. June until September sees clear blue skies most of the times but temperatures can be as low as -25 degrees Celcius on the Altiplano and the Uyuni salt flats. During the day though, it can be over 20 degrees or more.

La Paz temperatures are pretty equal throughout the year, with maximum tempertures of 10-15 degrees Celcius and minimum tempertures around zero most nights.

In the centre of the country (Sucre, Cochabamba), it doesn't get that cold, but it doesn't see the temperatures of the Amazone basin as well, which can be over 35 degrees Celcius during the summer when it's wet and therefore not comfortable to travel.

Getting There

By Plane

La Paz and Santa Cruz have airports with flights to and from other destinations within South America, but there are few direct flights from Europe or the USA. Most important connections are with Lima and Cuzco in Peru; Arica, Iquique and Santiago in Chile; Buenos Aires in Argentina and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Check the following airlines for more details: LanChile, LanPeru, Lloyd Aero Boliviano, Varig and Aerolinas Argentinas.

By Train

Bolivia - Brazil vv
Although technically it is not an international train, the Death Train serves the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz with the border of Bolivia with Brazil. There are several ways of getting from Santa Cruz eastwards toward Puerto Suarez and vv. Connections are daily and there are a number of trains you can take: normal, express or ferrobus services.

There are no notable intermediate stops on the way but the 24 hour trainride serves as a good option for travellers to and from Brazil. The border is at Quijarro where you can cross into Brazil at Corumba.

Bolivia - Chile vv
There is a train between Uyuni in Bolivia and Calama in Chile. Although there are better ways to travel between the two countries, like a trip between San Pedro de Atacama and Uyuni, this train offers one of the rare occasions for enthusiasts to travel between two countries in South America. It leaves once a week and should take about 24 hours, although delays are not unheard of. Bring sufficient food and drinks and some warm clothing as temperatures plumid during the night.

By Car

By Bus

Overland travel is possible between Bolivia and all of its neighbouring countries: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru. Travelling to and from Peru, Chile and Argentina is mostly straightforward, but travelling to and from Brazil and Paraguay is more adventurous, although there are no real problems. There is even a multiple day bus trip from Bolivia to Asuncion in Paraguay, travelling through the Gran Chaco.

By Boat

It is possible to travel by boat on Lake Titicaca from Bolivia to Peru, but it is expensive and not frequent.

Getting Around

By Plane

LAB and TAM are the major airlines within Bolivia, with flighs between most major cities. It is cheap but not always reliable and flights are delayed or suspended sometimes.

By Train

There are two train lines in Bolivia which are interesting for travellers, one running from the border with Argentina north to Oruro and one between Santa Cruz and the Brazilian border, sometimes mistakenly called the death train. But that is mostly because of delays and the heath.

By Car

By Bus

Travelling by bus is something most travellers can not avoid. Although buses travel the country frequently between most major towns, roads are not in a good condition except for some parts near La Paz, and roadblocks can be a problem occasionally.

By Boat

Being totally enclosed by land, there is only one boat service on Lake Titicaca.

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