Beautiful scenery, lovely people, charming cities, cheap and safe
Disadvantages:
Breathing at altitude !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Last year I spent seven months travelling in South America with my partner and Bolivia was our favourite country by a long shot. In my opinion Bolivia is the cheapest, friendliest, safest and most interesting of the Andean countries.
Highlights include the largest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni. You can take a three day jeep tour which takes in the salt flats, vivid hued high altitude lakes dotted with flamingoes and cold deserts of southern Bolivia. It is a truly unforgettable experience.
The finest city in Bolivia - indeed the nicest city we visited in South America - was Sucre. The whole city is made up of low level whitewashed buildings that open out into flower-filled courtyards. The weather is fantastic and I would recommend visiting the city from Potosi. The descent from the thin air of the highest in the world at 4,000m to Sucre at 2,300m causes an oxygen rush which heightens the experience of entering the clean, white, peaceful city. We spent a wonderful 10 days in Sucre and wished we could have stayed longer. We studied Spanish for a week at the excellent Bolivian Language School, near Parque Bolivar. Bolivia is a great place to study Spanish as people speak more slowly and clearly than in some other South American countries (especially Argentina!). Lessons are also very cheap. There are several other Spanish schools in Sucre and I would thoroughly recommend it as a place to study. Sucre is a small, university city with lots of young people and a good selection of restaurants and bars so there is plenty to do after a hard days studying!
Potosi is also a fascinating city. The highest city in the world is overlooked by Cerro Rico - a mountain of silver whose suffocating shafts claimed many thousands of lives as the Spanish got fat on South American riches. If you like, you can visit the mines that still claim approx two lives a week. We decided to stay above ground and take in the beautiful architecture and old churches of the city. I would recommend a visit to San Francisco where an interesting and informative guide leads you on to roof - where in a fashion that would have compensation lawyers rubbing their hands in glee - we were allowed to scamper all over taking photos of the views of the historic city.
Another great place to visit is Copacabana on the banks of Lake Titicaca. As well as being a popular tourist destination the charming, friendly village is a pilgrimage for Bolvians who visit the church to have their cars blessed by the 'Virgen de Copacabana.' The village is the setting off point for a visit to Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca. You can walk around the island - a beautiful 10-mile walk - taking in views reminiscent of Greek Islands....but with Inca ruins. But despite the vistas, you are in no danger of forgetting that you are more than 3000m above sea level as even the slighest incline on the path takes your breath away...literally.
La Paz is crazy but fascinating...I'm not sure there is many capital cities with extensive witchcraft markets. The views as you wind down the road from El Alto, the city that has sprung up around the basin in which La Paz sits, are amazing. While you are there take a day trip to Tiahuanaco - a collection of impressive temples build by the enduring Tiahuanaco-Huari civilisation many hundreds of years before the Incas stole their thunder...and many of their building techniques.
If you want to escape the bustle of the capital you can take a trip down the 'world's most dangerous road' a 70km stretch which descends 3000m from La Paz to sultry Coroico in the jungle clad valleys of Las Yungas. The Hotel Esmerelda is a chilled out and relaxing place to stay with a swimming pool and fantastic views. We went in a battered old minbus but if you are really brave you can cycle down...not sure which is more dangerous!
My final recommendation for Bolivia is to try coca tea. This really does help with altitude sickness and also gives a slight caffeine-like buzz and improves concentration. I'm with the new Bolivian president Evo Morales on this issue..."yes to zero cocaine, no to zero coca!"
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